Heal and Rejuvenate with Helping Hands Integrative Massage

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Deep tissue is designed to relieve severe tension in the muscles and connective tissues; to treat musculoskeletal issues, such as strains and sports injuries; break up scar tissue, often assisted with Graston tools and techniques; break down muscle adhesions (knots which are bands of muscle adhesions, which can be rigid, cause pain and inflammation); and offers both physical and psychological benefits. Unlike other massage techniques that focus on relaxation, deep tissue massage helps to treat muscle pain, injuries, chronic-use injuries, helps improve stiffness and mobility, and helps deepen range of motion. Deep tissue helps to relieve pain from restrictions and lack of mobility and promotes faster healing by increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation. Although Deep tissue is not focused on relaxation, it helps the client to unwind mentally and relax physically, because, as the muscle restrictions release, so do other aspects of the body and mind release. 

Deep tissue involves applying firm pressure using slow, deep strokes to target the inner layers of your muscles and connective tissues, trigger point therapy, and Graston tools. This helps to break up scar tissue that forms following an injury and reduces tension in muscles, fascia, and connective tissue. I specifically target and palpate where the muscles attach to the bones, with applied pressure, until the muscle restrictions release. This technique complements slow deep strokes and pressure point massage. I incorporate stretching techniques with certain muscles to help increase the range of motion and release restricted tissue.

Massage therapy for pelvic floor muscles is extremely beneficial and honestly

essential to structural alignment in all major joints in the body, as the pelvic floor

contains many ligaments and muscles that interconnect and act as a base of

support for the pelvis, the hips, the sacrum, and the rest of the spine. When the

muscles that attach to our pelvis are tight, they easily can misalign the boney

structure itself. When there is tight muscle on one side, the opposing muscles

may weaken. This teeter-totter effect on our pelvis can cause symptoms of low

back pain, tailbone pain, hip pain constipation, and pain with our functional

movement, like sitting, walking, and standing.

Back pain, hip pain, knee pain, and ankle and foot pain, can all be affected and

caused by pelvic floor imbalances. Massage therapy can work on the muscles that

attach to the pelvis; hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes, and the core (including the

diaphragm, the deep lumbar, and abdominal muscles). Even a little shift in the

pelvis can present and feel like a painful low back injury.

The following symptoms may be relieved by pelvic floor massage work

• Chronic Low Back pain
• Chronic tightness in hip flexors and/or hamstring
• Pain with functional movement such as sitting or standing
• Pain during or after sexual activity​
• Bladder discomfort
• Constipation and digestive discomfort
• Symptoms presenting as IBS, and other digestive disorders

When the pelvic muscles are tight and constricted, we often feel discomfort, and

pain, and may have imbalances in our functions. When we release and retrain the

muscles of the pelvis, we can begin to see improvements in the system overall.

Less tension and pressure equal less pain and dysfunction. Tammy will utilize

pelvic floor work with osteopathic craniosacral therapy to bring optimal results

for clients.

Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) is a gentle treatment using the Vodder Technique to treat post-surgical, and post-traumatic swelling, as well as people suffering from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, migraines, sinus issues, whole-body detox, cellulite, post-plastic surgeries, and oncology patients. MLD is a relaxing, gentle, and effective way to facilitate the movement of lymphatic fluid, which carries waste and toxins from the blood to the organs that cleanse and remove waste from the body. MLD can bring positive effects for clients going through cancer treatments, post-cancer treatment clients, healing from surgeries and injuries, and illnesses affecting the lymph nodes and lymphatic system. 

A prenatal massage is a full body massage, which is similar to Swedish massage, with modifications in body positioning that can ensure the safety and comfort of both mother and baby. Some of the many benefits of prenatal massage are; Reduces swelling, as when feet, legs, and hands start swelling during pregnancy, it is often caused by reduced circulation and increased pressure on the major blood vessels. Massage helps stimulate the soft tissue to move extra fluid to reduce swelling, and increase blood flow, which helps release tension that can be brought on naturally by pregnancy, leaving you feeling more comfortable. 

Pre-natal massage helps relieve lower back pain including sciatic nerve pain by addressing the tight muscles in the affected area. Improves Sleep, as getting good quality sleep becomes harder and harder as pregnancy progresses. Prenatal massage relaxes the nervous system and releases feel-good hormones, which help with relaxation for better sleep; Prepares the body for labor and birth, as Prenatal Massage can help with an easier delivery, not only because it can reduce overall stress levels but also because it can help keep the muscles toned and relaxed in advance of the start of labor.

Pre-natal massage offers a natural, safe, drug-free alternative for pain relief. This is beneficial since the use of medications is limited during pregnancy for the safety of your baby.  The increased blood flow to your tissues and the relaxation your body will experience during and after a session can significantly alleviate many of the common discomforts of pregnancy.

The Graston Technique or IASTM (instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization),

where specifically designed stainless steel tools are used to release the fascia,

breaking up adhesions and restoring normal function. This technique can be

effective for quickly reducing pain, improving mobility, breaking up scar tissue,

and relieving neural impingements. Although many PTs and other specialists may

use these types of tools in a way that may leave bruising and pain, I see more

effective results through the gentler use of the tools as a technique to assist

release and not cause tissue injury.

Reiki therapy is a holistic, gentle energy work process that can assist in all healing, as it

is a simple, effective, non-invasive, and powerful method of bodywork and natural

healing. Reiki helps our bodies relax and our nervous system to calm, allowing us to go

into ventral-vagal mode, which allows healing to occur, physically and emotionally.

Reiki is the intelligent life force energy that connects us to what we need and

connects our higher self with everything around us, as well as being the force that

sustains us and helps us to heal when injured or sick. Its function is to physically,

mentally, emotionally, and spiritually return living things to health and wholeness.

Reiki brings a healthier state of mind and heart, restores balance and flow, and

can help heal illnesses, injuries, upsets, and addictions.

Reiki is what brought me out of a lifetime of alcohol addiction, which started as an

adolescent with childhood trauma and the loss of loved ones. Reiki also helped me to

physically heal multiple broken bones and ski injuries faster than expected by my

doctors – to the point where my orthopedic surgeon told me he would normally do a

knee replacement on a person my age with a shattered tibial plateau (severely broken

leg), but he thought I could heal it with my touch. I agreed and was back hiking, running,

biking, etc. in less than four months. The year prior, I had severed my MCL, PCL, and

LCLs on the same leg, and I told the surgeon I thought I could heal it. He said no way

but you have six weeks of PT before I can operate so give it a try. He checked me every

two weeks and was amazed that my knee was healing. By five months I was fully

healed and back to being active. He shook my hand and said call me anytime – which

led to his belief that I could heal my broken leg without invasive surgery. I do self-Reiki

every morning and when I don’t I feel a difference in my day. On both days I injured

myself I didn’t have time to do my Reiki.

Reiki is a recognized healing modality that falls under the category of integrative

medicine. Over 80 hospitals in the U.S. offer Reiki sessions to their patients.

Energy medicine is recognized by the scientific community as an important

component to heal and maintain physical and emotional health. Reiki can

facilitate other healing modalities a person may be using.

Energy constantly flows through channels in the human body to provide the

structure and function physically for the body to reside in homeostasis-healthy

balance. Our bodies are a system of energetic channels, which interconnect with

physical channels (arteries, veins, cerebral spinal fluid, neural impulses) creating

the pulsing, living tissues inside of us. Our energy centers (chakras) are connected

to different organs, functions, senses, and emotions in our bodies, which direct

health, thoughts, and feelings. To understand how any form of energetic healing

works (including Reiki, Cranial Sacral Therapy, meditation, visualization, Tai Chi and

other modalities), we must understand that we live in a universe made up

entirely of energy. Albert Einstein’s famous E=mc2 developed this principle,

known as a mathematical equation - energy, which equals mass times the speed

of light squared (E=mc2) accounts for everything in the universe, including the

energy contained in our bodies.

Loss can come in many ways, whether it be it the loss of a loved one, a pet, a relationship, job, retirement, or health (injury, dibilitating and or terminal illness), the process of aging and losing our physical (and perhaps mental) abilities. We can loose our lifestyle and circle of friends with addiction and sobriety. Many of us are disorented and knocked out of our body by grief and want to get over it and “back to normal.” Grieving is critical to healing and should be considered a normal, natural, and healthy part of life.

Loss can bring us to our knees and turn our world upside down. Loss can also present the opportunity for profound healing of old wounds and trauma held in our body and psyche. There is no categorical scale for the levels of loss, or where each person should be in their healing process

after any length of time. Each person’s path is unique, and loss can affect people differently, depending on their life experience. Often loss triggers past traumas and losses, bringing an overwhelming sense to the individual where they feel they cannot move forward because other traumas and losses were not healthily grieved and healed. 

Often there are many losses and traumas, both big and small from our earlier years, that have not been grieved or acknowledged. Something big such as the loss of a parent, a sibling, a friend, loss of innocence, severe illness, family or friends struggling with addicition or mental illness. 

If you or your family are experiencing loss with death, divorce, health issues, addiction, or any other life transition, I am here to help you navigate these challenging chapters of your life with in-person and/or online support, continuing care, and relapse prevention methods, tools, and philosophies. 

Visualization is the formation of an image in our minds. Imagination is the creative and resourceful ability to form concepts and new ideas of situations or objects, currently not present to

one’s senses. Visualization helps to spark our imagination and creativity, the more we practice, the quicker and easier visualizing becomes. What we focus on, along with our state of mind directly affects our thoughts, our energy flow, our mood, our reality and how we experience life. We can change or re-direct our life course, remove resistance, addictions, blocks, false belief systems and everything that keeps us from following our dreams - to connect with our higher selves and manifest the highest interest for our lives. I teach visualizations for setting boundares, protection, grounding, clearing energy, and for releasing what does not serve us.. .

The practices I teach brought me back to health from a serious life-threatening illness,

out of addiction and into a balanced life of peace, neutrality and joy – I hope they are as helpful to you on your transformational journey.

Positive visualization helps empower us to live a life that flows with grace and ease.