Background & Training

I graduated from a great massage program at Johnston College in 2006.  I was Valedictorian of my class, as I put everything aside to focus on learning.  Our program trained us in Swedish/Relaxation & Deep Tissue techniques, Eastern modalities, Trigger Point therapy, Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Chair Massage, Clinical skills, Ethics, and Business.  We also had introductory courses on Reflexology, Watsu (water Shiatsu), Lymphatic Drainage, CranioSacral work, Ion Foot cleanse, & Myofascial Release.
We were certified in CPR. 
We were trained and certified in CERMT (Carolina Emergency Response Massage Team).  The purpose of this volunteer organization is to provide massage relief to Emergency Responders in times of crisis.  A 15 minute chair massage reenergizes them and allows them to continue their long hours under otherwise stressful conditions.  I am still a proud member of this organization.  Since then, I have become Certified in FEMA Emergency Management, so that I can participate in providing massage relief during National Disasters.

I am certified as a Massage and Bodywork Therapist by the State of North Carolina.
Since graduating, I received training in Hot Stone Massage, Aromatherapy, Prenatal Massage, Integrative Reflexology, Deep Tissue & Myofascial Release, Massage Cupping Therapy, and Traditional Thai Massage. 
I am also a Certified BodyTalkAccess Practitioner, and have taken Modules I, II, & III of BodyTalkSystem's courses.
I have completed Reiki Level I and II, and I look forward to becoming a Reiki Master.
I am certified in Massage Cupping Therapy TM, also called Negative Pressure Release Massage.  I am very excited about this new modality.  Go to the "Services" tab to read more about the many benefits of this dynamic therapy.
Before beginning my journey into Massage Therapy, I had been intensely studying health and wellness information, taking my influences from the research of Dr. Andrew Weil, Caroline Myss, and Deepak Chopra.
I have always been a self-trained, self-expressive artist and dancer.  I love sculpting the human form in clay.  I also enjoy jewelry making, reading, writing, gardening, hiking, spending time outside and with my friends, family, and pets.
My previous education includes two years of undergraduate studies at Mount Holyoke College in MA and then I transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with Highest Honors in 1999.  My studies ranged from psychology, to anthropology, ancient studies, philosophy, world religions, art history, world literature, and ended up majoring in Cultural Studies with the focus on African and African American Art & Religion.  I wrote a senior thesis on the use of icons by the Yoruba peoples in Africa to express their religious beliefs as well as to take the chaos of the universe and bring it into a physical form that could then be contained and controlled on some level.  The Yoruba also had a place for that random, unpredictable aspect of life that is beyond control. 
I am an eternal student.  I also love to be able to make use of the knowledge I gain.  Massage therapy and bodywork is a vast field of study with great potential for health and healing.  This is the perfect marriage of study and application, the more I learn, the more I can help others to heal themselves from the outside inwards.  As I keep saying...Soothe the body, soothe the soul!