Questions People Ask

I have never had bodywork before. Is that a problem?

No. A good share of the people who come to me are starting from nothing, and some arrive fairly nervous. You do not need to know the vocabulary or have a plan. Tell me what hurts, or what feels off, and we start there. If you want to know what the hour looks like before you commit, your first session is described step by step on its own page.

What is the difference between massage and craniosacral therapy?

Massage works with muscle and tissue directly. Pressure, movement, warmth, release. You can feel it happening.

Biodynamic craniosacral therapy works with the nervous system instead. My hands rest lightly and stay still, and from the outside almost nothing appears to be going on. It is much quieter work, and for some people it reaches things that direct pressure cannot.

Neither one is better. They suit different bodies and different days, and many sessions use both.

What is biodynamic craniosacral therapy, in plain terms?

A body under long term stress learns to brace. That bracing stops being a choice and becomes the setting it runs at. Craniosacral work gives the nervous system enough quiet and enough safety to come off that setting.

What that feels like from the table is usually stillness. Breathing gets slower without you deciding to slow it. Sometimes people fall asleep. Sometimes a part of the body that was not being touched lets go on its own.

Will it hurt?

It should not. There is a kind of ache that feels productive when a tight spot finally releases, and most people like that. Sharp pain is different, and it is not something to breathe through and hope about. Tell me and I will change what I am doing.

You can ask me to stop at any point, for any reason, and you do not have to explain why.

How long should my session be?

Sixty minutes is enough to work one region thoroughly. If your trouble is the neck, shoulders and upper back, sixty is often the right call.

Ninety minutes is better when the tension is spread through the whole body, when you know you take a while to unwind, or when you want craniosacral work included rather than squeezed in. If you are deciding between the two and can spare the time, ninety is rarely the wrong answer.

How often should I come?

It depends on why you are coming.

If you are working on something specific that has been there a while, closer together at first helps, perhaps every week or two, then spacing out as things hold. If you are maintaining, once a month keeps most people steady. If you come in only when something has already seized up, that works too, it is just harder work for both of us.

There is no plan you are supposed to buy into. Come when your body asks.

What is somatic breathwork?

Guided breathing, used deliberately, to let the nervous system move through something it has been holding. It is done fully clothed, sitting or lying down, and it can happen in person or over video.

It is not the right starting point for everyone, and it is not a substitute for mental health care. If you are curious, the free call is the place to ask about it.

Do I have to undress?

For massage, you undress to whatever level is comfortable for you, and you are covered with a sheet the whole time. Only the area being worked on is uncovered. I leave the room while you settle and knock before returning.

Craniosacral sessions and breathwork are done fully clothed.

Can bodywork help with stress and anxiety?

It can help a body that has been carrying stress find a steadier baseline, and a great many people come for that reason. What I do is not treatment for a diagnosed condition, and I am not a substitute for a doctor or a therapist. When something belongs with one of them, I will say so.

Where are you, and when are you open?

549 Frederick St in Santa Cruz. Hours shift with the season, so rather than publish a list that goes stale, the booking calendar always shows what is actually open. If you cannot find a time that works, get in touch and we will sort something out.

What if I need to change my appointment?

Let me know as early as you can and we will find another time. Things come up.

I am not sure what I need. Where do I start?

The free fifteen minute call. We talk it through, you ask whatever you want, and nobody expects you to book anything at the end of it. That is what it is for.

If you would rather read first, what happens at a first session covers the hour from start to finish, and the services page lists what is available.