My offerings are gentle, body-based and somatic in nature with the potential for going deep. However, the guiding principle is to go only as quickly as the slowest part of you and your nervous system — while offering gentle nudges along the way.
Co-regulation will always be part of the equation. Change tends to occur more organically and with less effort when your body is in a more regulated state. More listening, less fixing.
Touch, silence, dialogue, inquiry, stillness and movement are possibilities. Most of my clients end up lying down on the massage table, but seated sessions with no physical contact are available using Somatic Experiencing® and simple movement or self-contact.
Sessions can be unclothed or clothed and are designed based on your needs, preferences, and goals. If you are unsure where to begin, please let me know; we can uncover this together.
New clients, please contact me to get started. Existing clients, you may call or text me to book your next appointment. I offer 60 minute ($170) and 90 minute ($210) sessions (all-inclusive).
Tension or muscular bracing that feels nearly constant.
Jaw tension, neck or shoulder pain (e.g. TMJ, limited joint mobility, ‘frozen shoulder,’ tension headaches).
It takes what feels like a very long time to “let down” after a stressful day or incident (possibly accompanied by heightened anger, activation, anxiety).
You notice that you tend to check out, dissociate and lapse into helplessness or collapse (possibly accompanied by depression, despair, grief).
You toggle between two ends of the spectrum, but lack an experience of a mid-range or sense of flow with life’s ups and downs.
Chronic issues with sleep or digestion (insomnia, wakefulness, nightmares, feeling unrested after a full night of sleep; IBS, constipation).
Burnout.
Pain or tension stemming from hypermobility issues, or new (0-3yrs) motherhood.
Issues that you think stem from Complex PTSD, especially early attachment wounding, chronic relational rupture, and other traumas occurring between birth and roughly age five.
Saying yes when you mean no, or alternately, holding stagnant, hard boundaries.
A lot is going well and there is much to be grateful for… but you ache to feel a greater sense of Aliveness, to feel more seen, or to simply be spending less time managing physical aches and pains.
My practice welcomes all humans no matter your shape, size, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender expression. If you have mobility issues, please reach out, we may be able to figure something out.
This is NOT your typical spa massage. It doesn’t have to hurt to help.
Someone once said to me, “if you like deep, fast, muscle pounding, limb twisting massage” that I’m NOT the woman for the job. I happily and wholeheartedly agree : )
I blend the gliding, kneading, relaxing strokes of Swedish Massage with slow, focused Deep Tissue Massage and Ortho-Bionomy® to help you gently release tension, stress and pain. I often incorporate the easy rocking, bouncing, holding and shaking movements from the Trager Approach, as well.
With your consent, I will sometimes use gentle manual muscle tests from NeuroKinetic Therapy® at the start of a session to assess muscle function and help uncover and address movement patterns that are contributing to pain or restriction.
Unscented vegan massage cream will be used on your skin. Your body will be properly draped to maintain modesty, with only the body part(s) to be worked exposed.
Relaxation and restoration from the inside out. We are a team, and this is a process.
Sometimes, it will make the most sense to leave out traditional massage and use only Ortho-Bionomy®, Somatic Practice (drawing from Kathy Kain’s Touch Skills for Trauma), and/or Trager Approach work, depending on the issue you are dealing with, your preferences, and the state of your nervous system.
These sessions are often quite settling and restorative, in a different way than one might have experienced with massage. Imagine a caring hand placed under your mid-back to support your kidney and adrenal glands (those stress chemical producing organs) in resting back and down. Cradling the back of your head as your entire back begins to soften and expand and a sense of flow returns to your whole body. Sensitively adjusting the position of an arm or leg and adding gentle compression to engage your body’s corrective reflexes.
Unlike many spa massages, I view all sessions as a collaboration (as opposed to you lying passively while I do things, and then we just see how you feel afterwards). I will occasionally ask for your feedback about my contact and what you’re sensing in your body. Especially if you’re coming in with a specific complaint—better results are achieved when we work together.
My work often dovetails beautifully for people working with a psychotherapist, Somatic Experiencing® (SE), or other type of trauma counselor who does not offer hands-on touch.
I’ve trained with Kathy Kain and Stephen Terrel to be able to offer this type of work, and am an SE™ student at the Intermediate Level.
From the Co-Regulating Touch website: “Co-regulating through touch is part of what occurs in healthy human development. Methods that use touch as a way to support co-regulation are part of body/mind traditions that focus on presence and connection to address the ways in which both physical and emotional pain are held in our physiology.”
People often wonder how they can improve their ability to self-regulate. For those with the earliest traumas, or where attachment needs were habitually undermet, I have found that this work can be deeply restorative. As one’s capacity to co-regulate expands, fluency in healthier self-regulation is slowly uncovered and discovered.
This work is not a quick fix — because there is no quick fix for early trauma or Complex PTSD. People wanting to work together in this way should expect to make a commitment to consistent sessions, at least for the first 6-12mo, much like you would with a talk therapist. Together, we can figure out a frequency that makes sense for you.
Please contact me to begin a conversation about how we might work together around issues such as Complex PTSD, early/developmental trauma or bringing more regulation to your nervous system.
If something about me or my work resonates for you, but you are not able to come to my Berkeley office (or would prefer not to), we might be able to work together online via Zoom.
Online sessions can also be great for my in-person clients who wish to meet more frequently, but cannot come to my office as much as they’d like.
Online sessions can be used to:
Co-regulating touch online:
While I obviously cannot touch you through a screen, I can offer you my attention, intention and full presence. These sessions might involve the use of simple props on your end (like pillows, blankets or bolsters), or self-contact on areas like the mid back, abdomen, face, head, back of neck, etc.
Elements of Somatic Experiencing® can be woven in to help us track the state of your nervous system and move towards experiencing more connection, calm, and a sense of peaceful, grounded aliveness.
and… invested in their wellness.
The people who seem to connect best with my approach tend to bring some level of self-awareness and curiosity — about their past, present and future possibilities. Creative, inquisitive souls, smart, thoughtful, kind and open minded, with a sense of humor.
I have worked with many self-identifying highly sensitive people (HSPs), neurodivergent (neurospicy) people, creatives, and others in the healing and helping realms (therapists, clinicians, coaches, etc).
I welcome clients who are working in tandem with a psychotherapist or mental health professional who cannot utilize touch or who is not trained in a somatic approach to trauma. The combination of “top-down” and “bottom-up” healing can be quite powerful and each augments the other. Often, my clients are processing developmental or early childhood traumas and chronic relational ruptures, and I love to support people in this tender process of recovery.
Does this sound like you?
It is so hard to slow down; it feels like there are 47 open tabs in my brain.
I spend so much time caring for and attuning to others, but I don’t know how to stop.
I feel like I’m holding it all together and am about to burst or implode.
I understand that my thoughts and feelings are connected to my physical state, and vice versa, but I don’t know what to actually DO about that.
What would it be like to put less pressure on myself? What is this “messy humanness” that I hear about?! Am I really allowed to be mediocre, average, imperfect?
I feel stuck and don’t know how to move forward.
Getting started
Before your first session, I’ll have you fill out a comprehensive intake form so I can learn more about you and your physical history and lifestyle. Then, we’ll talk about what brought you in, what your goals/intentions are for bodywork, and you’ll have a chance to ask me questions, too.
For your first session
I recommend starting with 90 minutes. That gives us time to go over your intake form, discuss your goals, and leaves us with at least an hour of unhurried hands-on time.
Based on what comes up during the session, we can talk about what makes sense in terms of session frequency. Most of my clients meet with me once or twice a month. I can also offer self-care recommendations or referrals in an effort to empower you beyond the confines of our time together.
As we move forward
We’ll always check-in before any hands-on work to discuss what’s been going on, how your body is feeling that day, as well as your priorities and preferences so that you receive a session tailored to you.
