Maria Asbel, LMT, RMT

About

I am so grateful you found me. I would love the opportunity to work with you. I have been pursuing alternative therapies to heal the body, mind, heart & soul for many years. My journey began over 15 years ago...

I was stressed out and suffering from anxiety, depression and an undiagnosed eating disorder. I was working full time at an office job I hated, fighting rush hour traffic with a long commute, shuttling my kids back and forth to daycare, school and latchkey. My relationship with my husband was strained and unfulfilling. I was struggling to take care of our house, our family and keep up with the day-to-day obligations. I was trying desperately to make ends meet to pay our bills... I was completely exhausted and didn't know where to turn for help. I knew that I had to change my life.

One day I was at a store and a book with a brightly colored cover caught my eye. The book was by a woman named Louise Hay and was called "You Can Heal Your Life". I skimmed through the pages of chapter one and found it fascinating! The book talked about the mind-body connection and how negative thoughts can create dysfunction in the body. It also said that self-approval, self-acceptance and self-love are the keys to healing. I bought the book and read it immediately. 

That book really got me thinking about my beliefs and how they might be affecting me. I realized that how I spoke to myself in my own head was a result of "conditioning", it was not my truth. I started to notice these thoughts and change them. I learned how to tune in to my body and pay attention to the way my thoughts made me feel. I also stopped trying to ignore my emotions or push them down.

I learned our body’s natural response to stress (fight, flight or freeze) involves a series of physiological changes: our heart beats faster, our breathing accelerates, our muscles tense, our digestion slows and we become hyper-alert to our surroundings. These changes help us mobilize our body’s resources to deal with a threat. This stress response involves a huge buildup of energy and if that energy is not fully processed and dispersed from the body at the time of the stress, it can be stored in the body creating a whole host of problems. This “stuck” energy – what we call trauma – affects our nervous system and brain in profound ways. The key to expelling this stored energy from the body is to tune in to it, support it and allow it to release. Through my extensive training, I have fine-tuned my skills as a bodyworker to be able to pick up on these subtle energies in the body. This allows me to assist clients to address the root cause of dysfunction. I am able to help people release the adverse physical and emotional energy their body may be holding on to.

Over the last 10 years I have taken courses in Somatic Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy (CST), SomatoEmotional Release (SER), Reiki (I am a Certified Reiki Master/Teacher), Healing Touch, Proprioception (body awareness), Medical Intuition, various metaphysical courses, Massage Therapy (I am a Licensed Massage Therapist) & Reflexology.

Today I continue my training in Craniosacral Therapy through the Upledger Institute, specializing in SomatoEmotional Release. I have completed my core classes through Upledger (CS1, CS2, SER1 & SER2) and will be taking Advanced Craniosacral courses (ADV1 & ADV2) in the coming months. I am working on my CST techniques certification through the Upledger Institute. I am also a Teaching Assistant for CST1 classes through Upledger. In addition, I am pursuing an Associate's Degree in Psychology.

I have a passion for working with those who suffer from anxiety, depression, and physical and emotional pain and trauma - conditions that may be difficult to treat with traditional talk therapy and which don't address the mind-body connection. I incorporate all aspects of my knowledge into every session and use my intuitive capabilities in my work. 

I am a member of the IAHP (International Association of Healthcare Practitioners) and ABMP (American Bodywork and Massage Professionals). I am also a Health at Every Size (HAES) professional. As a HAES professional I pledge to celebrate body diversity, honor differences in size, age, race, ethnicity, gender, dis/ability, sexual orientation, religion, class, and other human attributes, challenge scientific and cultural assumptions about weight and value people's body knowledge and lived experiences.

All bodies are amazing and have the capacity to heal when given the best environment to do so. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you with a nurturing presence, using well-practiced methods of somatic therapies and bodywork.

My Skills

Professional Associations / Memberships

IAHP (International Association of Healthcare Practitioners)

ABMP (American Bodywork and Massage Professionals)