Hello! Thank you so much for taking time to get to know me and my work. If you’re reading this, you probably view massage therapy as much more than just a once-a-year indulgence. If that’s true, you and I will get along well.
From my perspective, a massage therapy session is a reset for your nervous system. Your nervous system, which orchestrates your body’s reaction to internal and external stimuli, controls the tone of your muscles. For example, when you sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, your nervous system learns that it’s best to tighten your pectoral and anterior shoulder muscles, so that your body will be better molded to perform your computer work and other forward-leaning tasks. Similarly, if you sprained your ankle as a child, your nervous system may have learned that clenching your deep hip muscles will help you compensate to find balance on an otherwise unsteady foot. Whether its jaw clenching or hamstring tightness, your muscle tension is a nervous system response to a habit, emotional state, physical stressor, or experience.
So what’s my role in all of this? I see myself as a guide to help you confront and explore how your nervous system has responded to the world around you. Everything from the pressure I use to the techniques I choose, will be tailored to your specific nervous system needs. Underneath the muscle tension and restriction is a story of stressors and responses. I believe your role, as a client, is to feel, reflect, and be curious about why and how your body has responded this way.
My view of massage therapy and the body has been heavily influenced by a few key experiences. As a modern dancer/choreographer, I’ve learned how the body can communicate a message through posture, style and speed. My past struggle with anorexia/bulimia has taught me that the body has a voice, and that ignoring that voice in favor of control and restriction, will only lead to trouble. My work as an anatomy teacher has taught me that very few of us grow up with a basic understanding of our bodies, a knowledge base that I think we all deserve.
I am a graduate of Vassar College, where I learned to think critically and act creatively in pursuit of change that I want to instill in the world. I studied massage therapy at New Hampshire Institute of Therapeutic Arts in Bridgton, Maine, where I would eventually go on to teach anatomy. I am certified in CORE Myofascial Therapy and am a member of the American Massage Therapy Association. I am also a Roll Model Method Practitioner, and offer private ball rolling sessions and public workshops. In the summers, you can find me working part-time as a bodyworker at the renowned Bates Dance Festival, a summer dance festival in Lewiston, Maine.
I have taught workshops in enhancing body awareness through self-massage and hands-on techniques for organizations like the Association of Talent Development, the National Eating Disorder Association and the University of New England. I am also a writer, and you can find my most recent essay, “The Importance of Touch in a Socially Distanced World” in the December issue of Maine Seniors Magazine.
When I’m not working as a massage therapist, I am a dancer and choreographer in Southern Maine, and a community organizer in the Eating Disorder recovery community. In 2019, I organized the Empowered Body Expo: A celebration of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, in partnership with the Eating Disorders Association of Maine and University of Southern Maine. I also co-organize the annual National Eating Disorder Awareness Walk in Portland.
I love my work as a bodyworker and am endlessly grateful to focus my energy and passion into helping every client lead a proactive and empowered life.