More and more of you are coming to see me for guidance with movement, breath, postural and lifestyle changes, with no definitive injury or “problem”. When I started my business I felt the need to distinguish between physical therapy and other services, well, because logistically it changes the office-y stuff on my end...but ultimately I don’t operate the same way as other therapists anyhow. Physical therapy as a licensed profession has certain guidelines and standards to go by, which I absolutely appreciate. But also I feel this tends to pigeon-hole many therapists into thinking they can and can’t do certain things, and for how long, etc. Long-lasting change in the body, mind, breath, and habits takes ongoing practice. Those changes are not always measurable by the same ruler in every person. And those practices to create that change shift as our lives and circumstances do. Guidance with that can be sought out at any time, and may include any number of modalities to address the needs of the individual. So I am distinguishing less and less between PT and other services nowadays, because truly, everything is everything (those of you who work with me in person have heard me say this a thousand times!). This has been something on my mind as of late. 

I just finished a book called Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gotlieb. It is a compilation of stories from a mental health professional, both of her patients and her as a patient with her own therapist. The book is fantastically hilarious, extremely humanizing, and relatable beyond measure (extra poignant right now as we all need humanization and relatability more than ever). Throughout the book she shares her journey in therapy, as well as the journey of a few patients of hers. What I found so interesting is that she seeks therapy for herself initially after a painful unforeseen breakup with her partner. Towards the end she shares a sentiment about why people seek therapy and what it’s actually for. What she came to realize for herself was that the catalyst for her seeking help may have been the pain of losing her relationship, but that was not the end of her work, nor the point of her work. In the pain and loss, she was led to unpack many underlying emotions and patterns that had been stirring beneath the surface of her circumstances. Uncovering these ended up having nothing to do with the breakup, and everything to do with living her life fully and creating long-standing change. It also showed her that while therapy patients typically get discharged, the work never ends. 

For me, this put into a framework what I’ve had trouble articulating over the years. People usually are led to therapy because of some kind of pain, no one wants to be in it. In a typical school of thought with any kind of therapy, you begin with the end in mind: not needing it anymore once the pain goes away. However, I realize I am interested in what lies beyond the quell of acute pain. I cannot “make” pain go away for people, and certainly don’t claim to heal anyone, as I believe we all have the innate capacity to heal ourselves. While manual work has incredible healing properties, and movement is a staple of my practice, I don’t believe that is what actually creates the most effective change long-term (GASP!). I believe it has a very important place! It can certainly address pain in the moment, aide in awareness of patterns, and help heal an acute episode. I believe that our physical bodies are the keepers of our emotions, memories, experiences, habits, and therefore a signal like pain is the manifestation of something more than just what’s in the body. That’s not to say at all that “pain is in our heads”. Its actually quite the opposite...pain is a trusty voice that is always reminding us of where we need to move stuck energy wherever we hold it. Pain is an incredible communicator if we have the patience and tools to listen. Perhaps I’m realizing that what I’m actually helping my patients with, is finding the tools to listen. Again and again, to whatever comes up. 

This brings me to tell you more about my upcoming virtual workshops. My plan is to offer a monthly virtual meeting on a different topic related to my work. See below for the schedule thus far!

Upcoming Workshops: (ALL VIRTUAL)

Monday, February 1st 6:30pm: Prenatal WellBeing Workshop
Course Objectives: 

• Educate mother about changes in body, mind, breath during pregnancy
• Offer tools to move well, breathe well, and connect well during pregnancy & beyond
• Offer tools for optimal labor/delivery 
• Empower mother (& partner if applicable) to make informed choices
• Experience practices of body, mind & breath to take home 
• Connect with other mothers & families
• Gather resources for ongoing support
• Help make the connection between pregnancy and the lessons of life 

Monday, March 1st 6:30pm: Being With Pain
This workshop is a long time in the making. We will discuss chronic and acute pain and what drives us to create change. We will explore the neurological mechanism for perceiving pain, and learn practices that address breath, thoughts, and movement around pain. A very special teacher will be joining me, and I cannot wait to offer this to our community. 

Monday, April 5th 6:30pm: PostPartum WellBeing Workshop
Information on registration will be coming to you very soon!