Mystic Touch Therapy: Holistic Bodywork and Healing Journey

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St. Petersburg, FL, USA

Healing isn't just a phase...

My Story

Rustic barn in a green field under a cloudy sky.

In the beginning...

I grew up on a small farm in upstate New York, surrounded by nature, animals, and open space. Much of my childhood was spent outdoors exploring the land, caring for horses, chickens, our family dog, and an ever-growing collection of barn cats.

Some of my earliest experiences with attentive touch, presence, and quiet observation came through my relationship with horses. When I was only three years old, a newborn filly arrived on the farm. My mother placed me on her back as soon as she was strong enough to stand, and together we learned to ride and grow side by side. I spent countless hours with her in the pasture pictured above—learning to listen without words and developing a deep respect for the connection between body, trust, and nervous system regulation.

Looking back, I can see how those early experiences shaped my approach to bodywork education and energy healing today. My philosophy in massage therapy is grounded in careful observation, responsiveness, and the belief that meaningful change occurs through holistic healing practices when the body feels safe, supported, and given space to soften on its spiritual journey.

A sunlit green forest path surrounded by dense foliage.

Opening

During the spring semester of my first year of college, I met my best friend—the person who introduced me to new ways of thinking about connection, meaning, and the unseen aspects of human experience. This encounter sparked a curiosity that led me to delve into bodywork education, exploring spiritual traditions, metaphysical philosophy, energy healing, and the relationship between people and the natural world I had always felt connected to growing up.

As I immersed myself in learning about energy practices, crystals, chakra systems, and massage therapy, my understanding of holistic healing evolved. That season of exploration expanded my perspective on healing, encouraging me to remain open, trust observation and experience, and recognize that wellbeing is often influenced by more than just physical tension.

Today, that curiosity still thrives within my work—not as something separate from science or structure, but as a profound respect for the connection between body, mind, environment, and the human experience on this spiritual journey.

Silhouetted guitarist and red-lit singer performing on stage.

Falling Apart

After college, I moved to the city and chased my dream of becoming a vocalist. I believed music and sound had the power to move people and create healing through expression and connection.

I immersed myself completely in an underground music scene and became the lead singer of a darkwave band. Looking back, this chapter of my life felt like exploring parts of myself I hadn’t yet learned how to understand or integrate. What began as creative exploration gradually became an intense period of self-discovery, leading me to delve into bodywork education and energy healing practices.

Eventually, that intensity caught up with me. What I once saw as falling apart became the beginning of something deeper. It was in learning how to rebuild, reconnect, and care for myself differently that my real holistic healing journey began.

During that time, I was fortunate to have neighbors who introduced me to practices centered around ritual, energy work, and intentional care. One winter, when I became seriously ill and emotionally depleted, they supported me in ways that helped shift my perspective.

For me, those experiences weren’t about being magically healed—they helped me understand something I still carry with me today: healing isn’t something that happens to us. It’s something our bodies become more available for when we feel supported, regulated, hopeful, and connected.

That realization changed the direction of my life. I became curious not only about my own healing but also about creating spaces where others could reconnect with themselves through practices like massage therapy and experience that same sense of possibility on their spiritual journey.

My Healing Journey

Woman playing a large drum outdoors near a tree.

Seeking

After recovering from my illness, I became determined to understand what had happened and why I felt like I was carrying a heaviness I couldn’t explain. I sensed there was an imbalance of some kind—not just mentally, but physically and emotionally too, which led me to explore various forms of holistic healing.

I started searching for answers anywhere I could find them. Along the way, I visited an Ayurvedic acupuncturist and spent time learning from a retired psychologist who later devoted his work to more holistic and metaphysical approaches to healing. At that stage of my life, I wasn’t in a position to invest in extensive testing or long-term treatments, so I focused on bodywork education, learning what I could from people willing to share their knowledge, while I continued researching on my own.

Around that same time, I discovered Kirtan—a practice centered around music, chanting, and shared experience. Music had always been a part of my life, and I wondered if perhaps sound could play a role in energy healing, helping to restore something in me that felt lost.

Nothing changed overnight. But people in that community encouraged me to keep showing up and trust the process.

Later, someone invited me to a free three-hour devotional yoga class. When I left, I noticed something unexpected—I felt balanced for days afterward. At that point in my life, I felt easily thrown off course, so experiencing that kind of steadiness stayed with me.

That experience opened the door to yoga and self-practice. Since regular classes weren’t financially realistic for me at the time, I turned to books and libraries, immersing myself in the principles of massage therapy and continued learning on my own.

In retrospect, this was the beginning of my spiritual journey and understanding that healing often happens gradually—through repetition, curiosity, community, and practices that help us reconnect with ourselves over time.

Curving highway through lush mountains at sunset under a partly cloudy sky.

On the Road

After leaving the band and closing the chapter on the life I had built in the city, I found myself in an in-between space. I was still practicing yoga on my own and trying to find my footing while working jobs that never quite felt aligned with my path in bodywork education and energy healing.

Every summer for six years, I had stepped away from city life to work at a local Renaissance Festival. It became a place of friendship, creativity, and perspective—a place where people knew me differently and appreciated my interest in holistic healing.

That summer, my friends noticed what I had been trying not to admit to myself: something wasn’t working anymore.

For years they had encouraged me to join them and travel. This time, I said yes.

For the first time in a long while, there was nothing holding me in place. I packed up and chose movement instead of certainty.

Part of me wondered if what I needed wasn’t another answer or another practice—but simply a new experience, a new rhythm, and a chance to rediscover myself outside of everything I thought I was supposed to become, including my aspirations in massage therapy and my ongoing spiritual journey.

Person meditating on a mountain at sunrise with scenic views.

Earth Heart Mountain

There’s much more to this chapter than I can fit onto one page, but somewhere around the halfway point of my five years on the road, I met someone who would introduce me to another turning point in my spiritual journey.

I was invited to spend time at an off-grid homestead and yoga retreat tucked into the mountains of Kentucky. It was a place that felt removed from ordinary life—a place centered around practice, simplicity, connection, and deep exploration.

During my time there, I immersed myself in yoga, breathwork, Kriya, Kundalini practices, and philosophies that were far from mainstream at the time but became deeply influential in my own growth and understanding. This experience was akin to a living mystery school, not because anyone had answers, but because it created the space to ask better questions.

What I gained there wasn’t certainty. It was something more practical and lasting: daily practices, tools for regulation, a deeper relationship with myself, and experiences that expanded my understanding of holistic healing and energy healing.

My personal healing journey was far from over—and I’m not sure it ever truly ends. Over time, I’ve come to believe that healing is less about becoming someone new and more about returning to balance through bodywork education, learning to listen inwardly, and creating a life that supports who we already are through practices like massage therapy.

Education and Experience

Woman smiling while embracing a large tree trunk outdoors.

Learning the Language of the Body

My professional path into bodywork education began at Bhakti Academe of Intuitive Massage and Bodywork in Safety Harbor, Florida. Bhakti, a Sanskrit word meaning devotion, reflects the essence of my journey into holistic healing. While the school provided the required massage therapy curriculum, it emphasized a critical aspect that deeply shaped my practice today: learning how to listen. Beyond anatomy and technique, I was encouraged to develop presence, observation, and an understanding that every body communicates differently. The Bhakti approach to massage felt less like performing a sequence and more like engaging in a conversation through touch—intentional, responsive, and grounded in awareness. This foundation continues to influence my energy healing work today. After becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist, I began my career at Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa in St. Petersburg. My early years there offered invaluable repetition, experience, and thousands of hours of hands-on practice with a diverse array of bodies, conditions, and client needs. During that time, I pursued continuing education to expand my therapeutic skills. One of my earliest trainings was Secrets of Deep Tissue, where I studied trigger point therapy and myofascial release techniques used to address common patterns of chronic pain and restriction. Rather than replacing my original training, these experiences expanded it. Over time, I learned to blend therapeutic techniques with attentive touch and individualized care—an approach that continues to shape every session I offer today on my spiritual journey.

Woman in a purple jumpsuit balances on a stone ledge by a waterfront.

Returning to Practice

After several years of working in busy spa environments, I had gained valuable experience in massage therapy—but I had also become deeply burned out. The pace was demanding: clients scheduled back-to-back, limited time to reset between sessions, and very little space to practice in the thoughtful, intentional way I had imagined when I first entered the bodywork education field. My body let me know something needed to change. For a while, I considered stepping away from bodywork altogether. I even spent several months working as a stagehand and wardrobe assistant through IATSE—including time working on productions at the Straz Center, where I began reflecting on what I wanted my life and career to look like. Instead of walking away completely, I chose to reinvest in myself. I used much of what I earned to attend Yoga Teacher Training at Lotus Pond in Tampa. In many ways, this felt like a continuation of what had begun years earlier in the mountains. I had already developed a personal yoga and breathwork practice that helped me feel more balanced and connected, aligning with my journey in holistic healing. At Lotus Pond, the focus shifted from personal practice to learning how to guide others. Training in the Kripalu lineage introduced me more deeply to Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa—learning how to thoughtfully sequence movement, create flow, and support students through an intentional practice. Then something unexpected happened. Toward the end of training, a visiting teacher offered an introductory workshop in Thai Massage. That weekend changed everything. Thai Massage reflected many of the values that originally drew me to bodywork: presence, movement, responsiveness, and working with the body rather than against it. It felt effortless and expansive. More than anything, it reminded me why I fell in love with this work in the first place. For the first time, I could see how everything I had studied—massage, yoga, breathwork, energy healing, movement, and mindful touch—could come together into one integrated approach.

Hands gently touching green plants with pink and white flowers.

Feeling My Way Through

The more I practiced, the more I learned to listen—not only with my hands, but with observation, presence, movement, and experience in my bodywork education. Over time, it became more natural to notice patterns of tension, restriction, and holding while staying in the flowing, responsive style I had first learned through Bhakti. My Thai Massage training expanded this even further by teaching me how to work with pressure gradually and intentionally—what they describe as “pouring on weight.” Like many Eastern traditions, the teachings often relied on metaphor to communicate qualities that are difficult to explain with words alone in the realm of holistic healing.

This combination of approaches changed the way I practiced massage therapy. I began seeking environments that allowed me to engage in energy healing differently—places with enough space between sessions to stay present and provide thoughtful care rather than simply moving from one appointment to the next.

Eventually, I found Handcrafted Healing. Their philosophy aligned deeply with my own. Practitioners were encouraged to develop their individual style rather than fit into a single method. There was no separation between modalities or added fees for different techniques—just the freedom to respond to each client’s needs in the moment. That experience helped shape the philosophy I still carry into my practice today.

Around that time, I knew I wanted to continue deepening my education and pursue advanced training. I found myself drawn toward approaches that emphasized listening and working with the body rather than forcing change. Again and again, I noticed something both personally and professionally: the nervous system mattered.

Whether supporting clients through stress, tension, chronic holding patterns, or simply helping people feel more connected to themselves, I became increasingly interested in the body’s ability to soften and restore when it feels safe and supported. That curiosity led me to complete certification in CranioSacral Therapy through the Upledger Institute.

This training introduced me to a subtle, gentle approach that emphasizes careful observation, light touch, and supporting the body’s natural processes. Rather than forcing change, the work encourages awareness of patterns of restriction and creates opportunities for the nervous system to settle and respond.

A year later, I returned to Thai Massage to continue expanding my skills. I am currently completing advanced training with Ariela Grodner through the Bodhi Sangha School of Thai Massage. Today, everything I have learned—from massage therapy, yoga, Thai Massage, CranioSacral Therapy, and years of hands-on experience—comes together in the individualized way I care for clients now, reflecting my ongoing spiritual journey.