Healing the Trauma of
Childhood Abuse & Sexual Assault
through Integrated Bodywork

Psychotherapy addresses our emotional issues through talk without touch, while massage therapy addresses our physical ailments through touch without talk. Both approaches are very important but limited, as they rarely tap into the memories and the pain from past trauma that are stored in our bodies. Integrated Bodywork releases these memories on the physical level, thus enabling us to deal with them on the emotional level.

To help women heal the trauma of childhood abuse or sexual assault, I have created a unique approach bridging these worlds of words and touch: I combine massage, breath work, body awareness, somatics, and peer counselling. In a supportive, non-judgmental, and nurturing space you can learn to trust, to stay connected with your body, to set healthy boundaries, and to develop good self-awareness and self-love.

Learning to Trust

During our first session, you may tell me as much or as little about yourself as you feel comfortable. It is not necessary for me to know your whole history because we are working on the effects the trauma has in the here and now. You will receive a gentle and nurturing full-body massage during which your boundaries and wishes are fully respected. You can learn that:

It is safe to set boundaries;
It is safe to express your wishes;
It is safe to ask for your needs to be met;
It is safe to relax.

Bridging Dissociation

At the time of the abuse or assault, our souls withdrew from the painful situation and we separated from our body creating a rift called dissociation. It doesn’t matter whether we were hurt only once or repeatedly over a long period of time, the harm is done the very first time our boundaries were violated. Today, we find ourselves disappearing into a fantasy world where we cannot be hurt whenever we feel threatened or whenever we find ourselves in a situation, even pleasurable, that brings back memories. This behaviour helped us survive the trauma but it no longer serves us today, on the contrary: it prevents healing.

It is possible to bridge this dissociation with our breath. You can use simple yet powerful breath exercises at any time in your daily life and you can practice these during the massage.

Developing Body-Awareness

Once you have learned to stay present in your body using your breath, you can use a mental body-scan to bring your awareness to each part of your body, identifying areas of strong sensations, such as pain or tension, areas of numbness, and areas with no sensations at all, so called blind areas. You can learn:

to observe your sensations without judgment and without needing to change them;
to trust your body as your strongest ally and most reliable friend;
to listen to the messages your body gives you and to respond appropriately.

You can apply the mental body-scan in a very practical way during the massage to help increase your awareness and develop a positive body image.

Opening up to Intimacy & Self-Love

As you progress on the healing path, we can incorporate Tantric Yoga to help you open up to intimacy in your life. These practices may include:

Heart Gazing* to stay present and develop a deep connection with another person.
Sensual Communication* to express your needs, wants, and wishes in a respectful and approving manner.
Rite of Passage*, roleplay to give to yourself what your family was unable to give to you.
Self-inquiry+, a meditation practice to call forth one of the voices within.
Abyhanga+ (self-massage) and breast massage to give yourself loving healing touch; to balance hormones and regulate menstruations, alleviate PMS and menopausal symptoms, help prevent breast cancer, and as a natural anti-depressant.
Full-body Orgasm Technique*, a breath exercise to circulate energy through your entire body and open up energy channels, which increases your orgasmic potential.
Shavyatra+ ("journey within the corpse"), a yogic meditation practice to relase the pain from past trauma.
Nyassa+, an advanced yogic practice of moving energy in the lower abdomen to "untie" the first Granthi, which also helps remove energy blockages in this area.
Yoni Healing Ritual*, a sacred massage ritual to release female genital armouring.

*As tought by Maryse Côté.
+As tought by Parvathi Nanda Nath.

The Healing Process

Each individual’s journey is unique and the steps vary. As you walk your own path of recovery and growth, I will hold the safe and sacred space necessary for your healing. It takes time to heal the trauma of childhood abuse and sexual assault, but HEALING AND PLEASURE ARE POSSIBLE!

Please note that this healing approach replaces neither psychotherapy nor massage therapy. In fact, I encourage you to see a registered psychologist or counsellor parallel to working with me.
Also, should you suffer from a medical condition or injury that requires the attention of a registered massage therapist or physiotherapist, please consult your doctor.

If at any time I feel that you may need more support than I can provide, I will point this out to you and can even recommend a few qualified individuals if you wish.

Appointments

Sessions typically lasts 2-3 hours and are offered in my professional healing space in Mt. Pleasant near Cambie/15th in Vancouver. To book your free initial consultation of 20 minutes, please call 604-871-0685.

What happened to you
is not who you are;
it's what happened to you.

“And the day came
when the risk it took
to remain tight in a bud
became more painful
than the risk it took
to blossom.”

- Anaïs Nin

"You are more powerful
than what happened to you!"

- Staci Haines