I sense “new things” could be a theme for Studio A for quite some time, as I have major dreams to build a robust center for all things BODY as it relates to healing from stress and trauma. Thanks to a Mastermind group I am in, those dreams are being converted into plans, which trickle down into my annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals. Here’s to progress and to dreams becoming a reality one day!

Somatic Experiencing®

First up in the line of changes is a new kind of offering for clients of the studio: Somatic Experiencing (SE). This is long in coming! It’s been three years of studying with the Somatic Experiencing Institute and the NARM (NeuroAffective Relational Model) Training Institute on how the body holds onto stress and trauma, develops maladaptive survival strategies, loses its ability to regulate at the nervous system level, and results in physical symptoms… AND (can’t forget this part!) how to help bring healing to the brain and body so that we can metabolize the trauma and move forward in life without the triggers and pain. My training will be complete after a week-long didactic learning and experiential module in mid-August in Chicago. I have been allowed to go ahead and offer this service to clients (and have been here and there as clients have needed it), but up until now it has all been within the context of a hands-on therapy session centered on pain/tension relief (my Holistic Manual Therapy and Integrated Floorwork Sessions). But now, SE is becoming its own stand-alone offering for those that wish to tackle nervous system regulation more directly. (SE is not necessarily hands-on-body type of therapy, although it sometimes involves touch.) If you wish to read more about this type of offering available at the studio, you can do so here. If you have future appointments booked that you would like to change to SE now that this is an official thing, let me know and I’d be happy to do that for you.

If you find yourself confused about the differences between the various offerings now, check out the Offerings section of the website for lengthy descriptions. Still confused? Write me and I’m happy to answer questions.

Studio A is hiring!

I am actively looking to hire an additional massage therapist who is sensitive, caring, teachable, and has an interest in working with those that have been through difficult experiences. If you know of any, send them my way please! The demand is huge, and in Indiana the “supply” of trauma-informed bodyworkers is low. I will teach them what they need to know, all they need is a heart to learn this beautiful, rewarding work (and a massage therapy license).

New resources for those looking to heal

Folks, there are more and more good books out there on the topic of healing from trauma in a somatic (body-based) way. I am grateful! I just finished this one last night: What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo. Trigger warning—the first several chapters are intense and specific about the types of abuse she went through. I recommend starting at chapter 6 if you wish to skip the most harrowing parts of her story and jump right into where healing begins for her as an adult. Her story is beautiful, relatable, and inspiring. Grab a copy if you want a good read.

Speaking of grabbing a copy, 2 things to say here:

1. Did you know that Studio A has a Lending Library full of books like this about how to heal from the lingering effects of stress and trauma? (This one is in there!) As a client you can borrow any of them for free, in addition to self-treatment tools, therapy balls, etc. to figure out what works for you before you go spend a ton of money.

2. The website’s Resources page is newly updated, and I need at least 3 people in the next 180 days to click one of those links to buy one of the items from Amazon, lest I lose my Amazon Associates account again. (They close your account if there’s not enough affiliate link activity from your site.) I discovered today that I might have done the links wrong previously, not sure (so that might have been the culprit), but now I know they are right. The price is no different, it’s just a matter of getting to the item via my website instead of typing it in directly to Amazon, so that I get an affiliate commission for it. This is helpful because it funds (or is supposed to, haha!) the Lending Library at the studio. So, if you like anything in the Lending Library enough to purchase your own, pretty please will you do so via my Resources page as opposed to just typing it in directly to Amazon? Thank you for your support!

Thankful for you

I am so very thankful for all of you, for this work, for the movement that is slowly building here in central Indiana to be more trauma-informed as a society, and to understand the role of the body in carrying our past experiences. I love to hear from you, so if you want to comment on this newsletter using the link below, I will receive your words with joy. Have a peaceful and safe 4th of July!

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