Spirit-Mind-Body Massage & Reiki

Services

FRIF Functional Re-Integration

FRIF(tm): Functional Re-Integration Framework(tm) is a conceptual way of thinking about adaptively & intuitively borrowing & integrating from the best of many manual & energy therapy modalities to bring the appropriate set of therapeutic & rehabilitative techniques to bear on the set of pathologies the therapist encounters during a therapy session. 

FRIF(tm) recognizes the uniqueness of each client's Spirit, Mind & Body by intuitively, dynamically & knowledgably selecting the set of therapeutic & rehabilitative tools, techniques, & outside referrals, to effectively mitigate both acute and persistent chronic pain, stress and physical dys-function — beyond just symptoms, all the way to several levels of root cause. 

The manual bodywork & energy therapy modality/groups listed here on the Services TAB below FRIF are currently available to me to blend together within the FRIF framework.  

The five core therapy modality/groups are: 

  • MFR/jfba — The John F Barnes Approach to MyoFascial Release
  • TAPS — Total Applied Pain Science
  • REWMS — Re-Education with Movement & Stretching
  • Reiki
  • Health Education & Home Self-Care

The FRIF concept consists of five levels of wellness treatment and outcome expectation, depending on the client's therapeutic and rehabilitative needs.

S2W: The Stairway to Wellness(tm):  The levels can be conceptualized as a multi-step stairway of therapy services and hopes & expectations, with  Basic Relaxation and Stress Relief  at the lowest step and  Ancient Traumas  at the highest step.  The more time the therapist & the client work together at the higher levels of the S2W(tm), the deeper & more long-lasting the rehabilitative benefits of the therapy will likely be, but also the longer the therapy will likely take, in order to be deeply comprehensive. 

The S2W steps are:

  • S2W Step 5:  Root Cause Level 3 — Ancient Traumas
  • S2W Step 4:  Root Cause Level 2 — Health Education
  • S2W Step 3:  Root Cause Level 1 — MyoFascial Release 
  • S2W Step 2:  Therapeutic Symptomatic Relief and FRIF
  • S2W Step 1:  Basic Relaxation & Stress Relief and FRIF

MFR/jfba is distributed throughout the S2W, but primarily over S2W Steps 3-5.

Health Education, S2W's Step 4, includes client self-care, an essential element of the four levels of root cause therapy, in order to:

  • Keep your healthcare cost down;
  • Set your expectations for rehabilitative outcomes;
  • Improve the efficacy of your rehabilitative therapy sessions;
  • Learn about the importance of your therapist's role and your own role in your healthcare and well-being;
  • Learn about the power of modern pain science & treatment;
  • Learn about the significant relationship between your healthy fascia and the healthy you;
  • Learn about the importance of lifestyle, and initiating & perpetuating factors;
  • Learn about the importance of inflamation in your body, your cell's living & operating environment, and epigenetics;
  • Provide tools, techniques, knowledge & understanding to help you deal with issues arising between therapy sessions;
  • Keep your healthcare cost down.

During most sessions, the therapist will spend varying amounts of time at each level of the S2W.  The approximate amount of time the therapist spends at each S2W level varies from session to session;  appropriate expectations will be discussed with the client during each session. 

All clinical therapy sessions are documented with a basic SOAP progress note.


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CMT: Clinical Massage Therapy

CMT, Clinical Massage Therapy — or MMT, Medical Massage Therapy — is a style of rehabilitative manual & energy therapy focused on treating & rehabilitating specific acute or persistent chronic painful and movement-limiting conditions and pathologies that affect the soft & hard tissues of your body, and your nervous & energetic systems. Because CMT/MMT treats specific medical conditions, it requires extensive training in anatomy, physiology, pathology, kinesiology, and a wide variety of massage modalities.

Treatment involves releasing fascia & relaxing tense muscles, dissolving trigger points, restoring performance and range of motion (ROM);  desensitizing the peripheral nervous system (PNS), reprogramming the mind — the central nervous system (CNS) — through its neuroplastic properties;  returning tight or stretched muscles to their normal (happy) resting length;  softening ligaments & tendons, thereby returning them to their normal resting length;  and releasing intra-&-extra-capsular adhesions in & around stiff or rigid joints.  My desire is restoring full strength, ROM & health to the soft & hard tissues of your body;  reducing or eliminating pain, both treating your specific conditions and improving your overall well-being and quality of life.

I am listed nationally as a  Certified Medical Massage Practitioner (CMMP),  and am designated & listed nationally by S4OM.org as an  Oncology Massage Preferred Provider (OMPP).

Working with a dynamic high-performance holistic integrative healthcare team, I can call upon many healing disciplines to help relieve a client's suffering and loss of function, and to restore them to wholeness and wellness.  

The foundation massage modality in Clinical Massage Therapy is The John F Barnes Approach to MyoFascial Release (MFR/jfba).

Examples of conditions amenable to effective treatment by  MyoFascial Release (MFR/jfba)  include, but are not limited to:  fibromyalgia syndrome, pre-&-post-surgery preparation & rehabilitation, whiplash, headaches, TMJ, plantar fasciitis, cancer-related issues, lymphatic drainage, lymphedema, infertility, chronic upper & lower back pain, sacro-illiac joint, sciatica, spinal disc & facet joint problems, scoliosis, osteoarthritis, adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder, bursitis, tennis & golfer's elbow, thoracic outlet & carpal tunnel syndromes, bladder problems, urinary incontinance & frequency problems, myofascial pain syndrome & trigger points;  neurological problems of pain, weakness, numbness or tingling stemming from nerve impingement;  and general & surgical scar management, including burns, all surgery, mastectomy, breast implants & reductions, C-section, prostate, cardiac, fracture rehab, episiotomy, and organ transplants.


MFR/jfba: MyoFascial Release

The John F Barnes Approach to MyoFascial Release (MFR/jfba*)  is SMBmassage's foundational manual bodywork therapy system within FRIF's comprehensive conceptual umbrella of manual bodywork & energy therapy modalities, under which all other rehabilitative therapy services are offered, as appropriate. 

MFR/jfba is a gentle form of soft-tissue manual therapy, intended in the long term to eliminate pain, increase strength & range of motion, and rebalance the whole body through release of fascial restrictions and adhesions throughout the whole body. It accomplishes this by using slow & gentle manual techniques over time, to restore the fascia gently and to release the adhesions that exist between the fascia and the muscles, ligaments, bones, nerves, lymph system, blood vessels, and each and every body organ — down to the cellular level.

Because MFR/jfba is a non-diagnostic whole-body rehabilitative therapy system, your MFR therapist will follow the fascia's restriction indicators to work many areas of your body, in addition to those areas where you experience pain & dys-function, in order to resolve root causes, as well as to relieve symptoms.

Fascia is the three-dimensional network of tissue that covers, organizes, connects, and facilitates sliding & moving;  contains all muscles, muscle fibers, muscle cells & contractile units (sarcomeres);  as well as all nerves, blood vessels, lymphatic nodes & ducts, body organs, and skeletal structures of the body — down to the cellular level.  In fact, recent research now shows that fascial micro-structures are also found within the cells, themselves.  Fascia is all-pervasive, found throughout the body, giving the body its form & strength.  In reality, every part of the body is a specialized fascial structure, wherein fascia plays a vital and under-appreciated role in a smoothly integrated body function;  indeed, fascia is the living environment of every cell in your body.

In the normal healthy state, fascia is relaxed and wavy in configuration and is bathed in a gelatinous matrix.  Healthy fascia has the ability to stretch, move and slide with ease.  But fascia can be degraded to your severe detriment. 
 
Healthy fascia is hydro-philic (water-loving), tending to be like a fluid gel, soft and pliable;  whereas unhealthy fascia is hydro-phobic, tending to dehydrate, to shrink, and to become sticky and stiff.
 
Fascial restrictions occur, for example, when physical & emotional trauma, surgery, injury, diet and poor postural habits — operating via inflamation as the mediating phenomenon — cause the fascial system to degrade, to dehydrate and to shrink, thereby becoming less gelatinous & more sticky, solidifying, tightening, and more adherant. To compensate, tension, pain, restrictions and dysfunction can then develop in other, even seemingly unrelated areas of the body, as well.  Inflamation is the key mediator of these many injury pathways. Your MFR therapist & you is the primary detective team which seeks out and removes the root causes, thereby resolving your pain and dys-function.
 
My job is to help you to keep your fascia, and therefore you, healthy.
 
MFT (False MFR):  Targeted direct deep tissue and trigger point styles of massage therapy are often mistakenly referred to as MyoFascial Release therapy. These deep, targeted styles are more correctly referred to as soft tissue mobilization, Rolfing, structural integration, or MyoFascial Therapy (MFT);  and as Trigger Point Therapy (TrPtTh). They are not the True MFR/jfba modality.
 
True MFR/jfba is not deep tissue work, and yet it reaches deeply into the body by using fascia as a long handle into the body.  It is neither a protocol nor a cookbook style of therapy;  it is intuitive & non-diagnostic, recognizing that the entire spirit, mind & body are involved, and that each client's fascial restriction patterns are unique to that client — often accumulated over their lifetime. 
 
All other manual therapies fail to take the time required to rehydrate & release fully the fascia's ground substance, thereby failing to restore fascial functionality.
 
Fascia consists of stretchy elastin fibers and stronger non-stretchy collagin fibers embedded in an interstitial fluid gel called the ground substance.  On average, the elastin/collagin fiber ratio is about 20%/80%, with some variation to account for a degree of local fascial functional specialization.  Conventional therapies quickly release only the 20% represented by the elastin fibers, but do not take the significantly longer time required to rehydrate & release the 80% represented by the collagin fibers and the degraded & dehydrated ground substance.  Until the fascia is rehydrated & released, it remains capable of exerting nearly 2000 psi on pressure- and pain-sensitive body structures.  
 
Working together, the therapist and the client intuitively "read & listen to" the body's vaso-motor indicators and other emotional & physical signs & sensations the client feels, in order to guide where the therapist will next work.  Commonly, several sessions are required before all fascial restriction layers & locations are released.
 
MFR/jfba rehydrates the fascia's degraded, dehydrated ground substance and releases fascial restrictions by applying sustained gentle pressure and stretches to the fascia for 5-10 minutes or more, over both broad (macro) and narrowly focused (micro) areas.  A minimum of 90-120 seconds is required before any significant physical fascial release process begins in the ground substance.  Because fascial restrictions build up over time, often over a lifetime, 5-10 minutes or more is commonly required in order to release multiple layers of restrictions, and to trace & release their ancestors throughout the body. 
 
We wait for things to happen;  we do not force things to happen.  The body fights our forcing actions, thereby defeating our therapeutic efforts.
 
Fascial restrictions arise largely through exposing the fascia's ground substance to inflamation.  While inflamation is an important part of the physical wound-healing process, it also causes the fascia's ground substance to lose its fluid properties, thereby dehydrating, becoming sticky, hardening & shrinking in all three dimension, thus exerting up to 2000 psi on pressure- and pain-sensitive body structures.  Examples of how inflamation can arise include: acute trauma such as sports or auto accidents, falls, surgery (organized trauma), psychological or emotional traumas, verbal abuse, and poor nutritional choices, i.e., processed food instead of "real" food, or unhealthy carbohydrates & fats instead of healthy fats.
 
Given our busy, stressful modern lifestyles, sources of inflamation unrelentingly pile up, blurring & blending one upon the others.  Effectively, our bodies experience one continuing thwarted & unresolved inflammatory process, along with the accompanying unfavorable negative hormonal changes to our body chemistry and the cells' living & operating environment. 
 
We live in a state of being dominated by our sympathetic nervous system — Fight, Flight or Freeze — when we would be healthier if we lived in a state of being dominated by our para-sympathetic nervous system — Rest, Digest & Repair — along with its more favorable body chemistry; and being able to move freely between them, in a balanced manner. 
 
Releasing fascial restrictions through gentle pressure and stretching re-hydrates & softens the fascia's ground substance and releases constrictive pressures on body structures and organs that are sensitive to pain & pressure — forces that can be nearly 2,000 psi, more than a huge Clydesdale horse (remember what pulls the Budweiser beer wagon) standing on your foot.
 
Fascial restriction release cannot be "forced"; it must be "allowed" to release, gently & naturally.  Neither can fascial restrictions be observed diagnostically with today's standard non-invasive medical imaging technologies, i.e., MRI, f-MRI, myelograms, PET, CT or CAT, electromyography, Xray, Ultrasound;  nor detected through blood tests.  Nonetheless, a trained and experienced  True MFR/jfba  therapist, often with the client's help, can intuitively assess or "read" the client's body for signs of myofascial restrictions.  New invasive laser-based digital microvideographic techniques (MVG) developed during the 21st century now open up limited real-time windows for living, in-vivo, fascial study.
 
True MFR/jfba, by reducing pressure from fascial restrictions, enables relief from persistent & acute pain; increased blood, nutrient, lymphatic & waste product circulation; lower blood pressure;  improved cell nutrition, immune, digestive & organ system and joint function;  increased range of motion (ROM), physical strength & mobility;  as well as the possibility of less reliance on using opiate drugs such as Fentanyl for pain relief, and avoiding the drugs' accompanying negative side-effects. 
 
Health Education:  An essential component of MFR/jfba includes client-empowering self-care, to reduce the client's healthcare cost, as well as to give the client the appropriate education & tools to understand what's going on, and to know how to deal effectively with fascial restrictions, tightness, pressure & pain as they arise between therapy sessions — and for long after the sessions are completed.  
 
A Note About Lymph Flow:  A healthy lymphatic system is of core importance to a healthy immune system and a healthy body.  MFR/jfba  relieves the constricting pressure of fascial restrictions and adhesions on the delicate lymph nodes, vessels & ducts, allowing the lymph ducts to enlarge to their normal diameter, thereby improving lymphatic flow by means of the body's involuntary peristaltic muscle action inherent in the lymph duct walls.  In addition, body movement — especially breath exercises, walking & jogging — use the body's muscles as pumps to boost lymphatic flow.  Furthermore, specialized manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapy (LDT) provides an additional jump-start boost for MFR-improved lymphatic system operation.  
 
Recent research  shows that  MFR/jfba  is the only manual therapy that provides significant long-term pain relief for sufferers of  FibroMyalgia Syndrome (FMS)  and  Chronic MyoFascial Pain Syndrome (CMFPS),  especially when used as a significant part of a multi-pronged multi-disciplinary approach to these complex syndromes.
 
*jfb = John F Barnes, developer of the John F Barnes Approach to MyoFascial Release (MFR/jfba).


TAPS: Total Applied Pain Science

Through TAPS (tm), Total Applied Pain Science (tm), I bring the most current understanding of pain, pain treatment and pain education to bear on all methods of therapy, to get the most out of a therapy session. Modern pain science informs every step I make in therapy selection & application.

Treating persistent pain is a journey, not an event — seldom a quick miracle, although I have facilitated some "miracles" during my practice, sometimes in very unexpected places, i.e., at the US Navy's David Taylor Model Basin in Carderock, MD. 

By using the Bio-Psycho-Social pain model, rather than the outdated Bio-Medical pain model, you are no longer treated as a victim of your pain;  but rather I use the most powerful and educateable organ in your body — your brain — to help you see pain for what it is, and to put you back in control of your well-being.  Pain is an output from the brain, not an input, an output that can often be downward modulated or even eliminated through desensitizing the hypersensitive peripheral nervous system (PNS) and re-educating the central nervous system (CNS) which includes the brain. 

Pain can be your friend if you learn what it means and how to use it to your advantage.  Pain is one of the brain's outputs by means of which the brain tells you that it believes you are about to experience, or are already experiencing, tissue damage, and that you should find ways to do things differently.  Our job — yours & mine — is to change your brain's opinion so that it no longer needs to keep you in intense persistent pain.  

Here are some very informative links to YouTube videos relating to TAPS, Total Applied Pain Science:

   *  Why Things Hurt, Dr Lorimer Moseley, PhD (14 min 33 sec)
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwd-wLdIHjs

   *  Understanding Pain: What to do about it in less than 5 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMKucuejIs

   *  Treating Pain Using The Brain, Dr David Butler, EdD (75 min)
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ABAS3tkkuE

 


REWMS: Re-Education with Movement & Stretching

REWMS (tm), or Re-Education with Movement & Stretching (tm), works with your  autonomic nervous system,  which includes the  sympathetic nervous system  and the  para-sympathetic nervous system.  REWMS combines several manual therapy modalities to help desensitize your peripheral nervous system (PNS), to re-educate your central nervous system (CNS), to improve muscle tonicity & range of motion (ROM), and to undo now-undesireable compensatory movement patterns, in favor of learning more appropriate & useful patterns. 

As appropriate, REWMS borrows from these several bodies of therapeutic techniques:  MFS (MyoFascial Stretching),  NMS (Neuro-Muscular Stretching),  PIR (Post-Isometric Relaxation) stretching,  PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) stretching,  RIR (Reciprocal Inhibition Relaxation),  AIS (Active Isolated Stretching),  CEM or IGwins (Concentric-Eccentric Motion),  Feldenkrais Movement,  Muscle Energy  and  Positional Release.

 


Reiki

Reiki is a Japanese form of energy work that cleanses and balances the  "Universal Life Energy Force"  within your body's energy system.  As a result, the body's natural self-healing mechanisms strengthen, helping to establish optimum health.  Mikao Usui discovered and developed traditional (Usui) Reiki, beginning in 1922, while fasting & meditating on Mt Kurama.  Reiki came to the US from Japan in 1937.  Its most ancient roots likely go further back to India and Tibet. 

During a session, I work directly with your energy field to remove energy and karmic blockages, detoxify your system, and restore your vital life force energy.  Reiki uses either a gentle laying on of hands or distance healing to channel the "Universal Life Energy Force" through me, to & from you;  I am neither burdened with having to hold your old, dark, negative or stale energy, nor exhausted by sourcing bright, fresh energy to you — in fact, it is cleansing for me, too, for there is more than enough to channel for both of us.  The benefits of Reiki range from the release of habitual mental and emotional stress to alleviating persistent pain.

Western Reiki Master practitioners have explored beyond the traditional forms of Usui Reiki, discovering that there is much more above & beyond traditional Reiki as it was originally understood bu Mikao Usui — call it Meta-Reiki to distinguish it from Traditional Mikao Usui Reiki.  Reiki reveals it has room to grow as Master Practitioners and Sensei have experimented with channeled messages & symbols, to find hitherto unknown capabilities for Reiki, i.e., Tibetan, Reiki Explorer, Karuna, Holy Fire, Rish Tea, Kundalini, Chakra-Clearing, Sahu Reiki, and many other advanced forms and enhancements, including a re-emphasis on Reiki's original spiritual dimension.  As mankind demonstrates the maturity & ability to handle the older traditional & new meta-forms of Reiki, additional forms are revealed by Reiki Guides and Reiki's Divine Source. 

Recent Reiki developments in the 21st Century allow Meta-Reiki Master practitioners to work simultaneously in a very targeted, time-controlled, yet expansive, manner within the client's entire spiritual, mental, emotional and physical realm, to contribute to resolving the client's health & wellbeing issues.

MyoFascial Release and Meta-Reiki work synergistically very well together — especially at the 6th & highest step of the Stairway to Wellness, Ancient Traumas.

 


CAS: Client Assessment Session

CAS, the Client Assessment Session service, is most or all the first session of a series of treatment sessions;  it can be up to 75 minutes long. 

During a CAS, the therapist gathers information about the client as a whole being, in order to understand better the many spiritual, mental, emotional, biological, social, psychological and medical factors that might be affecting the client's well-being issues.  The client and the therapist will fill out paperwork and undertake interviews.  As appropriate, the therapist will conduct both passive & active orthopedic tests & measurements for strength and range of motion (ROM);  and will physically palpate the body for painful or restricted areas. 

The therapist will outline the major types of treatment that are available for his use, and which might be of greater importance for the client's presented conditions;  and s/he will explain briefly the biology, chemistry and physics underpinning the treatments.  Special considerations will be discussed for certain conditions such as burn or cancer survivorships.  The serious importance of client self-care will be discussed & illustrated.  

During treatment sessions, specific treatment types will be described and illustrated in greater detail, as needed.  Such treatments would likely include MyoFascial Release, modern pain science, Reiki, why "motion is lotion".

In any time remaining, treatment can begin.

I protect client information in accordance with Federal HIPPA regulations.


CHE: Client Health Education

Client Health Education (CHE), is Step 4 on S2W(tm), the Stairway to Wellness(tm).  It includes client self-care, an essential element of the three levels of root cause therapy, in order to:

  • Keep your healthcare cost down;
  • Set your expectations for outcomes;
  • Improve the efficacy of your therapy sessions;
  • Learn about the importance of your therapist's role and your own role in your healthcare and wellbeing;
  • Learn about the power of modern pain science & treatment;
  • Learn about the significant relationship between your healthy fascia and the healthy you;
  • Learn about the importance of lifestyle, and initiating & perpetuating factors;
  • Learn about the importance of inflamation in your body, your cell's living & operating environment, and epigenetics;
  • Provide tools, techniques, knowledge & understanding to help you deal with issues arising between therapy sessions;
  • Keep your healthcare cost down.

The first session of a series of sessions will spend more time on CHE, perhaps even all of it;  however, CHE is blended into the beginning and end of every session, and as needed during any session.

Through CHE, you can take care of yourself and your loved ones, whether at home, at work or on the road for vacation or business or fun.  The tools are very simple and compact, easily stowed away for a trip.


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COM: Cancer/Oncology Massage

COM or Cancer/Oncology Massage  is a framework developed specifically for cancer survivors who have unique needs that must be addressed to make sure that a massage is beneficial to their health & well-being. Trained oncology therapists understand which massage therapy modalities to use for each specific client, and how best to apply those modalities; and more importantly, which ones not to use, when and why not. The trained oncology massage provider will understand global and local indications for, and contra-indications against, doing massage therapy for an oncology patient. Furthermore, I focus on creating a gentle, nurturing environment for you to relax into.

Techniques used can include MFR/jfba, Dermo-Neuro-Modulation, Therapeutic & Comfort Touch, Lymphatic Drainage, Reiki, light Acupressure, and very light Swedish.

Reiki energy therapy may be used in nearly every case because Reiki can be delivered via the lightest of touch, or even at a distance without touching.

Based on my training and experience, I am designated & listed by the Society for Oncology Massage (S4OM.org) as being an  Oncology Massage Preferred Provider (OMPP).  


LDT: Lymphatic Drainage Therapy

Lymphatic Drainage Therapy (LDT), especially for whole-body immune system tuneups and trauma-related edema (swelling), strives to gently and rhythmically move the lymph through the body, especially areas of the body swollen from trauma-related edema such as post-surgery recovery & rehabilitation, sports injury, thereby relieving fluid pressure and enhancing immune system functioning. As both a preventative and a remedial technique, LDT can be used for a wide range of purposes, including faster recovery from injury, reducing swelling and discomfort from pregnancy or diabetes, and strengthened resistance to illness.  Because LDT is so gentle and relaxing, the client frequently enters an altered meditative state, or even falls asleep;  during an LDT session, there is seldom any need to interrupt your pleasant altered state of being. 

Note:   Whole-body  MFR/jfba  can also facilitate better lymph flow through the body's natural motility mechanisms of voluntary physical movement and involuntary peristaltic muscular activity in the lymph duct walls, by relieving constrictive pressure on delicate lymph vessels, ducts & nodes.  Then regular & frequent LDT can give your healthy lymphatic system a useful periodic or as-needed boost, such as during flu season.

Your lymphatic system is a vital part of your immune system.  

Do you know? — 

(1) Because the blood circulatory system is a closed pressurized system with a dedicated pump, e.g., the heart, your entire volume of blood can circulate throughout your body in just a few seconds. 

(2) Because the lymphatic circulatory system is an open unpressurized system with no dedicated pump to move lymphatic fluid through the lymphatic system, it relies largely on your body's involuntary & voluntary physical muscular actions.  If you are athletic, the lymphatic system contents can completely circulate within 1-2 weeks.  If you are sedentary, complete lymphatic circulation can take 6-8 weeks and longer — as is often the case for sedentary cancer survivors.

Sign up for your regular Lymphatic Drainage Massage, today.

Please Note:  Lymphatic Drainage for some specific illnesses, such as Primary Lymphedema (i.e., genetic deficiencies) and Secondary Lymphedema (i.e., lymphatic system damage from extensive 3rd-degree burns or cancer-related lymphedema or an otherwise physically damaged lymphatic system), might require specialized certification (MLD & CDP*), and working in consultation with the client's physician & healthcare team.  If this is your situation, then I will recommend to your managing oncologist or physician, a therapist who is appropriately MLD- & CDP-qualified.

Cancer Survivors:  if you are undergoing chemo or radiation therapy for cancer, then you could very likely be sedentary, if not immobile.  This implies that your immune system is being further compromised by a very sluggish lymph circulation rate and the accompanying lengthy lymphatic circulation time — just when you most need it to be fast-moving to rid your body of the toxic waste from chemo & radiation treatments!  I strongly urge that you & I talk to your oncologist regarding getting LDT regularly and frequently — or the more specialized MLD & CDP certifications, if that is the level required for your situation.  And, as appropriate, to consider receiving  MFR/jfba  treatment to complement LDT.  

* MLD & CDP = The Manual Lymphatic Drainage & Complex Decongestive Protocols certifications.


DNM: Dermo-Neuro-Modulation

No pain, know gain;
Know pain, no gain!

Dermo-Neuro-Modulation (DNM) — a delicate light-handed massage method, described as experiencing a butterfly walking or flapping its  wing on your body — makes extensive use of the latest understandings from neuroscience regarding how pain is manifested and affects mental, fascial & muscle states;  and how the surface skin nerves interact with the brain and then with the joint, fascia and deeper muscle tissues near the area of gentle touching and stretching (Hilton's Law), thereby achieving beneficial results with very little pressure. DNM techniques re-educate the mind-nerve-body connection into a new and improved state of dermo-neuro-myo-fascial-skeletal balance.

DNM's light touch on the skin (dermo) seeks to avoid sending danger messages to the brain (neuro) from local nociceptors — DIM or "Danger In Me" sensory nerve danger receptors.  Instead, the brain receives mostly SIM or "Safety In Me" messages. After evaluating these DIM and SIM messages, along with other bio-psycho-social inputs, the brain communicates back to the fascia & muscles its opinion that it's OK to relax, for there is no longer any real danger of tissue damage to protect against through pain and muscle guarding;  or the brain's opinion could be that it is NOT OK, and you might experience muscle guarding and pain to induce you to change your behaviour.

A "NOT OK" opinion from the brain can arise from stored information and nervous system hyper-sensitivity, as well as cultural expectations, even long after the original real physical damage has healed.  This situation is often associated with persistent chronic pain.

Making use of the neuroplastic properties of the central nervous system (CNS), including the brain, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), the nervous system's sensitivity to potentially noxious inputs can be  modulated  downward, thereby reducing DIMs and the likelyhood of experiencing pain.

To increase the surface friction and sensation as the therapist's hands lightly work the skin's surface, DNM does not use lotions or oils.

 


TRH: Tong Ren Healing

Tong Ren Healing is a highly targeted method of directing external healing energy into the body. It can achieve extraordinary results by combining complementary elements of Eastern holistic and Western allopathic healing wisdoms and practices.

Western allopathic medical science has developed sophisticated understandings of anatomy, physiology, neurology, biochemistry and cell function. It understands that the health of each organ in the body requires a supply of nutrients, which are mostly transported by blood circulation. Many organs require hormonal stimulation to function normally;  other organs become diseased if they stop receiving ongoing electrical and chemical stimulation via the nervous system. We cannot see any of these functions with the naked eye, so in recent years, Western science has developed tools to estimate some of these mechanisms. Nonetheless, no one understands the cause of many serious illnesses, including most cancers, and degenerative & auto-immune diseases;  and many of these appear to have no cure.

Eastern medicine understands that the body requires a continuous supply of an additional form of energy to remain healthy. Each organ needs a natural flow of bioelectrical signals;  blockage of that necessary bioelectricity leads to disease. We have not yet developed tools to measure this energy, but many people are able to feel its effects;  furthermore, studies are beginning to show its healing power.

East and West often have seemingly contradictory, yet interestingly complementary, understandings of the mind, of the body, and of healing. Neither approach is adequate alone, as evidenced by the many incurable diseases. Both are necessary components of a healing system to treat holistically all aspects of the whole person, and to allow the body to heal or cure those same illnesses.

Tong Ren blends Eastern healing wisdoms with Western science, but is not simply the sum of the two. Its healing power grows a quantum leap by harnessing another natural tendency we have all observed in nature: Synchronicity. The animal kingdom demonstrates this capacity of synchronicity that we share. The perfectly synchronized movements of birds flying in a flock, or fish swimming in a school, are not coordinated by the usual senses of sight, sound, smell, feel or taste — but rather by “brainwave entrainment” with an instinctive commonality. They move in perfect harmony because each is connected with the brainwave energy and patterns of the group. A natural propensity toward synchronization is even seen in non-biologic systems, such as two pendulum clocks side-by-side on a wall gradually moving into harmony. The human brain has a Frequency Following Response, tending to change its dominant electroencephalogram patterns toward the frequency of external stimuli. Several studies have demonstrated a strong tendency for brainwaves of meditating people to synchronize with each other, with no sensory contact.

Dr Carl Jung, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and others have described the evolving development of a universal collective unconscious human connectedness, like a universal global spirit or brain. As an anthropologist, Teilhard traced the natural evolution of life on earth from the development of cells, then plants, through animal and finally human form. This visible biologic evolution then progressed to internal intellectual development, and now finally to globally evolving organization on the level of spirit-energy. We are all part of this upward spiral of organization, regardless of our state of awareness. In Tong Ren Therapy, we tap into this vast reservoir of healthy bioelectrical patterns and health-sustaining energy. We then use the natural tendency toward synchronicity to bring diseased organs back into harmony with the healthy bioelectric patterns channeled through Tong Ren practitioners;  and, even more importantly, into entrainment with the more powerful global brain.

Eastern medicine understands that the body has a natural tendency to heal, but requires the normal supply of nutrients and stimuli as noted above. This suggests that many cancers and other debilitating illnesses occur because a blockage prevents flow of health-sustaining bioelectric signals. Tong Ren practitioners work to identify and remove these blockages, and to restore the normal flow of nurturing, healing energy. They use an anatomic acupuncture figurine as a tool. They apply energetic intention to particular points on this anatomic model with a lightweight magnetic hammer or other methods, focusing the intentions of their conscious mind on locations corresponding to the patient’s blockages. Their rhythmic and habitual tapping produces a connection between the subconscious of the practitioner and the corresponding locations on the patient’s body, to open the blockages. This subconscious connection creates a conduit, drawing the diseased organs back into entrainment with the healthy bioelectrical signals and vast healing energy of the universal global collective unconscious.

Health is often restored, if the conscious mind does not reject or block the process. The identity of the individual practitioner is immaterial, because the healing power does not come from that practitioner, but rather from the collectively evolving milieu as channeled by the practitioner.

Energy healing is most effective if the patient, and family & friends, are receptive and accepting of that energy on a core level. Many people desperately want to heal but are not able to relax into such acceptance, because it lies outside of their understanding of reality. Preconceptions may prevent them from benefiting from any form of energy healing;  however, if we can help them “see” beyond their five senses, then they are often able to open their hearts and accept the healing energy. 

Throughout human history “everyone knew” that the sun and stars revolved around the earth — until about 400 years ago, when we developed tools to see beyond our assumptions. We can never see gravity, other forms of energy, or other levels of reality, but we can certainly measure their effects. Discoveries in quantum mechanics and particle physics indicate that the reality we experience in time & three-dimensional space is only one relatively small and transient domain of reality. There are other aspects of reality which we cannot see with our five senses;  nonetheless, these domains underlie and interact with the time-space realm we experience. In this new vision of multiple interconnected domains of reality, our cognitive and spiritual energies interact with an underlying universal energy field, which is inherently intelligently organized and naturally healthy. Illness occurs when our body becomes uncoupled or “blocked” from these other dimensions of reality. There is a fundamental coherence in the universe that endures in time, which we experience as synchronicity. If we provide a conduit for our manifest reality to reconnect and re-synchronize with the original underlying but unobservable energies and domains of reality, we then bring our four-dimensional space-time “diseased reality” back into harmony with the original natural “healthy reality”.

Physicist Dr Wm Tiller and others have produced models and replicable scientific evidence that we can, in fact, change our physical reality through human intention, to invoke such coherence or synchronicity.

Tong Ren is based on the ancient  Huatuojiaji  system within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Huatuojiaji translates as "both sides of the spine".  TCM practitioner Tom Tam has been continuing the evolution of the Tong Ren Healing system for more than 25 years. Most essential blockages can be manually identified along the spine where they inhibit central nervous system activity and bioelectric energy flows.  Because no physical contact is involved or necessary, Tong Ren is often practiced as distance healing. In a typical session, the Tong Ren practitioner uses a lightweight, magnetic hammer to tap specific acupressure points on a small anatomical model of the human body, which serves as an energetic representation of the patient.  The practitioner directs chi to blockage points corresponding to the patient’s condition, which breaks down resistance in those areas. As blood flow, neural transmission, and hormone reception are restored, the body is then better able to heal.  Tong Ren integrates elements of Eastern Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western allopathic medical science to create a powerful healing modality. 

Tong Ren is a complementary therapy, rather than an alternative to traditional Western allopathic medical care. Tong Ren practitioners view the patient’s physician as being a vital partner and member of the patient's high-performance integrative holistic healthcare team.  Tong Ren practitioners do not practice medicine; they do not diagnose, prescribe, interfere with traditional Western medical advice, or promise a cure. They DO invite each patient into synchronicity with healthy universal energy, thereby promoting restoration of health and well-being. 


Therapeutic & Comfort Touch

Therapeutic & Comfort Touch massage are used in situations where the client has either easily damaged delicate skin, or calcium depletion in the bones (diagnosed Osteoporosis), or an aversion to touch and pain, or there is a need on the part of the therapist to avoid creating inflamation, especially as the result of lymphatic surgery or other damages.  Such instances might include sufferers of FibroMyalgia, the elderly, cancer survivors undergoing a combination of one or more of radiation and chemotherapy and surgery, burn survivors, or victims of physical abuse.  I slowly apply a very gentle pressure, like a gentle squeeze, with no movement of my skin relative to the client's skin so as not to damage the skin.  The pressure is always applied in such a manner that there is a real countervailing force on the other side of a bone, especially important in cases of Osteoporosis, for the lower arm and lower leg members. 

Because of risks to clients with diagnosed severe Osteoporosis, I exercise special caution when working the lower arm or lower leg, where there are two bones close together.  In these two areas, there is an orientation in which I can work that provides real countervailing forces for the application of a gentle squeezing pressure.


Burn Scar Massage Therapy

BSMT: Burn Scar Massage Therapy is a framework developed specifically for burn survivors who have unique needs that must be addressed to make sure that a massage is beneficial to their health.  Trained burn scar therapists understand which massage therapy modalities to use for each specific client, and how best to apply those modalities;  and more importantly, which ones not to use and why not.  The trained burn scar massage therapist will understand global and local indications for, and contra-indications against, doing massage therapy for a burn survivor.  Furthermore, I focus on creating a gentle, nurturing environment for you to relax into.

I am a Certified Burn Scar Massage Therapist (CBSMT).


Zero Balancing

Based on acupressure & osteopathic principals, Zero Balancing (ZB) is a simple yet powerful technique for aligning the body's energy system with the body's skeletal structure.  Each session generally takes between 30 and 60 minutes, but an abbreviated ZB session can be accomplished in 15 minutes;  and is performed with you fully clothed.  After your skeletal structure and energy system are balanced, many dysfunctions and traumas tend to release automatically.  In addition, you are able to function with greater ease and clarity in the world, leading to a deeper overall sense of well-being and health. 

At the end of a ZB session, clients often find themselves in an altered state of expanded consciousness and feeling extremely relaxed.


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OSM: Orthopedic & Sports Massage

No pain, know gain;
Know pain, no gain!

OSM: Orthopedic & Sports Massage is designed for very active people who engage in athletics, including professional, college, high school, and personal groups.

Engaging in sports is harsh on the body and can often lead to injuries in both the short and the long term. Orthopedic & Sports Massage and Energy therapy enhances performance and prolongs a sports career by helping to prevent injury, reduce pains and swelling in the body, relax the mind, increase flexibility & ROM, and dramatically improve recovery rates & outcomes. 

Keeping records of repeated injuries can help identify trending opportunities for remedial training activities to help reduce or eliminate trends in injuries, thereby maintaining peak performance — especially important for collegiate and professional athletes.  Orthopedic & Sports Massage is also highly effective in aiding the rapid recovery of an athlete from an injury by encouraging greater somatic and kinesthetic awareness, and supporting the body's natural immune function.


TrPtTh: Trigger Point Therapy

No pain, know gain;
Know pain, no gain!

Trigger Point Therapy (TrPtTh) is a style of bodywork that focuses on stimulating and releasing "trigger points" in your body, the source of much myofascial pain. 

It is important to recall that all organs, muscles and bones really are specialized fascial structures;  consequently, inflamation and fascial restrictions play very important roles in the origin, treatment and release of trigger points.

Trigger points are hyper-sensitive tender areas of swelling, often located close to acupressure points, except that they occur in the muscle belly and near the myotendenous junctions of the muscle & bone, and not necessarily along the body's energy meridians.  Fascial adhesions constrict muscle cells and myoneuronal connection points on the muscle, causing an energy crisis, a toxicity crisis, inflamation, pain and additional fascial constriction.  These "knots" can build up throughout a person's life due to inflamation rooted in spiritual, mental, emotional, physical or dietary stress. 

During a session, light sustained focused pressure is applied through a variety of techniques in order to release your trigger points by releasing the fascia.  Often, I will move seamlessly back and forth between MyoFascial Release and Neuro-Muscular Trigger Point Therapy. 

An important feature of trigger points is the phenomenon of referred pain:  the actual trigger point location is often not at the same physical location as is the referred real pain experience.  The closeness of the referral can be less than an inch away — or it can be "from calf to cheek"!

Compounding the referral matter is the fact that pain in one place can have its originating referring trigger point be located in one of several candidate locations, requiring some informed trial and error detective work.  Finally locating and releasing the trigger points associated with your pain will release the cause of the pain, rather than merely dealing with the "symptom of pain". 

While this TrPtTh process can be slightly uncomfortable at times, the therapeutic effects are long-lasting and profoundly transformative.  Even though I do, every now and then, rely on some momentarily brief pain to help locate a TrPt, my style seeks gentleness to avoid pain during TrPtTh so that the mind will not perceive that there is still any real danger to protect or guard against. 

My practice is informed by current research findings in  modern applied pain science  and in  MyoFascial Release,  so that I can minimize, and perhaps even eliminate, most pain associated with trigger point therapy.  Trigger points exhibit all the characteristics of severe myofascial restrictions, and vice versa;  consequently, trigger points have been found to respond universally well to MFR/jfba techniques.

The degree of correlation between the location of TP's and acupressure points is about 60%. 


NMT: NeuroMuscular Therapy

No pain, know gain;
Know pain, no gain!

NeuroMuscular Therapy (NMT) is a system of massage techniques that were first developed in the 1930's by Dr. Stanley Lief in England. It uses a holistic approach towards healing, emphasizing and stimulating the body's natural ability to heal itself. Neuromuscular therapy also enhances the function of joints and muscles, and accelerates the overall healing process by facilitating the release of endorphins.  NMT takes advantage of the important role of the nervous system when seeking to reduce or eliminate your suffering.  


Medi-Cupping

$50 setup surcharge per session

Cupping creates a vacuum over a small body area with the intent to improve blood and nutrient flow, to release fascial adhesions restricting movement, and to improve waste product removal from the body.  

Cupping is especially useful for scar management, big or small, complementing  MFR/jfba  for this pupose.

In the Soft Dynamic cupping style, the cups are constantly moving so that they do not leave red "hickies" on the body, although there will sometimes be increased redness for a day or so.  

I use firm plastic cups with a Medi-Cup machine, or flexible soft silicone cups by hand, eliminating the need to use heat to create the vacuum.  The cups come in many sizes to fit better the location and size of the scar.

NOTE:  Please give a 3-day (72-hour) advanced notice that you want this service.  


Swedish Relaxation Massage

SRM:  Swedish Relaxation Massage is a very relaxing and therapeutic style of bodywork. It combines oil or lotion with an array of strokes such as effleurage, rolling, kneading, tapotemont and percussion to help the body improve its circulation.  The benefits of this type of bodywork are wide-ranging, including relief from aches and pains, decreased stress levels in the body, enhanced immune & digestive systems functionality; and mental clarity, improved appearance, and greater flexibility & ROM.  Pressure can be light to firm.

 


Structural Integration

SI, Structural Integration  employs soft tissue manipulation with the goal of realigning the body in relationship to the force of gravity. The theory underlying structural integration asserts that often the body's connective tissue is "bound up," thus restricting opposing muscles from working independently of one another. Thus, we aim to loosen the restricted connective tissue by using a practice very similar to deep tissue massage.

Practitioners typically prescribe a specific sequence of 10-12 sessions, each lasting between 75 and 90 minutes, in order to "unlock" the whole body.


Cranio-Sacral Therapy

CST:  Cranio-Sacral Therapy  is a gentle yet powerful technique that is effective in releasing neck pain, back pain, and mental stress, among other things.  It does this by optimizing the movement of cerebrospinal fluid through the spine and around the skull.  Developed by physician William Sutherland, this therapy provides a very soothing and relaxing healing experience.


Deep Tissue Massage

$150/hour add-on charge per session

No pain, know gain; 
Know pain, no gain!

DTM, Deep Tissue Massage is a form of bodywork that seeks to relieve tension in the deeper layers of tissue in the body.  Deep Tissue Massage is a method for releasing chronic stress areas due to misalignment, repetitive motions, and past lingering injuries. 

Due to the nature of deep tissue work, open communication during the session is crucial to make sure the client does not become too uncomfortable. 

Keep in mind that some soreness is quite common after the treatment;  and that plenty of water should be ingested to aid both with flushing and removing toxins that will have been released during the deep tissue session, and with rehydrating the body.

Very infrequently, I use DTM techniques on an as-needed basis, as part of a broad portfolio of other techniques, to be used only when most appropriate for the pathology being treated at the moment, but not as the technique of choice for the entire session. 

As a rule, I do not offer an entire session of DTM;  there are other generally much more effective techniques to use for the majority of clinical and therapeutic needs.  If you insist on an entire session of DTM, then there is an additional $150/hour add-on charge per session.

DTM is usually inappropriate for most medical, clinical & orthopedic conditions, i.e., acute or persistent pain, trigger points, fascial adhesions, physical rehabilitation, burn scars & other scars, senior citizens & geriatrics;  and diagnosed fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, lymphedema and cancer.


Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy

Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy (MAT), seeks to re-align the musculo-skeletal system and to balance muscles so that muscles can achieve their normal resting length.  With the muscles in such a balanced state, the body will have maximum strength, speed and comfort;  and painful trigger points will resolve themselves.


Geriatric Massage

GM, Geriatric Massage,  is designed to meet the specific needs of the elderly. It helps to improve blood circulation, relieve pain, and increase range of motion (ROM). If you are elderly, geriatric massage can help you maintain and improve your overall health, as well as regain certain physical functions that have been reduced due to aging. Furthermore, because the elderly typically don't receive enough physical touch, this massage can help alleviate symptoms of loneliness and depression.


Oriental Body and Energy Work

Oriental Bodywork and Energy Work aims to restore and balance the flow of energy (Qi, Chi, Ki or Prana) throughout your body. It uses gentle hand and finger pressure along specific points and energy pathways (meridians) on your body to restore your body to full health. There are many forms of Oriental body and energy work;  many share a common foundation in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and ancient Vedic practices. They differ in their use of specific techniques to balance your energy.

In general, energy work is based on the belief that everyone is part of an intelligent field of "Universal Life Energy Force", and that the body needs to sustain its energy balance for optimum health. Anytime you experience emotional or physical illness, it indicates that your own store of life force has become unbalanced. I work directly with your energy fields (Aura) to restore balance and flow to your entire physical & energetic system. Once your energy field has been restored to full health, your body will follow.

The roots of energy work are diverse, coming to us through ancient cultures such as Vedic, Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese and Japanese;  however, energy work is universal in its application, not requiring any particular religious or spiritual belief system for it to work.  Neither is it possible to do harm through "Universal Life Energy Force" work.


Acupressure

Acupressure is based on one of the most ancient principles of healing — that simply touching a specific point on the body will release stress and improve health in the body. In an acupressure session, I apply firm, then lighter, pressure directly to these "acupressure points" on your body, which relieves your muscle tension and improves your energy & blood circulation. This simple and powerful technique has been shown to be very effective in treating headaches, backaches, and insomnia. 

Acupressure points correspond with acupuncture points.  I work by using my fingers or warm stones non-invasively, rather than by using invasive needles. 

Beyond Acupuncture, acupressure adds the benefits of human touch and my constant undivided second-by-second attention to you.


Reflexology (Foot)

Reflexology is a type of bodywork that focuses on applying pressure to the specific nerve zones in your feet, and sometimes the hands and ears (I do not do the eyes). Unlike other foot massages that intend primarily to relieve tension in the feet themselves, reflexology is a far more in-depth practice that aims to harmonize your entire body. According to reflexology, every part of the human body is mapped into your feet, or your hands or your ears. Reflexology treatments have been found to be highly effective for conditions such as allergies, headaches, and depression, as well as sore feet and hands.


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Feldenkrais Movement Therapy

FMT, Feldenkrais Movement Therapy, is a comprehensive system of detailed movements used to build your awareness of your mind-body connection.  Since there is no physical separation between mind and body, strengthening this connection leads to improved well-being and overall health.  Developed by Dr Moshe Feldenkrais, this practice not only corrects poor movement habits, but also helps you improve your response to crucial aspects of life including your emotions, relationships, and intellectual tasks.

FMT is extremely useful when treating both acute and persistent chronic pain, to desensitize the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and to reprogram the central nervous system (CNS). 

FMT is an important element of TAPS, Total Applied Pain Science.


MyoFascial Stretching

MFS, MyoFascial Stretching, applies gentle persistent & slow stretching, using the MyoFascial Release (MFR/jfba) principles developed & taught by John F Barnes, with the goal of restoring degraded fascia and relaxing tissues surrounding joints.

MFS is very useful for client self-care and home-care.


Active Isolated Stretching

Developed by Aaron Mattes, Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) is a dynamic system for improving your flexibility and overall well-being.  Stretching your muscles not only reduces your chance of injury, but also strengthens your tendons and improves your circulation.  

AIS makes use of brief gentle multi-directional active and passive stretches to desensitize the nervous system and to reprogram the brain's movement patterns and defensive mechanisms.  

AIS works well with Feldenkrais Movement re-education and re-integration therapy.

AIS is extremely useful when treating both acute and persistent chronic pain, to desensitize the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and to reprogram the central nervous system (CNS). 

AIS is an important element of TAPS, Total Applied Pain Science.


PNF Stretching

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is an advanced form of flexibility training, which involves both the stretching and contracting of the muscle group being targeted.  PNF stretching is one of the most effective forms of stretching for improving flexibility and increasing range of motion (ROM). 

PNF stretching was originally developed as a form of rehabilitation;  to that effect, it is very effective.  It is also excellent for targeting specific muscle groups, as well as for increasing flexibility.  It also improves muscular strength.


Neuro-Muscular Stretching

NMS, Neuro-Muscular Stretching, applies gentle-to-firm persistent & slow stretching, with the goals of desensitizing a hypersensitive peripheral nervous system (PNS) and re-educating the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain, regarding how to interpret & respond to proprioceptive & nociceptive signals from the PNS.

NMS is extremely useful when treating both acute and persistent chronic pain, to desensitize the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and to reprogram the central nervous system (CNS). 

NMS is an important element of TAPS, Total Applied Pain Science.

MFR/jfba is regularly used in this service because it deals directly with fascial restriction release.  In fact, following MFR/jfba principles is a much better way to effectively "stretch" your muscles for real & lasting effect.


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