Philosophy
Massage Therapy, Inner Relationship Focusing, and Spiritual Direction
There’s a child’s cross-stitch that hangs in my reception area, and for almost 30 years now it has served as my homey sort of mission statement. Its simple and imperfect stitches read:
“May all who come
unto my door
sweet welcome find
and peace of mind.”
During a particularly painful time in my own life, I had the good fortune to work with some wise, compassionate and truly innovative people who taught me what I now share here. They showed me how to create a safe space inside myself for me to be with my own pain, and how to have a conversation with my pain by “listening” to my body. The body has its own language, much of which we ignore because it’s uncomfortable, or bizarre, or too subtle to notice. Listening to the body’s sensations, signals and intuitions is something that can be learned. Some do it naturally, but with practice, everyone can become better at it.
Over the years, my offer of “sweet welcome” has matured, as has my understanding of what brings peace of mind. I will always include my simpler wishes for my presence to be welcoming, and my massage to bring comfort and restoration of spirit.
What has changed is my desire to help clients find a deeper peace of mind that does not depend on comfort. I work with some very courageous people, living with different degrees and kinds of pain — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. They don’t want to have to wait until their pain is gone to have peace of mind. Some live with the knowledge that their pain may never be gone.
What I offer are three different paths — Massage, Inner Relationship Focusing, and Spiritual Direction — each has its own unique way of “listening” to the wisdom of the body.
Together, our presence can issue “sweet welcome” to our struggles, so we can sit down with them, and with the help of the body’s communication, learn a bit more about those struggles than our mind alone can teach us. These processes are empathic, gentle and kind, and being with the truth of how things are for us in this warm and accepting way gradually opens our hearts to ourselves. Sometimes what we sit with does not feel good, but the warmth of the conversation does. It brings enduring peace of mind, welling up from inside, right in the midst of our challenges.
SCHEDULE YOUR FREE ZOOM CONSULTATION
If this work appeals to you, I’d like to hear your story, and see if what I do is a good fit for you. I find the best way to do this is to have a free 30-minute consultation via Zoom. Feel free to reach out first by email if you prefer, and when you’re ready, we’ll schedule the video call. I hope to have the opportunity to meet you.
I came from a mindset that the body was dangerous, was not to be trusted, should be transcended, and that really, you shouldn’t even feel. Through massage and Focusing I’ve gained confidence that the body is a safe place. I sense that I am an ally now to my body, and I am on my side. That is big.
- AP, Birmingham, AL -
I know Kate will respond to me with a deep sense of love and respect and lack of judgement. She would never take away my or anybody else’s right to say what they feel or what they know in their own way. She has gentleness backed up by strength, by her ability to bear whatever comes … huge pain, anger, grief … that’s not going to knock her down or be threatening to her. For all of Kate’s techniques to be brought together into her unique offering, these techniques have to be in the hands of a skilled, trained, intuitive, and highly competent person. You can’t just buy it on the corner at the Seven Eleven.
- MTS, Birmingham, AL -