Karen Axelrod MA, CST-D, CAMTC

About Me

Offering holistic bodywork for pain relief, rehabilitation, personal renewal, or simple relaxation, Karen takes a holistic approach to your health and healing. By empowering you to take charge of your body and understand its self-healing capabilities, Karen can help you uncover the mental, emotional, and physical blocks that are keeping you from your true healing -- and living -- potential.

Karen maintains a private practice in Redondo Beach and also works with UCLA's Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care team. She formerly was on staff with Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Silverado Assisted Living. Her practice includes infants, children, pregnant moms, and the elderly, as well as those who are experiencing chronic, debilitating disorders; those going through life transitions; and children with developmental delays.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Karen has studied cranial work with Dr. John Upledger and the Upledger Institute, French osteopath Alain Gehin, and at L.A.'s Institute of Psycho-Structural Balancing (IPSB).

She is a graduate of IPSB's 500-hour Massage Therapist Training Program, and she has studied bodywork and other personal growth work at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. She is also trained in Dr. Bruno Chikly's Advanced Lymph Drainage Therapy and Suzanne Scurlock's Full Body Presence/Healing from the Core work.

Karen completed a Master's degree in Psychology, with an emphasis on somatic interventions for trauma recovery, in March 2015.

CERTIFICATIONS
In 2008, Karen became a certified instructor of the Upledger Institute's four-day CranioSacral Therapy 1 courses. In 2016, Karen developed and began teaching a four-day UI class on CST for Cranial Nerves.

She also teaches:
* CranioSacral Therapy 2
* CST & The Immune Response
* CST & The Immune Response: Abdomen
* CST & The Immune Response: Praxis
* Clinical Applications courses for all levels
* CST Techniques Certification Applicant Preparation

Karen is an Upledger-Certified Diplomate CranioSacral Therapist, Certified Teaching Assistant, Certified Upledger Mentor, Upledger Techniques Certification Examiner, and study group leader.

She is a California-state certified massage therapist (CAMTC) and former California-state certified massage instructor.


My Skills

CLINICAL
* CranioSacral Therapy
* Somato-Emotional Release
* Lymph Drainage Therapy

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
* Upledger Institute Certified Instructor
* Former California-State Certified Massage Instructor
* Community Outreach Volunteer Speaker and Lecturer on CranioSacral Therapy and Holistic Bodywork


ON A PERSONAL NOTE
"As a holistic bodyworker, my treatments encompass integration of body, mind, and spirit to help clients recognize and reconnect to inner resources necessary for deep healing at a core level.

Prior to transforming my life and becoming a bodyworker, I worked in the field of marketing and communications for 20+ years. As an educator, I still hold a keen interest in using those skills to educate the public about the work I now love to do and to help people experience the transformational power of human touch."



Articles & Books Written

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
* The Upledger Institute's 2019 Beyond the Dura research conference. One-hour presentation on CranioSacral Therapy as an Effective Treatment for Trauma Recovery.

BYLINED ARTICLES
* "CranioSacral Therapy: Subtle in its Approach, Powerful in its Effect," Wet Set Gazette, Winter 2002.

* "Crayons on Craniums: CranioSacral Therapy," The Crayon Report, February 2004.

* "Perfect Pampering: Prenatal Massage Relieves Aches and Pains, Reduces Stress," Crayon Report, June 2005.

* "Lymphatic Massage Boosts Immunity During the Cold and Flu Season." December 2006.

* "Four Steps to a Happy Jaw," Massage Magazine, March 2011.

* "CranioSacral Therapy for Decreasing Stress and Improving Fertility," Massage Magazine, September 2014.

PROFILES AND CASE STUDIES
* "CranioSacral Therapy: Seeking the Healing Power of the Body," Beach Cities Health, Winter 2004.
Profile on therapist Karen Axelrod and client Barbara, who received CranioSacral Therapy after a car accident.

* "Holistic Bodywork: The Newest Tool for Early Childhood Development Is Decidedly Low Tech" South Bay Health, July/August 2005.
Profile on therapist Karen Axelrod and three young clients who received infant massage, CranioSacral Therapy, and massage therapy.

CONTRIBUTING BOOK EDITOR/WRITER
I have been a contributing writer/editor for three books related to chronic pain and CranioSacral Therapy:
* Healing Through Chronic Pain (2012), by Mary Ruth Velicki, MS, DPT
* An Answer to Your Pain: CranioSacral Therapy for Health and Healing (2015), a collection of CST practitioner case stories
* Pain in Children and Young Adults: The Journey Back to Normal (2016), by Drs. Lonnie and Paul Zeltzer of UCLA'S Pediatric Pain team

Professional Associations / Memberships

* IAHP -- International Association of Healthcare Practitioners
* ABMP -- Associated Bodyworkers and Massage Professionals
* ACSTA -- American CranioSacral Therapy Association
* CAMTC -- California Massage Therapy Council


www.karenaxelrod.com

Available for patients

Case studies, easy to understand explanations about the CranioSacral System, Visceral Manipulation, products to use between sessions, and much more.

More information