My Practice: What to Expect

Clients get referred to me to help them navigate some physical issue, challenge or dissonance they haven’t been able to resolve. It often is shoulder or neck pain, low back pain, sometimes fatigue or a chronic issue, or car accident pain, knee or arm pain, for example. Often we are addressing aspects of former injuries or events that went unresolved or unnoticed at the time. 

Assessment Process

Whether you are coming in for a sports massage, lymphatic drainage, post-surgical support, or to resolve pain, I take time to read your health intake form before your session. I ask you questions when you come in for a session. Since seemingly unrelated incidents in your life are often a source of discomfort in the body, I inquire about your whole body and history to better assess and understand what your body is telling me. Some of this I do during the session, to get you on the table soon after you come in.

Following your body

Once on the table, I follow your body’s lead. I follow it by identifying or ‘feeling’ the ‘biggest restriction first’. When this restriction releases, I find the next most significant restriction and repeat. The body carries tension and ‘bookmarks’ that help guide where to work, and what techniques will best meet your needs. 

Listening and following vs following my agenda

This is a very different approach from what I used to offer. Years ago I would hear what you want in a session, make a plan, and then carry out that plan over the next 90 minutes. This proved to be a limiting approach. It did not take into account the intelligence of your body and the changing nature as soon as one release happens. This was more like me doing what I thought was most helpful vs. following your body moment by moment. The latter offers better and long-lasting results. 

Deep tissue all body vs deep tissue muscle

My studies, interests and experience have taken me far beyond traditional fascial and deep tissue/muscle massage. I now use techniques that are attuned to the highly sensitive relationship between the nervous system, brain, bones, lymphatic system, and viscera. Over the years I’ve gained greater understanding of these relationships within the body, and become more perceptive in my awareness and more nuanced with my touch; I have transcended merely the physical and stepped into the unavoidable reality of energetic work. This is the essence of the body; it is our physiology. Working energetically with the body has become a vital step in identifying and resolving an injury.

Most clients present with some aspect of Flight or Fight response 

We’ve all heard about the fight or flight response. Our body responds to a stress challenge with a surge of adrenaline, resources are galvanized to the arms and legs in anticipation of to fighting or fleeing. Ideally, this response resolves shortly after an injury.

I mentioned the body leaves ‘bookmarks’ in the body. Some varieties of bookmarks point to an unresolved fight or flight or freeze response in your body. Some bookmarks are larger than others. The fight or fight response is designed to be short term only. It was never designed to last much longer than shortly after the injury or event. However, for many of us, this defensive physiologic response remains active in our body far beyond the original event. This means an aspect of our nervous system perceives there is still a threat. This causes tensions and dysfunction in the body and will contribute to your symptoms, symptoms that literally keep you from fully recovering/ healing. 

Moving out of Fight or Flight

To navigate this, your body needs to experience a greater sense of safety to resolve and release this physiologic cycle. To address and resolve this, we need to work together in a session. I invite you to feel into your body in a variety of ways to get this cycle to resolve and reset. This is the only way I know of to resolve this mechanism. It is your nervous system and your system needs your presense and awareness to resolve this. The adage ‘you must be present to win’ proves gold here. I share this because it’s an essential piece of recovery if active in your system - it will be the deepest level of dissonance in your body, masking what else needs attention but creating its own disruptive symptoms. With guided mindfulness, together we return you and your nervous system to a sense of ease. 

Experiencing Results

For most, physical relief is felt in the first session. Many first-time clients appreciate the unexpected benefit from this quality of care, stepping out that fight or flight response. For others, change will be felt over a few sessions. If you are used to deep tissue massage, for example, or traditional chiropractic care, it may take you a couple session for you to acclimatize to this form of release and feel the benefits. If you have a long history of falls or a rich background in contact sports, your body may have developed a certain disconnection with feeling into your body - out of necessity. This was true for me years ago and it was a process for me learning how to reconnect to my body in a different way. 

After the Fight or Flight Release

Once this physiologic need is met, this fight or fight cycle resolved, the body will have relaxed considerably. From here I reassess how to best support your body and progress further. It often starts fine tuning your nervous system at your head and spine, brain membranes, your abdomen, joints, and muscles. Or we might roll right into the sports massage you signed up for. Again, the body leaves clues as to what it needs next. 

I take each session as an adventure. Tension in your body tells a story and together we explore how and where your body needs attention to return to a greater sense of ease and vibrancy. Leave your expectations at the door of what you think a session will look like. In all likelihood, it will be a new experience for you. This is advanced bodywork, not massage per se. It’s an opportunity to connect with your body in a new way that will help it let go of old tensions and thrive.