Education
I am a Certified Practitioner of Structural Integration who completed training from the Guild for Structural Integration (www.rolfguild.org) in 1995. Since then, I have alternated between my bodywork practice and writing fiction. I graduated from Duke University with a degree in English and credits for a psychology degree. I have done extensive research and continuing education on the subjects of body work, self help, trauma, spirituality and metaphysics. I also facilitate healing by working with the energy field of an individual.
Hobbies and Interests
As a beginner cellist, I am familiar with the intensity of musical study and the risks and injuries involved, especially as an adult trying to learn new micro-movements. I have been athletic since the fourth grade when I started to play tennis, and jogged for close to twenty years. Now, I swim, hike, bike, dance and garden (and if you’ve ever pulled weeds from or dug into Colorado clay, you KNOW how athletic gardening can be). I have suffered injuries from my intensive pursuit of just about everything I do, including overuse injuries from writing, and I approach my practice with understanding and empathy for the devoted zealot. However, everyone has limitations, and I encourage people to identify and understand their own. And, yes, I practice what I preach. For example, running is not a suitable sport for my body type and I rarely do it any more. However, when possible, I always recommend modification rather than elimination; I no longer practice cello for hours at a time or without warming up, I have changed my bicycle to an upright seated position, and I’ve let the dandelions take over the yard. I encourage dedication to enjoyment over perfection, and I believe in empowering my clients to listen to and know their bodies in order to make informed decisions about their choices.
How Structural Integration Affected Me
My own experience with Structural Integration was that I found a new perspective; after my Ten Series, I actually gained an inch in height and literally started seeing the world from a different angle. I also now have arches in my feet and even after ten years, still am awed by the site of my wet footprint at the pool. Before my first series, my lower back would ache for hours after standing or walking for significant amounts of time. Now, not only am I tuned into my body enough that I can identify stress before it becomes pain, it takes longer for my back to get to the point where it becomes stressed from standing or walking, if it does at all. Yes, I still have aches and pains, but they are usually the result of new movements, such as learning the cello, rather than familiar ones, such as standing.
In light of all the changes I experienced from the work, I am always excited to see what insights and new patterns Structural Integration will bring to my clients.
