Therapeutic Bodywork

Tissues in the human body are constantly bathed in a circulating flow of healing fluids. To support and enhance the flow of these fluids, Patti integrates lymph drainage, craniosacral therapy, oncology massage and Reiki for deep relaxation.

Evidence-based outcomes indicate therapeutic bodywork:

  • is safe and effective

  • reduces pain

  • decreases anxiety and depression

  • diminishes nausea

  • promotes sleep

  • enhances deeper relaxation

  • sustain and enhanced well-being

 

Every session begins with a comprehensive medical history overview establishing how the client is feeling that day. Patti then assesses what type of therapy will be most helpful to the client for that particular session. During the session, she receives further guidance from the body itself.

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As Patti explains:

“I look at the client as a whole person so that I can fully understand how I can support that person’s health and well being.”

Patti’s integrative approach may include consulting with health care professionals to support your medical treatment plan.

For people blessed with good health, these gentle hands-on techniques may help sustain and enhance well-being.

For people with chronic medical conditions or at the end of life, receiving Palliative or Hospice care, therapeutic bodywork may provide relief, deep relaxation and rest.

 

In conjunction with your present medical treatments, therapeutic bodywork may provide additional relief and healing.

Therapeutic bodywork can include one or more of these modalities:

Lymph drainage: A healthy functioning lymphatic system is the key to the overall health and well being of our immune system. The human lymphatic system is comprised of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes located through out the body. These vessels and nodes are crucial to the body’s ability to maintain proper fluid balance, detoxify, regenerate tissue, filter out foreign substances and maintain a healthy immune system.

This gentle hands on technique enables Patti to detect the specific rhythm, direction, depth and quality of the lymph flow. For clients receiving lympathic drainage therapy, the process is pleasurable and induces deep states of relaxation. This specific whole body approach alleviates pain and swelling deep in the body, enhances brain function, sharpens memory and coordination, and calms the mind.

LDT may be helpful for:

  • Reduction of stress and tension

  • Allergy and sinus conditions, seasonal allergies

  • Headaches and migraines

  • Edemas (swelling) and lymphedemas of multiple causes

  • Autoimmune dysfunction (fibromyalgia, Crohn’s Disease, Epstein-Barr Syndrome, multiple sclerosis)

  • Lyme disease and Tick borne illnesses

  • Post-surgically to support healing and reduce swelling

  • Acute or Chronic Athletic injuries

  • Lessening wrinkles, cellulite, and fatty deposits

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder

Craniosacral Therapy: balances the flow of fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord to address sensory, neurological, and motor disorders. Fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord are encased in a membranous sac that rhythmically pumps them from the cranium (the bones of the skull, face, and mouth) to the sacrum (tailbone). Any imbalance in the flow of these fluids can trigger sensory, neurological, and motor disorders. Patti uses a light touch to identify restrictions in the rhythm and assist the system’s hydraulic forces, strengthening the body’s ability to correct itself.

CST can be most beneficial for:

  • Migraines and headaches

  • Concussions and traumatic brain injuries

  • TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome)

  • Stress and tension-related problems, like post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic fatigue

  • Chronic neck and back pain, scoliosis

  • Developmental challenges like colic and learning disabilities

Oncology Massage: is highly individualized. Patti has special training in oncology massage, a unique combination of gentle hands-on therapies, which can enhance healing while it promotes relaxation and well-being at all stages of the cancer journey.

Patti has extensive training for people diagnosed with cancer related lymphedema.

As Patti explains: “I look at the client as a whole person so that I can fully understand how I can support that person’s health and healing at every stage of the cancer journey. ”

Patti learns all she can about a client’s medical history, with detailed questions about diagnosis, medications, surgeries, and treatments. She often speaks with her clients’ doctors. Every session with a client includes time for conversation, so she can assess what the client needs that day and how she can provide the most help. During the massage, she receives further guidance from the body itself. 

Oncology Massage supports and enhances conventional treatments, and provides a calming oasis of peace and wholeness that stay with a client long after a session has ended.

Reiki: is a very gentle hands on modality that is non-invasive. It is a means of offering healing for the client’s highest and utmost good if they are willing to receive it. Reiki may reduce stress, enhances relaxation, and promotes healing by improving the flow of life-force energy through  placement of the therapist’s hands over or directly on the client’s body.

Shiatsu: uses finger pressure to enhance the body’s healing systems and induce deep relaxation. Patti  participated in a 75 hour Shiatsu class at the Downeast School of Massage in the Spring of 2004. Patti uses Shiatsu to support the inherent healing of the body.

Chair Massage: reduces stress as it loosens tight, sore muscles in the neck, back, shoulders and arms. Chair massage is given while the client is fully clothed. The client leans forward while sitting in a specially designed chair specifically for this type of massage. Many clients combine chair massage with LDT or CST.

Therapeutic Massage has been found helpful for patients with Lyme disease and Tickborne Illnesses. As a former Lyme Disease patient, Patti understands the complexities of the disease and co-infections. For more information, please visit Midcoast Lyme Disease Support and Education website at: http://www.mldse.org

Patti offers therapeutic massage for Comfort at End of Life and Caregiver Support. Visits are available in the comfort of your home, in clinical settings, assisted living facilities and hospitals, as well as her studio in Newcastle, Maine.