Acupressure (Back to Top)

Acupressure is a form of bodywork similar to acupuncture, with the aim of stimulating specific points along the energy lines of the body to establish overall health and vitality by balancing your Qi (energy) flow. Unlike acupuncture, with this modality gentle pressure is applied to the specific points rather than needling, producing similar therapeutic results.

CranioSacral Therapy (Back to Top)

CranioSacral Therapy is a bodywork method that focuses on gently stimulating your CranioSacral system (membranes and fluid that surround the brain and spinal cord) to heal the body by improving the functioning of the central nervous system. CST effectively complements your body’s natural healing process, and has been known to help alleviate a wide variety of symptoms associated with:

                   Anxiety

                   Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

                   Depression

                   Fibromyalgia

                   Obsessive Behavior

                   Panic Attacks

Geriatric Massage (Back to Top)

Geriatric Massage is a combination of craniosacral therapy, gentle energy work and light massage, which provides older adults with relaxation and relief from overall physical discomfort.

Valerie will make home visits for older adults who cannot travel.

Holistic Counseling (Back to Top)

Holistic Counseling is both informative and self-reflective, allowing you an opportunity to re-evaluate habitual, sometimes "unconscious" behaviors that may not be supporting your life. With awareness, you can gradually shift your experience by making "new" (conscious) choices.

Diet is a good example. What we eat has a direct affect on how we feel. And how we feel has a direct affect on our thoughts. Sometimes stress and busy schedules interfere with our ability to give ourselves the nourishment that we need and deserve. Symptoms often include fatigue, irritability and weight gain, eventually leading to more serious health problems. Discussing reasonable ways to make small changes often creates the beginning of a supportive, life-changing process.

Medical Massage (Back to Top)

Medical Massage differs from regular massage and bodywork in that the treatment is specifically directed to resolve conditions diagnosed by a medical doctor. Utilizing a variety of modalities or techniques during the treatment, the primary focus relates to the diagnosis. This enhances the body’s natural self-healing process.

Somatic Experiencing (Back to Top)

Somatic Experiencing was developed by Dr. Peter Levine. Dr. Levine states, “Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the dangerous event itself. They arise when residual energy from the event is not discharged from the body. This energy remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds.”

Somatic Experiencing utilizes the awareness of body sensation to help people "negotiate" and heal their traumas rather than relive them. With appropriate guidance with the body's instinctive "felt sense", individuals are able to access their body's wisdom, allowing the highly aroused survival energies to be safely and gradually discharged. When these energies are discharged, people frequently experience a dramatic reduction in or disappearance of their traumatic symptoms.

The transformation process can allow people to deepen their sense of self and others. The healing journey can be an "awakening" to untapped resources and feelings of empowerment.

Valerie is a certified Somatic Experiencing practitioner and has completed a three-year training program through the Foundation for Human Enrichment, established by Dr. Levine.