I welcome YOU. As you are, right now.
I believe that real change arises from an orientation to, understanding, and compassionate acceptance of ‘what is,’ so that we can move towards ‘what could be.’ Towards the possible. My practice is a vehicle for this endeavor.
Over many years, I have received care from numerous bodyworkers and therapists. I know what it means to be the client and to walk a path of self-discovery and healing.
Bodywork is what brought me home to my body. It has helped me heal from and better manage persistent neck and shoulder pain, knee pain, muscle strains and sprains, and general body aches.
Consistent, regular bodywork of various forms, along with Somatic Experiencing®, are what helped me unwind and process years of accumulated stress and earlier traumas that no amount of only talking about in therapy was going to fully touch or resolve.
It is through this lived experience, and that of being a former professional dancer and a mom, that I come to this work.
Seeking and being open to receiving care can take courage, vulnerability, tenacity and faith. I honor you for taking the step of simply being here.
…where we are constantly asked and expected to do more, with less support, and to override our body’s impulses and emotions in order to meet our responsibilities.
I feel lucky to be able to provide a space for people to sloooow down, set aside their devices and to-do’s, let go of even one ounce of bound-up tension, receive nurturance and care, and reconnect to themselves.
I believe that receiving care and living in a more embodied way not only benefits us, but has a positive impact on all of our relationships and in the choices we make to be engaged and responsive local, and global, citizens.
In this Sensitive Revolutionary interview with Ane Axford from 2016, I talk about the power of gentle bodywork, the type of work I practice, and how being cared for and self-care inform and enhance each other.
Massage & Bodywork
I have been certified by the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC# 32110) since 2012, given over 2,500 hands-on sessions, and amassed nearly 700 hours of training.
Over more than a decade, I have studied:
Trauma Therapy
I am also deepening my capacity to help clients with unresolved trauma and accumulated stress that can lie at the foundation of chronic pain, illness and emotional distress to heal at the core nervous system level via Kathy Kain’s Touch Skills for Trauma 96hr training, which I completed in September 2017.
Tending to early trauma and attachment wounding is very dear to me. I have studied the physiological effects of Developmental Trauma and have nearly completed Kathy Kain and Stephen Terrell’s 72hr Somatic Resilience and Regulation training. The basis of this work is re-establishing and slowly broadening the capacity for co-regulation through the use of gentle contact.
I have completed the Intermediate year in the three-year Somatic Experiencing® professional training program.
Background
My life as a professional modern/contemporary dancer has brought me into contact with Feldenkrais, the Alexander Technique, Gaga Movement Language, yoga, and Pilates (as well as brought me the gift of many injuries and chronic pain patterns from which to recover), and I’ve explored various forms of meditation and breathwork.
I also received a B.A. in Psychology from Smith College, not too far from my hometown of New York City (but I’ve grown quite partial to California avocados).
I identify as a cis-woman, half-caucasian and half-Jewish, mother, wife, friend, daughter, dancer and art lover, nature admirer, non-religious but spiritual, able-bodied, Highly Sensitive Person, and an abiding lover of snacks, naps, low lighting, cozy fabrics, danceable beats, playfulness, deep conversations, long walks, and laughing about life’s absurdities. I speak English, beginner French, and throw in the occasional Yiddish saying.
When I’m not with my clients, I’m playing with my kiddo, eating dark chocolate, dancing in my kitchen or at ballet class, geeking out on topics like pain science, trauma recovery, and anatomy, watching, “30 Rock” and fantasizing about creating THE most comfortable space ever.
