Every session typically follows the same structure to create ease for both of us. 

Intake + Intention setting: (During the first appointment we will go over your health history) We will sit together and identify your intention for the work. I’ll guide you through landing that intention in the body, allowing you to name the access points you have that day. During this time we will also go over what the hands-on work could look like, making sure that the options feel good to you and answering questions you have about the bodywork itself.  For integrative massage therapy we will transition to the hands-on work. For mindfulness-based bodywork, we can include more in-depth mindfulness or body-based practices if that’s accessible and supportive to your intention. Sometimes the seated intention and body-based awareness portion of the session is longer, and sometimes the hands-on work is longer. This really varies on your needs on that day.

Hands on Bodywork: The hands-on work is done on a massage table. I will leave the room for you to get comfortable on the table, undressing to your comfort level depending on what we’ve gone over for the bodywork. This is more like your typical massage where you will be fully draped under a sheet and blanket except for the areas that we are working with. (i.e. your left arm is undraped to work with that area and then recovered) You can always choose to remain fully clothed, and some modalities are best if you are clothed. Some folks undress fully, some choose to keep their bottom underwear on, some will leave pants on if we aren’t working directly with their legs, etc. I recommend wearing soft comfortable clothes to your appointment so that you have lots of options.

Reassessment + Integration: After the hands-on work, I’ll let you know I’m leaving the room so that you can transition off the table. Once you are dressed and ready, you’ll open/crack the door to let me know I can come back in and we will sit together again. We’ll reassess your intentions, allow you to check-in with any shifts you notice. If you’d like me to share my reflections, I can answer questions or share recommendations if I have any. 

Bodywork is an umbrella term for hands-on healing modalities that approach the body more holistically. It is therapeutic touch that doesn't focus on muscular manipulation alone and can range from energy work lineages to stretching techniques.  Massage itself could be considered a form of bodywork. The main distinction is that massage is a manual therapy that is primarily concerned with muscles, and the therapeutic application of different types of pressure to address muscular tension. 

Somatics, defined as “the living body in its wholeness,” has existed since before the term was coined by Thomas Hanna in 1972. Somatics is a word that points towards our living experience as one that is inclusive of the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual experience. This wisdom has been translated through family practices, indigenous cultures worldwide, and more recently in written word and formal practice.
I am a somatics practitioner and draw upon the practice of somatics in my offerings. I’ve chosen to call my work embodiment coaching to highlight the distinction between somatics as collective/social transformation work. Often we must first embark on our own inner work of embodiment as an entry point into cultural transformation. My hope is that as you deepen your embodied connection, you will find how inextricably connected you are with this living world.

This work is best done on an ongoing basis, and the frequency depends on your needs and how you respond to the work. I work with most people either every other week or monthly.

The trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive nature of my work means that I work to be aware of and honor the needs of people who have experienced (or are experiencing) trauma. I am committed to doing my best to recognize and respond skillfully to prevent possible retraumatization within the 1:1 context and hands on work. Some of the main ways I hold this space are making sure that you are aware of the session flow, going over the hands-on work with you verbally at the beginning of each appointment, and working with your verbal consent throughout the appointment. I strive to create a therapeutic space that can hold a wide range of experiences and responses, honoring what you bring and taking responsibility for what I bring into the appointment. 

I hold a foundational intention of supporting my clients to build their capacity to be present with their experience, honoring the power of positive experiences of change and the role of the social nervous system in trauma healing. I respect that the more we can be present with our direct experience, including all the information the body holds, the more we can be in choice in our daily lives. Primarily I work with my clients to restore connection with themselves and others by facilitating a positive experience of being in their body and through the positive experience of touch. Sometimes that looks like unwinding muscular tension, sometimes that looks like identifying new sensations or shifts in sensations, sometimes that looks like deep relaxation.

I take very seriously the social context of my clients and the context of the healing relationship between us. 

I am not a trauma therapist and though my work is therapeutic it is not a replacement for psychotherapy.

While everybody responds differently, massage and bodywork are often very helpful for chronic pain and for certain chronic conditions. The potential for relaxation (among many other health benefits) can have profound impacts for folks who don't find ease or rest in their daily life. Pain itself is a great source of physiological, emotional and spiritual stress. That alongside the stressors associated with most chronic conditions can decrease our ability to connect with ourselves. When we're braced against even low levels of pain daily, we are narrowing the range of what we feel. This narrowing can also limit our access to feeling positive or pleasurable sensations in the body. My approach respects the need for those protections against feeling pain, while helping to support increases in the possibility of feeling more and the transformation that opening brings.

No, you don’t have to. It is your choice! We will always discuss and design the hands-on treatment and if you would benefit from skin contact for massage you're invited to undress to your comfort level. This is truly your comfort level. While on the massage table you are covered by the sheet and blanket, and only the area we are working with is undraped (e.g. one leg at a time). Some folks leave their bottom underwear on for their comfort, but it is completely fine to be fully undressed or to remain fully clothed. Bodywork can be done while fully clothed, and some modalities actually are better with clothes on so that you can enjoy the full range of motion. Ultimately, your comfort and consent are the guide.

I typically don't talk with you during the hands-on bodywork unless I am specifically guiding you in active movement or need your feedback. You are always welcome to share your experience throughout the appointment. If you have a strong preference either for verbal communication or for silence during the hands-on work, please let me know. Some folks know they tend to fall asleep (which is 100% normal and OK with me) but might prefer to stay awake and aware with the assistance of some more verbal guidance. This is your preference based on your needs that day.

While I tend not to talk during the hands-on work because I am focused on listening to your body and responding to what arises, I can't feel when something is painful or too much sensation for you. I ask you to speak up if you ever experience pain or discomfort, or if you need something like a warmer table or more bolsters.

I have always been curious about the body and some of my earliest memories are of alone-time in my room or outside doing what I would now call breathwork.

I graduated from the Body Therapy Institute's 650 hour Massage Therapy Diploma Program in 2013. I went on to complete the Center for Embodied Teacher Education's Spirit of Learning (2016) and Somatic Educational Leadership (2017). I have focused the majority of my continuing education in structural and energetic bodywork, nervous system and movement repatterning, body-based trauma healing, and body-oriented psychotherapy.

I am also an artist (trained as a painter, also a poet) and my work is informed by the creative imagination and process. While the language of the body is very direct and literal (maybe the most literal), there is a poetry to the translation of the body's wisdom into the language of the mind and spirit. I love this connection and love when it comes alive for the folks I work with.


Some of the teachers who inform my practice are: Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Fernando Flores, Ph.D., Malidoma Patrice Somé, Thomas Hanna, Dr. Ida Rolfe, Moshé Feldenkrais Ph.D., Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., Daniel Siegel, M.D., Staci K. Haines along with other Strozzi-trained practitioners/teachers, Manuela Mischke-Reeds, Deb Dana