An accessible description of doing trauma informed massage therapy can be found here.  I gently urge any client addressing acute or complex trauma to do so within a team of truly skilled providers and, if possible, a supportive community in which you feel seen, cared for, loved, and encouraged. 

Since childhood, and by nature, I have felt burdened by the challenges, pains, intrusions, injustices, injuries, indecencies, and traumas that humans have had to endure and to reckon with as part of surviving and thriving. To be honest, that’s probably why I studied English literature and philosophy.  I’ve also lived enough now to know in my bones what it means to grieve, to cope, to heal, to hold on. Given the state of the world, since 2015 I’ve felt compelled to learn how to best practice massage in light of these challenges. 

Since 2015 I have completed self-study in a number of trauma-informed spaces, with teachers and authors such as Deb Dana, Dr. Daniel Seigal, Dr. Rick Hanson, Bessel Van der Kolk, Resmaa Manakem, and many courses through NICBM.  In the summer of 2024 I will travel to Maine, USA, to learn about approaching traumas in the body from Tom Myers (of Anatomy Trains), a preeminent expert in the field of fascia and bodywork. 

However, while I hold with great tenderness and strength the many challenges humans endure and heal from, appointments at Linden truly exist to address body tissues and issues–muscles, fascia, nerves– and to help the nervous system move into more regulation, ease, and connection… not for the explicit and careful processing of trauma on a verbal level. If you are dealing with these sorts of deep challenges that seem to need to find a voice and a narrative–and I have myself– I warmly encourage you to seek out practitioners such as psychotherapists, EMDR professionals, and other counselors who are effective and incredible at their work. For directories, two places to start are here and here, and if you prefer personal reading, you might consider this or this or  this book. 

That being said, if emotions come up for you while you are on the table, that is completely common and not a problem–they can be a totally normal side effect to receiving bodywork which I am trained to facilitate.  We’ll hold that space together in a centered, grounded, trusting space, and you will remain at choice in how we proceed. Because the fascia holds the nerves of our bodies, some describe changes in fascial load and tension as changing old patterns of holding, guarding, and being “stuck”. A common experience after getting off the table (that can happen for anyone, regardless of trauma) is a feeling of lightness, ease, connection, and clarity. It is my perspective that that state is your body reorganizing itself into different–and likely more-helpful-to-you– patterns. How wonderful, right? You can rest easy knowing you needn’t censor or restrict the flow of energy in your body, that human warmth and empathy is always in full supply, and that your wise body is on your side.

Lastly, two of Linden’s primary values are “Freedom” and “Joy,” which in the context of trauma are what are known as “glimmers”-- the opposite of triggers. It is my hope that any bodywork you receive at Linden contributes, in some way, to your freedom and joy.

The practice is currently for adults, age 18+. I spent many of my younger years as a babysitter, nanny, and later as a head cook at a children’s camp, so I love nurturing younger ones. However, the responsibility of protecting and working with other peoples’ children is too much for me at this time. 

Unfortunately, the office building is outdated, and while my office is on the main floor, the external doors do not have automatic openers, and the dimensions of my office are narrow. Clients in wheelchairs without assistance are not typically able to access the building easily.