“The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light. Gentle work. Steadfast work.
Life-saving work in those moments when life and shame and sorrow occlude our own light from our view, but there is still a clear-eyed loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another.” James Baldwin, American writer, 1964

I understand that everyone is an individual and a whole seeking connection – bodybrainheart, so every session will be skillfully designed to meet your specific needs. Below, you will find descriptions of the most common massage therapy and bodybrainheartwork techniques that I apply.

Polyvagal Informed Practice “I feel myself, therefore I am.” – The Polyvagal Theory

“How safe we feel is crucial to our physical and mental health and happiness.” Stephen Porges, PhD, founder of the Polyvagal Theory

I will allow the time and space for you to tell your story during your intake/consultation. As we continue with the bodywork portion of your session, I may ask questions, listen, and give appropriate hands-on bodywork.

I cannot “fix” you. Why would we expect me to “fix” you when no one else has? My Polyvagal informed practice is intended to cultivate safety and connection, with self and with others. I respect your unique experiences, feelings, and emotions that you, as a whole, hold. First, you always have choice. This is your session, your bodywork. Because of previous life experience, you may not want to open up and you may just want to be “worked on,” and that is the best approach at the moment. If you return to see me repeatedly, that will offer the opportunity to explore your experiences a little more deeply, if you would like. I hope to offer new perspective of what you are experiencing, one that can provide a deeper understanding, which includes an increased sense of safety and self-awareness.

I will listen to you. I will be curious but not prying. I will accept your experiences. I will let you talk and I will listen. 

Massage Therapy is a general term for a range of therapeutic approaches with roots in both Eastern and Western cultures.

Bodywork includes all hands-on therapies and techniques in complementary medicine that involve touching or manipulating the body. Including but not limited to massage therapy, Rolfing, chiropractic, acupuncture, physical therapy, some pilates and yoga practices, etc. We know that bodywork is effective because we have all experienced it, but, the reasons for its efficacy may not be what you think. All forms of bodywork fundamentally and primarily influence the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is constantly adjusting physiologic/autonomic state and eliciting changes in the body, in proprioception, muscle tension, movement patterns, pain levels, a sense of safety (or threat), etc. The bottomline is that bodywork is effective, but it works for reasons other than what you have likely been told and think.

Bodywork of any kind does NOT “break up” scar tissue or release “toxins”, but it can be effective in the remodeling process and can improve range of motion in areas restricted by scar tissue.

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) The SSP is a collaborative, evidence-based listening therapy designed to reduce sound sensitivities and improve auditory processing, behavioral state regulation, and social engagement behaviors through filtered music.

BodyBrainHeartWork is any therapeutic or personal development technique that involves working with the human bodybrainheart in a form involving manipulative therapy, somatic experiencing, breath work, or energy work. Bodywork techniques also aim to assess or improve posture, promote awareness of the “bodybrainheart” as one, or to manipulate a putative “energy field” surrounding the human bodybrainheart and effecting health.

“What is split off, not felt, remains the same. When it is felt, it changes. Most people don’t know this! They think that by not permitting the feeling of their negative ways they make themselves good. On the contrary, that keeps these negatives static, the same from year to year. A few moments of feeling it in your body allows it to change. If there is in you something bad or sick or unsound, let it inwardly be and breathe. That’s the only way it can evolve and change into the form it needs.” Eugene T. Gendlin, Let your body interpret your dreams 1986 

Ashiatsu is often experienced as the most luxurious deep tissue massage on the planet! In the Japenese language “Ashi” translates to foot and “Atsu” into pressure. Ashiatsu DeepFeet Bar Therapy, is a modern barefoot massage technique in which the therapist delivers deep, broad, consistent pressure while utilizing their feet and body weight. Working with gravity instead of against it, Ashiatsu therapists are able to provide an effective therapeutic massage without causing pain or discomfort to themselves or the receiving client. The therapist applies pressure, strokes, and bodywork with soft, clean feet. Ashiatsu DeepFeet Bar Therapy may include techniques applied by the therapist’s knees, elbows, palms, and fingers when and where appropriate to achieve the desired effects. Cream or oil is applied to the client’s body making this deep therapeutic massage fluid and relaxing. Parallel bars above the massage table are used for balance, support and client safety.

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is an evidence-based, gentle, hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the functioning of a physiological body system called the craniosacral system – comprised of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. CST is not massage therapy. Using soft touch generally no greater than 5 grams, or about the weight of a nickel, practitioners release restrictions in the craniosacral system to improve the functioning of the central nervous system. By complementing the body’s natural healing processes, CST is increasingly used as a preventive health measure for its ability to bolster resistance to disease, and is effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and dysfunction.

Cupping Therapy is the combination of massage movements and negative pressure with the use of a suction device/cup on the skin. The cups are positioned at the area to be treated and a vacuum is created within the cup to draw the skin and underlying tissue into the cup. The produced vacuum creates a suction effect that increases blood and lymphatic circulation systemically and to the local area, relaxes facia and muscle tissues, draws stagnation, pathogenic factors and cellular waste out of the tissue, and releases a myriad of pain causing factors.

Usui Reiki is a Japanese energy technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. Simply put, Reiki is a healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the client by means of touch or hovering hands, to activate the natural healing processes of the healing partner’s body and restore physical and emotional well-being.

Swedish Massage is the most common form of massage. Swedish massage involves long, gliding strokes, kneading, friction, and other forms of tissue manipulation to relax and ease muscle tension and pain. Swedish is an integration of ancient Eastern techniques with modern Western principles of anatomy and physiology. Swedish is typically a full-body massage. Techniques and session length can vary.

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) is a popular treatment for myofascial restriction. IASTM uses specially designed instruments to provide a mobilizing effect on scar tissue alignment and myofascial adhesions.

Myofascial Techniques are used to free the bodymind from the grip of tight connective tissue. Therapists apply mild, yet deep, sustained pressure to stretch and soften the fascia. Results include: restoring more ideal alignment and function, and reducing pain.

Trigger Point Therapy. Trigger points are tender, congested spots within the muscle tissue that may radiate pain to other areas. Trigger point therapy is a technique where the  practitioner applies pressure to these points. Results include: eliminating pain, improving muscle function, and re-educating the muscles to adapt to new patterns.

Deep Tissue massage is a general term for a range of therapies that are used to improve the function of the mindbody’s connective tissues and muscles. This specialized massage technique is intended to release chronic tension by working the deeper layers of muscle and other soft tissues. Deep Tissue techniques are used to encourage the softening of adhesion in areas of chronic muscle tension or injury and increase circulation. Results include: improving muscular health and decreasing pain.

Neuromuscular Therapy is a system of soft-tissue manipulation techniques used to treat chronic pain caused by injury, strain, sprain or stress. Neuromuscular techniques manipulate the muscles, tendons, and connective tissue to balance the central nervous system. In a healthy individual, nerves transmit impulses to the bodymind at a healthy rate. Injury, trauma, postural distortion, or stress causes nerves to increase the speed of their transmission, preventing equilibrium, and leaving the body vulnerable to pain and dysfunction. Neuromuscular Therapy impacts the function of joints, muscles and biomechanics as it encourages realignment of collagen fibers and decreases muscle spasms, normalizing soft tissues.

Sports Massage, for the athlete, Sports massage techniques are used at all stages of pre/post-event training. Sports massage helps to prevent injury, enhance and maximize athletic performance, and reduce recovery time. Sports massage is typically focused on the muscles relevant to the planned athletic event. For athletes who train continuously, the goal is to enhance endurance, lessen the chance of injury, and shorten the time needed to recover from an event (and decrease inflammation). Sports massage may include a variety of techniques such as Swedish massage, trigger point therapy, and hydrotherapy (cold / heat treatment).

A NOTE on Pain: Pain is held in our bodies and can be a learned response to stressful stimuli. The good news is that pain can be unlearned. We can alter our pain by changing the way that we relate to our bodies – how we embody our life experience. Chronic primary pain can also be the consequence of trauma and/or suppressed emotions – our emotions may be detected as a threat. We can learn how to change our relationship to our emotions and cultivate self-acceptance, self-awareness, implement self-regulation, and gain access to co-regulation. Recent research indicates that there is a significant link between chronic primary pain and trauma. This is particularly true in cases where there was chronic childhood shame, neglect, and/or abuse and can also result from illness or injury. Chronic primary pain triggers our emotions. Recent neuroimaging studies indicate that chronic primary pain and emotional distress occur in the same areas of the brain. Heartbreak or distress of any kind is experienced emotionally and physically.

Disclaimer: Any and all information contained on this website is purely for informational purposes only, and is not to be interpreted as medical advice.