Cooperative Healing - 1508 Dawson Dr., Champaign, IL 61820 US
Distance Work
While some kinds of massage really do require physical contact, other forms of bodywork do not. I have taken multiple intensive courses on working with giving distance sessions in Zero Balancing, CranioSacral Therapy, Healing from the Core and other bodywork, and have enjoyed working this way with a number of people. Though distance work doesn't feel quite the same as a Touch ZB or CranioSacral session while you're receiving it, I've been excited by how similar the results feel. Those who have enjoyed them find that they experience relief in physical tension, and pain reduction as well as a sense of calm and emotional balance. One added perk of distance work is that you do not have to get up from the table and run off into the world right away. Instead, you can remain in peaceful meditation or relaxation to really allow the changes to settle into your body.
I have discovered that distance work can be effective even for sessions that seem to be primarily structural in nature, such as massage. You'll find that we dialog more than in a face to face session, but whether you choose a video or audio only connection, you will experience a real change in your body as we work.
I invite you to try distance work; people are finding it surprisingly effective. Those who have received distance ZBs have reported feeling a structural shifting and easing, feeling that "it's easier to move in my body", and noticing that the "stuck/painful places where [they] hold tension have been releasing." They also report experiencing "more mental clarity" and a greater sense of calm. Those who have experienced distance Healing from the Core have found that their bodies sink into ease even more quickly, and they feel remarkable improvements.
Our best defense against the Pandemic may well be continuing to recognize that pausing, and resting, are vital to our health. Doing things that bring your body into a place of ease boosts your immune system, so that even if you are exposed to the virus that has brought us all inside, you can weather it well, and recover easily. As the weather turns chilly, and we spend more time indoors, it's more important than ever to take care of ourselves. And while social distancing may mean that you can’t come in for your regular bodywork session, it doesn’t mean that I can't help you find that ease in other ways!
If you’ve never had a session that was primarily energy work, this likely sounds a little out there. But then so does the idea that a I can push a few buttons on a keyboard and your face pops up on a screen in front of me, letting me look at you and talk with you almost as if we were in the same room!
People who have enjoyed distance work with me have commented that they could "feel [my] hands" or feel "heat" while I'm working. They always experienced a real shift from the heightened state of awareness and sense of being "on alert" to the calm, relaxed state that is our parasympathetic nervous system supporting our immune system, digestion, and repair functions. From anxiety to ease.
Distance sessions tend to include more dialoging than do face to face sessions, as I will take the time to make sure that you and I are working toward the same goal, and that I am in tune with what you're experiencing. For a distance session, you will book your session on line at a specific time, just as you would any other session. At the appointed time, you will find a quiet, relaxing place to be during the appointed time - lying down may be optimal, but is not required if a comfortable chair is preferable to you. At the beginning of the session, we will connect via telephone, Skype , Zoom, or FaceTime, to determine what you most need or want to focus on, and the entire session's time will be devoted to that work.
Once we have determined the focus of the session, you can settle into your relaxed position, and close your eyes to receive the work. I will work with you much the same way that I would were you in my office, but I will spend more time telling you what I am doing, and confirming your experience by asking what you are experiencing when I notice shifts and changes myself. Distance sessions can often accomplish more in a shorter period of time, so I will not be offering extended two-hour sessions until you and I have determined that they are truly needed.
Each session will include an opportunity to confirm resources that you have available to you to support the work you're doing, and may include a short meditation that you will be able to use on your own to help you maintain equilibrium.
