Six Elements Bodywork focuses on assessing and supporting the whole person, removing obstacles to optimal function and easing suffering as much as possible. There is no simple way to answer what is Thai Bodywork, but below I'll answer some of the most common questions I get.

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•  Is it deep tissue? Does it hurt?

The work can be deep tissue, but it can also be gentle. I follow what is happening during the visit and tend to treat layer by layer. If the restriction is more superficial, that is where I focus, if it is deeper I can get there as well. Some sessions can include intensity, but only when deemed appropriate by both parties. Deep or intense work when not needed or when the body is not ready will cause backlash somewhere in the system. It is important to me that we not cause a new problem while trying to resolve another one. 

 

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• Thai massage- that's the stretching massage right?

I have many great tools at my disposal and stretching is only one of them. Thai bodywork does have exquisite stretches targeting deep connective tissues as well as folding, twisting and wringing the body. Some are deep and dynamic, many are subtle. Some sessions include a lot of this, others include some of it, and others have no stretching at all. What we do depends on the situation at the time.

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• Do you do full body massage?

When I hear that question, I think of the popular and widespread version of Swedish massage: on a massage table, using oil or lotion, sliding and kneading strokes along the back, limbs, hands, feet and neck. Maybe saving a bit of time for a spot or two that need extra attention. 

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The best I can say to that is:

The focus here is on resolving the issues holding you back from optimal, joyful functioning. Therefore, I don't follow formulas. Sometimes that means staying on one small area for an hour or two. Sometimes that means starting in one spot, then following a pattern throughout multiple areas which may include the whole body. Sometimes the issue holding people back is systemic, so that could be a good time for full body work. I've seen people with a specific area like knee pain that needs to be addressed but the changes won't hold without having the work integrated throughout the body. I've used herb infused oils and balms to massage areas of the body, sometimes in long, flowing strokes, including along the spine, and on the belly, in order to improve the issue presenting. All these are encompassed in Thai medicine.

 

I can't guarantee what specifically will happen during a treatment, but I can guarantee that I will meet it with the best of what I have every time. I strive to know my tools and craft well, assess each person to the best of my abilities and give the most beneficial healing possible. 

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• What should I expect?

In my office, treatments are generally fully clothed and occur on a floor mat. I usually have people bring clothes appropriate for yoga or exercise and be ready for herb and/or oil stains. No jeans, skirts or bulky pockets. Occasionally I need to get to the skin, such as when we do cupping, scraping or massaging oil into an affected area. Conversations happen beforehand and we have options for covering to preserve modesty.

 

The visit begins with a conversation about health history, what's currently happening and often a postural assessment. I look at what's happening physically, mentally and emotionally and assess how to approach the session from the whole picture. While I primarily use a bodywork approach, I may include herbal therapies, coach some breath work, discuss daily habits or engage with other aspects of Thai medicine that may be helpful. I am not a doctor or a mental health therapist. However, what I do as a bodyworker supports and affects you as a whole person, and you as a whole informs what tools and techniques I choose to use and how I use them.​​

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•  What if I have trouble getting to the floor and/ or back up?

I have a couple options for this. Before your appointment, let's have a discussion and see what measures would be appropriate for you. 

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• Do you do medical massage? Sports massage? 

I have a lot of training in Thai medical bodywork and some other trainings in modern Western methods. Some of what I do might seem very similar to other styles of treatment and some might be very different. I'm all about helping you heal the real stuff. And I have worked successfully with issues like scoliosis, whiplash, sprains and strains, acute and chronic injuries, with people who are runners, weight lifters, yoga practitioners, and others. 

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• What do you do for pregnancy or postpartum sessions?

In Thailand, traditionally pregnant people are not treated much unless needed. The recommendation is mostly to walk a lot. Then if a specific need arises, it is treated gently in order to preserve the integrity of the pregnancy. This said, those of us who have experienced pregnancy know that stuff pretty much always comes up. So what I do is work with what you bring to me, but usually I take the edge off to some degree because we don't want to over-stretch loose ligaments or overwork the body resulting in excessive toxins flooding the system and affecting you and the baby. Sometimes there is some deep work, but I try to keep it site specific rather than systemic. The same is true the first several months postpartum except: 

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The first month postpartum is a crucial time for care. The body has been contorted and holding onto a lot of extra water and accumulations and possibly toxins. And you just went through a monstrous effort which naturally depletes the body. We have specific treatments meant to support this crucial time in life. Message me to learn more- ideally let's make a plan before the baby comes but you can also message me if the baby is already here too. 

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• How often should I come back?

This depends on a variety of factors, including the severity or priority of the issue, life schedule, finances and other logistical factors. We can discuss after your first visit and see what might be a good fit for your life. 

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• What is your training?

Massage training at the Oregon School of Massage.

 

Since licensure, most of my studies have concentrated in Thai bodywork and topics related to that, including the history of the area, Traditional medical texts, study of herbal profiles and formulas, bodywork techniques, Thai prenatal and postpartum care, Thai treatments for menstrual issues, Reusi Dat Ton (see below for more info), Thai language and Thai Buddhism in the Pali language tradition.

 

Since 2010, I have concentrated learning through the Naga Center as well as with a lineage holder/ doctor of Thai medicine. 

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I have also taken trainings from Anatomy Trains and the Barral Institute's visceral manipulation series. 

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It is the Thai medicine lens that informs most of my approach, though I have spent a lifetime as a modern American, learning about and appreciating modern medicine. It is important to keep both systems separate in order to appreciate the merits of each, but in treatments, as one of my teachers says, I use whatever tools I have that seem appropriate. 

 

Thai medicine (and any other traditional medicine) certainly has much more to offer than what I have learned to date, but what I do in sessions, informed by this approach, can have a unique, profound and lasting effect.