About Me

I was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up mostly in Virginia and upstate New York. I studied linguistics at the University of Rochester, NY, before getting a BA and MA in Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In Ann Arbor I got seriously interested in the human body as an energy system, or complex of systems, and started working with it personally in various ways. I dropped out of grad school after my master’s and worked awhile at the university, then moved to Chicago, where I started experimenting with nutrition and herbs. Then I took some time off to travel in Asia and Europe. Back in the states, I moved to Portland, OR. Eventually I took a job with the federal government and was stationed in Eastern Washington, then Denver, Colorado, where I fulfilled two longstanding goals: to take a tai chi class, and to get Rolfed.other

By the time I got to Denver I was trying to decide whether to become a chiropractor, a massage therapist, or a physical therapist. After my fifth Rolfing (Structural Integration) session from Nina McIntosh, I was so impressed that I decided none of the first three choices would do; I had to go into Structural Integration. However, some massage experience was recommended before Structural Integration training, so I returned to Eastern Washington, went through massage school, and practiced massage for a few years. By that time the Guild for Structural Integration had been reborn, so I had the great good fortune to study at GSI with Emmett Hutchins, a phenomenal artist of Structural Integration, and one of the world’s great teachers.

Since graduating in 1992 I've practiced Structural Integration in the inland Pacific Northwest.  I've learned that the Recipe, Dr. Rolf's 10-session series, is itself a great teacher.  Along the way I've found additional sources of insight into the role of fascia in structural and energetic balance.  On the purely energetic side, MCKS Pranic Healing has added a great deal of understanding.  More recently, hand surgeon Jean-Claude Guimberteau's research into the nature of fascia has been a revelation; I think every bodyworker who's ever experienced a lecture or class with him must work differently from then on. Rolfer Sharon Wheeler's great class in scar work has also added a new dimension to my work. Both of these great teachers can be viewed on YouTube.