Touch, movement, and experiential education facilitate holistic health in all systems of the body.  Somatic coaching connects the changes that are happening in the body to mindset and lifestyle shifts for more profound and lasting change.

Working Together is a Creative Process~

Together, we look at your health history, current movement and postural patterns, and wellness goals to design a treatment plan.  We will find the perfect balance between therapeutic massage/bodywork performed on the table, movement-oriented approaches, and somatic coaching. You’ll leave your session not just feeling better, but also with increased awareness and new tools for self-care.

Details on the modalities I use are below.  Most sessions combine a few modalities to best address your goals. For example: We might begin with a bit of movement to assess your range and ease of movement, build body awareness, and begin to open the tissues.  Then we might move to the table for some soft tissue release work and settling of the nervous system. On the table, you might learn a breath and imagery practice you can use at home. When you get off the table, I might make recommendation for movement-based self-care. Another session might be entirely on the table or entirely in movement. We might spend some time talking about what’s been coming up in your life and how it’s showing up in your body before getting on the table or as it arrises during the session.

ON THE TABLE

Therapeutic Bodywork:   This touch-based work is performed on a massage table with the client is undressed to their level of comfort under a sheet.  Clients may also choose to be fully clothed and should dress in comfortable, loose clothing. Soft tissue manipulation can break up adhesions in muscle and connective tissue, restoring mobility and circulation to long-stagnant and bound areas.  My work “talks to your brain” by accessing the nervous system to release chronic patterns of holding in body and mind.  Clients become more aware of and learn to release chronic tension through imagery, breath work, and mindful contraction/release of muscles. Sessions may include techniques from Swedish massage, myofacial (deep tissue) release, Body-Mind Centering, Neuromuscular Reprogramming, Trager Bodywork, Craniosacral Therapy, and Polarity Therapy (energy work). During a session people learn to listen to and participate in the healing processes of their bodies.

Sound and Vibration Healing: Vibration can travel deep into the tissues, impacting all systems of the body. I use tuning forks to treat the energetic meridians of the body (as defined by Traditional Chinese Medicine) as well as areas of tension through the lens of western anatomy. I have studied the Acutonics system, and use their tuning forks. These therapies are especially effective for treating physical issues rooted in emotional stress, balancing the nervous system, and restoring fluidity and sensation to especially bound or numb tissues. The work can induce states of deep relaxation and peacefulness. I am also interested in teaching clients to use the vibration of their own voice to release or activate the tissues of the body.

Integration with Verbal Processing: While some sessions focus almost entirely on physical sensation, breath, and movement, it’s absolutely welcome for clients to bring in themes from their life into the session and to share during the table work. It can be healing to simply be heard and validated, or to take time to “digest” what’s been happening in life. Or we can go deeper and engage in a dialogue about how the feelings you experience show up in your body and explore new ways of thinking and perceiving that can create more ease.

IN MOVEMENT

Body-Mind Centering Somatic Moment Education: Body-Mind Centering (BMC) is a comprehensive system of embodied exploration and healing which encompasses all of the tissues of the body, as well as our development evolutionarily (from single celled-organisms to human beings), and in this lifetime (from single cell to mature adult). Somatic Movement Education uses touch, movement, breath, imagery, and sound to bring vitality, harmony, and greater choice into the body.

Experiential Anatomy - Working with the Body Systems: Our physical body is made up of bone, connective tissue, fluids, endocrine glands, nerves, muscles, and organs — each system offering its own qualities of movement and states of mind. When we understand how these systems feel and function more clearly, we gain a lifelong capacity to support their health. I can support you in knowing your body better and moving towards more optimal states of being and alignment through anatomical education, touch, movement, sound, and breath.

Developmental Movement Re-patterning:  We all started off as a single cell in the uterus of our biological mother.  From there we go on an amazing journey, finally learning to walk at about one year of age.  Postural, neurological, and social development are deeply intertwined with the character and quality of our individual journey as a mover.  By returning to earlier patterns of movement (crawling and even earlier movements), we can re-pattern postural and movement habits that cause pain and limitation.

Functional Movement:  In addition to my training as a dancer and yogi, I have over 120 hours of Training in the Axis Syllabus - a technique for bio-mechanically efficient movement.  Slight errors in alignment or coordination during common motions like walking, running, typing, and occupational activities are magnified by repetition and can lead to pain and tissue degeneration over time. Fortunately, small changes can create big improvements in functioning. For example, slight refinements in one’s walking gait can have huge ramifications for issues in the knees, hips, and all throughout the body.  

Corrective Exercise:  Sessions utilize specific exercises and kinesiological principles to create a retraining program for your particular injury or area of tension or weakness. Learning and applying these techniques allows people to heal their injury and move with greater ease and awareness.

Yoga: I have 24 years of experience practicing yoga and 17 as a teacher.  Yoga classes in studios and gyms are great, however, due to large class sizes with varying levels, many beginners never receive personalized instruction in alignment.  I can help you learn to practice yoga in classes with proper alignment and offer modifications to avoid injury and get the most out of your practice.  I can also design self-care routines including yoga sequences, corrective exercise, meditation, and breath work.

Expressive Arts: Free-form movement can also be used to express or shift our state of being. Being witnessed by the clinician can heighten the client’s own presence, self-awareness, and compassion. We can also explore drawing as a way to give outer form to inner experiences.

SOMATIC COACHING

Somatic Coaching: The word “coach” brings to mind a supportive guide, who is there to help you reach your full potential. A “somatic” approach integrates information from all aspects of who we are (sensation, emotion, behavior, thinking). As a somatic coach, my job is to help you build awareness around how of the many layers of you are influencing each other, and introduce tools that can create a positive shift in your life experience. Approaches include body-awareness work, imagery, connecting with your values, addressing negative patterns of thinking, proposing new ways of perceiving and focusing your attention, lifestyle and behavior change, and more.

*** A Note: Coaching versus Therapy: Though I have a Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and do integrate that experience into all of my clinical work, I prefer to engage clients in a coaching-style process than a therapy-style process and am not currently taking on psychotherapy clients. Whereas a therapy process might include lots of time talking about the our history, feelings, and experiences in detail, a coaching process would briefly acknowledge the experience, provide some education around how that experience might be influencing our life today, and focus on the ways in which we are ready to change and move forwards. If a client has a more severe mental health issue like addiction, major depression, or an eating disorder, I require that they work with a licensed psychotherapist in addition to working with me.

PRIVATE LESSONS

Massage Lesson for Pairs: Come with your partner or a good friend and learn techniques to keep each other feeling healthy and supported. Work is done fully clothed on a soft mat on the floor. You will get all the benefits of massage therapy (increased circulation, decreased stress, peace, ease of motion, etc), while deepening your connection to each other and strengthening your relationship.

Contact Improvisation: I am available to support Contact Improvisation practitioners in deepening their technical skills, or in addressing social/emotional issues that come up when dancing.

DISTANCE SUPPORT

Remote Sessions: I am available via Zoom to provide embodied support. We will do an intake similar to what would happen in the office to get a sense of your goals and needs and decide which modalities are the best fit for the session. Approaches can include somatic coaching, journaling or drawing exercises, guided movement, self-touch, and meditation experiences, and treatments for pain and tension. Sessions can be recorded so you can reference and follow along with them again after your session. You can check my availability in Durham and Raleigh and book a time that works for you.