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pain relief · posture work · ease of movement



Let's Deconstruct Your Chronic Pain

I don't offer any magic and can't guarantee results. If you're in chronic pain you've probably been through more than enough disappointments; you wait to hear a realistic yet hopeful attitude. So, you're welcome. Here's the frontside: I rarely see a case in which we can't make a meaningful and lasting improvement in chronic pain through bodywork. I'm here for the project of discovering what works for you.

I specialize in helping clients relieve chronic pain and functional challenges due to:

Given the context of my work in a number of areas where not even the forefront of medicine has a lot to offer yet, it's sensible to be cautious, curious, and developmental in our work together. We discover tools for your particular case as we go, drawing from my experience of nearly a decade working hands-on with people. We involve your other care providers wherever needed, both in decision making with respect to our work together and to make the most of the opportunity to plan for further care as we gain information on what may help.

The tools I share in practice are:

We'll identify a targeted collection of techniques to use in sessions together to efficiently reduce mechanical factors in your pain. To the degree that it is useful and desired I like to explain what I know of the principles at play; understanding basic mechanical and physiological principles as they express in their own bodies often helps my clients to better work with their pain as well as seek additional care more effectively.

We will also identify strategies, tools, and techniques to use at home to make the most of your progress. But I know that people in chronic pain are often moving mountains every single day just to show up in whatever form they are. And prioritization is inevitable for everybody. My goal in providing home strategies is to help you keep experimenting and finding tools that fit so well into your life that your life is made easier when you use them.

Let's try working together if you've been looking for this approach. Be in touch to schedule a consultation.

Bodywork

Here's what we'll do:

1) Reduce your chronic pain as efficiently and as far as possible with hands-on techniques.

2) Study your body's unique characteristics and needs, then rebuild your habits and self-care strategies in ways that fit your lifestyle so that you can maintain better health, greater ease, and more energy for doing what you care about.

3) Connect you with other practitioners who may be helpful in making further progress.

Information and Research Projects

Producing projects in various areas of interest gives me a sandbox in which to master and refine my understanding of the conditions I work with most and/or intend to specialize with. I share these projects in hopes of helping shorten the path to relief. Three main active projects at the moment are listed below. You'll see others on hypermobility syndromes and mast cell activation syndrome (coming soon) in corners of this site.

Headache and Migraine Project

I managed my migraines off and on for two decades before receiving the diagnosis that helped end them. I learned a lot in those long years, both as a bodyworker and by keeping my pain at bay with increasing success over time. While I am still susceptible without adequate cautions, I rarely now have to deal with the formerly constant threats and regular migraines. My goal is to help shorten your path to relief. Here are the tools I offer:

Here's something centrally important to me: I don't want cost to turn anyone away from experimenting with the information that I can offer. I know too well that chronic pain often makes it difficult to make a living let alone navigate healthcare and the luxury of bodywork. While I can't offer time one on one for free, I am dedicated to supporting people in finding effective pathways out of pain--so whatever I can offer without cost is here to be found or will be soon. Let me know if you find something helpful.

The Experience of Head Injury

It's a new world after head injury. Who knows what it's going to be like? Others who have been through head injury have some idea, but the information can be hard to find in meaningful breadth. And head injuries are really different for everyone. But there are commonalities to be learned from. This project is to help people suffering the impacts of head injury, their loved ones, and their providers to really understand what it's like to be in a body after head injury, and to identify the areas in which bodywork may be able to help.

Hypermobility

Mild hypermobility is extremely common--at least one in ten are "double-jointed" or a little loose. It's a benefit and a point of pride for athletes such as dancers, gymnasts, and yogis to move easily and deeply.

Some people are so hypermobile that it's a serious problem, however. It can cause chronic dislocations of the neck, shoulder, hips... any joint in the body. Usually many joints are problematic in the same person at least from time to time, sometimes chronically. Estimates on problematic levels of hypermobility continue to grow, and are recently around one in two hundred.

The most fascinating point of the topic for me--relatable to many or most people who are even mildly hypermobile--is that joint hypermobility itself is the least problematic concern. Serious and disruptive common co-occuring issues include:

This is not your average list of symptoms. Many are not well known For those who are affected with only one or more of the above it can be very hard to find effective treatment. Few have had the package neatly tied up with a diagnosis such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome that helps to explain why any number of uncommon complaints chase them through life while others seem to live so much more comfortably.

In my practice I've seen many, many clients affected by these issues without even having yet sought them out. They describe themselves as "medical mysteries," as having "given up hope" or "having to be their own doctors." The coincidence of any degree of hypermobility and heavy burdens within those categories I list seems to me not just chance. I've explored this area a great deal and have information to share with clients that may with luck be useful in finding the right medical care to receive diagnoses and effective treatment.

The Yes Cookbook

It can be hard to change a diet permanently, whether you need to drop a single favorite food or dozens of items. The Yes Cookbook is designed to reinspire your diet with variety and positive options.

Professional Affiliations