​I was introduced to the work of Mary Swanson, a gifted intuitive and guided meditation teacher, by a close friend. One of the tenets of her teachings is that “energy is real stuff,” and that the images or glimpses we gain in guided visualizations are intuitive information that can help to heal old wounds, ground us, and clear out blockages that keep us from moving forward.

​Through Mary Swanson's work, I came to more of an understanding and a felt sense of the power of imaging to move through old repetitive patterns. 

The Craniosacral system refers to the cerebra spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, is produced in the ventricles of the brain, and has a subtle rhythm. Restrictions in this rhythm can be opened using gentle touch, thereby alleviating a variety of symptoms and deeply relaxing the body. If you think of the word unwinding, what comes to mind is a kind of letting go. Sitting down after a busy day to unwind.. Here we are referring to not just the surface tension or daily stress encountered in life, but also to deeper patterns of tension from past experiences that are held in the body -- whether on a physical, emotional or spiritual level. ​​

I’ve incorporated Craniosacral as taught by The Upledger Institute into my work for many years. More recently, I completed a two-year course in Integrated Craniosacral Unwinding, taught by Gary Strauss of Life Energy Institute. Both address the Craniosacral system: The Upledger Institute explores the physical and moves out to the energetic. The Life Energy Institute moves from the energetic to the physical. 

My introduction to the Enneagram was while looking through a sounds true catalog. After listening to the tapes and reading Helen Palmer's book, I went to California to take a certification training program with the Enneagram In The Narrative Tradition, taught by Dr. David Daniels and Helen Palmer. 

At first glance, the Enneagram is a nine pointed personality typing system. It describes nine points of view. Each point of view is an inner structure of reality that gets projected out onto the world giving a somewhat distorted picture of reality. Each view describes a particular way in which life is viewed, a particular lens through which each type is seeing the world. Or a habitual pattern of thought. 

When we discover the particular lens or the pattern of thought that is influencing how we see others and the world, we can begin in that awareness to short-circuit the pattern -- or at least be more conscious of, and less reactive to, life and those we are relating to. This can enable us to see life or reality as it actually is. Deeper still, this awareness can aid in seeing who we really are beyond the personality. It can not only have a more compassionate view of ourselves but also of others. 

This teaching promotes inclusiveness and recognition of our shared reality rather than the differences in point of view. 

Having trained under Helen Palmer and Dr David Daniels, I am a certified Teacher of Enneagram In The Narrative Tradition.

What drew me to Gestalt Therapy is that it centers around the present as opposed to past experiences. This is not to negate the past but more to focus on awareness of present time thoughts, feelings and interactions. These may allow old and perhaps unresolved issues to surface, whether physically or emotionally, or in the form of an "ah-ha!" moment, to some connection that had been missed. It’s a way of dialoguing that is inclusive of the relational elements of both parties. Its relevance to therapeutic bodywork is the inclusion of all and connection between the mental, emotional physical and spiritual elements of life. 
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I took Gestalt Therapy training at Southern Connecticut State University under the direction of Dr. Edward Lynch.