Where'd I go?!

Hello, beautiful people!  Just another quick read to explain my absence; I haven’t posted an article yet this year!

My last post (in December) was about unresolved trauma in modern clientele presenting as a barrier to truly receiving therapeutic massage.  In that post I stated my intention to become a trauma-informed massage therapist.  After the new year dawned, I began spending my free time researching trauma curriculums offered by various education providers, which included about 20 hours of webinars in which I met faculty who previewed their offerings.  I decided to go with The Embody Lab, and in April I began a 10-week, 60-hour certification in Somatic Anxiety Therapy & Coaching.  Classes are online in live Zoom gatherings, and there are approximately 230 students from around the world participating.  We graduate in late June.

I’m feeling fulfilled with the program, grateful and excited to finally be able to show up with new understanding and language for my (massage employer’s) client base.  In addition, I will design sessions for my own, new practice as a Somatic Anxiety Coach, a brand-new type of offering from me in which the client and I are face-to-face, seated and clothed.  With my new skills, I facilitate their attunement to their nervous system, which typically elicits emotional releases and insights.  I facilitate regulation of their nervous system, which results in greater physical ease and relaxation, and I teach them skills to carry with them.  I’m especially excited to empower others in nervous system self-regulation – without the use of drugs.      

So, please excuse my educational hiatus! I will be back to “normal” in July if not sooner. 

A few important items:

First and foremost, a warm welcome to new subscribers! Thank you for being here; we welcome your comments.  Thank you for sharing my site with those who'll appreciate it.

Secondly, a shout-out to Cindy Farrar, a member of this community who, as of this Spring, is now the national President of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA)!  Cindy’s career-long dedication to our profession is evident in her profile (Jan 2024). Congratulations, and thank you, Cindy!

Third, as AI becomes more pervasive, I want you to know that I’ve never used it and doubt I ever will; not a fan.  I write everything you read completely myself, and do all the research myself.  100% human here (which includes a divine spark😉).  Any personal wisdom shared on my site is from my own lived experience in relationship with other humans.

Last, but not least, thank you to the MT readers who gently pointed out to me that I’d somehow overlooked the trauma-informed coursework approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB).  I have since added an Update (with links) to the end of my December post – versus revise the post to hide the omissions.  And a second Thank You to any who prayed for or sent me healing wishes after my mid-Sept 2024 post on discernment, because since then I believe my discernment has significantly improved, I feel more connected to everything, and I feel more like myself for the first time in three years. 🙏 Still working on my sense of smell though. 😞

Like a sunflower, lift your face to the Sun - before it becomes unbearably hot! ☮️