FAQ

At its most basic, massage is a form of bodywork that manipulates the soft tissues of the body to increase blood flow, relieve muscle tension, and promote healing.

My approach to massage incorporates a wide range of physical massage techniques, as well as more subtle healing modalities that encourage emotional and spiritual balance. My goal is to help my clients achieve complete health and well-being.

My approach to massage integrates a variety of techniques to help your body take better care of you. Massage therapy can help heal a wide spectrum of pain, illness, and dysfunction, including:

• Migraines and headaches
• Chronic neck and back pain
• Motor-coordination impairments
• Brain and spinal cord injuries
• Chronic fatigue
• Fibromyalgia
• TMJ syndrome
• ADD/ADHD
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Anxiety
• Sinus infections
• Whiplash
• And many other conditions

Please contact me if you have questions regarding your condition. I'd love to help you feel better!

I accept most major insurance plans. Many clients have found that they can get some benefits even if I am considered out-of-network. To check your benefits, please call my billing service goddess Cindy at (360) 691-9290.

Absolutely not! My approach to massage is always slow, specific, and compassionate. If I cause you pain, your muscles will guard themselves and I will lose your trust. Without trust, your body will not release tension or trauma.

When I find an area of pain or tension in your body, I will often stop and simply hold gently. The last thing I would ever do is dig into that pain. Instead, I wait for the tension to melt before moving deeper. I listen to the body. It's more like a dance or a rhythm than a typical massage.

Intra-oral massage is direct massage on the muscles inside the mouth. I wear gloves to perform this work, and I usually combine it with massage to the face, scalp, and neck muscles related to the mouth and jaw. Intra-oral massage can be very effective in delivering relief from TMJ syndrome, chronic headaches, and clenching in the jaw muscles. It can also create a remarkable amount of stress reduction and relaxation. You might be amazed how much tension you're literally holding in your mouth!

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle form of bodywork that invites physical and psycho-spiritual balance in the body by focusing on cerebral-spinal fluid (CSF) and connective tissues (fascia). CSF cushions the brain, carries nutrients, eliminates waste from the central nervous system. The fascia interconnect every organ, muscle, bone, blood vessel, and nerve in the body, creating a highway for cellular communication, biochemical processes, and circulation. Trauma from injuries, illness, or any type of stress can form tension and restriction in the body, keeping you stuck in a dysfunctional state. Craniosacral therapy helps release these tensions and restrictions by encouraging the free flow of cerebral-spinal fluid through the tissues of the body. Craniosacral therapy sessions involve gentle holding and manipulation of the skull and other parts of the body to help restore dynamic balance. Clients may be fully clothed.

Flower remedies have been used for thousands of years. I currently use Australia Bush Flower Essences, a line of flower remedies that draw on the incredible biodiversity of Australia. These essences channel the power of ancient healing plants and flowers. They have an effect similar to that of meditation, helping the person to access the wisdom of their Higher Self. Flower essences are an extremely gentle way to encourage the release of negative beliefs held in the subconscious mind, so that love, joy, faith, courage, and other higher energies can flood your being.

As with all my work, the goal is to restore balance and enable profound healing. I am undergoing training to be able to offer customized flower essence blends to individual clients.

Flower essences are concentrated in a small bottle. To use them, take 7 drops under the tongue or in a glass of water, twice a day or as needed.

Myosfascial release is a form of soft tissue massage that can decrease pain and increase range of motion. It focuses on relaxing contracted muscles, increasing circulation and lymphatic drainage, and stimulating the stretch reflex of muscles and overlying fascia.

Myofascial release may include deep, direct work to stretch and elongate the fascia while moving stuck tissue. Alternatively, a gentle stretching may be employed to encourage the fascia to "unwind" and move more freely.

Visceral manipulation is a massage technique that focuses on the viscera (internal organs) in the abdominal cavity. Surgical scars, illness, poor posture, injury, or adhesions can cause stress in the connective tissues of the viscera. This in turn can create tension patterns through the fascial network deep in the body, leading to a cascade effect in which the body is trying to move around fixed, abnormal points of tension. Chronic irritation can create functional and structural problems.

Visceral manipulation involves specific and gentle pressure to encourage the normal mobility, tone and motion of the viscera and their connective tissues.

The lymphatic system is a critical part of the circulatory system that carries away toxins, cellular wastes, and dead cells to be processed and eliminated. Without the lymphatic system, our cells would swell up with stagnant fluid. A sluggish lymph system can compromise your immune system and lead to aches, pains, low energy, and increased vulnerability to colds and flu.

Lymphatic drainage massage encourages the free flow of lymph in your body using long sweeping strokes and slow manipulation of the tissues at precise points. This type of massage stimulates immune function and encourages harmful substances to pass out of your system. Lymphatic massage is also excellent to relieve swelling, reduce bruising, and speed healing following an injury or surgery.

Energetic medicine deals with the subtle energy field of the human body. I use my natural intuitive gifts to detect blockages, stagnation, or buried pain that may be limiting your health and well-being. My goal is to restore a natural flow of energy and balance to your body, mind, and spirit.

My approach to energetic medicine has been enhanced by my work with First Nation healer Robert Lester, whose teachings encompass the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person to encourage whole body healing.