From a young age, Susan knew she wanted to contribute something positive for the greater good and to help improve people’s lives. Susan has always had an intuitive understanding of the body and the effects stress can have and after doing a little research, she realized massage therapy is a great way to do that. Susan went on to complete the 770-hour Holistic Massage certification at Spa Tech Institute-Plymouth. While in school, Susan discovered the intangible connection between mind body and soul. She felt a calling to spirituality and energy work and educated herself further on physical and psychosomatic aspects. Massage therapy is a very effective way to help in those aspects.

At the start of her massage therapy career she initially focused on Therapeutic Massage and after a year of practicing, she noted the positive impact that Sports Massage and Deep Tissue modalities had on clients in addition to Therapeutic techniques. This helped her focus on communication with clients to identify their needs and provide a better service. In addition to improving her craft. Susan never stops learning, ever curious and always developing knowledge of kinesiology and holistic wellness to share with her clients.

Susan is a strong believer that versatility and being able to read people’s bodies and understand their needs is extremely important. Examples of things she looks for are daily stressors, the ergonomics of clients workstations, habitual holding patterns in the body, types of daily activities, etc.  She specializes in chronic pain and can provide a wide variety of services to meet each individual client’s needs. Her intention is to identify and unravel underlying issues/stressors and exacerbating factors as clients come in with discomfort and pain such as trouble sleeping, chronic headaches, muscle aches, etc.  Susan likes to get to know the client personally, not just the presenting issue.

Excited for the next chapter in her journey at Massage Therapy of Boston, she is looking to further her knowledge and technique with the goal being to provide client’s the best service she can.

I graduated from the Massage Institute of New England and have been working as a Bodyworker and Licensed Massage Therapist in the Greater Boston Area since 2006. My certifications include Deep Tissue Therapy, Clinical Massage Therapy and Core Movement Integration (CMI). My work can be described as intuitive drawing on a core of anatomical understanding transmitted through myofascial release, neuromuscular, trigger point therapy and deep tissue techniques using light to deeper pressure to break up adhesions. A session may also be active involving CMI gentle repatterning exercises engaging the client’s brain as we reinforce positive movement pathways through the entire body solidifying better movement habits and postural correction.

CMI is a modality expanding on the principles of Feldenkrais. Each exercise is accompanied with hands on guidance through gentle movements used to lengthen the spine and muscles while training the brain to learn efficient movements. This is called neuro-somatic reprogramming. All movements of our body are wired in our brains. Neuroscience 101: neurons that fire together wire together. When we retrain our bodies to move more efficiently, we retain that in our brain which in turn translates into our bodies and movement.

I found myself drawn to bodywork several years ago in the 1990’s through my exploration in the martial arts. Trips to herbal shops and acupuncturists in Chinatown working through inevitable injuries attained through hours of training. Into my late 20’s I worked physical jobs. My career at the time was as a field technician for an environmental consulting firm. Hard, long days in all the weather New England has to offer lifting heavy equipment for remediation systems rewarded me with a back injury that still speaks to me occasionally to this day. By the time I was 29 I was enrolling with the Massage Institute of New England as a steppingstone to better understand the human system, as well as learn about extending my own health and well-being.

What was learned by this journey? Healthy movement habits, hands-on treatments through massage and other bodywork modalities work. I have brought myself out of physical crisis when my low back has “gone out” through repatterning exercises and with the help of trained practitioners. It is possible to live well through a discipline of self-care. What does this mean for you as a client? My mission as a therapist is to provide my clients with bodywork that relieves their pain, as well as empowering them with the tools to enhance their well-being and health on their own.