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what people experience:

‎”After a decade of chronic pain and excuses, I feel like I can live in my body again. I was completely unaware of the extent to which I was disconnected from my body and my life. Hellerwork has not just given me relief from the pain but a renewed awareness of my emotional, physical, and social life and the patterns that have been dictating them.” — Michael, 31

“Wonderful changes in my body, freer movement and much improved posture along with decreased pain. I am so glad I’m doing this!”  — Karen, 59

“I have a spinal issue that affects my tendons. When I began addressing these issues with Amelia, I had extreme pain and little flexibility. Over the past year, I have I feel like I have overcome huge obstacles and finally am able to move freely and without pain. I can walk, exercise, and do many things I couldn’t do before I began Hellerwork. Prior to this I had two years of physical therapy. It didn’t come close to giving me the help and relief that Hellerwork did!” — Gale, 47

“Amelia is amazing….she came highly recommended as a miracle worker (and she is). I had a chronic (20 years +) a worsening hip condition and a similarly chronic, painful and intractable neck/shoulder problem. Over the years I tried many therapies, none effective. Amelia completely eliminated the hip grinding and pain.  It stayed gone for months and returned to a small degree during a several months hiatus and was re-banished after a “tune-up” session.  My neck/shoulder pain has significantly improved – - I finally have many hours and days with no pain…and rarely a headache, something that was a constant companion.  I’m a 54 year old slow but tenacious runner and during my work with her I developed plantar fasciitis.  A disaster since I was training for my first relay. Between her direct body work and her suggestions about how to modify my running form and care for my foot, I recovered quickly, enjoyed a pain free race and improved my time. Amelia is thoughtful, attentive, persistent and creative–she will leave no stone unturned in her search for just the right push, pull, or pressure point.  I walk out of a session with her feeling taller, lighter and alive.  I can’t thank her enough.” — Barbara, 54

“She is amazing and has helped me completely transform my body into a nicer place to live, as well as providing a meaningful dialogue with my own mental processes.” — Gaelen, 31

“Tremendous transformation! Increased connection between mind body and spirit. I have increased ease, a much greater sense of well being and more joy!” — Ann Marie, 39

“This was a valuable experience for me. I learned a great deal about how my body works, and how Hellerwork can improve its function. A hip problem and an intermittent shoulder pain are much improved and more importantly I know why and can change my habits. My walking is easier with a more graceful gate. It’s been especially helpful in giving me the feeling that I can age more gracefully, more freely and with better balance. My hellerwork practitioner taught me how honoring of self and body Hellerwork and she are. She is amazingly skilled!” — Sally, 69

“The hellerwork experience with Amelia has been very beneficial in restoring flow and flexibility in my body.” — Julie, 29

“Amelia has done excellent work with me- very creative…She has a deep understanding of the body and how to work with it.” — Lea, ..

“Transformative in body mind and soul. I found a whole new way to move and open my heart!” — Bek, 35

“My Hellerwork experience with Amelia has been invaluable. Every session has organically built on to the next and has been done with keen awareness to my personal assets, providing quantitative and qualitative results in my structure, range of motion, level of tension, and state of mind being.” — Amelia, 40

Hellerwork Structural Integration can:

• Work on a deeper structural level than relaxation-focused massage
• Heal injuries, trauma and chronic pain
• Provide potential alternatives to surgery, braces and orthotics
• Allow you to play a more active role in your own physical wellness

and can help you:

• Move with more ease and efficiency
• Amplify your awareness through increased self-observation
• Gain facility and comfort in your body

who benefits from this work?

Everyone can! We all experience, a lifetime influenced by gravity, trauma and increasing demands on our bodies. Contributing factors can include:

• surgeries or lacerations resulting in a scar
• car accidents
• child birth
• repetitive, habitual movement related to, work, exercise, sleep, sitting, standing
• broken bones
• asthma/difficult breathing (prolonged respiratory illness)
• social/emotional challenges
• joint trauma

Touch is therapeutic. There are many different approaches to bodywork, and countrywide, there are vastly differing levels of regulation and training in the field. Fortunately, Washington State has among the highest legal, ethical and training standards. The Seattle area in particular, is a mecca of excellence in alternative health care. Reasons for bodywork can cover a broad spectrum ranging from caring and relaxation focused experience, to maintaining a higher level of function, to highly-specific injury treatment and preventative care.

We all experience traumas, large and small, on some level throughout our lifetime. Layer upon layer, our whole body intelligently responds to and compensates for each experience. In that accommodation, we develop systems of movement and function that, over time, can create pain and require a conscious effort to unravel and return to balance. A key player in this dynamic process is a tissue called fascia.

The fascial system is an all-encompassing structure of dense, soft tissue literally holding us together. It is a strong and malleable force in the body allowing us to move and stabilize, keeping us upright and strong. Beneath the skin, fascia is a connective tissue that contains our organs – heart, lungs, brain, all of our muscles (even each muscle fiber) and bones.

When this tissue hardens and loses range of motion, imagine the affect on all the functioning systems in your body.

When we allow movement and resilience to the tissue, imagine the potential of all the functioning systems in your body.

To understand a little about the character of fascial tissue, locate the center of your thigh between your knee and hip. Here, with your fingertips touch both the inside and outside of your leg. Notice the density on the outside and the slightly softer quality on the inside. Your outside hand is palpating a large thick fascial band that is close to the surface.