The Language of Touch
Touch is a powerful language. From our earliest experiences in life, felt experience is primary. Vibrations in the womb, warmth, a heart beat. Being held close, skin to skin. Attuned touch is essential to our development of nervous system regulation, which originates with co-regulation.
I weave together a unique approach to support folks in their healing, combining CranioSacral Therapy and Somatic Experiencing® for nervous system regulation, physical/energetic/emotional release, and early developmental repair.
Who is this work for?
I love supporting people in this work who are engaged and committed on their healing path. They desire a more resilient nervous system, more connection with their body/self/emotions, more attunement to their needs, greater authenticity in their lives, a greater sense of holistic well-being, and through their healing desire to have a more positive impact on their families, communities, or the world.
I enjoy working with people who are aware that early developmental experiences are shaping their current reality in ways that may not be serving them, whether through physical symptoms or through lack of capacity to be in connection with others. They desire to explore reparative experiences around receiving support and to grow their capacity for relationship.
I enjoy supporting folks who are re-finding themselves in their wholeness through life transitions, such as chronic illness, loss, grief, approach of end of life, major accidents and injuries, challenges in births or medical experiences, gender or sexuality journeys, coming into adulthood, becoming parents, and more.
My work is trauma-informed. I hold a lot of care around consent and creating an environment where you can connect with your own needs and body sovereignty. I have a lot of experience working with survivors of sexual abuse, assault, early developmental abuse/neglect, and other traumas.
I am non-binary. I am LGBTQIA+ affirming, hold a liberatory lens in my work, and aim to hold inclusive spaces across differences. I do my best to be open to feedback and learning in my work.
If you’re interested in working with me, you can schedule a free Connection Call so we can discuss what you’re needing support with, how I work with clients, and determine if we seem like a good fit.
Investment, Pacing, & Policies
Investment: Sliding Scale $165-185 for 60 minute session. There are three suggested tiers to provide some structure, but you are welcome to pay anything within this range.
Receiver ($165) - if you need financial support
Sustainer ($175) - this is the rate that supports me well for my time & expertise
Supporter ($185) - this rate supports the sliding scale system and creates more accessibility for those with less socioeconomic stability
Session Pacing: Depending on your needs and where you are on your journey, I often recommend meeting regularly in order to see results and benefit from the full value of this work. Change can take time, especially when we have the nervous system in mind. I recommend a session spacing of 1-3 weeks when first starting out, and if we are a good fit, a commitment to the work for at least a few months. I am happy to discuss what would be a good fit for you.
Policies: I accept cash, check, Zelle, or HSA/FSA cards for payment. I have moved away from accepting credit cards because of fees and wanting to keep as much money in our local community as possible. I cannot guarantee that the payments will be approved by your HSA/FSA, but it has worked well for many clients. I have a 48 hour cancellation policy. The full session fee is due when a session is canceled or rescheduled with less than 48 hours notice or in the case of a no-show, even in the case of illness or emergency. If I have another opening within a week, I may offer it to you instead of a cancellation fee, but there is no guarantee of that being available.
Testimonial
“I cannot recommend Nicole highly enough! After countless doctors and therapies in my cptsd/chronic illness journey, nothing has been nearly as supportive/resulted in as much growth and healing as CST with Nicole. I feel an incredibly noticeable shift after each session. Their calm, compassionate, grounded, wise and attuned presence are an invaluable gift to everyone fortunate enough to work with them. Thank you so much, Nicole!”
-Stephanie Y.
What does the work look like?
I combine CranioSacral Therapy, Somatic Experiencing®, and other modalities in my work as a Licensed Massage Therapist. This work is different than more traditional massage which focuses on working the muscle tissue. During these sessions, you stay clothed on the table and our focus is more on the overall being and the nervous system. This work is gentle and slow. Touch may be light, or may at times be a heavier pressure. A key component of this work is that we will work at the pace of your nervous system. We will observe your nervous system’s response in real time, noticing what type of touch leads to relaxation, to bracing, or other effects.
Throughout the session, I may ask you what you are noticing (with no wrong answers - only information), and I may share what I am noticing as I listen with my hands. This work can lead to relaxation, physical or emotional release, and new connections and insights coming to light in your being. My approach aims to support your body’s innate healing wisdom, and your connection with yourself, so the healing continues far beyond our sessions together.
In our first session, we’ll begin by sitting down to look over your health history and review your goals for our work together. Each session we’ll check back in with your intentions, and note what progress you’re seeing in your body and nervous system, to continue to inform our work together.
Are there specific conditions that Somatic CranioSacral Massage Therapy is most helpful for?
When stress is held in the body, it can manifest physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. These are some of the health conditions that can often be improved with this work.
Chronic stress, chronic nervous system activation
Depression, anxiety, challenges with emotional regulation (whether emotions feel too intense or hard to access)
Migraines, headaches
TMD/TMJ, physical bracing, tension
PTSD and cPTSD
Chronic pain & chronic fatigue
Recovery from accidents, surgeries, injuries, concussions and TBI’s (whether recent, or lingering impacts from decades ago)
Chronic illness and autoimmune conditions
Sleep challenges
Orthopedic & musculoskeletal issues
What might I expect to feel after a session?
Every session is different. These are some common positive experiences people have after sessions.
Feeling more connected to body/self
Less physiological anxiety, more regulated nervous system, more relaxed and engaged, grounded
Less physical pain and tension
Feeling lighter, difficult emotions resolving or easier to manage
Feeling more empowered, more self-trust, more self-awareness
Feeling more energy and less fatigue
Feeling a greater sense of clarity
Greater capacity and resilience when facing challenges in life
More in tune with their own needs
It is also possible that some challenging feelings can arise from this work. My goal is always to find a pace that allows for integration. If anything ever feels like too much, that’s helpful information for us to adjust our work.
Sometimes people may find it helpful to rest, journal, spend time in nature, or engage with other forms of self-care or processing to support integration. Many clients I work with find this work a great complement to the work they’re doing in psychotherapy, coaching, or other healing containers.
Testimonial
“I am really grateful to have been able to work with Nicole. Our sessions provided a safe landing to first fully accept whatever was present, listen with curiosity and expand body awareness. Nicole’s energy and space carry the essence of ‘I am whole and accepted right now’ which allowed me to deepen my connection to healing. Our consistent sessions built safety into my mind and body which became my keystone for healing. Nicole held space for me to accept me in the present moment and practice just being curious about what came up. It was a reconnection to myself that I then began to meet more and more outside of our sessions and that allowed me to reprogram thoughts and actions that were not truly serving me.”
More on CranioSacral Therapy
I bring skills from Upledger CranioSacral Therapy (CST) into my work. I am trained to have very attuned palpation skills, meaning I can sense many subtle and nuanced tissues and processes within the human body with my hands.
CST is based around two principles. One is that we listen to and follow the Inner Wisdom of the Body, also coined by Doctor John Upledger as the Inner Physician. The human body knows how to heal. In sessions we support that innate healing ability. The second principle is that CST supports healthy functioning of the CranioSacral system, which is a system of fluid held around the brain and spinal cord by the dural membrane. This system stretches from the cranium to the sacrum (hence the term CranioSacral). Restrictions that exist anywhere within or connected to the fascia of this system can cause less than ideal functioning. In sessions we support the release of restrictions and mobilization of healthy fluid movement.
More on Somatic Experiencing®
Integrating Somatic Experiencing® (SE) into my work creates deeper transformation and a more spacious container for clients. SE provides a framework for gently tracking changes in the body and nervous system, so that our work can be attuned to in-the-moment effects in your body.
When we have experienced something happening too fast, too soon, too much, without enough support (or too little support for too long), that stress and the resulting survival patterns can become part of our body’s shape and normal operating mode. With SE, we can do the reverse… slow it down, a little at a time, move at a pace the nervous system can actually process, and all of this with support that we will explore with care.
SE can be used to support movement in and out of nervous system states such as fight, flight, freeze, fawn, collapse, dorsal vagal deep relaxation, and ventral vagal relaxed engagement. SE is also part of what informs the relational layer of my work, where we can create opportunities for you to navigate receiving support from another person, and what might be possible in terms of co-regulation and collaborative communication of needs.
Testimonials
“Transformative experience every time I go. Nicole is an extremely skilled practitioner with a deep intuition. I am a mental health therapist and Nicole is who I choose to work with to assist my mental and physical well being. It almost seems like there is a magical element to the work but it is a truly grounded experience.”
-Sharon P.
“Working with Nicole in Somatic CranioSacral Therapy over the past few months has been a truly transformative journey. From our very first session, I felt an incredible sense of trust and safety in her presence. Her gentle, intuitive approach has helped me release deep layers of tension, uncovering a sense of ease and balance I have never felt before.
One of the most profound impacts has been in navigating the lingering effects of long COVID on my nervous system. The sessions have helped calm the overwhelm, restore a sense of regulation, and give my body the support it needs to heal. What stands out most is how subtle yet profoundly effective this work is. Each session builds upon the last, allowing my body to unwind and regain resilience at its own pace.
I’ve noticed lasting shifts—not just physically, but emotionally as well. Nicole’s skill, compassion, and deep understanding of the body’s wisdom make this an experience I wholeheartedly recommend.”
-Isabelle D.
“In addition to her deep knowledge of the body, Nicole is such a calming and spacious presence. Working with her has always been a deeply nourishing and meaningful experience that continues to play out long-after our session.”
-Randi M.