I've been a massage therapist operating in the capital district of NY since 2017, primarily focusing my practice in shiatsu style massage after falling in love with the style at massage school. I've recently returned to work after more than a year and a half in recovery from spinal injuries sustained at the end of 2019. While still on the road to recovery, my physical therapists and I agreed that it's time for me to return to work. Albeit with a limited schedule for the time being. The short version of that is that I won't be able to take more than a few clients each week, and the only openings in my schedule at present are in the evenings. A little about who I am and what I'm about:
I'm transgender, autistic, and a survivor of domestic abuse. My formative years, as well as several experiences in early adulthood created a false narrative that I was worthless, inherently bad at everything, and incapable of improving. In fact, the only reason I went to massage school was that it was the one thing that people told me I was any good at. Foot rubs. Giving massages was the one thing I knew I could do...
And then massage brought an awareness to my body and my mind that forced me to rexamine all the lies I'd taken in. The lies about self worth. The ways adults would gaslight me by dehumanizing me and then demanding my respect for them while insisting I earn theirs. Trauma is not an overnight process. Nor is healing. The process of healing started with massage, but required counseling therapy and physical therapy. I only recently (as of December 2021) started talking with my PTs about how we're trying to address the problems my doctors wanted me to go to PT for back in 2000... as well as the problems that came of an automotive collision in 2007. These experiences don't make me an expert on trauma. I've not studied thousands of cases or compiled data on trauma statistics. I'm just someone who's walked the journey of recovery, and I bring that experience to my understanding of the body and how it holds onto the past. As such, my shiatsu work largely has focused on trauma recovery, whether it be from violence, accidents, loss, or ongoing stress. Nearly everyone has something they're holding onto. Nearly everyone has something they're waiting to let go of. Shiatsu can be an adventure of self discovery for many, and for others it can be simply an escape from stress and pain. For me, it was a doorway to growth and better understanding of myself. It is my hope that, through my practice, others may find the relief and support they need to heal, to grow, and to explore their own needs and abilities. One last thing. I consider myself trauma informed through my experiences and through the experiences of those who've shared theirs while in my care. I am not certified by any agency to call myself a "Trauma Informed Therapist". I am also not a licensed mental health counselor or psychologist. I can listen to your experiences if you share them. I can talk to you about the emotions related to specific meridians along the body, and I can talk to you about my understanding of the Traditional Chinese Medicinal system that shiatsu is based on. But I am not a replacement for an actual counseling therapist, or a doctor. I have roughly the equivalent to and associate's degree in trade school education and a handful of psych classes from when I last went to college. Disclaimers aside, thank you for taking the time to read this and please feel free to message me to set up a time for your first station with me!
~Raven J. Auslander, LMT
