Somatic bodywork is a powerful and effective mind-body healing method that empowers you to release stored tension, relieve physical and emotional pain, and restore balance in the mind-body system.

Learn more about somatic bodywork here. 

We recommend a series of these sessions for anyone struggling with chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, mood-swings, trauma, and other psycho-emotional symptoms. 

In somatic bodywork sessions, we encourage our patients to observe stress-related thought patterns, feel into the corresponding restrictions in their body, and follow any movements or expressions that arise throughout the treatment.

Somatic bodywork sessions include a combination of medical qigong, craniosacral therapy, myofascial release, and visceral manipulation (see descriptions below), but we also offer these bodywork modalities separately. 

With this work, the nervous system is allowed to “complete” unfinished reactions from stressful situations that were stored from the past, integrating mind and body and enabling the patient to heal from the deepest level.

We see the most profound transformations in our patients when we integrate it into our treatments, especially in patients struggling with mental health and related symptoms. 

Most patients benefit from a series of sessions that include both acupuncture and somatic bodywork to start.

Once symptoms have subsided, many patients opt to alternate their treatments, getting just acupuncture sometimes, and adding in somatic bodywork as needed for deeper support, especially when life is stressful. 

Medical qigong is a therapeutic method that lies at the heart of Chinese medicine. 

Like acupuncture without needles, in a medical qigong session, the practitioner uses their hands to work directly with the life-force energy that flows through the body. 

We also like to teach our patients qigong practices that they can practice at home.

All parts of the body are in perpetual motion, from the smallest electron to the expanse of the musculoskeletal system.

Similar to medical qigong, craniosacral therapy is a supremely gentle bodywork technique that taps into and supports the subtlest movements of the body.

Though there is a focus on the cranial bones in the head and the motility of the spine and sacrum, craniosacral therapy can be used on all parts of the body to soothe the nervous system, remove blockages, and restore optimal function.

Craniosacral therapy is famous for being an effective treatment for infants and children, but we see great results on people of all ages.

Fascia is a thin layer of connective tissue that holds every part of your body in place, including your skin, bones, muscles, organs, nerve fibers, and blood vessels.

The interstitium is composed of the membranes and fluid within the fascia, and it is essential for the transmission of hormones and body-wide communication.

When you are under stress, fascia tightens and flow is restricted in the interstitium, leading not just to pain but a host of other potential health issues over time.

Myofascial release is a gentle manual therapy that opens and stretches restrictions in the fascia so optimal function can be restored.

Visceral manipulation combines craniosacral therapy with myofascial release to reduce restrictions in the organs so they can fuction better.

Originally from Japan, sotai is a “reverse motion” neuromuscular reeducation treatment that encourages the body to go in the direction of ease.

Through targeted movements that meet gentle resistance, sotai works to relieve pain, increase mobility, and promote healing in ​the circulatory, nervous, endocrine and energetic systems 

Also from Japan, shiatsu uses tapping, kneading, pressing, and stretching techniques to support a healthy flow of qi (life force energy) by stimulating specific acupuncture points and the body’s meridians (energy channels).

Cupping is a traditional therapy from Chinese medicine where suction cups are placed on the back (but also other areas on occasion,) to promote blood-flow and release restriction.