Laura Nelson | LMP, RYT, CCST
Deeply engaging bodywork & yoga instruction
Touch therapy is one of the oldest healing arts.  Receiving bodywork can have deep and lasting effects on the mind-body system, and can greatly enhance any wellness regimen.   Laura sees many clients suffering from pain, stress, emotional disturbances, injuries, and chronic ailments.  Each person has received some benefit from regular bodywork treatments, whether it be a decrease in symptoms, a progressive ease in their bodies, a chance for their nervous system to dial down, or a greater awareness of the whole of his or her mind and body.  

Massage relieves overall pain, stress and anxiety, allowing more ease and comfort in the body; and the benefits permeate deeper than the physical structure, allowing us to receive profound healing benefits on many levels.  Not only is massage an excellent way to treat physical ailments, but it is a significant preventative technique.  Studies show that up to 90% of the most common illnesses in our society are caused by stress.  Decrease your stress levels with massage, and you are setting yourself up for a longer, happier life with less pain and discomfort.

Read more about the benefits of massage here.

A graduate from the Brian Utting School of Massage 1000-hr program, Laura's massage draws from the following techniques:
Deep Tissue, Swedish, Myofascial Integration Therapy, Neuromuscular Technique, Postural Analysis, Hydrotherapy, Injury Assessment and Treatment, Pregnancy, Thai
 
And she specializes in the following treatments:
Craniosacral (scroll down to read more) and Intraoral/TMJ techniques

What do all the letters mean?
LMP- Licensed Massage Practitioner
RYT- Registered Yoga Teacher
CCST- Certified Craniosacral Therapist
 
How can you know if Laura's treatment is right for you?  Here’s a guideline for what ailments she can best treat:
Chronic stress; back, head and neck pain; jaw pain; headaches/migraines; whiplash; low back and hip pain; shoulder, arm, and hand pain; anxiety and depression; mind-body disconnect; trauma.
MASSAGE SCHEDULE
  Wednesday:   9am-7pm
  Friday:   2:30pm-8pm
  Saturday:   10am-2pm
 
RATES:
  60 minutes:  $65
  75 minutes:  $75
  90 minutes:  $90
  60 mins Craniosacral Therapy: $50
SPECIAL RATES:
   New clients: $10 off
   Student discount: $5 off each massage
   U-PASS holders: $50 for 60 minutes
   Buy 4 massages, get the 5th half off
Copyright 2010 - Laura Nelson
For appointments call:
       (206) 854-6141
License #MA60020048
Your body contains within it the information to heal itself.  There is an inherent intelligence that guides your body through the healing process.  With the appropriate guidance and input, the body’s instinctive reorganizing principles can create new pathways and connections.  Besides its innate ability to heal itself, your body has a cellular memory in which resides every experience, thought, or emotion that has ever travelled through it.   New patterns form during times of physical or emotional stress, and whether we are aware of them or not, our bodies may shift or alter to compensate for dysfunctional patterns.  For many of us, becoming aware of the ways our bodies cope or don’t cope with stress, how our tissues hold on to past traumas, and how on a cellular level, we contain information which may not be readily available to our consciousness, may be crucial to our healing.  If we can begin to understand and explore why we experience pain or discomfort and integrate new intelligent information into the system, our bodies will change, new pathways will form, and we can begin to heal from old traumatic injuries or experiences.   

Craniosacral therapy (CST) treatments integrate subtle touch and gentle holdings of mainly the head, torso, hips, and feet, with a deep listening to the energetic, fluid, and tissue movements of the body.  In CST, the therapist tunes in to what is often called “body breathing,” and you, too, can learn to feel the subtle currents that move within your own body.  Craniosacral therapists (CSTs) also listen for movement of the nourishing fluid that surrounds and bathes the brain and spinal chord (the cerebrospinal fluid or CSF), which is believed to be an integral part of a healthily functioning nervous system.  Blockages in the movement of CSF can have devastating effects on the health of the system including pain, headaches, emotional disturbances and hormonal dysfunction, among others.  

Aside from the indirect palpation of cerebrospinal fluid, CSTs can feel for mechanical constrictions in the body, including movement of bones, joints, membranes, and organs.   Even the word, “craniosacral,” describes the housing for the central nervous system, from cranium at the top, to the sacrum, the triangular-shaped bone at the base of the spine.

What is CST actually doing?  Physical and energetic constrictions in the body create stuck points or fulcrums around which the “breath” will move-- basically blocking off or isolating an area and its held pain.  CSTs feel intently for these constrictions in the body, and can then gently suggest or “ask” the areas to open up or become freer.  In some cases, there is some force used as when working on a more physical level, (much like massage therapy or myofascial work).  But usually the holds are gentle and subtle in nature, allowing for the client’s body to tap into its own healing potential and access the deep resources which allow our bodies and psyches to actually heal.  

Sometimes the client may feel profound or subtle movements in the physical or energetic body when on the table; sometimes the client may not experience much at all.  Many people liken the feeling of receiving CST to floating in water.  It often creates a deep sense of peace and wellbeing, the effects of which can be felt for hours of days after.  It is not necessary to fully understand or grasp the underlying principles of the treatment to receive its therapeutic benefits.  Over time, clients may begin to see real changes in the healing potential in their lives.
Craniosacral Therapy and the Self-Healing Body