I know what it’s like to feel… “off”. It’s like you’re driving a train that’s not properly aligned on the tracks. Just because you’re moving forward doesn’t mean you’re getting to where you need to go easily. In fact, you probably won’t realize how difficult the ride is until the wheels are back on the rails. 

how this all came about

When I started my business at 21 years old, the thought of massage for stress relief made my eyes roll.

In my mind, massage brought physical relief and that’s what made people feel less stressed. It wasn’t until an encounter with a coworker that I realized how wrong I was. Stress relief is key to virtually every other aspect of our lives.

I loved being a practitioner but, truth be told, I can be socially awkward, and it made leading and managing a staff challenging. After one especially uncomfortable meeting, I was approached by a clinical social worker who knew me to be relaxed and put-together in a 1-on-1 setting. She could tell I was not acting like myself and asked, “What was that?” I knew what she was referring to but I didn’t have an answer. I honestly didn’t know what my problem was. I was just doing the best I could. She said, “I can help”. And I let her.

Those three words my colleague said to me led me on the journey that has brought me to you.

In treatments with her, she helped me reveal subtle moments and experiences that make me uncomfortable and apparently - stressed. Yup! That thing I rolled my eyes about in massage school. That stress. It was happening more often than I realized because I was “managing” or covering it up with some rather unflattering coping mechanisms. Unfortunately, these types of behaviors mask our true, authentic selves and keep us feeling “off”. But the truth is, we don’t usually want to change what we’re doing. To some degree, our coping techniques work for us - until they don’t or until someone offers a better option.

This brings me back to treatments…

I had to start processing. Now when I say processing, I’m talking about information...all the information we take away from an experience. We react to things physically, emotionally, and mentally. So processing is really a fancy way of saying we’re categorizing and organizing information. To do this, we used mindful awareness skills to help me see through the layers of hurt, pain, fear, and uncertainty that masked my core issue. It also revealed opportunities to help me shift my behavior.

I finally gained insights about myself that led me to a new level of compassion, understanding, and strength and enabled me to get unstuck. I know that’s possible for you too.

While I was seeing the social worker, I also began training for Craniosacral Therapy with Ken DiPersio. I name him specifically because I believe he brings an element of how to process to his training that is not commonly found. The type of processing he teaches practitioners to do, allows us to fully show up for clients and it just happened to support all the personal processing work I was doing.

This double team effect was about to pay off in a big way.

All this processing was serving me well. It helped me to stop smoking. Then to find patience and surrender during years of fertility treatments. When I delivered and lost twin girls 5 months into my pregnancy, it was there for me again.

6 weeks after this monumental loss, I was scheduled to take an advanced Craniosacral training with Ken in Florida. When I called to cancel, explaining the situation, he said, “Well, you can stay up there and try to process on your own, or you can come here and have help.” Ugh. I knew the work was going to be uncomfortable but I also knew it was something I had to do. And then he hit my soft spot. “You know, Aimee. If you are able to do this for yourself, then you can help others with it too.” I replied with, “Ah, you @#$#%^! I’ll be there.”

Mindful processing helped me be present, thoughtful, intentional and aware during a massive loss. Don’t get me wrong, just because I’d gained these processing skills did not mean it was easy. It meant I was 100% present. It meant I was able to make thoughtful decisions that I could feel good about, even when I didn’t feel good.

Some might say they don’t want to be present because of the physical, mental or emotional discomfort. But for me, feeling numb no longer works. I’ve experienced the deep peace that comes from “doing the work”. And if you’re still reading this, you’ll likely agree.

You know that just because we don’t want something to happen doesn’t mean it won’t.

Our choices are to face facts and adjust or to ignore them and keep the struggles compartmentalized, hoping they won’t be triggered. The reality is, being present allowed me to keep showing up for myself, to dissipate the fear, heartache, physical tension, and other discomforts that came from my trauma. It doesn’t mean that I forgot about what happened; that’s impossible.

I’ve seen so many clients hold onto a charge because they’re afraid that they’ll forget something they don’t want to let go of. You don’t need to do that. I promise you won’t forget.

In the years since, I’ve been blessed with two more children. While parenting itself is its own challenge, it has also been a reminder of my loss. Instead of letting the sadness take over though, I have practiced techniques that let me acknowledge my feelings, see how they affect my current actions, and make adjustments accordingly.

Now, I’ve always been open to self-improvement and receiving help but it took my coworker recognizing my issue for me to bite on that offer. That’s what I hope to do for you. I’d like to help you put your finger on the thing that’s keeping you from feeling like yourself.

I want you to see that you are not broken. Once you stop trying to fix what isn’t broken, you can start re-connecting with what already exists. I am whole, and so are you.

Let me teach you how to peel back the layers of pain and stress to be able to access who you really are and who you’re meant to be. During times when things are not easy or comfortable, I’ll be there to help you find safety - within yourself - again. Shall we begin?