Join world-renowned clinical anatomist John Sharkey and his expert team of internationally renowned fascia experts for an extraordinary three-day fascia-focused dissection course that takes you deep into the visceral core of human anatomy - the vagus nerve and its intimate relationship with the Fascial Network.
Some of the feedback we've received from previous dissection course attendees.
(Remember there's even more info in the FAQ section below)
Renowned experts in anatomy, physiology, fascia science, movement, neuroscience, tensegrity, manual therapies, medicine and Poly Vagal Theory, all respected authorities in these fields, are invited to speak at this three-day fascia-focused event. This creates an excellent blend of traditional or classical anatomy, taught as part of the medical curriculum, and a modern comparison to Biotensegrity-Anatomy for the 21st Century.
The team members are led by Clinical Anatomist John Sharkey from Ireland, along with tensegrity and fascia science experts Dr Wilbour Kelsick (Canada), Mark Flannigan (Scotland), and Rev Dr. Joanne Avison (England). Joined this year by Dr Stephen Porges of Poly vagal Theory in a pre-recorded conversation with John Sharkey exclusively for this special event.
This popular fascia-focused, tensegrity informed dissection course will take place over three days at the School of Medicine’s Department of Anatomy at King’s College London.
This year our theme is “What Happens in Vagus...”. This immersive event invites participants to explore the living architecture of the vagus nerve and its fascial relationships, sensory reach, and role as a mediator between body and mind.
Through meticulous dissection, participants will trace the pathways of the vagus nerves within the continuous fascial matrix, revealing how its course and connections challenge traditional neuroanatomical maps. The course offers a rare opportunity to witness fascia as the pre-neural polyvagal tissue, a sensory, communicative continuum that precedes and informs neural regulation itself.
Adding extraordinary depth to the experience, the course includes an exclusive pre-recorded conversation with Dr Stephen Porges, founder of the Polyvagal Theory, and Clinical anatomist John Sharkey together for the first time since their last meeting at the International Fascia Research Congress in New Orleans. This exclusive conversation was recorded specifically for this event. Together, Sharkey and Porges invite attendees to consider the emerging dialogue between fascia science and neurophysiology, opening new possibilities for clinical understanding and embodied awareness.
Whether you are a clinician, anatomist, manual or movement specialist, 'What Happens in Vagus...' promises a transformative encounter with the body’s most mysterious nerve, where structure meets safety, and fascia meets feeling.
Evolving the way we teach, move, and think, forever.
Participants will embark on an extraordinary three-day journey into the living architecture of the human body. Under the guidance of Clinical Anatomist John Sharkey, and an expert team of educators, attendees will work in small, focused groups according to their specific areas of clinical or academic interest.
Each group will receive individual support throughout the dissection process, allowing participants to explore and document fascial continuities, neural pathways, and visceral relationships in this most unique method.
Day 1 – Orientation and Fascial Foundations
Day 2 – The Vagus Nerve: Pathways and Relationships
Day 3 – Integration, Discovery and Dialogue
Participants will leave with a renewed appreciation for the continuity of form and function, the sensory intelligence of fascia, and the embodied meaning of safety and connection within human anatomy.
See fascia with a clarity you cannot get on fresh tissue.
Fresh cadavers are invaluable for lifelike colour, pliability and procedural rehearsal. However, when our goal is understanding fascia as a continuous architectural matrix, formalin-fixed specimens unlock a different, uniquely educational view, crisper fascial planes, durable tissue relationships, and stable geometry that resists collapse under the scalpel. That stability lets us slow down, trace continuities (epimysium ↔ aponeurosis ↔ retinacula ↔ septa), and appreciate load-paths and condensations that are easy to miss in fresh tissue.
The fee for the Living tensegrity Focused Full Body Dissection Course for 2026 is as follows:
Standard Registration: £2,490
Early Access (For those who register for early access before December 31st 2025): £1,890 (saving of £600)
The Living Tensegrity Focused Full Body Dissection Course is a highly specialised educational opportunity that is open to anyone with a keen interest and some knowledge of human anatomy. It is an excellent opportunity for students, healthcare professionals, manual therapists, neuromuscular therapists, movement specialists and researchers to deepen their understanding of the human body’s complexity and interconnectivity and to witness first-hand the continuous relationships that unite structure, function, and perception within the living architecture of fascia.
Information about schedule, location and start date for the course
STARTS
JUNE 25th 2026King's College School Of Medicine
Thursday to Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm
June 25th, 26th, 27th 2026
Please note that although unlikely, dates may be subject to change
This unique educational course will be delivered by an expert team of internationally renowned fascia experts
John Sharkey is a well-known international educator, author, and expert in various fields such as Clinical Anatomy, Exercise Physiology, human movement, and manual treatment of chronic pain using European Neuromuscular Therapy. He is a graduate of the University of Dundee, University of Liverpool, and University of Chester, completing both undergraduate and post-graduate studies in Exercise Physiology and Clinical Anatomy. He also holds a post-graduate certificate in education.
John is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Life Sciences at the University of Chester/NTC, Dublin. Additionally, he serves as the programme leader for the highly acclaimed series of Human Anatomy Dissection programmes , delivered past, present and future at King’s College London (England), The University of Dundee (Scotland), The Ohio State University (USA), Trecchi Human Academy (Italy) and The University of Witwatersrand School of Anatomical Sciences (South Africa). These courses are delivered teaching the geometry of anatomy and movement from the unique perspective of Biotensegrity-Anatomy for the 21st Century. His presentations are informative, entertaining, respectful, and insightful.
John is a proponent of the “Biotensegrity-Anatomy for the 21st century” model, which incorporates the groundbreaking work of his mentor, Dr. Stephen Levin MD. John is recognised as one of the foremost experts in the world on fascia and Biotensegrity. He specialises in teaching European Neuromuscular Therapy using living anatomy to address chronic pain conditions. Furthermore, he serves on the editorial board of professional journals such as the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (JBMT) and the International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.
Joanne Avison is a certified Structural Integration practitioner (IASI) and a graduate of Tom Myer’s KMI school (1999-2001), with a wealth of experience in both movement and manual therapy. Joanne is a certified teacher of Kinesis and teaches applied structural anatomy for movement and manual practitioners in various fields internationally.
Joanne is the Director of the Art of Contemporary Yoga Teacher Training in London, UK, and a Senior Yoga Teacher (E-RYT500) and Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) with the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
As a member of the BioTensegrity Interest Group (B.I.G.), Joanne is deeply interested in the application of BioTensegrity principles to the understanding of the human blueprint and natural biomotional organisation. She is dedicated to making this emerging context for human movement more accessible and understandable through her writing and workshops.
Joanne is also a CMED Graduate (2004) and has extensively studied human development, with a particular focus on soft tissue and the connections between archetypal behavior and physiology. Her rigorous studies include Human Dissection and movement research in Fascial Fitness with Robert Schleip.
Mark Flannigan is a highly experienced and dynamic teacher and presenter in the fitness and wellness industry, with over 30 years of experience. He has shared his extensive knowledge and expertise in Australia, the United States, Japan, Brazil, and most of Europe.
As a successful competitor and judge for the Federation of International Gymnastics, Mark has gained invaluable experience and skills. He holds a BSc in Exercise Science and is a Neuromuscular Therapist NMT from the National Training Centre.
In 2016, Mark began participating in biotensegrity focused dissections with John Sharkey, a world-renowned anatomist. This experience has led Mark to shift his understanding of human anatomy into the 21st century and has allowed him to apply biotensegrity principles to his work as a Strength and Conditioning trainer and Pilates teacher.
Mark’s expertise and experience have made him a highly respected and sought-after practitioner in his field. His dedication to advancing the field of fitness and wellness and his commitment to incorporating the latest research and techniques into his work have helped many clients achieve their goals and improve their overall health and well-being.
DR. WILBOUR KELSICK specialises in enhancing elite athletic performance and rehabilitating sports injuries using applied functional anatomy.
Dr. Kelsick completed his BSc. in Kinesiology at SFU and his D.C. at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. He is an esteemed Fellow and Vice President of the College of Chiropractic Sport Sciences in Canada and a Fellow of the College of Chiropractic Rehabilitative Sciences in Canada. He is also a faculty member in the Department of Graduate Studies at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
With his vast experience, Dr. Kelsick has authored and published several articles, contributed as an author for a medical text, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, a prestigious peer-reviewed journal.
Dr. Kelsick holds post-graduate specialties in the field of sports injuries and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. He has served as a team doctor at several high-profile events, including the Olympics, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games. Dr. Kelsick is a sought-after lecturer, delivering talks both locally in Canada and internationally, sharing his expertise in enhancing elite athletic performance and rehabilitating sports injuries using applied functional anatomy.
The National Training Centre have been delivering respected educational programmes since 1985 and during that time we have had many questions asked by potential students before registration. Here you can find the answers to the questions we receive most often.
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This course is open to all individuals with a keen interest in fascia and human anatomy.
Due to the nature of dissection courses whereby many items, including cadavers, must be booked and paid for at least six months ahead of the scheduled course date, the refund policy is as follows:.
Where written notice of non-participation is received, fees will be refunded on the following scale:
Refunds cannot be considered in any circumstances less than twelve weeks before the course start date. All fees must be paid in full at least 12 weeks before the course starting date.
In some instances refunds will have the the payment processing company’s transaction fee deducted from any amount due. This occurs when the payment processor will not refund the transaction fee to NTC. In instances where the payment processor do refund the transaction fee to NTC this will also be refunded.
You should not book any non-refundable travel or accommodation until the NTC office of administration has confirmed the course. This will be done once the minimum required number of registrations has been received. Dissection courses are generally oversubscribed and confirmation of the course is generally issued many months in advance.
Our dissection courses offer a mix of fixation methods depending on the venue. This can range from fresh from frozen, Theil Soft Fixed and the more traditional Formalin and Formaldehyde method of fixation. We reserve the right to make changes to the fixation if necessary.
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ONSITE LESSONS
Practical classes take place either at NTC or SPORTSCO, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Saturday from 10:30am to 1pm and 2pm to 4:30pm
July 2025 – 26th♦
August 2025 – 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th
September 2025 – 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th
October 2025 – 4th, 11th, 18th♦, 25th
November 2025 – 1st, 8th♦, 15th, 22nd, 29th, 30th
December 2025 – 6th & 7th
Examinations and/or class will start at 9:30am on dates indicated with ♦
ONLINE LESSONS
Tuesday and Thursday Evenings from 7pm to 9pm
(Recordings available afterwards)
July 2025 – 29th, 31st
August 2025 – 5th, 7th, 12th, 14th, 19th, 21st, 26th, 28th
September 2025 – 2nd, 4th, 9th, 11th, 16th, 18th, 23rd, 25th, 30th
October 2025 – 2nd, 7th, 9th, 14th, 16th, 21st, 23rd
OPTIONAL FREE COURSE
National Qualification in Kettlebell Training
November 2nd, 2025 – Sunday from 10:00-17:00