WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A MASSAGE THERAPIST?
Kim’s journey to being a massage therapist started when she was pregnant. She started seeing a chiropractor for the pain she was experiencing during pregnancy which piqued her interest about the field of alternative therapies. She saw a TV commercial advertising massage school, and it really clicked for Kim and shortly there after she started her education in massage therapy.
Kim always desired to make her living contributing something positive to the world, and had previously fulfilled the healer and “caretaker” role for her friends. She graduated from the Boulder School for Massage Therapy and has been certified now for six years.
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIALTY OR FAVORITE AREA OF THE BODY YOU WORK ON?
Kim enjoys working on a lot of different people who have a lot of diverse needs. She practices a range of techniques from light-touch myofacial release to deep tissue therapeutic and sports massage, and thrives on the variety available in her profession through working on different clients. Kim loves that her job involves making people happy or at the very least, feel better than they were – if they are in pain she works towards relieving that pain.
One of her specialty skills includes Inter-Oral massage, which can be very beneficial for folks with Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ), a dysfunction of the joint between the jawbone and the skull. Inter-Oral massage involves the therapist wearing a sterile glove to work the muscles inside the mouth to ease the tension in these muscles and the pain associated with the disorder. Kim admits it sounds awkward but adds that it is an amazingly effective treatment for relieving TMJ-related pain. It is also incredibly beneficial for people who have on-going or chronic headaches, as well as for folks who have extreme tension in their sub-occipital area (around the base of the back of the head) that does not release with just neck and shoulder massage. Kim will work not only on an area that is giving a client pain, but also the area where the pain is actually being caused, which is not always the same place on the body. This is in following with her goal of not only relieving the immediate pain, but also to support the client to progressively improve their condition permanently.
Kim is also certified in Zen Shiatsu – a massage modality that works on the same meridians (a path through which life-energy flows) that are used in acupuncture. This technique works energetically on the client using physical pressure of the hand or thumb along the entire meridian. The intent is to treat all of the levels of a person’s being – physically, energetically, mentally and spiritually. Zen Shiatsu is also great for folks who feel discomfort disrobing for a massage, as it is practiced fully clothed. People who are looking for energy work incorporated into their massage, or want some of the benefits of acupuncture but may be sensitive or reactive to acupuncture, would be well-suited to Zen Shiatsu. The depth of touch can vary just like any massage.
In fact, a light-touch like in the myofacial technique can actually work more profoundly and subtly than deep-tissue massage. The facial tissue connects to and surrounds everything within the body, and releasing with light-touch prevents a reactive response from the area being worked. Myofacial massage releases all of the connective tissue between every muscles group, allowing those muscles to make more enduring changes over time. This type of massage also allows a client to relax during the treatment, even while great transformations are happening within their body.
HOBBIES ? INTERESTS?
Kim enjoys camping and hiking, and is currently in school doing a double-major in Psychology and Anthropology as well as working at The Wellness Center and raising her two children…phew!
