My approach to healing is a whole-body approach that uses very light touch, gentle, hands-on energy healing techniques that help activate your own internal healing forces to decrease pain and help you feel better on every level. Since it recognizes the interconnectedness of all parts of the body, mind, emotions and spirit, I refer to it as Holistic Bodywork. It seeks to uncover and resolve the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction. I also rely on my training and experience as a Physical Therapist to inform my work, which gives me a deep and thorough understanding of the body, and helps bridge the worlds of conventional medicine and holistic healing.
Benefits of Holistic Bodywork
- Your pain will likely decrease and you will feel a greater sense of ease in your body.
- You will feel more relaxed and less stressed. One client recently told me after one of our healing sessions that she felt like she had been away on vacation because she felt so relaxed and rejuvenated.
- You will be able to enjoy many of your favorite activities again.
- You will have more energy available to focus on areas of your life that really matter to you.
- You will have greater understanding about your pain and more trust in your body, which will help you know what to do to take care of yourself, preventing more problems in the future.
- You will likely find some resolution of psychological or emotional issues that are linked with your physical pain that have been holding you back.
Who Benefits from Holistic Bodywork?
- People who are either looking for or are open to a holistic approach to healing for their physical pain. Often these are people who may not have found relief with conventional physical therapy or other treatments and want to try a non conventional energy healing approach.
- People actively involved in a personal healing and growth process who want to work with their physical and/or emotional symptoms in the context of that healing process.
This approach to Holistic Bodywork is based on 2 philosophical premises:
- Within each of us is a healing force or core energy that moves toward wholeness. Disease, pain or other dysfunction occurs when we, for any reason, become disconnected from this healing force, or resist its flow within us. This disconnection or resistance from our own healing force can occur for many reasons, such as prolonged stress, physical trauma (such as car accidents, major medical procedures, sports injures) and unresolved emotional trauma (such as major losses, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, unmet needs). When we live our lives disconnected from our core, symptoms of some sort are bound to show up eventually and typically these symptoms manifest on a physical level.It is possible to reconnect to our inner healing force and allow it to guide the healing process, resulting in pain relief and deep healing on every level.
- All parts of us are interconnected and interdependent. This means that all parts of your body are connected to and influenced by all other parts, and your body is connected to and influenced by all other parts of your life, including your emotions, beliefs, life experiences, lifestyle, etc. Since everything is connected to and influenced by everything else, the actual cause of a physical symptom could be seemingly unrelated, such as a headache that's true cause is actually a restriction in the low back, or ongoing digestive problems that are due to an unresolved emotional issue such as a trauma that occurred when you were a child. By being open to all possibilities during a healing session, the true cause of the symptom can be revealed, understood and resolved, resulting in lasting pain relief and freedom from suffering.
My approach to healing acknowledges that the body is a powerful medium. If we follow its symptoms, it will reliably lead us to the places within us that need to heal in order to live a full, boundless, joyful life. Viewing symptoms in this way allows us to open to them, befriend them, and learn from them. When we do this, our bodies no longer need to hold onto restriction patterns. We can then more easily let them go and achieve deep and lasting healing. This powerful process teaches us that we can trust our bodies, and frees us to truly live the life we were meant to live.
Depending on your needs and circumstances, my integrative healing approach combines any of the following healing methods:
Although these four healing methods are described as individual and different techniques, in practice I combine them into an integrated healing approach that is able to find the restrictions and holding patterns in your energy, fascial and craniosacral systems and release them, with your inner healing force guiding the whole process.
The result is that the abnormal strain patterns in your body are alleviated, resulting in relief from pain and a more aligned, balanced, and mobile body and energy field.
What does a Holistic Bodywork Session Look and Feel Like?
The Session Structure Holistic Bodywork sessions are typically one hour long, but can be longer or shorter depending on what is right for you. We will begin by sitting and talking about how you are feeling and what is going on for you. We will then move to the tablework portion of the session. You will lie comfortably, fully clothed, on your back on a massage table. We will use pillows, blankets, and bolsters so you can be completely relaxed and comfortable. If you are uncomfortable lying on your back, sessions can be done in many other positions, including sitting, or lying on your side or stomach.
The Process I typically begin at your feet, and use my ability to assess the subtle tissue movements in your body as well as my intuition to feel restrictions in your soft tissue mobility and energy flow. When I find an area of restriction, I will lightly place my hands there and tune into the subtle movements of your fascia and energy. These movements reveal restriction patterns in your tissues. I will follow these movement patterns with my hands, which assists the tissues to release, resulting in decreased strain on the structures of your body, allowing for decreased pain. Clients usually report feeling gradually more and more relaxed as the session progresses.
Sessions can be as quiet or as interactive as you would like. Many people like to let themselves sink deeply into a quiet space, allowing the body to relax and release old holding patterns. Others like to actively engage with the sensations in their body. For these clients, I use imagery and dialogue to access, explore and resolve the powerful connections between their body, emotions and beliefs. In this process, I will gently guide you to bring awareness to the sensations in your body, and to open to any images, thoughts, beliefs, or feelings that might come up as you connect to that part of your body. Entering into this process with open curiosity, compassion, and complete non judgment can allow any unresolved issues that are being held in the tissues of the body to come to the surface and be released, which then allows the tissues to return to a relaxed, balanced state, resulting in pain relief.
There are many different levels on which healing work can occur, from the physical to the more subtle. While I will make recommendations on how we work together, it is your preference that dictates the type of work that occurs during a session. However, if the tissues are "stuck" or are just not responding to the bodywork, then it may be that your body requires your conscious awareness of some other aspect of yourself before the tissues are able to release. If I sense that, then I will talk with you about what I'm noticing, and together we'll decide the best way to proceed.
In all cases, the session is tailored to your specific needs and desires. My job is to be fully present for you and your experience, and to use my skills and knowledge to assist you in your healing journey. My goal is to connect with your inherent healing impulse and allow it to guide the session. This involves slowing down and deeply listening to you and your body. I have found that by following the body in this way, we are always led to a place of healing.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are ready to heal from the physical and emotional pain you are experiencing, let's get started. Contact me at 781-507-4226 for a free 15 minute phone consultation to discuss whether my work might be right for you.