Today’s blog is written by Registered Massage Therapist, Devan Ridsdale.  Over her RMT career of 16 years, Devan has worked in a several different multidisciplinary clinics with many types of clients, patients and practitioners.  Having learned through co-workers, mentors, teachers and instructors, she has grown and experience many different healing arts and ways.

We welcomed Devan to Active Balance Health Centre in October 2024.

 

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Have you ever felt like your body is always on high alert, making you overly sensitive to sounds, touch, smells, or light? Do you hold your breath or find your breathing too shallow or too fast? Even if your mind knows you can relax, do your muscles stay tense, and headaches or migraines come back without a clear reason? Or maybe your digestion isn’t great?

These can be signs of chronic stress or trauma. Sometimes, practitioners can move too fast, press too hard, or be too loud, which may not help relax your body. Trauma-informed massage uses slow, careful touch to make your nervous system feel safe, helping your body move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling at ease.

For people who have gone through trauma, children, and those with disabilities, touch can sometimes feel more overwhelming than soothing. Some might be very sensitive to touch, while others might need deeper pressure to feel grounded. Each person’s treatment will be different depending on how they feel on the day of their appointment.

When a therapist understands trauma, chronic stress, sensory needs, and the importance of consent, they can help clients relax without fear and receive touch without feeling overwhelmed. This helps clients to truly rest and heal. Without this understanding, even a well-meant massage could feel invasive or upsetting instead of helpful.

Being flexible with different needs on different days and not forcing anything, therapists create a space for healing. It’s hard, and sometimes impossible, to heal a body that is stuck in survival mode. When someone cannot calm themselves, a therapist can help their system relax.

Your body knows how to return to a balanced state, but sometimes it needs help. Through slow, intentional massage, you can reconnect with a sense of calm, safety, and ease. Whether it’s you or your child struggling with nervous system issues, you don’t have to face it alone. Gentle touch can be a powerful step toward healing.

As a therapist with 16 years of massage experience, including trauma-informed education, Devan considers all this when working with clients. Devan’s clients range from stressed-out CEOs, parents, trades workers, and teachers, to more sensitive groups like children and adults with physical and mental disabilities, people in therapy or who have been in therapy, infants and children, pregnant and new mothers, and those who are grieving.

 

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In addition to trauma patients, Devan works with pediatrics, the vulnerable population and persons with disabilities.  With her education and experience, she provides a wide spectrum of massage techniques dependent on the needs of her clients.

As with all our qualified practitioners from Active Balance Health Centre, Devan offers complementary Meet & Greet appointments, either in-person or virtually.   To learn more about Devan, we invite you to visit her webpage by clicking HERE or click here to schedule an appointment.   You can book massage therapy, craniosacral treatment or face, head, hand & foot massage.  If you have any questions, please reach out confidentially to: rmt@activebalancehealth.ca  We are so blessed to have Devan at our clinic.