For your convenience, our most common customer questions are answered right here.
Do you work with people with all types of chronic pain conditions?
Yes, however, I focus my work on conditions common to post-adolescent women throughout their reproductive lifecycle such as, for example, muscular contraction or “tightness “ limited ROM resulting from periods of both activity and inactivity, PMS-related pain, and common pre- and post-natal pain conditions. Please review the APPOINTMENT PREP page for information detailing conditions not suitable for massage or not available without your doctor’s authorization. The letter should include any concerns that the practitioner might have. I also require a lengthy initial consultation, after which I will determine if it would be a good fit for us to work together.
Do you offer massage and bodywork to people who don’t have a chronic pain?
Yes. I agree with theories that suggest that pain often results from conditions that are rooted in habitual thought patterns and constrained emotion. While I am not a mental health counselor and my work does not replace appropriate mental health care, massage and bodywork have been proven to affect the nervous system in a positive, health-promoting way. This includes physiological, mood-enhancing benefits such as “significant decreases in tension, confusion, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and anger while maintaining high levels of vigor, which is representative of positive mental health”. (Weinberg, R. S., Jackson, A. J., & Kolodny, K. (1988). The relationship of massage and exercise to mood enhancement. The Sport Psychologist, 2(3), 202-211. Retrieved from the internet at https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-21624-001)
Do you work with men?
Yes, but not generally. My practice focuses on women’s health conditions. Generally, the men that I do see are partners, children, or family caretakers of my clients and have been referred to me by my clients. This limitation in my practice is based on the fact that my practice is woman-centric and focuses on issues that primarily affect women, such as PMS, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause. For similar reasons , my client base of post-menopausal women is also low.
I don’t tolerate touch very well. Will massage hurt me?
There are many types of massage and bodywork techniques. Myofascial Release (MFR) is one massage technique that has had good results for people suffering with fibromyalgia. Shiatsu, a primary form of Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT), can be applied very lightly and even off the body with very good results.
During our initial assessment, I will find out more information about your limitations with touch and will develop a plan of care around your needs and restrictions. Together, we will discover a means by which to get you the complementary mind and body therapies that will help you reach toward your health and wellness goals.
Chokkan Shiatsu & Wellness Services
