Like many bodywork professionals, injuries and chronic pain led me to my work. In my early twenties I abused my body through lack of awareness and overuse. The resulting chronic pain became incapacitating, leading me to leave my job in landscape design and construction and devote a year to healing myself. That year turned into a new career and life-long interest in understanding the nature of pain, suffering and healing.
My background in Environmental Science had already trained me to view things in a holistic way. After finding no relief from standard medical treatments, I decided to educate myself about soft tissue pain. I enrolled in the Bancroft School of Massage Therapy and in 1986 received my Massage Therapy license. To help both myself and my clients, I began an in-depth exploration of a wide range of manual therapies and bodywork modalities. These included orthopedic massage, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial techniques, structural integration, craniosacral therapy, yoga and meditation, and, ultimately, Bowenwork.
Through my explorations, I learned to listen to my pain and found that the body has its own wisdom. With the help of some wonderful therapists and teachers, the dysfunctional patterns of stress and tension held deep within my body began to unwind. As the pain diminished and the physical and emotional tensions were released, I began to inhabit my body in a new way: free of pain and with a much greater sense of ease. This process helped me to develop my philosophy of healing; that working with the body’s own natural healing tendencies, rather than trying to force change, leads to more integrative and lasting results.
I draw on all of my background in my work with my clients, but now primarily use Bowenwork. What feels joyful to me about Bowenwork is the absence of force. I can trust that each person will heal in the way that is best for them, as they are able - and my job is to help remove the blocks to that process. My clients and I are continually amazed that something so gentle yields such profound results!
My mission is to provide Bowenwork to people of all ages and levels of health to assist them in resolving pain, reducing stress, and improving their health and wellbeing.