My Story
My healing journey began in 2012, with a hip injury that plagued me with instability, imbalance, pain and grief with every step. I sought out many types of massage, chiropractic, structural integration, acupuncture and exercise, but the pain and numbness persisted and became chronic. The pain kept me from sleeping, but the imbalance and instability affected my mental, emotional and social life even more, as I could no longer enjoy many activities I had once enjoyed, and I began to engage less socially as the pain and frustration with my limitations consumed me. I had been working for many years as a musician, artist, and barista before turning my attention to focus on my recovery, and decided to attend massage school to learn how to heal myself, and hopefully learn to help others in the process. In 2020, I attended East West College of the Healing Arts in Portland, OR, where I was introduced to myofascial release and craniosacral therapy. I had gone into the program planning to study structural integration and become the deepest-of-the-deep deep tissue therapist, certain that this would be the answer to finally ridding myself and others of pain. What I discovered was that, often, when chronic pain, chronic illness and/or trauma are involved, force rarely gets the job done. I discovered an entirely new dimension of touch and embodiment, which require listening, patience, acceptance and trusting the innate wisdom of each body. I discovered that my chronic hip pain was only in part a structural injury, but as it became chronic, it became also an injury to my nervous system, and injury to my relationship with myself, my body, my stability, and my connection to the earth. As I began to befriend my body, to listen to and respect what she was telling me, my pain subsided, my strength returned and I can now say that I no longer have hip pain. I now believe that within every injury, there is strength, and within every body, there is the wisdom and capacity for healing.  

My Sessions
First and foremost, I am a trauma-informed practitioner, and here to support you on your healing journey. I couldn’t be more honored to be doing this work. I offer integrated sessions using gentle myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, somatic bodywork and structural techniques. My experience as a musician and artist, coupled with the direct experience of navigating chronic pain, has helped me develop a compassionate, creative and collaborative approach to bodywork, and has enhanced my capacity for listening and trusting the wisdom the body.  Listening is essential to my practice, so that I may hear and follow the guidance of your body’s wisdom. This also means that my work is gentle, and because of this, it allows me to work deeper and affect longer lasting change - when the body is not trying to fight or resist it can let go and allow meaningful changes to occur. My sessions are collaborative, meaning I work with you to discuss your goals, hopes, concerns and history, and together we establish a plan that works for you.  This could include postural analysis and balance support, nervous system regulation, work with chronic pain or injury, scar tissue release, craniosacral therapy, somatic unwinding, somatic bodywork, or working to re-establish connection and embodiment.  I have helped people experience relief from chronic migraines, fibromyalgia, vertigo, tinnitus, nervous system conditions, nerve impingement, joint pain, postural imbalances and asymmetry, loss of breath capacity, numbness, and also reconnecting a sense of trust, safety and stability in the body.  I am honored to support your healing journey, to honor your process, and your capacity for freedom, grace, transformation, embodiment and joyful movement.  

If you have questions, concerns or requests regarding scheduling a session with me, please email me at wildgracebodywork@gmail.com