Judith Gabriel Integrational Bodyworks

BODYWORK TECHNIQUES
COLLARDWORK THERAPY (Intuitive Bodywork) is a body treatment that provides structural analysis and correction by means of soft-tissue manipulation, stretching, and by deep holding and energetic techniques as it addresses the underlying physical, mental and emotional patterns contributing to system imbalances, disease, malaise, and reactive behavior. The body is a three-dimensional picture of who we are on all levels. THE BODY NEVER LIES! We know that thoughts and emotions impact the body, and we can also discover our deeply held thoughts, emotions, and fears by examining and working with the body. This is a clothes-on treatment that feels as if you've just meditated and received a full-body massage.
DEEP THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE is a treatment that supports the circulatory, lymphatic, and nervous systems as well as the muscle and fascia of the body through soft tissue manipulation. Massage contributes to the alleviation of headaches, backaches, stress, sluggish circulation, slowed immune response, muscular tension and fatigue, as well as neck, shoulder, and head discomfort. The client also experiences a general sense of serenity and well-being after a massage treatment. The client is always discreetly covered.
REIKI is a gentle, therapeutic touch, using universal energy that surrounds us all to facilitate the release of muscular tension, stress, and imbalances in the body. The client remains dressed during the session. A very good technique to introduce the new and shy to touch and bodywork.
REFLEXOLOGY connects with specific pressure points on the feet to stimulate homeostasis in all body systems. Bodywork, no matter what form, aids in clearing the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of a person. It makes one soar like an eagle.
PREGNANCY MASSAGE is a general wellness massage for the Mother-To-Be to relax that aching back and just generally make her feel pampered and relaxed with additional neck and shoulder relief or additional head hands and feet pampering.
CORPORATE CHAIR MASSAGE gives your employees the gift they deserve. Breaks with chair massage show you care about the well-being of your employees. They get to relax and have their neck, back, shoulders and upper arms relieved from the stress of sitting at computers, bending over desks, patients, etc.
Day Spa Services create a retreat from the stresses of every day life to refresh and renew your body, mind, and spirit. Go to bottom of price page for spa services and prices.
	“In the hands of my father, in the light of the sunshine, on the wings of an eagle, I'm flying again...I'm flying again!” —John Denver “On the Wings of an Eagle” (Cherry Lane Music Publishing Inc., 1971) John Denver believed in bodywork and pursued self-knowledge his whole life. Pictured Left: Eagle at Hawk Mountain Raptor Sanctuary, venue for John Denver Tribute Concerts 2000-2001.
HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF MASSAGE Massage has existed for thousands of years, beginning with the Greeks in Western Civilization. Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, advocated massage and exercise, while Aesclepiades, a Greek physician of mythical proportion, relied solely on massage and hydrotherapy. The many remnants of ancient "Aesclepions" or spas thoughout the Mediterranean attest to the popularity and belief that massage along with its adjuncts-exercise, heat, water, and diet-could and, in fact, did heal people of whatever ailed them. What "healed" them was not, of course, the treatment itself as we so often think today, but rather the body healed itself, purified and supported by these therapies. The fact that the Greeks put their spas between the theater-where they worshipped through the creation of drama- and their athletic fields shows that the Greeks truly understood that man is body, mind, and spirit; and, to be complete, he must address his needs in a "holistic" manner. The primary goal of massage then is to create wholeness and balance within the body-homeostasis, as it is called in medicine-so that it can do what it does so well--heal itself. Before the Greeks--Egyptian, Persian, Chinese and Japanese medical histories are full of references to massage. In fact, the art of manual medicine has always been a part of medicine as a whole and is the precursor to chiropractic, osteopathy, and physical therapy. Massage is as old as man himself. Think about what you do when you hurt a part of your body, even internally. The instinct is to rub the hurt body part or the general area over the internal pain to make it feel better, and it does! The art of massage was lost in the Medieval Ages as so many things were. Lay practitioners were the only ones who continued to practice massage and herbal medicine, and because of ignorance, they were persecuted by society. Only after the Renaissance did mainstream medicine begin to toy once again with manual medicine. The Frenchman, Ambrose Pare, began to use massage for muscle stiffness and to speed recovery after surgery. Henrick Per Ling brought the ancient practice of massage to his fencing and gymnastic students in Sweden, thus giving the Swedes credit for making massage therapy respected medically and precipitating the advent of physical therapy. Seeing the benefits of these older therapies, Europeans created spas where they could go to "take the waters," receive massage therapy, and experience the best of pure and wholesome living. Interestingly, Europeans saw these trips as a necessary hiatus from modern living; whereas, the less experienced Americans considered them extravagant luxuries or crackpot cures. Californians, always on the cutting edge of the new and sometimes bizarre, were the first to bring therapies and practices such as yoga, considered a form of bodywork, and massage to America, creating the first TV show featuring yoga and hosting the premier institute for body awareness and self-development--the Esalen Institute. Earlier, people like Kellogg of Battle Creek, Michigan, ran health retreats where people went to purify with exercise, massage, taking the waters-inside and out, plus wholesome eating. In fact, in an attempt to create a new and interesting breakfast food for his vegetarian guests, Kellogg's chef ruined an experimental recipe which consisted of grain. Not having anything else to serve his guests, the desperate Kellogg fed them the dry, crunchy “ruined recipe” which became a staple of the American diet, cornflakes. The fact is that massage has been a part of hospital routines for centuries, stimulating blood and lymph circulation for the bedridden as well as preventing bedsores from occurring. Ironically, just as massage is gaining popularity to an ever more aware babyboomer generation working to stave off the ravishes of age, the American healthcare system is in crisis and overworked nurses or LPN's no longer have time to give the soothing and much anticipated daily massage. Another reason massage therapy is increasing in popularity is the understanding that the overuse of pharmacology can defeat itself in the long run and that keeping oneself healthy is a better alternative to drugs after one has become ill. This reason in itself has prompted doctors and surgeons to re-examine the art and science of manual medicine, including energetic techniques such as Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, and Collardwork Therapy which uses energetic along with manipulative work. In some midwestern hospitals, one can receive "complimentary medicine" before an operation that is usually some sort of "laying on of hands." Their documented experience is that patients are calmer before the surgery, therefore making the body less stressed, and that patients heal faster after surgery. Since massage works on the neurological, chemical, and mechanical systems of the body simultaneously, it affords one of the best defenses against the onslaught of stress, hormonal/chemical imbalances, structural imbalances, muscular aches and pains due to lack of exercise, stress, and structural problems, and even emotional distress caused by fatigue and general physical malaise. In the spring of 2003, PBS aired a program on how ultimately thoughts create disease-an idea that first became popular as psychosomatic disease but has always been suspect by doctors at large. Now medical science is uncovering how the brain and its thoughts do in fact mightily affect the body for good or for worse, the underlying philosophy of Kriya Yoga (Rebirthing, Conscious Connected Breathing). Not only do these findings enhance the credibility of manual medicine but also support the idea of a body, mind, spirit connection while creating a sense of self-control and empowerment in the individual. Knowing that the greatest pharmaceutical store lies within, controlled by the most powerful computer known to man, and powered by the universe itself creates a sense of awe and respect for one's own unique life--a fact not always appreciated by modern physicians. Ancient healers and shamans since the beginning of man's history knew these facts to be true and used many techniques that are now employed by both doctors and therapists, such as placebos, cognitive therapy, meditation, breathing techniques, laugh therapy--anything to change the mind of the ill to make them think they are healed or help them focus on the positive, which in turn releases powerful chemicals within the body to support and sometimes alter body chemistry and balance and/or boost the immune system. So how to find a therapist of manual, energetic, or body/mind/spirit techniques. First, he should shop around to see which technique and practitioner he prefers. Look at his education, experience, and philosophy. Much the same way that one must feel comfortable with a psychologist, one must also feel comfortable with his bodywork practitioner to relax completely. Never do anything with which you do not feel comfortable no matter what someone else tells you. You might want to examine your fears and hesitation later, educate yourself further on a topic, or get a second opinion and discover that your fears are unfounded, but if we are to "know ourselves" we must first trust ourselves that we know what is good for us. As Leon Chaitow states in his forward to Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage, a foremost text in massage therapy training, there are as many massages as there are massage therapists. Remember that bodywork is an art as well as a science; the client simply needs to shop around and find the best therapist for his needs--one who does not claim to cure him but to facilitate his healing, referring him to the appropriate physician or therapist when necessary. In Pennsylvania, massage is not a licensed therapy; therefore, most therapists try to be certified by one of the two national certification groups, either the American Massage Therapy Association, AMTA (also giving National Certification), and the Associated Bodyworkers and Massage Professionals, ABMP. Anyone belonging to these groups abides by rules of ethics put forth by these institutions. Anyone graduating from a "certified school" in PA is simply saying that the school has been approved by the state as an instructional facility. The philosophy, age, and credibility and training of staff are important criteria when looking at a school. Popularity breeds every vocational and fly-by-night school to offer massage therapy without an understanding of massage as an art, turning out ill-prepared practitioners. Prices vary from state to state and from city to suburb. It depends on experience and training. Prices can range from $30 from the housewife with little training trying to earn some spending money to $150 at a highly fashionable spa. Don't be a slave to time. A skilled practitioner may spend less time with greater results than someone who actually does less work but spends more time with you. Likewise the depth of practice makes a difference also, since the therapist can do fewer of these wonderful treatments a day and must, therefore, charge a higher price. Certain techniques take more schooling and therefore require a higher price. Lastly, do not be fooled by atmosphere. Let's face it, during a massage, eyes are closed, and if the environment is safe, clean, smells good, and is devoid of distractions, the client may do well to go to a private office or home office instead of a spa for which he pays high prices for building and ambiance. If a client is going for a massage alone, the work should dictate the price. Also realize that in spas, a tip is generally expected on top of the hourly rate. Lastly, keep in mind that massage training is expensive and time consuming and that the certifying establishments demand that practitioners continue to train. Keeping the body/mind/ spirit connected and in good health so that it can manage itself is ultimately the most desirable way to handle the prospect of stress and disease. We are most thankful for the drugs and surgical techniques that are a part of modern medicine--and wouldn't it be nice if we never had to use them.
	“Like the mighty blue ocean that keeps rolling on every shore, like the spirit that binds us together, we are so much more than islands.” — John Denver "Islands" (Cherry Lane Music Publishing Inc., 1980)