Joanna is Certified in Prenatal Massage, Fertility Massage and Manual Lymphatic drainage.

WA LIC #60685198

Somatic Pain and Trauma Resolution

How is massage related to trauma resolution? And who has trauma?

Just about everyone has trauma. The brain cannot distinguish between physical danger and mental/emotional stress. The effects of trauma manifest as pain or inability to move past a state of flight, flight, freeze response, regardless if the experience was physically disabling (car accidents, falls or surgery) or incidents we play off as not being a big deal or ancient history. Repetitive movement (constantly reaching high on a shelf, or stagnant unsupportive posture at a desk for years) is another method which causes a pain and trauma response “out of nowhere”.

Your session will address the disconnect between body, brain and nervous system that develop from trauma. The result is an increased range and ease of motion, decrease in muscle tension and long term pain resolution.

What does that MEAN and what will it feel like?

Your session will not feel like a regular massage. But by moving your body out of a state of distress, you will feel better long term. The techniques used by Joanna are: Strain/Counterstrain, Craniosacral, Lymphatic Drainage Technique and Myofascial. If those words are unfamiliar, know that listening verbally and tactically is something they have in common. Another commonality is increasing communication between your brain, muscle tissue, and nervous system. The experience is not aggressive or invasive and makes no demands which forces the tissue comply. There can be a lot of sensation, but it is always productive. Oil is rarely used, and little to no swedish massage is utilized. Most sessions can be performed in workout or yoga clothes.

While relaxation isn’t the main goal, clients feel a deep release of tension, decrease in pain and pure delight at their increased movement at the end of the session.

About Joanna: 

Joanna has always moved through the world kinesthetically and loved puzzles. The road to becoming a LMT took the scenic route and has been filled with over two decades in the hospitality industry, several severe car accidents, head injuries, falls and recovering from all of them. These experiences fuel Joanna’s desire to constantly become a better therapist. She spends her time cooking, gardening, sewing, tango dancing and throwing the perfect dinner gathering.

Continuing Education

  • Mentorship with Dawn Schmidt – Integrating Advanced Techniques for Holistic Theraputic outcomes, 62 Hours with intraoral certification
  • Strain/Counterstrain and Positional Release- Wimsey Cherrington, 47 hours
  • Craniosacral Therapy- Level 1: The Fascia System of the Body and Head, 21 hours Bastyr University with Einat Arian 
  • Advanced Craniosacral Techniques: Anatomy Trains and Spinal adjustment, 21 hours with Einat Arian
  • Prenatal Certification – Institute of Somatic Therapy, 24 hours
  • Life Context Workshop, Progoff Intensive Journaling with Carol Gaskin, 12 hours
  • Discovery Point School of Massage Graduate, 750 hours

WA LIC #60685198

 

Joanna has such a warm and healing touch that envelops your whole body. She is very passionate about her work and is up-to-date on the latests theories and methods of body work. Highly recommended.” -Juliet