Somatic Therapy & Bodywork
Be prepared for a unique and healing experience with a highly profound and effective synthesis of manual and somatic therapies including Swedish Esalen, Watsu-inspired Phenomenal Touch, Visceral Manipulation and an advanced form of Fascial Repatterning I've come to call Applied Bio-induction Therapy (ABiT).
What is Somatic Therapy?
The word Somatic means "of the body". Somatic therapy is a therapeutic modality in the psycho-emotional realm that includes the body's experience and messages. The body is seen as a part of the whole system, not just as a mechanistic element to be utilized to support the culturally renowned "higher functioning" head brain. Instead, I like to include the heart, gut and pelvic brains as intelligence centers to be integrated with the whole body-field (more on this below).
Somatic or body-based awareness skills play an important role in the transformations we are seeking. Without the awareness held in our bodies at play, we are walking in the forest and not seeing the trees. We have 20/20 and cannot focus our sight long or short range. We are overlooking a resource that is completely invaluable, a resource that has traveled with us through thick and thin and records the memories and therefore knows the way home, meaning back to a state of balance and wholeness.
What is Bodywork?
Bodywork is a term used to describe hands-on therapy directed at functionality, not only relaxation. One must be certified and licensed as a hands-on therapist, aka, massage therapist or physiotherapist. There are many bodywork modalities one can study. Personally, my focus over the years has been on cellular repatterning, trauma recovery, pain syndrome, and ease of range of motion along with functionality and joy of heart and spirit. I've studied many more modalities than I list below here and have chosen to share these in particular because of their impact and sustained presence in my toolkit. Know that in 22 years of practice, I have generated a unique style of synthesizing tools for a customized experience in every session.
I bring the gift of seeing you fresh every time we meet, with the possibility that your ailments have shifted with the support and willingness we both bring in our time together.
What is Applied Bio-induction Therapy?
ABiT is a soft tissue therapy synthesized with Osteopathic Manual Medicine practices for the treatment of immobility and pain. The directive is less to zero pain and freedom of range of motion.
Fascia is a connective tissue that is ubiquitous within the human body and supports and protects the various structures it lives in and around. The osteopathic theory proposes that this soft tissue can become restricted due to overuse, trauma, infectious agents, or inactivity, often resulting in pain, muscle tension, and diminished blood flow. Although fascia and its corresponding muscles are the main targets of ABiT, other tissues will be addressed as well, including organs and bone relationships. The body is an element of a holistically functioning system that we must consider in order to address the pain syndrome.
The entire system includes the physical structures; bones, muscles, blood, organs etc; the energetic anatomy which includes the electromagnetic field surrounding the physical body and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems which together I view as the open nervous system theory
which describes no boundary between the two.
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The Ball of Yarn Theory
My theory on pain syndromes...
#1. If your pain is acute or chronic, there is hope.
Through Applied Bio-induction Therapy pain-relieving techniques, most clients find their pain has reduced, many times from a 10 to a 0 on the pain scale, even during the first session.
Doctors don't know exactly what causes pain and will tell their patients that they are suffering from an irreversible condition called CPS or Chronic Pain Syndrome that they must learn to live with.
Doctors understand that it often starts with an injury, repetitive use or a chronic underlying condition that they will do their best to treat either via drugs or physical therapy. While these may be helpful for a time, they are not a long-term solution. to the pain syndrome itself.
Here's what the medical profession does not know...
#2. The Pain Syndrome is an "Electro-Magnetic Disorder" in the tissue and or body-field of the individual experiencing pain. The tissue becomes organized in such a way that an electrical charge is built up in the tissue and system and is firing signals to the head brain requesting awareness.
Think of it as a series of telephone lines. If one pole is displaying an obstruction in the electricity, the poles down the line will not receive the full signal and it may even short the signal somewhere along the way or turn the whole system offline for a time.
The body's guiding forces are wholeness and balance of and in the system. The body creates support systems where there is instability. Think of it like a builder placing struts on a building that will later be removed. If there is an obstruction in the body-field, whether, in a joint or another area in the body where two or more structures must communicate, the signal will not be able to move through the line and a build-up of charge occurs.
Are you following me?...
So, what I do is listen deeply to the experience of the pain by asking the client to express the sensations in detail while I intuitively begin to unravel the ball of yarn, so to speak. It's a fine art, as we all know...we must find the thread that is ready first, second, third and so on, in order to free the knot. The pain is asking for those "struts" mentioned in the building analogy, to be removed as it no longer needs that denser layer of support it once created for itself in some earlier healing process (think scar tissue) and in fact, is causing the problem rather than being support any longer. Scar tissue is the connective tissue that builds in density in order to "suture" an area together. A limited range of motion can be a side effect of that healing process that we do not have to accept as the end result long term.
Ultimately, the body requires a release of the scar tissue, adhesions or electrical bonds in the tissue and surrounding referred structures in order to be free of the corresponding pain signals.
Once the Electro-Magnetic Bonds are released via ABiT the pain signal ceases and flow returns to the system increase sensations of aliveness, pleasure, circulation, range of motion and functionality!
What is Phenomenal Touch Massage?
Phenomenal Touch Massage is a profound and revolutionary three-dimensional approach to massage that transcends the arbitrary boundaries between the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of ourselves, a truly holistic, healing experience for the giver and receiver. PTM breaks many of the traditional "rules" of massage by using many points of contact and by making the experience more personal, yet maintains the therapeutic boundaries that create safety for one's opening and unfurling. PTM offers deep respect and connection and provides an experience of massage that goes far beyond the limitations of most techniques.
Sounds deeply relaxing, but you've got pain that you need help with...
Would you accept having the needs of your heart and soul, as well as the needs of your body, met all in one session? I like to joke that my work is like "One Stop Shopping!"
What is Visceral Manipulation?
VM assists functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive and lymphatic dysfunction. It evaluates and treats the dynamics of motion and suspension in relation to organs, membranes, fascia, and ligaments. VM increases proprioceptive communication within the body, thereby revitalizing a person and relieving symptoms of pain, dysfunction, and poor posture.
An integrative approach to evaluation and treatment of a patient requires an assessment of the structural relationships between the viscera, and their fascial or ligamentous and osseous attachments to the musculoskeletal system. Strains in the connective tissue of the viscera can result from surgical scars, adhesions, illness, posture, injury, and trauma.
Tension patterns form through the fascial network deep within the body, creating a cascade of effects far from their sources for which the body will have to compensate. This creates fixed, abnormal points of tension that the body must move around, and this chronic irritation gives way to functional and structural problems. I utilize VM as a tool to unwind these patterns along with the artful intuitive practice of presence and deep listening to the body's wisdom while encouraging your awareness to co-solve the equation of balance in the body and mind.
What is Swedish Esalen® Massage?
Esalen® Massage, well-known for its long flowing strokes over the whole body, helps release the stresses of everyday life, leaving the receiver feeling whole, integrated and deeply relaxed, in a natural state of well-being. The Esalen Massage is best described as the interface and integration of form, energy, structure, and soul. With its nurturing contact, integrating strokes, and detailed attention to the whole body, an Esalen Massage provides a state of deep relaxation and healing.
Esalen practitioners are dedicated to connecting deeply with each client and can usually accommodate specific requests and preferences. Practitioners combine a full-hearted presence with long, integrating strokes and slow, deep muscle work to release everyday stresses, still the mind, and leave you feeling integrated and deeply relaxed.
Most sessions are a blend of these modalities as we will work in the present moment with the tools available creating a truly customized experience to meet you and your body's needs every session.
You will walk away with feeling light and soft with a re-educated sense of connection while feeling fulfilled and held in deep surrender.
In 22 year of private practice, I have come to humbly trust my intuition in the healing process...If you are looking for a therapist who is capable of meeting the needs of your body while additionally present with your heart, mind, and soul...
I look forward to working with you,
Jenna Rebecca Francesca, CMT, CWP
