It is with great sadness that we announce that the founder and rector emeritus of School of Naprapathy, Björn J:son Berg, has passed away. Björn brought naprapathy to the Nordic region, thereby establishing a new profession within Nordic healthcare. He was a fearless visionary, an inspiring teacher, and a warm and generous person.
Björn Jonsson, later Björn J:son Berg, was born in 1943 in Värmland. At the age of 17, he traveled to America with his mother, Edith Jonsson. They arrived in New York, and from there, Björn traveled on to Chicago on his own.
When Björn was one day struck by acute back pain, he received help from his neighbor, Gordon Johnson. The treatment method Gordon used was one he had learned at the Chicago College of Naprapathy. He was, in fact, a naprapathy student. Björn became very interested and shortly thereafter began his own studies to become a naprapath.
Björn had Dr. Oakley Smith as a teacher during his time at the school, and on June 15, 1964, he graduated as a Doctor of Naprapathy. From 1964 to 1967, he worked as a naprapath in Chicago, but in 1968, he decided to move back to Sweden. He moved to Örebro and started a clinic there, Naprapatic Center. Björn quickly gained many patients, and the practice received coverage and attention in both radio and newspapers. Some patients became very interested in the treatment methods Björn used, and one of them, K.G. Bergström, originally a physical therapist, became the first person to study naprapathy under Björn.
In 1970, Björn founded the Naprapathic School Stockholm, which is today the School of Naprapathy. That same autumn, Björn started an interim association, the Naprapathy Association for Manual Medicine. The name of the association was changed on January 7, 1971, to the Swedish Naprapathic Association.
From the very beginning, there were high demands for quality, and the fundamental idea on Björn's part was to create an education that was even better than the program in Chicago. During the first few years, 1970–1973, they followed the curriculum that applied to the naprapath program at the Chicago College of Naprapathy. The naprapath education was also to follow the guidelines established by the Council on Colleges of the American Naprapathic Association, an accrediting body for institutions that train naprapaths. In this way, the naprapath education in Sweden became authorized to grant the title "Doctor of Naprapathy - DN." The first class admitted 25 students.
In 1972, Björn met Inger Berg, who would come to mean a great deal to the naprapath education and the field of naprapathy. Inger had a background in pedagogy and organized and planned the operations, as well as initiated the work of developing new curricula.
Starting a private medical education program in the early 1970s met with strong resistance from several different quarters. The political climate did not favor private initiatives at all, especially not within education and healthcare. Björn realized early on the importance of teaching expertise, which is why extensive work was put into recruiting highly qualified teachers, despite initial resistance to manual medicine from the medical and physical therapy communities. The doctors, associate professors, and professors who took on the challenge in the early 70s of working with an education that was completely new to Sweden made significant and decisive contributions to naprapathy and the continued development of the naprapath program.
In 1973, a new curriculum was ready. In it, great emphasis was placed on developing the students' differential diagnostic skills and examination methodology. Classical massage was introduced as a complement to manipulation treatment. This was entirely in line with Smith's view of musculoskeletal-related ailments, where the structures adjacent to the joints—muscles, nerve tissue, and what Smith called connective tissue—play an important role as causes of the patients' ailments. The combination of treatment techniques created in the 1973 curriculum has since come to characterize the Swedish naprapath education and the way naprapaths trained in Sweden work.
Björn realized early on the importance of integrating theoretical, practical, and clinical instruction. The School of Naprapathy's clinic became the forum where students, throughout their entire education, were given the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a realistic context. Even today, the extensive clinical practice is a hallmark of the naprapath education and also one of the most appreciated parts of the program among the college's students.
During the latter half of the 1980s, the mobilization techniques that were already relevant during Smith's time were further developed, and today they are a natural and important complement to the manipulation techniques. The soft tissue techniques, which are important for naprapaths, were also developed, and it is precisely this combination of joint-specific treatment and soft tissue treatment that characterizes the naprapath's way of working.
Throughout all his years as a professional, Björn distinguished himself as a skilled naprapath and an inspiring lecturer. He was an appreciated speaker who did not shy away from philosophical reasoning or difficult questions. He moved comfortably between theoretical and practical instruction with the same great commitment.
One quality of Björn's that left a lasting mark on the Swedish naprapath education was his clarity of vision and ability to look ahead. The focus was always on developing the education and attracting the most skilled lecturers in their respective fields to the organization.
Through naprapathy, Björn's life's work has had significance for people across the entire Nordic region. Many remember his thoughtfulness, humor, and laughter. He will forever be remembered as a fearless visionary, an inspiring teacher, and a pioneer in Nordic manual medicine.
The life's work that Björn leaves behind is also in very good hands. Significant investments have been made in recent years in business development and key recruitments. Stable and long-term ownership is secured through Inger Berg, who also leads the college's board, and Simon Berg as a board member and administrative manager, and the day-to-day operations rest safely in the hands of Principal Helene Schulte and her staff. The School of Naprapathy has never been better equipped than it is now to meet the future.
Björn J:son Berg passed away on March 29, 2021, at Danderyd Hospital after a long illness.
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In memoriam compiled by Simon Berg based on texts from, among others, Naprapatins Grunder, Studentlitteratur 2009, and the School of Naprapathy website https://naprapathogskolan.se/naprapati/naprapatins-historia
