INTEGRATIVE BODYWORK
Whole Body Alchemy
ABOUT
Integration is a vital component to growing in understanding and gaining perspective throughout our lives, but especially during times of intensity such as significant 'life events' (moving, career shifts, marriage, death/dying of a loved one, etc.). Likewise, integration before, during, and after talk/somatic therapy, working with plant medicines or breathwork and other altered spaces, as well as the continual progress of spiritual and/or personal development is necessary to allow for the wisdom of the work to shine through.
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To varying degrees, we all have a felt sense that our bodies are vessels for the expression of our experience of these events, and in a very real way we carry the memory in our tissue. As has been said, 'the body never forgets.'
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My intention in creating this approach is to bring the body, with all its layers and innate intelligence, into the process of integration so that you can be a witness to it, learn to listen, and receive through touch the insights it holds for you.
WHAT IS A TRANSFORMATIONAL, PIVOTAL, OR 'BREAKDOWN TO BREAKTHROUGH' EXPERIENCE?
I find this question is often asked as a test of whether their experience 'counts' or is big/significant enough to need to work with it. My answer is this: LIFE is a continual state of transformation; a cycle of breaking down, and rebirth. Every experience, every cell, every breath, memory, decision, bump or bruise, contribute to and make you YOU. It's all there to be received, reconciled, loved, and seen.
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Sometimes these experiences are really big or obvious, like some of the things I mentioned in the About section. Sometimes what's asking to be worked with is a quiet, whispered revelation.
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Ultimately, only you know what is a pivotal experience for you.
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HOW DOES INTEGRATIVE BODYWORK HELP?
I am always in awe of, and overjoyed, that there are so many ways available to support integrating and 'making sense of' this oh-so-interesting life!
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We know that our bodies are intricate and deeply complex. Our muscle tissue, fascia, viscera, and other structures hold information via our brain/mind on a subconscious level. This information can be as mundane as muscle memory and as shocking as an unplanned trauma or memory being stirred up during a certain activity.
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Bodywork, massage, and energy therapy, are another way to access this information, with the addition of a safe and consenting container. Further, it is often our bodies, which receive the least amount of focused care and attention when integrating, as we tend to highlight the mental/emotional/spiritual aspects of healing. Perhaps our body's response to something significant can even seem bewildering or unexplainable; how do we listen to, as well as give it the care and attention it is actually asking for?
Getting into our bodies, working with the tactile and kinetic expression of ourselves allows us to have a complete understanding and compassion of/for ourselves. We are able to more fully integrate these peak experiences. In this, we learn how to listen to our body with openness, we clarify our sense of 'aliveness,' and we add valuable wisdom to our self-care toolkit.
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Nearly everything we encounter is through this fascinating fleshy filter. Your body has perspective, a voice, and deserves to be heard!
RESOURCING
Resourcing is a word we use often in Integrative Sessions! Our resources are those things, people, beings, elements, animals, teachers, etc that we call on/in while in session to help support the journey.
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Most often, the resources we bring in are intangible. For example, the memory or presence of a grandmother, who has passed away, and whom the client was really close to. It is possible to bring in tangible things such as a cutting from a plant, a picture, or even a childhood stuffed animal.
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Resources are useful for helping you ground if you are feeling overwhelmed, and giving you a general feeling of safety and well being. It's helpful to spend some time bringing to mind your own resources, to know where your support system lies. It will be something that we talk through during your first session.
SO, IS THIS A MASSAGE?
Absolutely, it can be! Let's be honest, sometimes we just need a good massage.
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However, depending on what you need to support your journey that day, a session may not be massage in the traditional sense, say like a Swedish spa massage. We may utilize a variety of manual techniques, movement, energy therapy, toning, breathing exercises, meditation, or guided focusing (click here to learn more), and may even get creative (aka drawing, singing, dancing, writing).
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SESSIONS
A 20-30 minute portion of the first session is dedicated to talk time with you, where I have the chance to listen and reflect with you about your experiences, what you hope to gain, goals, feelings, thoughts, etc for this work. I will also review your health history with you in a standard intake.
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We may determine during our first session a way we would like to proceed with successive sessions, or it is possible to leave things more open-ended. We can also decide what feels like an appropriate length for our sessions (ie 60, 75, 90, or 120 minutes). In general, follow-up sessions for the duration of the integration are more centered in the bodywork, which may have talk time woven in.
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A series of integration sessions are usually spread out over a 30 day period, roughly. We may choose to continue after that 30 day period is up or create a space in our last integration session to 'close the work.'
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We may also opt for a 'Deep Dive' session, where we will dedicate 3-4 hours to thoroughly explore and really sink into your core intentions/integration. These sessions are sacred in the truest sense, time set apart to honor, be curious about, and call all of you home to yourself.
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