Unlocking Comprehensive Healing Through Integrative Therapies
that are both nurturing and transformative.
with Elaine Russell, Master CranioSacral Therapist
For starters, would you like to feel calmer in your body and nervous system, find
relief from headaches, chronic tension, and stress, or gain support for anxiety, sleep issues, and pain?
This is a holistic approach, designed to give you a unique healing experience, enlivening your body's innate wisdom to promote deep healing of mind, body, and spirit. CranioSacral Therapy, SomatoEmotional Release, Visceral Manipulation, BodyTalk, Lymphatic Drainage, and Reflexology all combine to address any symptoms you may have..
I am an experienced practitioner serving NorthWest Connecticut and am dedicated to guiding you towards optimal health and well-being and supporting your healing process with compassion and expertise.
After getting my Master's degree in voice from LSU, I moved to New York City in 1972. I was a member of the vocal sextet Western Wind for a number of years and toured Europe and the Far East with them. I went to India in 1978 and took Sannyas from the guru Rajneesh. Back in New York City, I was initiated into Pir Vilayat's Sufi Healing Order in 1979. I took trainings in NLP and Ericksonian Hypnosis and Laura Norman's Foot Reflexology, and did three levels of training with Marshall Rosenberg in NonViolent Communication (now called Compassionate Communication.)
I left the Western Wind in 1986 and moved with my husband to Craftsbury in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Starting in 1988, I took seven levels of CranioSacral and SomatoEmotional Release, seven levels of Visceral Manipulation, and seven levels of BodyTalk (a therapy based on quantam biomechanics) which were taught in different cities around the U.S. In Vermont, I studied Archetypal Dreamwork for ten years (a type of analysis based on Jung's Red Book.) I trained in Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage and was invited to work at their home clinic in Austria. Then, when I moved to Seattle to help my daughter with my two lovely granddaughters, I became a Certified Counselor. I worked at Allied Healing Arts and continued my CranioSacral practice as well.
Since then, I have lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Oaxaca, Mexico for a total of six years. I returned to the states just before the pandemic and followed my family to Connecticut in 2023. Through my journies, I have become more and more clear about the meaning of healing and what people need in order to heal. The key is for me to listen, listen, LISTEN to the messages the body sends. And then I follow their guidance. I personally have very little to do!
Some endorsements:
"Elaine is a deeply compassionate and highly skilled practitioner whose integrative approach—blending CranioSacral Therapy, BodyTalk, Reflexology, and more—creates profound calming and healing across the nervous system, body, and mind."
"Magic that’s based in science ."
"As a medical doctor myself, I have found Elaine’s skills far above that of an ordinary therapist. She possesses exceptional skill and knowledge in her field and has an extremely soothing and reassuring manner."
"I feel a freedom from pain in my back and neck that I almost would not have believed possible."
"I was a Physio and Occupational therapist for many years....this would have been a wonderful tool in my practice.
I have had cervical spine problems for many year. I had a flair up after a long flight. I saw Elaine about a week later when it was worse and had spread into left shoulder and upper thoracic area. She had me lie comfortably while she assessed the problem. This was first experience with CranioSacral treatment. I felt very relaxed and as she had her hand on certain areas I was aware of the area feeling warmer then a definite release feeling. After an hour the pain had almost gone and continued to lessen over next few hours. I had better range of movement as well. Because this felt so much better. I followed up with more appointments to work on other areas. I also noticed an improvement in posture and general well being.. I am able now to do things I'd not managed without pain in years. Now a few months later I am still feeling so good. I have also had issues with depression and sleeplessness that are also so much better.....I am so glad to have had Elaine treat me. She is very professional and explained what she was doing. It was a life changing experience and I would recommend her to anyone."
“Elaine’s work is subtle and profound on so many levels. It is my favorite hour of the week, even better than a massage and I love getting massages. Her work has helped my son with his past head and neck injuries and he feels so much better. My headache frequency and intensity has reduced substantially. You will be fortunate to experience her loving touch.“
"Elaine is able to palpate and perceive energetic holding patterns, then release and balance them with her subtle techniques. Very powerful and beautiful treatment."
"I had painful temporomandibular joint disorder for three years and after one treatment from Elaine all my symptoms were gone. She is an effective and caring therapist. She worked on head and neck using no pressure. Whatever she did resulted in almost immediate relief…It was apparent she had a lot of experience and knew exactly what she was doing. I will be eternally grateful to her."
CranioSacral Therapy uses the individual’s inherent self-corrective mechanisms to enhance general health, reduce accumulated stress, and improve resistance to disease.
CST removes stress on the nervous system. It can reboot, defrag, synchronize, and harmonize brain function. It can erase and neutralize chronic stress patterns before they cause long-term damage to the brain and body. The intention is to restore proper communication between the brain and the body by improving nerve function so the body can heal itself. Treatment can establish a new normal and more appropriate neurological pattern creating healing, health, energy, vibrancy, and wellbeing. Cortical function is improved, balance, thinking, memory, etc., while inflammation and pain are decreased.
There are NO negative side effects! Specifically, CST treats stress and tension; high blood pressure, migraines and headaches; depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD; TMJ dysfunction and pain; back pain; neck and shoulder pain; scoliosis; chronic fatigue; fibromyalgia; pulmonary or cerebral congestion; and sinus pain.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage was pioneered by Danish Drs. Emil Vodder and Estrid Vodder in the 1930s for the treatment of chronic sinusitis and other immune disorders. While working on the French Riviera treating patients with chronic colds, the Vodders noticed these patients had swollen lymph nodes. In the 1930s, it was considered taboo to tamper with the lymphatic system due to the medical profession's poor understanding of this system. The Vodders were not deterred by this and, in 1932, began to study the lymph system, developing light, rhythmic hand movements to promote lymph movement. In 1936, they introduced this technique in Paris, France, and after World War II, they returned to Copenhagen to teach other practitioners to use this therapy. Elaine is Certified by the Vodder School of Massage and spent three weeks working at the home clinic for the school in Walchsee, Austria.
The purpose of Visceral Manipulation is to recreate, harmonize, and increase communication in the body by supporting organ mobility. It helps digestion, pelvic pain, chronic tension is based on the premise that free movement within the body is vital, and thus any restriction will adversely affect health. Visceral manipulation treats musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive, and lymphatic dysfunction relieving symptoms of pain, dysfunction, and poor posture. By using gentle palpation of the superficial and deep fascia and the mobility and motility of individual organs, I can evaluate how stuck places interplay and overlap to help the body return to normal function.
Your organs are soft and need to move inside your body to do their jobs. Visceral mobility is how well your organs can contract and release as needed. When the connective tissue and fluid around organs becomes stiff, it limits their movement and pliability and hinders your organs’ function. Problems in the organ carry through to muscles and limbs. Stiff fascia around an organ formed as your body's way of protecting vulnerable spots. Pain and tightness from your organs sends the signal to limit movement in the vulnerable area. The goal is to restore the pliable, mobile state that helps your organs get the circulation, nutrients, and suppleness they need to function properly.
Anecdotally, people report improvements in many areas, like:
Reduced chronic muscle pain
Less bloating and constipation
Improvements with uterine fibroids and cysts
Reduced joint pain
Improved sciatica
Relief from carpal tunnel
Less trouble from “old” injuries
Diminished symptoms of fibromyalgia
Improved digestion
These are only a small selection of the long list of things people report as benefits from visceral manipulation.
BODYTALK IS BASED ON THIS PRINCIPLE
It uses a system to connect parts that have been disconnected and to disconnect parts that need to be removed. The great quatum physicist John Wheeler said we are not even particles and waves, but just little bits of information that are the key to bigger issues.
BodyTalk has a brilliant way of connecting the mystical with the practical, illuminating what's hidden and bringing healing wisdom from the depths.
This therapy is powerful. It is a tapping protocol that uses kinesiology to determine what issues need to be addressed. It is very specific about the level and depth of the treatment. People have found it a mind-blowing way to address subtle and profound healing.
Offlices in Canaan and Woodbury
CALL 608 636 5022 for a free 15 minute phone consultation
or email
heartwisdombodywork@gmail.com
for an appointment.