Gill Edwards

Living Magically: A New Vision of Reality

Written with empathy and openness, the book guides the reader through gradual process of changes happening in day-to-day life. It helps to restore trust in relationships with one’s own body and the universe surrounding us. Coincidences, synchronous events, realization of what you dreamed about – a living metaphysics that comes through the body, if you know how to listen to it. The author does not impose her point of view, but rather invites the reader to try, take their own steps and see what happens.

First published in 1991

Danny Penman, Mark Williams, and Robert Arthur Jr.

Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World

Eight weeks practice program. Can be followed without much effort by an adult who has never tried “anything like this” before. Consists of techniques that help to gradually let go of excessive anxiety and tension. Helping to recover those missing connections that will bring confidence, and allow to treat the world as well as one’s own self, in a more compassionate manner. The exercises that this book is offering leads to a state of greater resilience, even if a reader is deeply rooted in an environment that favours quite the opposite.

First published in 2011

Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth

Modern times cause uncertainty in many. Eckhart Tolle’s text offers a reliable navigation tool. It helps to live in harmony with what one would call destiny or in other words, the purpose of our presence in this complex world. The book does not focus specifically on the body and the bodily experience. It rather helps the reader to get back to their self, an impossible task without the contact with the body.

First published in 2005

Alexander Lowen

Spirituality of the Body

A student of the rebellious psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich was the first to address the body issues as the root source of various requests in psychotherapy. Lowen is the founder of the Bioenergetic Analysis approach. The capacious text is full of author’s exercises, examples, comments. Lowen often talks about unleashing potential, mastering creative freedom. Bioenergetic analysis is one of the schools that stands at the foot of the modern building representing somatic approaches to health and wellbeing. The concept is at least worth getting to know.

More important is how the exercises and practices, insights can affect the reader. The book is replete with powerful tools for change. Lowen suggests that exercises be handled with care. It is unclear whether an unprepared reader will be able to cope with results.

First published in 1990

Michael Kern

Wisdom in the Body: the Craniosacral Approach to Essential Health

It would be a bold assumption to think that it is possible to learn a body-oriented technique without receiving a single session. In the meantime, Michael Kern’s book seems to be a great introduction to CranioSacral Therapy as an approach.

Craniosacral often looks incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Something between a high-tech somatic view on health and a mystical bodily experience. The text of the book helps to understand what is attributed to the theory and practice of the method, from an applied, tangible point of view.

The author describes what the results of the therapeutic process are and what constitutes this paradigm of working with the body. Respectfully and delicately structured, the book can explain why the craniosacral approach can be useful for you, and for practitioners, somewhat enrich the understanding of this therapeutic direction.

First published in 2001.

Note: cover images on this page do not match actual covers of the published books and are provided for illustrative purposes only

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• Within Canada:

Cash, Cheques, and Interac e-transfer

• Internationally

PayPal, Wise

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Systemic and Family Constellations

An example of an approach where one session really matters. In most cases, even a single successful constellation work will give impetus to a new solution or, at least, change the client’s attitude to the problem.

In some cases, I leave the opportunity to perform minor constellation works sequentially – in this case, we are decomposing the problem situation with the client step by step. 

This is especially relevant when we do not have much of emotional and energy resources available, which is often the result of a traumatic event or prolonged exposure to adverse factors. In this kind of treatment, it is important to avoid making the process ‘too much’ or ‘too fast’. The main focus here is on the stress response. Together with the client we develop a level of tolerance that allows us to approach the solution of the therapeutic problem without overloading the nervous system.

When working with Systemic Constellations, I pay attention to body signals, maintaining safety and having choice. Client may ask to pause or end the work at any time, take a break for cookies and a cup of tea, or postpone the continuation to our next meeting.

Body-Oriented Modalities

In the event of a recent adverse event such as:

• acute physical trauma (please check with your doctor before scheduling a session to make sure there is no immediate medical intervention required, bodywork does not replace medicine)

• emotional overload – an aggravated reaction to an event of a working nature, a stressful situation in the family, or other context, subjectively experienced as severe stress

a session of body-oriented therapy (CranioSacral Therapy, Integrative Bodywork) makes it possible to calm the stress reaction, to properly integrate excess energy. Even one session done on time can bring significant relief.

Lasting Issue: Prolonged Treatment

A long-term change of state, or continuous presence of an intense stress factor, usually requires medium or long-term work

Often we are dealing with symptoms that continue to be present for a relatively long time. Such difficulties require, as a rule, consistency and regularity in the approach. Weekly, biweekly, or at least once a month; The recovery process will most likely take some time. For chronic symptoms (persistent pain or tension, prolonged stress, etc.), it is unlikely that one session will completely resolve the problem.

There are some exceptions to this rule, though:

Sometimes significant efforts have already been made to solve the problem (client tries the techniques on his/her own or in other therapeutic modalities). The state of things indicates that everything is “almost ready” for changes, but something was missing to achieve a result. In such cases, a body-oriented therapy session may serve as the “missing link” to start a larger process. Such sessions sometimes have striking results, they are accompanied by states that are associated with transformational experiences. In some cases, after such a session the shift in therapy is so significant that the problem recedes.

Traumatic stress. Accompanying the Recovery Process After a Traumatic Experience

Traumatic experiences significantly affect our response to stress. Safe situations could be perceived as sources of severe threat, and sometimes the opposite happens: the nervous system does not respond adequately to threatening circumstances. Affected person “freezes” in a dangerous context or continues to act as if nothing happened, as if there is no threat at all. If there has been a long-term exposure to adverse, threatening circumstances, there are especially pronounced changes in the area of ​​​​normal reaction to stress.

Accompanying recovery after a traumatic impact, body-oriented work makes it possible to normalize, optimize the stress response – small problems no longer cause an exacerbated reaction, also the pattern of ‘complete ignorance’ of possibly threatening situations fades.  The work improves adaptability, flexibility in everyday contexts.

Judith Herman (1992) identified specific therapeutic goals for the different stages of recovery from trauma and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the first stage, therapeutic work is mainly dedicated to the restoration of safety. The second stage is devoted to the internal processing of what is connected with the trauma itself, the recognition and re-processing of what happened. Work at the third stage is related to safe and healthy reconnection with the outside world and other people.

Accompanying recovery with body-oriented work is possible at different stages of this extended process. Many experts point to the effectiveness of body-centered approaches for restoring access to internal resources, among the most famous, the importance of working with the body is emphasized by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk in his landmark text on trauma therapy “The Body Keeps the Score.” Meanwhile, it must be highlighted here that body-oriented work is not a substitute for psychiatric interventions or conventional psychotherapy.

Approaches that offer subtle body work, such as CranioSacral Therapy, help restore natural regulation of states, relieve tension associated with trauma-related reactions. Systemic and Family Constellations provide access to content related not only to personal experience, but also to transgenerational, inherited layers or contexts, which are often the initial sources of intense and painful stress reactions and symptoms.

Different stages of the recovery timeline require different interventions. For a client it means that this type of work in most cases will take time and demand certain regularity. However, within other therapeutic modalities, there is little evidence of universal “quick fix” solutions in this field, as well.

Ask a question / Write to me directly:

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• Until the day of the event, cancellations or date changes could be proposed by the client at no additional value.

• If a session is cancelled or a change of date is proposed by the client on the day of event, the full price of the session has to be paid. If an emergency situation has caused the change of date or cancellation, these cases are to be discussed separately.

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Pandemic limits our options for travelling, but there is still something to offer online and in person:

I encourage you to apply for an online work if it seems unsafe for you to work in person. Prices have changed slightly since January 2021. 

Online: regular session on calming the stress or reducing the residual effects of trauma: CA$115 (70 min, price including taxes). 

Systemic Constellation: CA$125 (about 1.5h-2h, price includes taxes)

If working in person, all of the surfaces in the office are disinfected on the eve of each session. 

In-person work:

Regular session of CranioSacral Therapy, Integrative Bodywork, Stress Regulation and Resolution of Trauma: CA$125, including taxes (70 min). 

Systemic Constellation: CA$165, including taxes (about 2h)

En français:

Pandemic limite nos options de voyage, mais il y a encore quelque chose à offrir:

Je vous recommande de vous inscrire à une session en ligne si vous trouvez qu’il est dangereux de travailler en personne. Les prix ont légèrement évolué depuis janvier 2021 au profit du travail en ligne.

En ligne: Cours régulier pour soulager le stress ou réduire les effets résiduels du traumatisme: 115 $ CA (70 min, taxes comprises). 

Constellation systémique: 125 $ CA (environ 1,5h-2h, taxes comprises)

Si vous travaillez en personne, toutes les surfaces du bureau sont désinfectées la veille de chaque séance.

Travail en personne:

Session régulière de thérapie cranio-sacrée, de travail corporel intégratif, de régulation du stress et de résolution des traumatismes: 125 $ CA, taxes comprises (70 min). 

Constellation systémique en milieu individuel: 165 $ CA, taxes comprises (environ 2h)

Veuillez noter que je travaille en anglais

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I also see how the well-established contact may create confidence that allows to look deeper into the heavy contexts within ourselves, the contexts where we wouldn’t like to approach with a person that we cannot fully trust. This subtle matter of deeper confidence helps change the communication from purely professional service somewhere closer to more individual presence and empathy.

The line of work may include sessions of Systemic and Family Constellations, CranioSacral Therapy and Integrative Bodywork, other Body-oriented Methods. Tools that belong to the approaches oriented on work with Stress Regulation and Resolution of Trauma are also in use. The palette of methods is wide, and solutions within each session may vary, though they all follow one common logic.

Like building a new home for an individual soul, in harmony and trust within. While dealing with manifestations of stress, we seek for the ways to regulate the nervous system back to the optimum and to learn to calm down the unpleasant responses. When working with trauma, we approach our own individual experiences, and also we make steps to reprocess the outcomes of transgenerational trauma: traces of the events of our parents lives or the lives of our earlier ancestors.

The sessions are done online or in-person in the studio in Mile End in Montreal.

Read more about the continuous work here

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Integrative Bodywork and Craniosacral Therapy

Due to the situation with COVID-19, the studio routine is more calm than in previous months, though you can still book a CranioSacral Therapy Session, or a session of Integrative Bodywork. We need support especially in the context of actual limitations and restrictions. Considering the circumstances our bodies do require more resources for balance and restoration. 

Weekly bodywork sessions are available as well. 

Systemic Constellations

You may receive a Constellation in the office in an individual setting, though also please consider an online work. 

Online:

Systemic Constellations and Resource-Oriented work

I provide therapeutic sessions online. Whatever is the request: the stress-related problem, seemingly post-traumatic effect, physical symptom or an issue manifested in relations with other people, the available internal resources of the client is the key component of the work. We work to widen the access to resources, restore the presence in the moment, develop autonomy and balance of everyday life. 

Please don’t hesitate to write to me directly if anything needs being clarified. Wishing you safe and healthy November!

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I still perform Integrative Bodywork and Craniosacral Therapy sessions in person in the studio, though if you feel like working with your state, calm some manifestations of stress, I am available for online sessions, too. Systemic Constellations in one-on-one setting are offered via Zoom or Skype, as well.

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• Craniosacral therapy and integrative bodywork sessions are offered at the office.
• Systemic and family constellations are available in an individual setting online, as well as at the office.
• Work with internal resources, help in coping with stress — I will be happy to work with you online.

Precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Please do not hesitate to call me if you have questions regarding a particular therapeutic technique or a specific case or symptom that bothers you. I will find time to answer your questions before you need to come to the office in person.

• Medical face masks and sanitizer are available for clients’ safety.
• All surfaces, including a massage table, chairs and a table at the reception room are disinfected.
• Now when the work in person is not that intense, I use an opportunity to sanitize the surfaces on the eve of the visit of each client.

I will be glad to see you. Please leave some time for a preliminary call by phone or online.

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