About Me
I'm a licensed massage and bodywork therapist located on the edge of Durham and Chapel Hill and have been practicing bodywork for four and a half years. I received my massage and bodywork training from an accredited program at Durham Technical Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. My education and training in philosophy ties in pretty heavily to my approach as a practitioner. I combine the reductionist method of problem solving that western thought is hugely known for, with a more holistic approach that is more explicitly expressed and embedded in eastern philosophies, sciences, and healing systems. 

Being mindful of the two inspires my curiosity about how we relate with our bodies in a physically dense and emotional way but also seemingly metaphysical way as well, to the point where the grosser elements that make up our being such as muscles, nerves, and chemicals seem to take the background while the more subtle expressions of our being such as presence and awareness take the foreground. I think these seemingly contrasting ways of relating is where healing experiences take place. All is in play at once whether we hold space in the mind for it or not, but I personally like to acknowledge all that’s at play as much as I can I practice. I’ve seen that the presence, intention, attention, and responsiveness I present with while working is pretty crucial to how effective a session could be or not be. There’s nearly a direct correlation between these qualities and how it translates into technique.

I’m learning modalities of practice right now that utilize principles and ways of understanding the body-mind found in Traditional Chinese medicine & doaist philosophies, along with some zen buddhist philosophy and Thai medicine theory as well. All of this is being learned with the intention of conjointing it with the standard anatomy & physiology knowledge of the body to serve at a greater capacity. Even beyond offering the modalities by name that align exactly with these theories, I carry the knowledge and approach into swedish massage applications all of the time. I’m not in a rush to know it all, feel I need to know it all, or seek to know more than I simply need to do my job well, but I know for a fact that I align with these ways of seeing the world and the body-mind pretty closely. To pretend it doesn’t play a huge part in my approach would be false. You don’t have to align with these certain principles or theories by any means to be a recipient of the bodywork I offer but I feel communicating my approach is sound since most of the work in non-verbal. This way you can know a little about the practitioner behind and beyond the practice. For some that makes us a better fit, and for some the opposite, but I’m sure I can be of service to you regardless. 

Some things I really enjoy about this trade are the experiences of the mechanics while working, the flow state the work inspires, & other subtleties of the practice itself as an art form based on various sciences while also seeing the immediate and lasting effects reflected in people’s well-being in body and mind. 

It's a privilege to get to work with the body so closely and I plan on practicing and perfecting this craft for a long time, with the aspiration to teach one day as well. 

Healing and Bodywork
Based on my own experience, study, and from working on others so far, we have a sense that we can always be whole and well, and achieving how we imagine this feels, even if only for moments, inspires peace when it's embodied, and any intervention aimed at improving ones being is because we're cognizant of what this ideal presents and what it could mean for the physical body. At the heart of things, it seems that we want to embody this ideal as much as possible. so the experience of realizing and actualizing your sense of wholeness, while also becoming aware of feelings and ideas of how we can get closer to it, seems to be what healing is. 

Through alleviating the body of its restrictive aches and pains; excessive tensions, and creating balance even within the subtler anatomy and physiology of our bodies, we invite the experience of healing. The investigation and addressing thereof is mostly simple, sometimes complex, but extremely effective. It's a blend of allowing and assisting the innate wisdom and intelligence the body already has in healing itself with techniques aimed at change through knowledge of its structures and processes. 

Through working with the body, we evoke and allow the experience of healing. It involves both our attentions as recipient and practitioner. 

Working Together 
Lastly, I don't expect anyone to voice or agree with these ideas on healing and bodywork for us to be a good fit or for me to help you with your wellness needs. I just want to paint a clear picture of my approach so you're aware of where I'm coming from and how I work, again especially because most of my work is non-verbal with respect to clarifying needs, empowering, or educating. 

 I hope that me sharing this shows what's available as far as depth of experience with receiving bodywork. There’s definitely levels to it, ones that I have yet to even perceive or understand myself, as a practitioner and recipient, so that being said, we can always each other where we are. 

Regardless of what level of address we jump in at, there’s no pressure to reconfigure or understand anything about the body in a way that doesn’t suit, serve, or resonate with you. Your only job, if there is one, is to pay attention to it. I'll most likely give instruction on when to take deep breaths during sessions every now and then, too. 

I like to mostly keep quiet during sessions so that your attention can be with yourself, and it helps me too as far as where my focus is while working. Your attention being on what you feel yields valuable insight, and the practice of relaxation involves some bit of will, so that kind of focus would help, but if you want to talk, I'm okay with that, too. We just have to be mindful of volume since my workspace also has neighbors.  Anything I'd say would be to help guide, confirm, or enhance the relaxation or healing experience being had with the body. 

Once more to gently reiterate, It's really important to me for the sake of power dynamics and your empowerment post-session that I don't play too heavy a part in the verbal space of claiming what you could be experiencing at the level of the emotions or psyche while working, if you happen to notice that you’re experiencing somatic releases in those spaces. How you interpret your experience at those levels is for your insight. It’s honestly best that the power lies with you in that, but I'm happy to listen, assist or answer any questions you might have during or after sessions. Anything I’d say should be aimed at bringing awareness back to your body over all things, even if we have to dive a bit into more subtler anatomy concepts or ideas just to have a suited language for those insights to make more sense, inspiring you further along your investigation of your body’s nature and its tensions. If I can't give an answer or meet your need, I'll try my best to point you in the right direction. 

I look forward to working with you and serving your wellness needs. Reach out if you have any questions!