Maria Asbel, LMT

About Me

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 and spirit for many years. My journey toward wholeness began about 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 stressful. I was struggling to take care of our house, feed 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 ready to snap. I knew that if I didn't change something and start caring for myself I wasn't going to make it.

One day I was at a shop 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 how our thoughts create our reality and how self-approval, self-acceptance and forgiveness are the keys to healing and changing your life. I had always been interested in the metaphysical and mind/body connection so this was right up my alley. I bought the book and read it the next day.

That book really got me thinking about whom I was and what I really wanted. I knew I had always been a very sensitive person. I felt and noticed things that others didn't and that made me "different" (which in our society is not always viewed as a good thing). I also realized that how I spoke to myself in my own head was a result of "conditioning" I had taken in as truth but... it wasn't my truth. I started really appreciating who I was and having gratitude for all the gifts I had been given. I started developing and nurturing those gifts.

In 2015 I decided to take my first Reiki class (a level 1 and 2 combined class). At the end of the class, the teacher gave us our "attunements". As she whispered softly the names of the reiki symbols and waved her hands over me I felt my whole body flatten like a pancake and spread out like waves on the water. It was a mind-blowing, life-changing, amazing experience! I knew that I was meant to work with energy on a physical level, to help others with this amazing gift!

At this point, I had changed jobs several times over the years but was still just chasing money, working the old 9 to 5 grind and doing office work. In 2016 I got laid off from my job. At the time I was terrified  - what was I going to do? I was seeing a woman for reflexology treatments then and she told me she was going to be teaching a reflexology certification course soon. It was a sign from the universe! It was perfect, right timing and I knew I was meant to take the course. I got my certification and began working with my teacher at her office and seeing clients for reiki and reflexology. I loved the work and had clients ask if I was a massage therapist as well. It got me thinking... I wanted to learn more about the fascinating human body! 

This led me to attend Irene’s Myomassology Institute in Southfield, MI where I grew a deep love for both the art and science behind massage and other forms of body work. While at Irene's, I was introduced to CranioSacral Therapy and was intrigued by this gentle yet powerful healing tool. I graduated from Irene's and obtained my license to practice massage from the state of Michigan in February 2018. I also stayed on at Irene's after graduating for a full year as a teacher's apprentice.

Today I continue my training through the Upledger Institute, specializing in Craniosacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional Release. I have a passion for working with those who suffer from pain, trauma, anxiety, depression and PTSD  - conditions that may be difficult to treat with other traditional therapies which don't address the mind/body connection. I incorporate all aspects of my knowledge into every session and use my intuitive abilities in all my work. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you with a nurturing presence, using well-practiced methods of energy work and bodywork.

I am a member of the AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association) and the IAHP (International Association of Healthcare Practitioners). I am also a Health at Every Size (HAES) professional.

As an 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
• Value people's body knowledge and lived experiences
• Find the joy in moving one’s body and being physically active
• Eat in a flexible and attuned manner that values pleasure and honors internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite, while respecting the social conditions that frame eating options

If you would like more information about Health at Every Size and Intuitive Eating, please contact me for a FREE consultation.  

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My Skills

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Professional Associations / Memberships

AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association)

IAHP (International Association of Healthcare Practitioners)

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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