A Phoenix Experience: Massage Therapy

Do you need a massage? I’m open for business Although massage therapy is now considered an essential service in Alberta, there is now a need for a prescription or referral note from another regulated health professional. This requirement will continue indefinitely. I understand the inconvenience of visiting the doctors office for this document at this time. Perhaps your family doctor can do a telephone or video visit? ... Many insurance companies require a doctors prescription or note annually. If you have one less than 12 months old and are able to provide a copy, that works. Alternatively, I would like to share the following list of 35 health professions who can also provide that referral note: -acupuncturist -Audiologists -chiropractors -Laboratory & x-ray technologists -dental assistants -Dental hygienist -dental technologists -Dentists -Denturist -Dietitian -hearing aid practionists -Licensed practical nurse -medical diagnostic & therapeutic technologists -Medical laboratory technologists - midwives -Naturopath -occupational therapist -Opticians -optometrist -Paramedics -pharmacists -Pharmacy technologists -physiotherapist -Physicians, surgeons & osteopaths -podiatrists -Psychiatric nurse -psychologists -Registered nurse -respiratory therapist -Social workers -speech - language pathologist That’s quite a list! And, there is an easier option! You can visit Babylon by Telus Health, create a profile, request a virtual consult, and obtain your referral for free. https://www.telus.com/en/health/personal/babylon I would love to see you soon!

Good news! Hope on the horizon!

A different sort of end to the year it seems. One with more space to go inward and hear that still small voice... maybe even have more time to write Santa a longer letter this year. What would your letter look like?

Do you believe massage therapy is a profession worth keeping its doors open past this weekend? Here is one way to voice your opinion http://chng.it/VkjwfNdt4k

Reminds me of my pregnant friend Happy #SelfCareSunday dear ones Be well

Would you be interested in a Massage Therapy gift certificate (mobile or my office) raffle or contest prize?Would you be interested in a Massage Therapy gift certificate (mobile or my office) raffle or contest prize?

Have you gained any new habits this year? I am working on making sunrise walks a habit at least twice a week

Humour break. Relevant massage bit around the 1 minute mark https://www.facebook.com/309309215887340/posts/1646015272216721/?d=null&vh=e

Gift cards available for mobile massage services

Karma Massage Day - Saturday July 25th! PM today to reserve your registered massage therapy spot without the hassle of fees or payments! If that has you feeling uncomfortable, there will be a discrete place to leave financial gratitude Just in case you were wondering about Covid-19 updates regarding massage therapy, here is the latest from Alberta Health:... Additional Consideration for Massage Therapy Clients and practitioners should wear non-medical face masks at all times. If a client has difficulty breathing while face-down during massage treatment, their mask may be removed. o Once the massage is complete, or once the client moves to a faceup position, the client should perform hand hygiene and put on a mask. https://www.alberta.ca//covid-19-relaunch-guidance-wellnes This is from the beginning of this document: Under current Chief Medical Officer of Health Orders, businesses and entities are required to: implement practices to minimize the risk of transmission of infection among attendees; provide procedures for rapid response if an attendee develops symptoms of illness; ensure that attendees maintain high levels of sanitation and personal hygiene; comply, to the extent possible, with the COVID-19 General Relaunch Guidance, this guidance, and any other applicable Alberta Health guidance found at: https://www.alberta.ca/biz-connect.aspx.

Tired? Stressed? Need to relax and don't know how right now? Karma massage day is coming! All the goodness of a therapeutic massage from a registered massage therapist, none of the hassle of fees or payments! Feeling like I overdid it lately on the spa style music in my life.... anybody else enjoy relaxing to things like this? Bonus spanish subtitles to brush up on those multicultural skills ;-) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TG8ypw1y9k Anyways, you can bring your own playlist for karma day if you like ;-) PM me today to be on the "alert me first" list once logistics are finalized! See more

Karma massage day is coming shortly! All the goodness of a professional massage from a registered massage therapist in a professional setting, none of the hassle of fees or payments! If that's uncomfortable for you, there will be a vessel to place love offerings discretely. PM to reserve your spot on the "Notify me first!" list today.

Those whose father is present, loving and supportive in childhood, tend to grow up with a feeling that the Universe/higher powers support them and has their best interests at heart. Those who grow up with absent or emotionally distant or even punitive fathers and authority figures, on the other hand, understandably tend to develop feelings of the universe as being removed or critical, or that it keeps sending negative lessons to learn or that they are unlucky or even that t...he universe is completely barren of love or consciousness. Would you agree? I am pondering this myself as some reading has me challenging some internal beliefs... Does my fathers way of being colour my worldview to such an extent? Early morning wonderings... as I soak in the goodness of a warm inviting space that may host a karma massage day in the near future... stay tuned for updates there, or PM to be first in line ;-)

I thought I was spared the horrid "motivational" phrase going around now "If you don't come out of this with a new skill, you never lacked time, you lacked discipline" until I saw it on my local yoga studio page. As a trauma psychologist, I am utterly utterly horrified, enraged, and bewildered about how people can believe and spread this phrase in good conscience. We are going through a collective trauma, that is bringing up profound grief, loss, panic over livelihoods, panic... over loss of lives of loved ones. People's nervous systems are barely coping with the sense of threat and vigilance for safety, or alternating with feeling numb and frozen and shutting down in response to it all. People are trying to survive poverty, fear, retriggering of trauma, retriggering of other mental health difficulties. Yet, someone has the nerve to accuse someone of lack of discipline for not learning a new skill, and by a yoga teacher! This cultural obsession with [capitalistic] "productivity" and always spending time in a "productive" "fruitful" way is absolutely maddening. What we need is more self compassion, more gentle acceptance of all the difficult emotions coming up for us now, more focus on gentle ways to soothe ourselves and our pain and the pain of loved ones around us, not a whipping by some random fucker making us feel worse about ourselves in the name of "motivation". ~Alaa Hijazi https://www.upworthy.com/coronavirus-productivity-motivatio

Things that make me go hmmm... What are your thoughts on charcoal? https://juicing-for-health.com/10-activated-charcoal-uses-b

Happy Summer Solstice How are you spending your day?

MENTAL HEALTH TIPS FOR ACTIVISTS AND SOCIAL CHANGE DISRUPTORS and for anyone who needs a reminder right now ~~ I love all of the passion and radical shifting an...d facing difficult things and the GETTING SHIT DONE that I am seeing from many of you.. AND because I’m a therapist who works with people to resolve trauma, those who have lived in prolonged highly activated states prior in their lives, I want to offer a few things about how to manage and mitigate these situations from a prevention angle. WHY it’s important: When you exist in a super charged, activated state for an extended period of time, your brain and body / system goes into overdrive and can get more wired to be hypervigilant, on guard, ready to respond to all of the stimulus and interaction. This activates the flight / fight / freeze response which is a physiological evolutionary response (ie, be prepped to run from the bear that may jump out at you from the bush). This is a place where we constantly are assessing threat as we are unsure if we are safe. When we stay in this state for longer periods, the system produces more adrenalin and cortisol (stress hormones) and after a while, this ends up not being sustainable, so the body has to cut corners (other systems are affected / compromised) and often, biological systems will become depleted (can result in illness, depression, etc.) It also becomes difficult to self-regulate (ground, feel safe, be ok in one’s body) after being in a hyper-aroused state for a while, and the brain and body may need to be reminded of slowing down and feeling safe again. This is a quick snapshot of what can happen, so being aware and tuned in is helpful in order to be preemptive when we’re immersed in highly activated interactions. AWARENESS AND TUNING IN TIPS!! You have a body: Self-care is not negotiable. Being more involved in causes and being more on all of the time takes energy, so notice if you have additional dietary needs, anything needs adjusted with your sleep habits, if you have been warring on the keyboard for a while, get up and move your ass around, take care of your meat suit! If you ignore your body, it will eventually fight back and protest. Yes, stuff needs done, but you gotta take a break (unplug from the constant stim): Remember the old airline rule of put your own mask on first (oxygen / n95 / homemade, whatever). If you push yourself beyond your limits, and get completely frazzled, you aren’t any help to yourself or anyone else you’re trying to advocate for. This also goes for social media our brains and psyches can only handle so much bombardment of info in, especially when it is triggering and activating (this again stimulates the ‘not safe’ body response, as mentioned above). Turn your feed off for a while, set down the phone remind yourself that it’s ok to take these intervals to tune into yourself instead of everything else. Be aware of when you are getting ‘flooded’ signs of burnout or system overload: If you feel really reactive to everyone around you, if you feel extremely emotional, if you don’t feel like yourself, if you start to feel withdrawn, hopeless, and like you are energetically running on empty, if you feel like you might hurt yourself or someone else, these are all signs to STOP. Think about what your specific indicators are things that you need to take notice of where you might be getting in too deep. Also be aware of the impact of vicarious traumatization this is when we are exposed to the experiences of others that deeply affect us, stories of hardship, trauma, violence, racism, etc. Because we are compassionate and are often moved by what has happened to others, this load can build up, even from passively listening to all that is going on, and result in similar trauma symptoms even though the experiences aren’t ours directly. Reach out: Feeling like you are fighting a battle alone is very different than feeling like many people have your back, some solidarity. Find people that get it and can empathize and validate your struggles. Also, it’s good to have close people who can lovingly kick your ass if you need some reminders to take breaks, take care of yourself, or just get some relativity. And because friends / social support sometimes can only go so far, reach out to mental health professionals / therapists who can help you work though these times. Know that prior life traumas can get re-activated (ie we get reminded of our past ‘stuff’) when facing new challenges with social issues, racism, power imbalances, inequities and disparities, etc. Remember to step outside for a while: Figuratively, as above, give yourself permission to take a break, take a breather. Yes, you get to BREATHE, literally! Go outside and be reminded of the natural world and that you are a part of it. This sounds really simple but a lot of trauma processing is about learning to connect back with the body, be safe in it, and being aware of what is happening in our inner experience, and how our outer experience relates to that. Paying attention to the breath is one technique here, practicing breathing more fully, slowing down, being mindful and really listening to ourselves. Go look at the river, go hang out with some trees, walk, bike, move out in nature. TUNE IN, DON’T TUNE OUT. Validate, recognize and celebrate positive, constructive results from a macro / larger societal level to micro / personal level: You may feel like you are slogging up a neverending hill, like you are carrying a massive load, that the work will never be done but notice the small shifts, don’t underestimate cool moments of significance, realize that you are living and breathing through some amazing shit and that you are helping shift the new trajectory of the world. Realize the personal work that you are doing, this heavy lifting but also know that you have to put the load down and attend to yourself, as per all of the above.. ~~~~~ Remember that there is still kindness in the world and that humans have massive capacity to grow and improve. Keep finding the collateral beauty, even in the struggles. Andyou are worth it!! ~~~~~ What did I miss?