Where will my bodywork treatment session take place?
Must I be completely undressed?
Will the practitioner be present when I disrobe?
Will I be covered during the session?
What parts of my body will be treated?
What will the bodywork therapy feel like?
Are there different kinds of bodywork therapies?
What should I do during the treatment session?
How will I feel after the treatment session?
What are the benefits of manual bodywork therapies?
Are there any medical conditions that would make manual bodywork therapies inadvisable?
Where will my bodywork treatment session take place?
My office is located inside of a family chiropractic clinic.
Your bodywork session will take place in a warm, comfortable room. You will sit or lie on a table especially designed for your comfort.
I use an electric lift table. This helps people with mobility restrictions to get on and off the table. It also helps me to have appropriate positioning and body mechanics for the techniques being used. The table also can adjust into various sitting positions for people who need it.
** Please be aware the treatment room is located in a chiropractic office that is a family practice. This means that it gets noisy at times.**
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Must I be completely undressed?
Visceral & Neural Manipulation requires clients to be wearing loose fitting shorts for men & women and for women a basic bra that is not too tight and has no underwire. These techniques may require a supine (face up), prone (face down), side-lying, or sitting positions. Typically no blankets are used and undergarments are worn to aid in easy movement and change in positions during the treatment as well as access to the areas of the body being treated.
Manual Lymph Drainage may be done as clothed above or undressed. Typically no oil is used as that impedes the ability to do the techniques properly for the best results.
Massage techniques, including lymph-supporting massage, are traditionally done with oil on bare skin. You may wish to wear underwear and for women, the bra or a tank top. Your comfort is priority, so undress to your level of comfort. However, please be aware that techniques are done best when I can access the skin easily. You will be properly covered and kept decent during the session. Only the areas of the body being treated are uncovered.
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Will the practitioner be present when I disrobe?
When you arrive, we will discuss the session & treatment goals. Depending on what the session will entail, you may begin laying face down, face up, side-lying, or sitting. I will leave the room while you undress or change into the appropriate clothing and get positioned on the table.
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Will I be covered during the session?
Visceral & Neural Manipulation and requires clients to be wearing loose fitting shorts for men & women and for women a basic bra that is not too tight and has no underwire. These techniques may require a supine (face up), prone (face down), side-lying, or sitting positions. Typically no blankets are used and undergarments are worn to aid in easy movement and change in positions during the treatment, as well as access to the areas of the body being treated.
Manual Lymph Drainage is also done with no oil; direct skin contact is preferred for best results, however some techniques can be done through loose-fitting, light clothing.
Massage techniques, including lymph-supporting massage, are traditionally done with oil on bare skin. You may wish to wear underwear and for women, the bra or a tank top. Your comfort is priority, so undress to your level of comfort. However, please be aware that techniques are done best when I can access the skin easily. You will be properly covered during the session and only the area being worked on will be exposed.
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What parts of my body will be treated?
Visceral & Neural Manipulation requires me to listen to your body via the fascial system. This system will lead me to the areas needing treatment, including release of deep restrictions. Areas treated could be anywhere in the head, torso, or limbs.
Manual Lymph Therapy is typically very light work. It includes activation of the body's lymphatic system as a whole, with special attention to the primary lymph node groups; then focused work is done to the areas that need it. Organs may also be worked (deep yet gentle), but this is a powerful treatment modality so we must be careful to not do too much at once.
Lymph-supporting massage may include the whole body, or portions of the body. Much of the work is superficial & light but also includes some deeper (still gentle) work around the organs.
* Genitals are not worked on * If there is edema (swelling) in the genital area, lymphatic techniques may be done in areas nearby that will aid in moving the swelling out of the genital region without actually working in those sensitive areas.
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What will the bodywork therapy feel like?
Visceral & Neural Manipulation treatments are typically gentle on the body. Even when the deeper tissues or organs are being addressed, it may feel firm and there may be some tenderness, but it feels good to the brain. It feels "right." This is because the body knows that the restrictions are there and it has been wanting help; now when help has arrived, the sense is the tissues breathing a sigh of relief.
Manual Lymph Therapy & Lymph-supporting massage are typically very gentle and light (most of the lymphatic system is very superficial, in the layer of fascia under the skin) ,and very relaxing. At times the tissues or organs worked may feel tender, but usually this tenderness dissipates quickly as the fluid starts moving and the tissues are no longer stretched & pressured with congested fluid.
Massage techniques may feel relaxing or may feel tender or even a bit painful as bunched up or knotted muscle fibers are worked. Typically lighter pressure is used first until the muscles get warmed up and relaxed, then pressure will gradually be increased to get to the deeper muscles and address areas of increased muscle tension. Usually a light oil (I use jojoba which is hypoallergenic) is used to allow your muscles to be massaged without causing excessive friction to the skin. The oil also hydrates your skin.
** I do not do deep, aggressive massage (what many people incorrectly call "deep tissue"). ** I do not "find 'em & grind 'em."
If this is what you are looking for then please call someone else.
Deep, aggressive massage is damaging to both your body and mine.
True "deep tissue" is a combination of techniques done on a small area of the body. The tissues are gently worked from superficial to deep, like peeling back the layers of an onion to get to the core of the tension or trigger point.
If at any time during your session you feel discomfort or pain, please speak up immediately. A little tenderness, discomfort or mild pain is to be expected at times, but it should never be enough that you are very uncomfortable or that you find yourself grimacing or bracing and resisting the techniques. It should also never cause any kind of sharp pain. Bodywork therapies are most effective when your body and mind are not resisting.
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Are there different kinds of bodywork therapies?
There are numerous modalities of bodywork therapies.
I am trained in: Visceral & Neural Manipulation, Manual Lymph Drainage Therapy, MyoFascial Release, some Advanced Brain Work, Trigger Point Therapy, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, Swedish/Relaxation Massage, Deep Tissue techniques, Massage & Bodywork for Pregnancy, including Pre- & Post-Natal, Therapeutic Touch Therapy (a form of energy work), as well as adaptations & specific techniques for infants & young children, elderly, and people with special needs or those with complicated health conditions.
During your initial intake session as well as before the start of each treatment session we will discuss your treatment goals, then we discuss the therapies or techniques most appropriate to help your body move toward those goals.
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What should I do during the treatment session?
Prior to the session, please ask me any questions about the treatment or techniques that will be used.
During the session, try to relax and make yourself comfortable. Please do not drift off to sleep. It is very helpful to the process for your mind to be engaged in the treatment. Try to pay attention to the tissues being worked on; be aware of & feel the sensations that are happening inside your body & provide feedback. Please also maintain a gentle & steady breath rhythm.
Conversation is welcomed, however, at times I need silence in order to focus on the body & what it is communicating. If I need you to reposition or move, I will either gently move you or tell you what is needed throughout the session (such as lifting your arm or changing positions).
During the session, please speak up if anything being done is uncomfortable or painful.
I am trained to feel the tissues and I can often tell if an area may be more tender, but everyone is different. If you don't speak up, then I don't know exactly how you are feeling. It is important that we do not cause pain or strong discomfort.
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How will I feel after the treatment session?
Most people feel great after the session. They report feeling very relaxed, light, open, feeling better blood flow & better ability to breathe. People may feel tired afterwards, or energized. Each body responds differently. Depending on the techniques done, sometimes people may feel a bit lightheaded for a moment when the treatment ends and they sit up on the table. Typically this passes very quickly; just take your time getting up to allow your body to begin processing the changes and start balancing.
In the days after a treatment session, it varies how people feel. Some people feel a bit run down and tired & possibly even sore for a day or two. Some may feel great and energized.
With Manual Therapies, people often feel at least some benefit fairly quickly, and continue to improve over time. This is not always the case, however. It has happened that some people may feel no different for several days to a few weeks, then everything shifts. It is important to pay attention to your body in the few weeks after a treatment & make note of any changes, positive or negative. It is also important to avoid overloading your body with multiple methods of therapies (i.e. acupuncture, chiropractic, PT, etc. This is for two reasons: to not overload the body/ nervous system, as well as to know for sure that the therapy is helping; when we are doing multiple therapies in the same few weeks, one cannot truly know which is providing the (most) benefit.
Jean-Pierre, in his clinical research, has found that when restrictions deep in the body are released (those around organs, blood vessels, nerves, internal ligaments, etc) the body continues to shift and change for up to 5 weeks! During this time of shifting, you may feel any number of sensations that may or may not be related to the treatment. Please pay attention to your body, make notes to provide feedback, and contact me with any questions or concerns along the way.
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What are the benefits of manual bodywork therapies?
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Are there any medical conditions that would make manual bodywork therapies inadvisable?
Yes. That's why it's imperative that, before you begin your session, you complete the paperwork as accuratly as possible. I may also ask you additional questions about your health or condition, or to clarify something on your intake paperwork. It is very important that you inform me of any health problems, implants (metal, mesh, cadaver, etc.), other treatments or therapies you are currently receiving, and medications you are taking.
If you are under a doctor's care for a serious condition, it is strongly advised that you receive a written recommendation for the bodywork treatment or massage prior to any session. Depending on the condition, approval from your doctor may be required.
Doctors may not know or fully understand the type of work that I do. In order to keep you safe and give you the best results, I am happy to communicate with your provider about these therapies -- how they are done and how they affect the body.
