Experience profound healing.
Bodywork that assists in processing trauma and alleviating chronic pain.
Experience profound healing.
Bodywork that assists in processing trauma and alleviating chronic pain.
My Mission
Hello, my name is Helaina Spannagel and welcome. I have been a licensed Massage Therapist and Bodyworker for 10 years and increasingly became more interested in the emotional aspect of massage - specifically emotional release. When i had experienced my very own emotional release during a bodywork session, it opened a door i had been searching for my whole life. Since then, i’ve attended the Integrative Psychology Institute and have created a practice where both body and mind are worked with in releasing trauma.
What is emotional release?
Have you ever been in a position where you tried to keep yourself from crying and you get a “lump in your throat”? It starts to actually hurt and ache from not letting yourself cry. The initial emotional reaction wasn’t able to be expressed so then the body internalizes it and it manifests physically. That charge was never released, it still sits with you somewhere. When we focus our attention on the suppressed emotion, we are giving it a space and time to be processed which leads to release. Release happens in a spectrum of ways. Suppressed emotions can come out in bursts of laughter to full blown survival screams and everything in between!
Why is release important?
Sounds scary? Just think about how it’s living in your body unprocessed. A lot of unfortunate things can happen when our body is under constant stress with no outlet. In a society that glorifies “grind culture” and fast-paced living, not sitting with our emotions when they arise is becoming more and more common. Having to push past boundaries and do beyond what’s comfortable for ourselves has a price. It’s traumatizing. Some traumas can be so severe that the conscious mind doesn’t remember but the subconscious does. The nervous system then becomes compromised. The nervous system brings our body into Fight or Flight which is survival mode (fight, flight, fawn, freeze). When our body is in constant survival mode, our immune system cannot and will not function properly. When the immune system cannot function properly, our health starts to become an issue. Physical health, mental health, spiritual health. All aspects of our health become affected by internalizing emotions. Disease can occur when emotions are internalized because the immune system cannot function efficiently. Chronic pain comes and never leaves. These are real side effects of internalizing emotions. The body will try to find a way to deal with what wasn’t able to be expressed. Bodywork with the intention of release offers a route for that emotional charge to no longer live with you.
How does a deep release happen?
Deep release happens through a variety of modalities but the breath is the core tool. When we use yoga, meditation, or massage the breath tells where the tension lives within the body. For example, have you ever had someone squeeze your shoulders or work a knot out and you hold your breath? When breathing doesn’t happen effortlessly, it’s because the body is bracing. When the body is bracing, it is not fully relaxed. A lot of people have the misconception of “no pain, no gain” and while that is true in some aspects of bodywork, it’s not an effective method to apply with the intention of deep, nervous system rewiring, release. Our goal is to make the body feel safe enough to be able to process what it has hung onto for so long and the breath is key. When the body feels safe, that is when the nervous system stops sounding the alarm and can turn off the flight or fight response. So when we come across an area of tension, the goal is to hold with intentional pressure, sit with it focusing in and practice deep breathing. This is when emotions may arise along with seeing certain images or colors. Whatever comes up is worth sitting with. No matter what modality being used whether it’s yoga, meditation or massage, the breath is what we work with directly for the purpose of release.
Trust & Patience.
This work takes trust between one another. It’s not easy to allow yourself to be vulnerable enough for the body to let go. Trauma forces us to cope in ways where vulnerability is the last thing that seems attainable. These are things i am mindful of as a practitioner but it’s important as the client to know this too. It’s important to know because a release might not happen the first, second or even third session. It highly depends on how safe your nervous system feels. This is where patience becomes very important. Think about how long the body has held onto the stress - it will likely not take one session to undo years of suppression although it does happen. So these things are important to remember because even when there might not be a “huge” release, every session is important in assisting to experience it.
My Modalities
Free Consultation
20-25 minute, no pressure, conversational session designed to explore your needs. Allowing you to ask questions and gain an understanding of what this work is and if my approach is a good fit for your body and nervous system.
Signature Massage
My full body therapeutic massage customized to your body’s needs using a blend of different techniques that include deep tissue, myofascial release and relaxation.
Somatic Release Massage
A massage using light touch and gentle, sustained pressure to help the body unwind stored tension. Rather than deep pressure, the focus is on stillness, presence, and creating a sense of safety for the nervous system. This subtle approach allows the body to soften naturally, releasing stress at its own pace. The result is a calm, grounded feeling. This is the approach I use when both me and the client are aware of where the trauma is stored within the clients body.
Somatic Therapy + Massage Session
A 30 minute 1:1 somatic practice for the purpose of finding tension within the body and where certain emotions, experiences or traumas may be stored within the muscles. Ending with a 60 minute massage bringing the knowledge from the somatic session into the massage session for intentional and deep release.
Somatic Therapy Techniques:
What is a Somatic Practice? It’s a 1:1 body based healing practice using breathwork, yoga, meditation and titration. The point of these sessions will help us become more mindful of where tension and trauma may be stored within the body and bring that information into a massage session for deeper release. It’s all about bringing what’s suppressed in the subconscious to the conscious mind.
Biodynamic Breathwork
Designed to release chronic tension and trauma stored in the body by combining deep, connected breathing with movement, sound, touch and emotional expression.
Somatic Yoga
a mindful, slow-paced practice prioritizing internal physical sensations over external form, designed to release chronic tension and calm the nervous system.
Somatic Meditation
a body-centered practice focusing on physical sensations rather than mental thoughts to calm the nervous system, release trauma, and build emotional awareness.
Titration
A gentle paced and slow “drop by drop” technique for processing trauma. Processing stress or trauma in tiny, manageable bites to avoid re-traumatizing or nervous system overload while processing and building capacity to heal.