I have trouble with this question
What I have is a faith, trust and optimism in your body’s ability to heal itself. I know that it is far more able than many may believe. I’ve been in practice long enough to be a witness to the miraculous healing abilities the body and mind can create.
I’ve been given by some (but don’t like) the title “healer”. I don’t like it because I honestly believe that each person heals themself, the therapies I offer facilitate that healing but it is ultimately up to the individual.
Over the years of training, observation and experience I’m then guided to say “I’m a natural health practitioner who facilitates and supports clients in achieving wellness on a holistic level. I have a number of skills to share and I employ those that are the best for each individual client.” But really, my “work” feels like it’s more than that…
My intuitive assessment skills have grown and developed through watching what your body movements or lack of movements are showing me, and through listening to what you’re saying, and sometimes not saying, about how you are doing. I’m honoured by the trust clients place in me as a partner in their healthcare plan as they move towards achieving and maintaining good health on all levels. What keeps my work interesting is how individual each person is on any given day, I learn constantly.
If I took the description of what I do further…while I do have a handful of male clients, through the past 17 years the majority of my clients have been girls and women of all ages, sizes, backgrounds, cultures, belief systems, … so I may further add to the job description that my specialty is more with assisting female clients.
As infants, girls and women come into my session room they are dealing with a number of common issues (teething, colic, menstrual difficulties, 
menopausal symptoms, stress, pregnancy, osteoporosis, cancer or its treatment effects, arthritis, …). As they enter I am watching and listening to how they are being affected as an individual…and each of them, every single one, is affected both physically and mentally in different ways… pain relievers, anti-anxiety meds or heat packs are not a cure-all for every one.
This is probably the aspect of my training that I appreciate the most, assessment skills that help me to assist each person, not solely the issue nor just the diagnosis or whatever else the “label” is, but as an individual dealing with life as it is presenting itself to them at the moment and how the body, mind and spirit are being affected by that.
It’s also the reason homeopathy appeals to me (something I’m currently studying) as it includes the assessment and the treatment of the whole individual, on all levels (mental, physical and spiritual).
I am listening when you talk about how this sore knee is making you feel, what you’re doing to help yourself, what you’re taking for pain (or about how you just grit your teeth and bear it) and how that may be affecting other parts of you (i.e. anti-inflammatories that may be giving you an upset stomach, pain that is waking you up at night…). Sometimes you talk to me about the food you eat, how stressful work is at the moment, a recent activity that you’ve done just for you. As you are speaking, my mind is creating a picture of your holistic well-being. I believe that well-being is the natural state of your body, mind and spirit…I’m listening to how you and your body are adjusting and adapting in trying to return to that state. It might prompt me to suggest drinking more water, taking more calcium, perhaps less ice or more heat…
As I provide a massage, reflexology or reiki session my hands are also listening. Feeling where there is excessive heat or cold tells me how your circulation is doing, how your muscles respond to my touch tell me where the pain is, flexing or spasms will tell me if I’m working too deeply, your speech and breathing will let me know when you’ve started to allow yourself to relax…
So what is it that I do?
Listen, ask questions, touch & feel/listen to your body’s response, put a picture together, pull out my skill set and select the tool your body/mind/spirit is asking to receive. Rather than have you continuously coming back to me for sessions my goal is to assist you to achieve a state of optimal wellness where occasional maintenance sessions may be in order.
I strive to be a partner in your natural self health-care.
- Touch that HEALS (handtohealth.wordpress.com)
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quickly (which can happen while we’re asleep). The Menisci between the vertebrae or joint surfaces in the neck becomes trapped during the turn and the joint locks. So why doesn’t it happen every night? It may be that you slept with a cool draft on your neck muscles (open window?) or lifted something the day before that created a small muscle spasm which was made worse while turning during the night.
The next and most important thing is to get yourself in for a massage as soon as possible in order to loosen the spasm. A massage to the back, neck and shoulders often brings immediate relief. Massage for wry neck is wonderful! It loosens up the muscle spasm which encourages the joint to unlock and release the menisci. Sometimes it will take a couple of sessions to ease the spasm.
