For over 20 years as a massage therapist, I’ve used manual therapy techniques to help people feel better. My background as a neuroscience researcher helps me understand how the brain works, allowing me to give special attention to your nervous system. I’ll also do my best to explain how in some situations, your brain can trick you into feeling pain, even when there isn’t any damage in the painful area of your body! Detailed knowledge of brain anatomy allows me to focus the gentle manual therapy I provide on your problem areas. When I help a person who has had chronic pain, anxiety or other problems feel better for the first time in years, I am thrilled and grateful that my life’s journey has put me in a position to do this.
Here’s my story….
I earned a PhD in neuroscience studying the brain. I was attracted to neuroscience because I was curious about consciousness– how we know that we are here. During my PhD studies and postdoctoral years, my studies focused on how one neuron (brain cell) talks to another–specifically, how the synapse, or area where neuronal communication happens, becomes specialized. I published several articles in top research journals including Nature, which is one of the most-cited journals in the world.
As does every living being, I began accumulating stress from various sources, including job, school and personal issues. I learned that I could reduce stress, relieve physical pain, and improve my posture by receiving bodywork from a variety of manual and massage therapists. My research interests became more focused on integrative, complementary and alternative therapies. I learned that several talented practitioners had already begun to explore healing and optimizing nervous system function using Craniosacral Therapy, Cranial Osteopathy, Visceral Manipulation, etc. Eventually, I realized that my expertise as a neuroscientist afforded me insight and clarity into the nervous system to an extent that is rare in the world of manual therapy and I knew that I wanted to learn manual therapy from the ground up. My career path evolved and I became a Certified Massage Therapist at the Healing Arts Institute (Fort Collins, CO) in 1994. I have been in practice since then, deepening my knowledge base through continuing education classes and reading, refining technique through experience and being appointed to serve as a teaching assistant in Brain Curriculum. Currently, I see clients in my comfortable home office. I also conduct research on manual therapy techniques.
I love helping people feel better! 
I love helping people feel better!