I have been a keen observer and an interested student in the studies of human behavior and everything to do with the human body since a very young age.  I grew up in a family that had particularly healthy eating and exercising practices way before it became popular. I also grew up as a sensitive empath who felt a lot of confusing and painful emotions growing up. This led me to college where I received a BS degree with a double major in psychology and sociology with a social work emphasis. In my first jobs out of college I worked with delinquent adolescents in two different group homes. This proved to be very stressful and led me to an office job at a real estate company before deciding what was to be my next career move.

Soon after, I was involved in a car accident that changed my life in dramatic fashion and was to become the catalyst for a journey into deep healing.  First I had to work with the physical pain and day to day difficulties that transpired due to my injuries.  Most of the injuries were in the soft tissue, but there were also endocrine problems and neurological issues that affected my eyesight and brought numbness to my extremities. I soon learned what Western medicine had to offer and it was through this experience that I became frustrated and disillusioned by the limitations of this model of medicine. I found more help from integrative methods of healing, including massage and cranio-sacral therapies and through chiropractic than from neurologists and endocrinologists.  It all became quite overwhelming but what was also happening was that the car accident had “cracked me open” so to speak. All of the pain I had stuffed inside during my childhood could not be contained anymore and I had to deal with all of those emotions.

Acknowledging and processing these emotions and then re-parenting myself was really a spiritual awakening for me. It was a very difficult several years with many tears. Lots of psychology self-help books were read and reflected upon through journaling. The bodywork I received, especially the massage, supported the inner awakening I was experiencing and also helped me realize what a great career it would be to become a massage therapist. As soon as my body was strong enough to physically do the work, I began training at the Minneapolis School of Massage and Bodywork. Finally my interest and love of the human body was able to be utilized in a very fulfilling and reverent way.

In addition to massage therapy, I have used energy healing on clients and family members in hospitals right after their surgeries to help them heal more quickly and with less pain for over 14 years.  I have worked at and spoken at the Mayo clinic about energy healing to 350 physical, speech and occupational therapists, nurses and a few doctors. I continue to do massage therapy and energy healing and have taught meditation for the last eight years. I also teach a nine-month chakra class on how to work with your own chakras to raise your consciousness and gain greater health.   

Through my bodywork practice I have gained a deep appreciation for what the human body is able to do. So many of us take for granted the daily processes within our bodies, when really we are each a miraculous work of art that keeps coming back to homeostasis over and over again. When we truly connect with our bodies as our friend, and allow our emotional, psychological and spiritual selves to communicate with each other we can begin to heal ourselves on all these levels. Becoming aware and conscious is a challenging prospect, but living without this awareness can be much more difficult. As active participants in all aspects of our health we become powerful creators for whatever each of us is faced with.

I have realized that the obstacles and challenges that we experience in life, or in particular health challenges, often become our greatest teachers. In learning how to navigate through our difficulties we can learn what our vulnerabilities and strengths are,  find ways to accept what we cannot change and embrace new ways of thinking and being so that we can heal.

When we are able to deepen into a greater understanding of ourselves with a loving heart we also become closer to knowing our life’s purpose and meaning. This is when we can truly appreciate the gift of life, of love and of connection with others. This is where the beauty is. 

Please enjoy the photo gallery. 

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