Melissa has been on her healing path since she was seventeen. She knew that by healing herself and gaining the awareness of her body and health that she could help other people find their way too. Melissa has studied various forms of healing from several cultures and religions. She finds that human touch and light energy and exchange are extremely important to maintain balance in our lives. With a degree in Medical Anthropology, Melissa has a passion for culture and various forms of healing practices and beliefs. She is open to going on journeys with her clients and helping to guide others to feel themselves, connecting mind and body.
Melissa was trained at Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts where she studied various forms of healing, including Deep Tissue, Acupressure, Shiatsu, Reflexology, Hot and Cold Stone Healing Massage, Swedish massage and Chair Massage. She has been practicing for twelve years.
Melissa is currently enrolled in the Northwest Hellerwork program where she is studying Hellerwork and will be certified in November 2009. Melissa is very excited about going deeper into healing and helping bodies re-align and free the body of pain.
Melissa is also a musician and dancer and loves the form of African dance and music. She believes that being connected to one’s body is very important and encourages others to find movement in their lives. Melissa also teaches movement education which is part of her Hellerwork program.
Melissa has traveled to Africa to study as well as give sessions to people suffering from HIV-related illnesses. She plans to return to work in clinics and help others who don’t have the opportunities that we have here for healing.
Melissa’s sessions are designed to go deeper and she creates a lot of intention into her sessions. Each session is specific to the client’s needs and can blend several different modalities to help free her clients of pain and tension. She also believes in educating her clients so that they can continue to feel well in their bodies, minds and spirits.
Mobile or chair massages are available as well as standard sessions at Melissa's massage studio, to suit your needs.
There are four main stages of healing through massage: relief, correction, strengthening, and maintenance.
Relief
The first few sessions of massage therapy will be aimed to relieve pain, reduce muscle tension and relax stressed nerves. The relief sessions are aimed at the symptoms of the problem.
Correction
When the pain is gone, the therapist will work on the problem that caused the pain. Techniques will be aimed at stimulating your lymphatic system and freeing knotted and scarred muscle fibers.
Strengthening
Strengthening is important in a badly damaged area. Weakness at the injury site can mean recurring problems. Techniques will be aimed at strengthening the tissues near the injury, enabling them to provide adequate support when the injury is healed.
Maintenance
Maintenance is the final stage in healing and the first step in preventing other injuries. Maintenance techniques are aimed at treating the problem and preventing the occurrence of new problems.
HELLERWORK is a unique and powerful combination of deep-tissue structural integration, bodywork, movement education and dialogue. This 11-section series transforms your relationship with your body and with your experience of being alive.
Bodywork
The bodywork is a systematic ‘hands on’ process working with the connective tissue to realign the entire musculo-skeletal structure, restoring balance and ease to the body.
Movement
The movement education process guides you to move in ways that minimize effort and tension while maintaining and improving the bodywork results.
Dialogue
The dialogue process leads you to explore how your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and feelings impact in and through your body, empowering you to take the results out into your life.
We invite you to begin the transformation of your body and your life through the dynamic experience of Hellerwork Structural Integration.
* fuller and easier breathing
* improved postural alignment
* increased length and ease in the body
* freedom from chronic pain and injuries
* enhanced flexibility in movement
* reduced stress and tension
* expanded energy, vitality & aliveness
* Hellerwork Structural Integration is a powerful system of somatic education and structural bodywork, based on the inseparability of body, mind, and spirit. Following Ida Rolf’s lineage of Structural Integration bodywork, Joseph Heller incorporated movement education/awareness and body-centered human development processes, creating Hellerwork.
* Deep tissue bodywork combined with movement education and dialogue of the mind/body connection guides you to new options, both physically and emotionally. Hellerwork S.I. encourages you to make the connection between movement and body alignment. Hellerwork restores your body's natural balance from the inside out.
* During the 11-section series, the structural balance of your body is realized through the systematic release and reorganization of muscle and connective tissue using a variety of deep-tissue bodywork techniques. When your body comes into alignment within the field of gravity, chronic pain and tension dissipate. A comfortable sense of support replaces the stress and strain of carrying your body through life.
* Movement education is incorporated to enhance fluidity and ease of motion and helps you develop a deeper awareness of your body and its expression in the world.
* Self-awareness facilitated through dialogue is an important component of the Hellerwork S.I. series. As your body releases patterns of tension and stress, new options of support and fluidity become available. Emotionally, new options also become available. Guided dialogue enhances a deeper awareness of your emotional and cultural patterns, allowing for choice and change.
Hellerwork Structural Integration is based on the assumption that every person is innately healthy. Your results are maximized by creating a deeper experience of the integrity in your body, your movement, and in your relationship with yourself and the world around you.
I first met Melissa through work when I was getting a chair massage. I had a lot of stress in my shoulders and Melissa knew exactly where to push! I would go for massages two or three times a month. I felt more relaxed after a massage so I asked Melissa if she had her own business.
I started going to Melissa for a full-body massage. I really enjoy my massage when Melissa uses the hot rocks. I feel so revitalized and energetic when I leave! I am now getting massages every month! It is a wonderful treat to myself! I have recommended Melissa to my friends and co-workers. I even bought a gift certificate and gave it to a friend as a Christmas gift. --Janet Harwood
Melissa has a natural gift connecting modern and traditional massage techniques, such as hot rocks, with every session. She is energetic, pro-active and focussed and very able to apply her expertise to maximize the experience. --Terry Globman
With great sensitivity and a soothing touch, Melissa has a gift for finding and releasing points of tension. Her massage is both gentle and deep, resolving specific areas of tightness while also creating a blissful state of relaxation. --Nowick Gray
Hellerwork
Acupressure
Reflexology
Swedish Massage
Deep Tissue Massage
Shiatsu
Stone Therapy
