Integrative Somatic Healing
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About Massage Therapy

Regular massage therapy is an investment in yourself and your well being. It reduces stress and helps you get in touch with the needs of your body.

How much time does it take?

For the initial visit, there is paperwork that needs to be filled out and I will go over this with you. It is best if you download the confidential intake form from the web-page and have it ready before we work, so that we don’t spend appointment time on paperwork.

75 minutes is set aside for the treatment time from beginning to end. This allows for up to 60 minutes of work on the massage table. I will always make sure there is time for you to pause from your hectic daily routine and connect with your body and breath before the body work treatment begins. I also allow time for reentry from a very relaxed state.

Do I have to take my clothes off?

Privacy is very important in the therapeutic relationship. The safer you feel, the more relaxed you can become. So disrobing is completely up to you. If you choose to disrobe, it will be done in complete privacy in the treatment room. There are sheets for you to cover yourself with. Before I re-enter the room, I will knock on the door. If you decide it doesn’t feel right to disrobe, it is fine, and the session can be adjusted for your needs. If the temperature, lighting or music in the room is not to your liking, please just let me know – the treatment is about your needs and making you comfortable and relaxed.

Should I eat before a massage treatment?

It is probably best to avoid a large meal or stimulants like caffeine before having massage therapy. It is also best to avoid any depressants or alcohol before a massage.

Will I get my whole body massaged?

No two treatments are the same, because the body is shifting and changing. I tune into the tissue to get a feel for what each body needs and then work from there. Sometimes, when there are more chronic conditions in the tissue, more time will be spent on one general area, like the shoulders, neck or low back. It is good to remember that touching any part of the body will affect the entire body and its systems.

The treatments I offer are not “rub downs” that might be experienced at a chain massage business. The treatments are designed for the individual benefit of the person on the table. Like exercise, therapeutic massage treatments are best done over the course of time, allowing a buildup of healing to occur. If someone is wanting to run a marathon and is not conditioned, it is better to start slowly and with commitment and continued success, they will run further and further. The same is true of body work. Deep work on the tissue and craniosacral system works best when done in weekly treatments – not forced in one session… so that the body can integrate the work and start to work from a new place.

Is therapeutic massage painful?

It is important to keep the pain level in body work to a place of “hurting good” so that the nervous system can accept the input and integrate it into the whole body. So, while there may be times that there is some pain, I will ask for your feedback to ensure it is not too much. I also work slowly, at the pace of the tissue presenting itself.

What is healing?

Healing is a natural process by which the body repairs itself. Sometimes our own natural ability to heal ourselves cannot cope, so we need the help of others. Healing goes deeper than just the physical – but to the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of life. Many times, having the attentive, thoughtful and non-judgmental presence of another is a tremendous aid in healing.

How many times to I need to come in?

Depending upon the state of your general health, therapeutic massage is best done once a week. In order to receive maximum benefit from massage treatments, it is best to start out with 3-4 treatments in a row, and then assess your needs at the end of the treatment course.

What is unwinding?

The events and experiences in any individual’s life are stored in connective tissue and throughout the body. As a skilled massage practitioner, I bring attentive presence to the impacts of held trauma with touch that varies from subtle to compressive to help bring awareness to the body. Bringing awareness to the tissue allows for a gentle “unwinding” or decompression of the tissue which can be very subtle or very dramatic release of the tissue and all levels in between. Unwinding in this fashion helps to integrate the treatment deeply into the body to allow new pathways or “ways of being” are opened up into the body and mind.

Therapeutic massage therapy might be used for:

  • Migraine and tension headache
  • Stress, tension and anxiety
  • TMJ (jaw) pain, face pain, and dental trauma
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Pain and injury
  • Trauma from car accidents, falls, sports or work
  • RSI (repetitive strain injury)
  • Joint, muscle, ligament and tendon Injuries (tennis elbow, neck, shoulder, knee)
  • Head, neck, back or shoulder injury
  • Sports injuries
  • Surgical scar restrictions and pain
  • Sinus problems
  • Insomnia
  • Menstrual pain, PMS
  • Effects of stress on irritable bowel and arthritis
  • Certain kinds of chronic nausea, tinnitis (ringing in ears) and vertigo (dizziness)