“Sense of Touch” Remote Bodywork
If you’re both curious and dubious, go ahead and schedule a session. If it’s not for you, we’ll stop after 20 minutes; no harm, no foul, and no fee.
From the week shelter-in-place kept us all home, I’ve worked with clients remotely in the ways I’m trained that don’t depend on touch – Somatic Experiencing, restorative exercise, self-care and self-treatment education, movement, etc. Still, people need bodywork. Sessions spontaneously started to sound something like this:
Client: “My neck is hurting.”
Beth: “The angle of your shoulder blade, is that the spot calling for attention?”
Client: “Yes, and a little bit higher.”
Beth: “Yes, that makes sense. I can feel where my hands would go if you were here.”
Client: “Oh! Wow! I feel like your hands are actually there!”
Beth: “So do I, so let’s go with it…. Yes, the way your head is just starting to turn, let your head and neck unwind, just as though my other hand were supporting your head…”
Client: (moving, sighing, settling) “It feels much better. How on earth does that work?“
We can approach that last question with the language of interpersonal neurobiology, psychology, imagination, hypnotherapy, energy work, or spirituality. Whatever language we use, I don’t fully know the answer. Whatever else is happening, the sense of touch engages, and the body responds deeply. And, there is one great advantage: When the session ends, you’re already home.
Myofascial therapies
Myofascial therapies address specific injuries and chronic pain. They differ from general massage in that the contact is slow or still and little to no oil is used. Pressure can vary from very light to very strong. They are most effective when coupled with attending to body mechanics, ergonomics, self-care techniques, body awareness and breath. When I was first injured, these techniques helped me most.
Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy
This technique involves detective work. The pattern of symptoms and postural distortion show the hiding places of small, specific areas of muscle that do not work properly, triggering pain and limiting movement in unexpected places. Steady, direct pressure on the right points can unlock a whole system of dysfunction. To learn more about your trigger points, go to the symptom checker on the National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists website.
Myofascial Release
This technique stretches and unwinds restrictions in the web of connective tissue that contains your muscles and forms your ligaments and tendons. It feels like stretching taffy or allowing tangled rubber bands to unwind. This work can relieve discomfort so long-standing you have forgotten what it is like to be comfortable.
Craniosacral Therapy
This generates the most profound and restorative rest I have ever seen in any person or experienced in myself as a client. It brings a sense of ease and flow both overall and to specific areas of need. The contact is gentle, still, and precise, and has a quality of feeling “just right.” I’ve often heard, and often said, that it feels like magic.
Massage
It’s basic, full-body, Swedish/deep tissue massage, informed by all the training I have. Don’t ever hesitate to ask for this if it’s what you want! It can stand alone, or incorporate the other approaches as needed.
