Book presentation
Manual zur MethodikThe workbook for FaceFormer therapy
In this book, Klaus and Sabine Berndsen describe why breathing, swallowing and head balance belong together and how they can be trained. Here you can find out who the manual is intended for, what it contains and how it relates to the upcoming book “Trust the Triad” and to the studies.
The key points at a glance
- The Manual on Methodology by Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Berndsen and Sabine Berndsen is the workbook of FaceFormer therapy, with the model, exercise modules, training plan and assessment form. In our view, the training addresses the level of causes, breathing, swallowing and head balance, not the individual symptom.
- It is aimed mainly at professionals in speech therapy, orthodontics, dentistry and physiotherapy, but is also suitable for users who want to understand their training.
- The book is not a requirement for the training itself. The foundational work “Trust the Triad” is in preparation, and the state of the research is presented on a separate page.
The book
Manual zur Methodik: the workbook of the method
If you want not only to use FaceFormer therapy, but also to understand and guide it, the Manual zur Methodik provides the foundation.
The book “FaceFormer Trainings-Therapie, Manual zur Methodik” describes FaceFormer therapy as training of the basic functions breathing, swallowing and head balance. It combines two parts that are often kept separate. The model explains why the three functions belong together. The instructions show how they can be trained.
It is published by Dr. Berndsen GmbH in Unna. For the exercises, the book refers to application videos in which the sequences can be seen.
If you search for a book on “myofunctional therapy”, you will often find collections of exercises for individual muscles. The manual takes a different approach. It does not train the lips, tongue or neck on their own, but the shared sequence in which they work together. Today we call this sequence the triadic functional circuit.
The authors
Written by Klaus and Sabine Berndsen
Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Berndsen is a neuroscientist at the ISST Unna and developed FaceFormer therapy. The FaceFormer has been available since 2000. The model described in the book grew out of working with the device and out of the question of why breathing, swallowing and head balance are so closely linked.
Sabine Berndsen co-developed the method. She is co-author of several studies and conference contributions on it, including the Hamburg study in children, and takes part in training courses and webinars.
A pattern does not change through insight, but through repetition.This principle runs through the entire book. That is why the model is accompanied by a detailed exercise section.
Target groups
Who is the book for?
The manual is written for people who work with FaceFormer therapy or want to understand it thoroughly.
Speech therapy
For work on swallowing pattern, tongue reference position, lip closure and nasal breathing, combined in one shared exercise sequence.
Orthodontics and dentistry
For practices that consider function and form together, and for training alongside braces.
Physiotherapy
For work with head balance, the neck and body posture. The model places head balance on an equal footing with breathing and swallowing.
Medicine
For a perspective on complaints that are often treated separately by different specialities. The model asks about the common starting point.
Training and sport
Where nasal breathing, core tension and head balance play a role.
Interested users
For anyone who trains on their own and wants to know why the exercises are structured the way they are. Written for professionals, but with a little patience it is readable without prior knowledge.
Important for anyone who wants to start on their own: you do not need the book for the training itself. The free FaceFormer app guides you through the basic exercises, and all modules are on the exercise pages. The manual offers more depth, for reference and for guiding others.
Which starting point suits you?
Contents
What’s inside: from the model to the exercise
The book has two main parts. The first explains, the second guides you.
- Fundamentals
Orientation and understanding
Why breathing, swallowing and head balance belong together.
- Fundamentals
The Cranio-Cervical Functional Model
External and internal systems, muscle chains and how a disturbance in one place triggers adaptations in others.
- Fundamentals
Head balance, breathing, pelvic floor
One chapter each on head balance, breathing training and pelvic floor training.
- Fundamentals
Motivation and children
How to keep going over months, plus a guide for parents and practitioners.
- In practice
Training plan and modules
Starting position, basic modules 1 to 3 and extended modules 4 to 11.
- In practice
Assessment and practical questions
An assessment form for screening and answers to frequently asked questions from training.
The chapters on head balance and the pelvic floor show how far the model reaches. In our view, head balance helps determine how the accessory breathing muscles and the hyoid muscles work. The pelvic floor works together with the diaphragm and the floor of the mouth. More on this in the articles Pelvic floor training and Understanding TMD, where head balance plays a role for the jaw joint.
The model
Three basic functions, one functional circuit
At the heart of the book is the question of why breathing, swallowing and head balance should not be considered separately.
The manual describes the three functions in the Cranio-Cervical Functional Model, CCFM for short. The external system includes head balance and body statics, the internal system includes breathing, swallowing and the processes in the oral cavity. The two influence each other continuously. If one part falls out of order, the others compensate.
If this compensation lasts a long time, in our view it becomes a strain in itself. The pattern that can result from this is called Cranio-Cervical Dysfunction Syndrome in the book, CCDS for short. Both are working models. They organise relationships and make them testable, but they are not an established diagnosis.
The control pattern deviates
Mouth breathing, a low-lying tongue or disturbed head balance, often as early as childhood.
The body compensates
The nervous system stores the compensation as a preferred pattern. From then on it runs automatically.
Structures adapt
Palate shape, tooth position and posture follow the pattern that runs throughout the day.
Complaints arise
When and how severely depends on the extent of the disturbance, how long the compensation has lasted and age.
The manual describes a training that, in our view, addresses the level of causes, breathing, swallowing and head balance, and not the individual symptom. Its structure follows neurophysiological learning principles, that is, frequent, precise repetition, clear stimuli and a progression that is guided by your course.
In our understanding, an ingrained pattern can only be changed through training, because it is stored in the brain and cannot be replaced from the outside. The old pattern is not erased in the process but overlaid by a new one. That is why it takes repetition over months. You have to keep at it, and it can be worth it.
Why we speak of the tongue reference position rather than a “tongue resting posture” is explained in the article Tongue resting posture and tongue reference position. Both books mean the same thing. The newer terms emphasise that each of the three functions supports the others and is supported by them.
Exercise section
Modules, training plan and the 3-6-20 method
The second part is made for working with. Each module is described with its starting position, sequence, images and number of repetitions.
The foundation consists of three modules for everyone: the basic exercise, the forward pull exercise and night-time use. Depending on the goal, extended modules are added, such as the breathing exercise, head balance rotation, the pelvic floor module and the AirFlip, which practises pressure equalisation in the ear.
All exercises are combined with the basic exercise. This keeps the shared sequence of lip closure, tongue reference position, nasal breathing, swallowing and head balance intact in every module.
you train, spread throughout the day. This creates the repetition a new pattern needs3
is the target duration of the tension. This is followed by biting down and swallowing, then around six seconds of relaxation3
per exercise, increased step by step as set out in the training plan3
The training plan divides the therapy into three stages. In the first, the basic functions are newly integrated; in the second, specific modules for your personal goal are added; in the third, the pattern becomes consolidated. After two to three weeks, night-time use with the FaceFormer ZERO is added as a complement to daytime training.
During the day, after a few weeks you switch to the FaceFormer ONE, which is the same size and simply made of firmer material. Overall, the manual anticipates six to twelve months of daily training until the processes run without thinking. More on this under Process and duration.
Children
A dedicated guide for children
Disorders of the basic functions often begin in early childhood. In our view, through the chain of mouth breathing, restless sleep and altered growth, they can also be connected with concentration problems and deviations in jaw development. The manual therefore devotes a chapter to children and a guide for parents and practitioners. It grades the use by age and stage of development, from playful, passive use for the youngest to active training with increasing repetitions from about four years of age.
The FaceFormer ZERO is recommended for children aged 2 to 10. It is the same size as the ONE, just made of softer material. For babies and toddlers, use should take place with expert supervision.
Children learn a pattern through play.In the guide, patience, fixed times and an exercise that is fun count for more than admonitions. The parents practise along with them.
You can find more about the device and the exercise plan for children on the page FaceFormer for children. The article Swallowing and swallowing disorders explains how swallowing patterns and the tongue reference position are related..
Assessment and practice
Assessment form and questions from training
For practices, the manual includes an assessment form. It works like a screening. Selected, easily recognisable features are recorded in nine segments in order to identify or rule out a disorder of the basic functions. The form explicitly does not show how severe it is. When repeated, it serves to monitor progress. The form is also available to download.
The last chapter collects questions that frequently come up during training. It explains why ZERO and ONE are the same size and differ only in their degree of firmness, how training works alongside a brace, and why the start should be gentle.
Typical feedback at the beginning is also discussed, such as pressure on the teeth, irritated gums or tired muscles. In such cases, the book advises reducing the intensity and gradually working towards the specifications.
Start gently
Begin with few repetitions and little force, and increase week by week.
Getting closer, not perfect
The basic postures rarely succeed right from the start. Every repetition brings you closer to the target.
With a brace
The training can be combined with orthodontic appliances. With fixed brackets, dental wax helps.
Don’t stop too early
The training is only complete once the patterns also run on their own during sleep. This is followed by maintenance training.
Further training
The book in the seminar
The manual is the basis of our further training courses for professionals. Anyone who takes part in a seminar receives the book together with a training set and works with it there. The page references in the seminar materials point to the detailed sections in the manual.
The seminar adds what a book cannot provide, namely exercises on your own body, work in small groups and cases from the participants’ own practice. Dates can be found on the page Further training and seminars.
Context
Manual, “Trust the Triad” and the studies
The manual is the workbook of the method; the foundational work is currently being written. Under the title “Trust the Triad”, Klaus Berndsen brings together the fundamentals of the triadic functional circuit, with the neuroscientific background and the evidence on which the model is based4. The book is in preparation.
Manual on the methodology
- Workbook for reference and instruction
- The model in compact form
- Exercise modules, training plan and assessment form
- Available in the shop
Trust the Triad
- Foundational work on the triadic functional circuit
- Neuroscience, anatomy and causal chains in detail
- Discloses what a statement is based on and what remains open
- In preparation
Where terms have changed, this website uses the newer language from “Trust the Triad”.
A textbook is not a study. What has and has not been investigated regarding FaceFormer therapy is shown on the page Studies and science. So far, one study has been randomised: the Hamburg study of 45 children, which compared basic functions such as swallowing pattern, lip closure and lip strength1. Sabine Berndsen was a co-author. In addition, there is a peer-reviewed study from Jena with a comparison group involving 187 people2. The rest are pilot observations and posters.
The absence of a study does not mean that the connection does not exist. It means that it has not been tested.That is why we support independent studies, without influence on how they are conducted and evaluated.
Order
How to get the book
The Manual zur Methodik is available in the Dr. Berndsen shop. It costs 18.90 EUR including VAT, and shipping is free. The ISBN is 978-3-00-080099-3.
Start on your own
With the free FaceFormer app and the exercise pages. The book is not a requirement for this.
Understand in more depth
With the manual, to read up on the model, modules and training plan.
Train with a practice
If you train with a practice, you can find practitioners in the practitioner directory.
Instruct others yourself
For professionals, the further training courses are the next step after the book.
Questions
Frequently asked
Who wrote the Manual zur Methodik?
Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Berndsen, neuroscientist at the ISST Unna and developer of FaceFormer therapy, and Sabine Berndsen, who co-developed the method. The book is published by Dr. Berndsen GmbH in Unna.
Who is the FaceFormer book intended for?
Mainly for professionals in speech therapy, orthodontics, dentistry, physiotherapy and medicine. However, it is also suitable for users who want to understand their training in more detail. Prior knowledge helps, but is not a requirement.
Do I need the book to train with the FaceFormer?
No. The free FaceFormer app guides you through the basic exercises, and all modules are on the exercise pages. The manual explains in more depth why the exercises are structured the way they are, and serves professionals as a workbook.
Does the manual include a training plan?
Yes. The training plan divides the therapy into three stages and shows when each module is added. Training follows the 3-6-20 method, i.e. three times a day, with around six seconds of tension and relaxation and 8, 14 and later 20 repetitions per exercise.
What is the difference between the manual and “Trust the Triad”?
The manual is the compact workbook with the model, exercises, training plan and assessment form. “Trust the Triad” is Klaus Berndsen’s comprehensive foundational work on the triadic functional circuit, with neuroscientific background and evidence. It is in preparation.
Why does the book say “Konstitutiv-Dominante Funktionen” (constitutive-dominant functions)?
That is the older name for breathing, swallowing and head balance. Today we speak of the triadic functional circuit. Both refer to the same thing. The newer term emphasises that the three functions form a circuit in which each one supports the others.
Is the method in the book scientifically proven?
The manual describes the model and the method; it is not itself a study. For FaceFormer therapy, there is a randomised study in children with the basic functions as endpoints and a peer-reviewed paper with a comparison group, as well as pilot observations and posters. The overview, including all limitations, is on the Studies and science page.
Where can I get the Manual zur Methodik?
In the Dr. Berndsen shop at drberndsen.de. If you take part in one of our training courses, you will receive it at the seminar. The ISBN is 978-3-00-080099-3.
More articles from the knowledge section
Where to go next
Sources
- Korbmacher HM, Schwan M, Berndsen S, Bull J, Kahl-Nieke B (2004). Evaluation of a new concept of myofunctional therapy in children. International Journal of Orofacial Myology 30:39-52. PMID 15832861. Source
- Kopp S, Berndsen K, Berndsen S, Ifert F, Langbein U (2004). Initiale Therapie myogener Befunde im kraniomandibulären System mit einem konfektionierten intra-/extraoralen Trainingsgerät. Manuelle Medizin 42(1):55-62. Source
- Berndsen K-J, Berndsen S. FaceFormer Trainings-Therapie. Manual zur Methodik. Dr. Berndsen GmbH, Unna. ISBN 978-3-00-080099-3. Source
- Berndsen K-J (in preparation). Trust the Triad.
Get started
Ready for the training?
The free FaceFormer app guides you through the basic exercises, counts along and reminds you of your sessions. If you wish, a practice from the practitioner directory can support you.
FaceFormer ZERO + ONE
Both material hardnesses for getting started, day and night. The set for adults.
FaceFormer ZERO
The softer FaceFormer for getting started, for children and for the night.
FaceFormer ZERO Children’s Set
ZERO with hygiene box, plush bag and success book with stamp.
FaceFormer training aims to restore the physiological setting of the basic functions of breathing, swallowing and head balance, with lip closure and the tongue reference position, thereby creating the conditions under which symptoms can improve. It does not replace a medical assessment. You can find practitioners near you in the practitioner directory.
