When you feel like you need some choice in your life again

Mindful massage therapy can make a world of difference to your healing journey.

Instead of something being done TO you, it becomes something that is happening WITH you, and this is a crucial step in your mindset towards restoring agency and choice back into your life.  

A person in your corner can generate feelings of trust, safety and knowledge, which can make the transition to your new body much easier.

When top surgery is the next vital step in your transition

You only get top surgery once, so it's worth investing in having as smooth a transition as possible, which will line you up to have pleasing results and minimal scar tissue. 

Pre-surgery preparation (aka prehab):

Preparing for your surgery can lessen the chances of having complications due to your body rejecting the surgery.  Prehab helps your body & mind be on board with what's happening, cultivating the experience of being a participant in your healing journey, rather than being at the mercy of it. 

Here are some of the things we can help with:

• "Loosening" chest muscles to accommodate implants or expanders more easily
• Improving circulation so sluggish blood can flow more effectively, nourishing all the tissues it touches
• Clearing debris from your lymph nodes through improving lymphatic flow
• Preparing your body/mind to receive the surgery, so you are an active empowered participant
• Answering questions about the different types of surgery you can choose from, and pros/cons of each so you can make an informed decision

Post-surgical Side Effects (aka rehab):

Starting massage therapy as early as possible helps reduce many of the side effects quickly and with less effort.  You can speed your recovery significantly, as well as stave off future complications. 

Here are some ways it can help:

• Reducing and eliminating common side effects such as pain, bruising, swelling, numbness, tightness and restricted range of motion
• Helping your new expanders to sit more comfortably, so they don't feel like "raw potatoes" painfully clamped to your chest
• Softening, stretching and mobilizing stubborn scar tissue so it returns to skin tone more quickly and does not impede your movement or appearance
• Restore confidence you can move and "do life" without tearing your surgical sites
• Help your new body feel like yours, rather than having a stranger sitting in your body
• Preventing complications from arising in the first place

Post-surgical Complications:

We always want to do everything we can to eliminate complications arising, but should they happen, next best thing is to reduce the effects and quickly and completely as possible.  

Here are some ways massage therapy can help:

• Softening and mobilizing capsular contracture, so your breasts sit more symmetrically on your chest and are able to move up and down, rather than feeling completely stuck, rigid and painful
• Reduce and eliminate chording (axillary web syndrome) in underarm, arm, breast, abdomen
• Overcome "Iron Bra" and Post-mastectomy Pain Syndrome (PMPS) so you no longer feel like you have a metal band wrapped around your torso or are in chronic pain
• Lymphedema prevention techniques so you can reduce lymphatic congestion and fluid build-up in arms, hands, chest, neck, abdomen, legs

Long-term Maintenance:

• Improve postural adaptations like an inwardly curved chest and hunched shoulders
• Chronic headaches from stress, nerve pain, tension and postural compensations
• Movement restrictions in arms, shoulders, neck, chest, back and trunk

Healthy Breast Massage:

• Practicing preventative care so your breast health stays in optimal condition
• Menstrual cycle discomfort can be greatly reduced by clearing sluggish circulation and reducing inflammation
• Mastitis or blocked milk ducts during the breastfeeding years