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Grace Breathe BSc, APNT, RCST
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About Me
I have lived and worked as a therapist in Stroud for the last eight years. I trained in Therapeutic Massage with the Maitri Foundation and in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy with Resonance Trainings, taught by Sheila Kean and Paul Vick. I am fully insured and registered with the APNT (Association for Physical and Natural Therapies), the CSTA (Craniosacral Therapy Association) and the BCMA (British Complementary Medical Association).
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral Therapy is a subtle but profound ‘hands-on’ therapy, suitable for all ages and conditions, that can help manage pain and resolve trauma and reconnect you to your reservoir of health and vitality. It works through very light touch on different parts of a client’s body. The therapist uses his/her hands to “listen” to the body’s story via the subtle movements and rhythms in the tissues of the body: bones, muscles, ligaments, fluids etc. This includes the cerebro-spinal fluid circulating around the nervous system in the core of the body, but also encompasses all parts of the body, as fluid fluctuates in every cell according to its inherent organising principles. Clients often find deep levels of relaxation in themselves, sometimes similar to meditative or pre-sleep states. Slowing down to ‘body pace’, the nervous system and tissues of the body have the opportunity to unwind and release energy for change. These changes that take place over a period of time are far more than simple adjustments, they also represent the potential for improving the body's overall health and function.
Craniosacral Therapy is helpful for all ages from birth to old age, especially for life's transitions such as birth, puberty, pregnancy, menopause, bereavement and illness. It can be used when massage is contraindicated, for the after effects of accident, shock, surgery and trauma and is useful for developmental and learning difficulties.
What to expect
Your first session with me will ideally be an hour and a quarter long, allowing time for me to take a thorough history and to discuss your treatment needs and expectations. Follow-up sessions are usually an hour long. For children, half an hour is usually sufficient after the first session.
I aim to provide a safe and comfortable environment to enable you to maximise the benefit of the treatment. I will ask you to lie down on the couch and help you to get comfortable. For craniosacral therapy you will remain clothed.
I usually work with the client lying face down or face up. However, if this is not comfortable, we can find an alternative position either lying on your side or sitting.
Sessions are usually fairly quiet with some dialogue about how you are feeling. You are always free to ask questions.
I allow time at the end of the session to ‘come to’ and discuss the treatment, giving any follow-up advice and recommendations for future sessions.
It is always helpful to allow time to relax before and after the session, if possible, so that your body can integrate the treatment. Many people feel unusually relaxed after treatments, some more energised, some may feel calm and alert at the same time. It can be helpful to keep a diary of your responses, particularly if having a series of treatments.
My Approach
My interest in the body and health goes back a long way, starting with a severe knee injury in childhood. Seeking treatments to address the residual complications led me in time to the humble yet effective approaches of touch therapies. My more recent studies in counselling and mindfulness have enriched my work and deepened my commitment to be ever more present to my client’s needs.
I love the profound simplicity and effectiveness of the power of touch when consciously applied. Touch comforts, heals and relaxes on all levels, bypassing the barriers of the mind and conveying care, security and well being without the need for words. Although it is often pain or stress that calls us back to a deeper relationship with the body through healing, touch therapies such as massage and craniosacral therapy are an ideal way to maintain good health too. The benefits may include the ability to access deeper levels of relaxation, relief from pain, a healthier connection to the body, a renewed sense of life and the ability to face its challenges.
I have always sought the deeper spiritual wisdom behind and within life's story and events. I find the combination of this perception with the power of touch is a potent avenue to healing, through open exploration of the felt sense to bring a fuller experience of connectedness to and within the body. Feeling and sensing is the language of the soul and clients have the opportunity to become more skilled in this language through repeat treatments. They may also gain the resources to make positive changes in their lives. Gentle and gradual change over time tends to be more effective and long lasting.
In my practice I find it humbling and uplifting to witness the wisdom of the human body and its innate tendency towards healing. Mindful touch provides a fertile ground in which the body/mind/soul can make its own adjustments at its own pace. Given the right conditions, it is through the body that we find our true home and self that, paradoxically, can take us beyond the body...
Please contact Grace on 07972 290 981 or [email protected].
if you would like to discuss how the therapies could benefit you.
I have lived and worked as a therapist in Stroud for the last eight years. I trained in Therapeutic Massage with the Maitri Foundation and in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy with Resonance Trainings, taught by Sheila Kean and Paul Vick. I am fully insured and registered with the APNT (Association for Physical and Natural Therapies), the CSTA (Craniosacral Therapy Association) and the BCMA (British Complementary Medical Association).
Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral Therapy is a subtle but profound ‘hands-on’ therapy, suitable for all ages and conditions, that can help manage pain and resolve trauma and reconnect you to your reservoir of health and vitality. It works through very light touch on different parts of a client’s body. The therapist uses his/her hands to “listen” to the body’s story via the subtle movements and rhythms in the tissues of the body: bones, muscles, ligaments, fluids etc. This includes the cerebro-spinal fluid circulating around the nervous system in the core of the body, but also encompasses all parts of the body, as fluid fluctuates in every cell according to its inherent organising principles. Clients often find deep levels of relaxation in themselves, sometimes similar to meditative or pre-sleep states. Slowing down to ‘body pace’, the nervous system and tissues of the body have the opportunity to unwind and release energy for change. These changes that take place over a period of time are far more than simple adjustments, they also represent the potential for improving the body's overall health and function.
Craniosacral Therapy is helpful for all ages from birth to old age, especially for life's transitions such as birth, puberty, pregnancy, menopause, bereavement and illness. It can be used when massage is contraindicated, for the after effects of accident, shock, surgery and trauma and is useful for developmental and learning difficulties.
What to expect
Your first session with me will ideally be an hour and a quarter long, allowing time for me to take a thorough history and to discuss your treatment needs and expectations. Follow-up sessions are usually an hour long. For children, half an hour is usually sufficient after the first session.
I aim to provide a safe and comfortable environment to enable you to maximise the benefit of the treatment. I will ask you to lie down on the couch and help you to get comfortable. For craniosacral therapy you will remain clothed.
I usually work with the client lying face down or face up. However, if this is not comfortable, we can find an alternative position either lying on your side or sitting.
Sessions are usually fairly quiet with some dialogue about how you are feeling. You are always free to ask questions.
I allow time at the end of the session to ‘come to’ and discuss the treatment, giving any follow-up advice and recommendations for future sessions.
It is always helpful to allow time to relax before and after the session, if possible, so that your body can integrate the treatment. Many people feel unusually relaxed after treatments, some more energised, some may feel calm and alert at the same time. It can be helpful to keep a diary of your responses, particularly if having a series of treatments.
My Approach
My interest in the body and health goes back a long way, starting with a severe knee injury in childhood. Seeking treatments to address the residual complications led me in time to the humble yet effective approaches of touch therapies. My more recent studies in counselling and mindfulness have enriched my work and deepened my commitment to be ever more present to my client’s needs.
I love the profound simplicity and effectiveness of the power of touch when consciously applied. Touch comforts, heals and relaxes on all levels, bypassing the barriers of the mind and conveying care, security and well being without the need for words. Although it is often pain or stress that calls us back to a deeper relationship with the body through healing, touch therapies such as massage and craniosacral therapy are an ideal way to maintain good health too. The benefits may include the ability to access deeper levels of relaxation, relief from pain, a healthier connection to the body, a renewed sense of life and the ability to face its challenges.
I have always sought the deeper spiritual wisdom behind and within life's story and events. I find the combination of this perception with the power of touch is a potent avenue to healing, through open exploration of the felt sense to bring a fuller experience of connectedness to and within the body. Feeling and sensing is the language of the soul and clients have the opportunity to become more skilled in this language through repeat treatments. They may also gain the resources to make positive changes in their lives. Gentle and gradual change over time tends to be more effective and long lasting.
In my practice I find it humbling and uplifting to witness the wisdom of the human body and its innate tendency towards healing. Mindful touch provides a fertile ground in which the body/mind/soul can make its own adjustments at its own pace. Given the right conditions, it is through the body that we find our true home and self that, paradoxically, can take us beyond the body...
Please contact Grace on 07972 290 981 or [email protected].
if you would like to discuss how the therapies could benefit you.