services
body medicine: unconventional treatment work
I have training in many techniques, all listed below. Please take a look at the different services I offer, and be prepared at our session to let me know which of them you feel most drawn to.
Come home to yourself.
Body medicine sessions are best suited for people who:
Are working with a talk therapist and feel ready to include the body in their healing process.
Experience persistent, systemic pain and tension.
Feel “numbed out” and disconnected from their body.
Experience anxiety, depression, PTSD, C-PTSD, sleep issues, loss and grieving.
Have had adverse reactions to more traditional forms of massage and bodywork (e.g. flare ups, pain during or after).
Are wanting to heal from an old injury or surgery with an associated emotional component (e.g. sadness, grief, anger).
Have tried everything to resolve their pain, and are open to a new approach.
Head injuries or other physical trauma (car accidents, falls, etc.)
Have a complex set of issues which don’t respond to a traditional bodywork approach
Have Musculoskeletal Disorders such as Chronic spinal dysfunction, headaches and migraine, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, peripheral joint pain, sciatica, neck pain.
Women's and Men's Health Issues. Chronic Pelvic Pain. Endometriosis. Fibroids and Cysts..
Experience persistent, systemic pain and tension.
Are wanting to heal from an old injury or surgery with an associated emotional component (e.g. sadness, grief, anger).
Head injuries or other physical trauma (car accidents, falls, etc.) Whiplash, seatbelt injuries, chest or abdominal sports injuries, concussion, traumatic brain injuries.
After out initial intake and going over your paperwork, I’ll tune in to your body by putting my hands on you and asking your body what type of work would be of greatest assistance in the moment. My goal in working this way is to partner WITH your body’s system, in the way that’s in alignment with it’s availability to change. When I listen and work in this manner, I find that, unlike with other more aggressive traditional treatment work, the shifts and releases available to your body are better integrated and the changes are better HELD.
Working in this way inspires deep, rejuvenating states of rest and renewal for you while you are on the table. When I listen and respond appropriately to the messages of your body, your body will trust and let go…at very deep level. From this space your body is then MORE ready for (and available to) orient toward a healthier, more peaceful equilibrium. And - best of all - your bodywork session will be pleasurable, not painful.
Each Body Medicine treatment session is performed directly on skin, using very little oils or creams. This enables me to accurately detect fascial restrictions, and to apply the appropriate amount of sustained pressure necessary to facilitate a release of restriction patterns.
We assess your specific needs of the day and then custom craft your bespoke session out of the following modalities:
Structural Decompression, Myofascial Release, Polarity Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, ABM Neuromovement, Chi Nei Tsang, Conscious Connected Breathwork, McGloughlin Scarwork, Energy and/or Spiritwork, or any combination of the above! Most of my clients just tell me they want to feel better and they don’t care how I make that happen :) so…it is JUST FINE if you find this list overwhelming and just want me to listen to your body and follow it’s wisdom. Read on to learn a little more about the type of work that I do…
Structural decompression
Structural Decompression is a deep manipulation of the periosteum (the outermost layer of the bones) and associated joint structures. Structural Decompression facilitates the release of forces and loads from the bone matrix, the result of which may include bone reformation, increased ability of the bone matrix to disperse force, an increased sense of energy in the tissues, and a sense of lightness and well-being. Anyone experiencing “deep” pain or discomfort in a bone or joint is a good candidate for Structural Decompression.
polarity therapy
Described as “Energy Medicine for the 21st Century” (Wilson, W., 2004), Polarity Therapy is a gentle, holistic method, useful in the healing of many health concerns, including but not limited to: traumas (ancestral, acute, complex, and chronic), energetic blockages, or feeling “stuck” in patterns of behavior and thought. Polarity Therapy is based in the concept that there is a life energy which constantly pulses in the human energy field. If that field is out of balance, the imbalance will eventually present as weakness and/or disease in the physical body. The energy field, subtle energy centers of the body, and specific currents of energy in and around the body form an energetic template termed “the wireless anatomy of the body”. Polarity techniques can re-balance that template, bringing more harmony back to your physical self.
myofascial release
Myofascial Release is a safe and very effective technique that involves applying gentle, sustained pressure into connective tissue restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion. When using Myofascial Release, I will “load” your tissues by applying gentle, shearing (across, rather than into your body) pressure, and wait. As your body releases it’s tensional patterns, my hands follow and encourage that release.
Visceral Manipulation and Chi nei tsang
return to your center
Visceral Manipulation is a soft manual therapy which uses gentle compression, mobilization, and elongation of the soft visceral tissues and their related structures to encourage release. Chi Nei Tsang is an ancient Taoist abdominal massage therapy, originated in China over 3,000 years ago, that addresses one’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. The name itself means “working the energy of the innermost organs”, or “internal organs chi transformation”. Chi Nei Tsang also utilizes the principles of Chi-Kung cultivation exercises through movement and meditation, and is considered a form of applied Chi-Kung. This type of bodywork focuses on the detoxification and balancing of the internal organs in order to allow for the free flow of chi, or life energy.
There are many reasons our organs may lose their mobility: physical trauma, surgeries, infections, poor posture, and pregnancy/delivery, to name a few.
Our bodies and organs are meant to move freely – when an organ is no longer mobile but adhered to another structure, the body is forced to compensate. This disharmony creates fixed, abnormal points of tension which lead to functional and structural problems throughout the body.
My treatment goal is to treat the source of the pattern, not just the symptoms. One of the foundational principles of Visceral Manipulation is that “the body hugs the lesion”, meaning that your tissues will guide me directly to the place that needs help the most. As the root of the problem is addressed, symptoms start to decrease and the body returns to greater health. This shift is felt in session as a sense of release and opening which continues after treatment, and is fully incorporated days later.
Visceral Manipulation is effective in the treatment of chronic and acute injuries, and is particularly effective in the treatment of whiplash. To learn more please visit www.barralinstitute.com
Brain and Body: ABM Neuromovement®
The Anat Baniel Method® of NeuroMovement® is a revolutionary holistic approach to improving the overall functioning of the brain through movement.
Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement®lessons use guided movements, directed attention and applied principles of neuroplasticity (The Nine Essentials) to increase differentiation in the brain—helping students overcome limitations and form new, more skillful, pain-free patterns of movement.
Rather than viewing an individual as a mechanical system of parts or an issue that need fixing, this method views people as dynamic, information-based intelligence systems moderated by the brain—with infinite possibilities for continuous growth, refinement and development.
It’s a whole person approach; body and mind are one.
A foundational tenet of this method is that movement as the language of the brain—and by using small movements in a skilled way, the brain allows the body to re-organize for healing, rehabilitation, the mastering of skills, and personal evolution. The
Anat Baniel Method for NeuroMovement® helps people of all ages & conditions move beyond their current pain and limitations.
By utilizing the brain’s natural state of brain plasticity, ABM helps you take advantage of the brain’s change ability in response to new experiences. This gentle, effective teaching method, provides your brain with new sensory and motor information, creating new neural pathways, thus diminishing chronic pain, enhancing strength, flexibility, coordination & cognitive performance.
This process of exploring movement in this way, utilizing principles of neuroplasticity—The Nine Essentials—wakes up the brain to help it form new, more efficient and effortless movement possibilities and to release long held habitual contractions.
BENEFITS
Improved mobility, strength, balance and coordination
Effortless, more skillful, pleasurable movement
Improved breathing, reduction in anxiety, deeper sleep
Non-invasive pain relief for your back, neck and joints
Reduction of habitual muscular contractions
Increased well-being, deep connection with self, and clarity of thought
Please visit the Anat Baniel Method site at www.anatbanielmethod.com for more information about ABM NeuroMovement®
My ABM Neuromovement® sessions are best suited for:
Babies with feeding issues benefit greatly from this gentle, client-centered therapeutic style. ABM Neuromovement® can help them learn more effective ways to latch, swallow, and coordinate jaw movement so they have more successful feeding…which results in less gas and discomfort.
Children and adults with diagnoses of adults ADD, ADHD and other learning disabilities, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Birth Injuries, Brachial Plexus Injury, Brain Damage/Stroke, Torticollis, Down’s Syndrome, Fragile X, Genetic Disorders, Scoliosis, Spinal Muscular Atrophy have benefited and can benefit from ABM Neuromovement®.
from below to above-Mcloughlin scar work
Our bodies and tissues are meant to move freely. When there has been a physical trauma resulting in a scar, our tissues are less mobile and can become adhered to other structures. When this happens, the body is forced to compensate and alter patterns of movement to accommodate the new limitations, which cause pain and disfunction in areas not just around the scar, but above and below. This disharmony creates fixed, abnormal points of tension and leads to functional and structural problems throughout the body. By addressing the site of the original trauma - the scar - we can greatly increase freedom of movement, release emotional trauma stored in our tissues, and fully complete our healing process.
**NOTE** To book a Scar release session, please book a bodywork session and note “Scar release session” in the appointment notes in my scheduler.
My scarwork sessions are best suited for people who:
Have scars! Surgery, especially surgeries that were unexpected or emotionally traumatic where there is an element of grief. All scars hold some memory of trauma. This gentle, innovative technique can help you let that trauma go.
birth story unwinding for baby and mother, and support for baby around feeding and digestion
Sometimes our littlest ones need extra support. Moms need extra support as well. Especially if there were unexpected elements in your labor and delivery that you need help integrating; or there were interventions you did not (or even if you did!) plan for, I can help your baby settle into their new body.
In this type of session, usually you hold or feed your awake or sleeping baby while I do the gentlest work - a combination of ABM Neuromovement, Visceral Manipulation, Cranio Sacral and Energy Medicine - with your little one, depending on their needs. While this work is happening with one hand, my other hand can link up to your body, in a way that feels supportive, to balance you and your baby’s nervous systems.
In office or in home service, currently offered in Edmonds and north seattle locations only
Please reach out with your questions regarding this customized, deeply nourishing offering. I request that we speak via the contact form (linked by the button below) in advance of booking your first session.
Blessings to you and your growing family in this sacred time of profound change.
from there and back again-green energy medicine
And Bespoke Flower Essence Creation
The use of Flower Essences "meets you where you are.”
“The action of flower essences can be compared to the effects we experience from hearing a particularly moving piece of music, or seeing an inspirational work of art. The light or sound waves, which reach our senses, may evoke profound feelings in our soul, which indirectly affect our breathing pulse rate, and other physical states. These patterns do not impact us by direct physical or chemical intervention in our bodies'. Rather, it is the contour and arrangement of the light or sound, which awakens an experience within our own soul similar to that, which arose within the soul of the creator of the musical or art form. This is the phenomenon of resonance, as when a guitar string sounds when a matching note is sung. In a similar way, the specific structure and shape of the life forces conveyed by each flower essence resonate with, and awaken, particular qualities within the human soul." Flower Essence Repertory.
In my practice, I have found that using essences amplify the effects of bodywork and Energy Medicine. By sending clients home with the appropriate essence, the flowers can then further assist the client's release of energy blocks. You can choose to add on a custom flower essence to any session.
I also use essences to augment Energy Medicine treatments. While Energy Medicine is primarily a spiritual/emotional treatment, the use of essences provides a complimentary vibrational tool to assist self-healing.
My practice seeks to balance the individual before serious illness occurs. Clients who exhibit symptoms of emotional tension, wariness, stress, irritability, sadness or other "common" complaints can actually be in the first stages of developing more serious problems. Many of my clients tell me that receiving bodywork and Energy Medicine from me has assisted them in making changes in their emotional and spiritual lives as well, thus further integrating wellness as a way of life.