Bodywork sessions
De-armouring is a way of releasing blockages, stuck energy, emotions and tension from the body – also known as armour. Body armour was first mentioned in writing by Wilhelm Reich back in the 1930s. The practice of De-Armouring though, is as old as the Shamanic tradition and has many different forms.
Reich described armour as the way the body holds tension and pain, when something has been experienced that activated the nervous system in a way that was not processed. This can happen when we have experiences in both childhood and adulthood that might have been too much too soon or too little too often.
As children, we do not have the brain capacity to see life with a complete lens that an adult brain can provide, it often means that we make it mean something was wrong with us and we make up a (false) belief system about ourselves (there’s something wrong with us) and we carry these beliefs with us into our lives often letting them rule and hijack the way we react to others and experiences. Until we challenge these beliefs and realise when/ why they were made (often to protect us and help us to survive), it’s difficult to break these patterns that keep us prisoners of our own lives.
When we believe that there’s something broken and or shameful about who we are, we put on armouring, protection or masks and the longer we live like this, the more we tend to suffer as this persona we have created takes us further away from our true selves. The more layers we have around our true essence, the longer it can take to find ourselves again and the more experiences we have that were not optimal or ideal, this can also take time to complete and giving us a positive experience of what should have happened.
It is a way of integrating an unresolved experience completing the unfinished cycle, allowing the body to let go of a bracing or holding. This allows the body to access energy that has previously been used to contract and/ or suppress emotions related to this event.
The way I work brings loving attention to areas of tension, numbness and disconnection. It is known as a “soft touch” method. Instead of breaking through armour with force, we invite the body to open up. Always respecting the bodies boundaries. Welcoming rejected parts of you to be expressed and integrated in a compassionate and loving way.
It is a technique combining many different methods. It uses massage-like touch to open up the body until an area is reached that needs de-armouring or tension release. My way of de-armouring is a combination of different techniques mixed with elements of triggerpoint therapy, acupressure, Chi Nei Tsang, energy meridian work, healing, breath, sound, physiotherapy and muscle stretching. De-armouring opens up the energy flow and the connection between mind and body. This way, blockages and stuck trauma in the tissues of the body can be released. It often decreases or even removes pain. It is a method of removing the emotional armour that we have collected throughout our whole lives. Any kind of trauma, emotional upheaval will manifest itself in the body and cause us to contract. Often these contractions are not being released and so they accumulate and cause blockages within our bodies which in turn manifest with various physical, mental or emotional symptoms. We are working with a soft touch on certain points on the body to release these blockages.
There may be intense emotions arising and frequently people scream, cry, vomit or spit. It is a release of old suppressed woundings. There may be sexual arousal or there may also be no response at all. Please note, I do not use any sexual energy in my sessions, rather I only use pure heart energy. You can also access a deep place within yourself where there’s no worries or conditioning, this is truly a meeting of your true self. Anything is possible and there are no rights or wrongs.
The body needs to feel safe before it can surrender and release, sometimes this can take 2-5 sessions with a practitioner as our nervous systems are still getting to know each other. Or there may already be a lot happening on the first session, we simply do not know. What’s important for you to know is that you are in charge of the session, I am here to serve you. That means that we are going as intense and deep as you are ready to go, which is the reason I use soft touch instead of force. If at any point you want to stop, we will stop the session.
All you need to do is relax and breathe, in through the nose and out with a sigh through the mouth. Allow your body to make sounds, movements and feel whatever is present. You can also bring awareness to the area where I’m touching you and breathe into the area, by doing that we can transmute and transform the pain-body. So my hands and fingers are signposts for you to know where to focus your attention. At times you may disconnect and check out, in which case I will ask you to open your eyes and come back into your body.
De-armouring is not a passive process and can only be done when we are fully present and conscious to what is actually going on. Since you are fully in charge of the session, if we find that for whatever reason you are not present, perhaps it’s too intense, scary or you might not be ready for it, then we will stop the session as I cannot and do not want to force you or your body to open up if you’re not ready. Only you can do this when your body feels safe enough to do so.
On a practical level, de-armouring is done on a thin mattress on the floor, alternatively we can also be on a large bed. Clothing should be loose and comfortable, to do de-armouring on specific areas, this needs to be done without clothing. A first session of de-armouring can take 3-4 hours as we will first have an introductory talk to get to know each other and for me to get a sense of who you are so I can decide how to work. Then you will lie down and I will start with connecting my energy to yours and from there I am guided intuitively with our energies on the areas that needs to be worked on.
This is your session and you are in charge, I do not need or want anything from you. There’s is no right or wrong in de-armouring, we simply work with whatever shows up in the present moment. I welcome all parts of you whether that is angry, sad, fearful or shameful, all is welcome. After the session, there will be a resting period where you can integrate the session and come back to yourself. We will end with some tea and nuts and a chat. I recommend that you keep the rest of the day/ evening free after a session as you may feel very tired or emotional.
Brain health
Brain function is crucial for optimal health, when the brain has not been fully developed or matured it will affect every aspect of life. For a well-functioning nervous system we need a well connected brain with good vagal tone.
Trauma, toxins and stress affects the brain and can keep a person stuck in a state of threat, one rarely feel safe enough to relax.
The brain and body become a single system in response to a threat in order to survive. Made up of several different systems, they become a unified system for the sole purpose of survival.
The nervous system is a rapid communication system between the brain and the body. It is the primary system for survival, designed to keep this machine we call, our body, alive.
It is the system that allows for quick responses to help us survive against any threats that come our way. It has 2 ways to respond to threats.
It can respond in an active way for survival by fighting or running away (sympathetic). The nervous system is also able to respond to an overwhelming threat by becoming passive or by freezing (dorsal vagal/parasympathetic).
It acts on instinct and subconscious wired pathways to know what to do.
The way each person’s brain and body responds to a threat depends not only on the threat. In large part, it also depends on the resources available to the system, internal and external resources.
One may not be able to effectively manage as much stress as someone else, because one’s internal resources may be less balanced than another’s. An event may be stressful to one person, but traumatic with chronic PTSD for another person because of their biology and genetics.
The body needs to be well-resourced and have all of its biological needs fully met. Then, the nervous system is optimized for neuroplasticity and reorganization of trauma patterns in the nervous system can happen. Then we can help the nervous system shift to an overall parasympathetic state rather than sympathetic or dorsal vagal state.
It is not until all our basic needs for survival and security are met that we can search for deeper meaning and purpose.
I offer many easy and practical solutions to strengthening the nervous system as well as looking at maturity of the development of your brain.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Traditional Chinese medicine is one of the oldest healing systems, it includes herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, food therapy, and physical exercise. TCM is a fully institutionalised part of Chinese health care and widely used with Western medicine.
Like a network of rivers nourishing a landscape, the meridians are the channels through which qi flows, to nourish and energize the human body. These channels exist within the subtle body. Though they may have a correspondence to the physical nervous system, you won’t find the meridians on the operating table.
Collectively, the meridians form the matrix within which the physical body functions. They also act as a network of communication between the physical and the more subtle energetic bodies.
There are twelve main meridians in the body, each associated with a particular element and Chinese medicine organ system. Along the path of the meridians, there are certain places where the energy pools, making the qi of the meridian more accessible there than at other places. These pools of energy are called acupuncture points and they each have a specific function.
When symptoms arises such as physical/emotional pain, discomfort or any dis-ease, it is because a blockage has occurred within the energy flow of the person and there can be many reasons for this, such as environmental, physical or emotional stress.
I use many modalities working on these acupuncture points to clear the blockages and imbalances, guiding the body to its natural flow.
Bio-resonance frequency therapy
The principle behind Bio-resonance is the principle Einstein has found more than 100 years ago – that matter is actually energy frequency, in which the frequency (or speed) of it is so low that it is not perceivable by the physical senses.
Every cell in the body vibrates at a particular frequency. Groups of cells in an organ or system have multiple vibrational frequency patterns which are unique and harmonious with the bigger system which is the whole body. While some frequencies are health supporting, others are detrimental to our health. Frequencies that are dissonant with us cause us to be out of balance, whereas frequencies that are resonant with us bring us back to balance.
To take a simple example of Bio-resonance at work, found in nature – think of the sunlight; some frequencies will warm you up, other frequencies will tan your skin and some make a beautiful rainbow. Life on earth is based on frequencies.
I use a Bio-resonance device to detect dis-harmony in the field, this can relate to hidden food sensitivities, heavy metal toxicities or detection and clearing of parasites, viruses, mould and other pathogenic factors.
Food and nutrition
Nutritional deficiency is a major cause of dis-ease and ill health, even in the Western world. The majority of people consume a considerable amount of processed food, as a result, nutritional deficiencies are inevitable.
Research proves that common epidemic diseases are directly due to nutritional deficiencies and dietary imbalances play a greater role than any other factor in the cause of ill health.
Hidden food sensitivities are also rising amongst the population and this can stem from a weakened immune system caused by toxins, lifestyle or genetics.
I am passionate about food and the use of foods as medicine, having been gluten-free since 2012 and dairy free my whole life, I am well-versed in cooking and baking without these highly allergenic ingredients.
I offer support, guidance and teachings around foods and nutritional deficiencies and hidden food sensitivities/allergies.
Natal care
After the birth of my first child in 2010, I realised that I was not prepared at all for what pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood brought. Although I had been lucky enough to have a water birth at home, it was a struggle the coming months.
As a result I became passionate about natal care and created a program that will empower and prepare for parenthood, something I wished I had had when I expected my first child.
This is for parents hoping to experience an empowered birth and wanting to learn more about the process. Anyone who fears pregnancy and birth, or simply need help directly after birth.