Today we’d like to introduce you to Valarie Stamoulis.
Valarie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always believed in an Eastern approach to health management. Natural healing has been my focus for myself and my family to manage illness over the years. Once I started having children 17 years ago, I began to seek out alternate options for my infant son to help with “colic” like symptoms that he showed within the first 6 weeks of his life. I was referred to a craniosacral therapist to help with his irritability and sleep issues. When he was placed on the table it looked like some kind of witch craft as she put her hands on him and did energy work. He arrived home that night and slept for 4 hours straight and did not cry constantly throughout the day as he had before. I continued to see this therapist over the years with all 4 of my children as well as myself and my husband. It was so unbelievable how this energy work was so gentle yet so effective in assisting healing with ear infections, injuries, back pain and emotional issues. At that point I committed to returning to school once my kids were older to study craniosacral therapy.
Eleven years later, I enrolled in massage therapy school so that I could pursue craniosacral therapy. I needed to have the right to work on a body and massage therapy seemed the obvious choice. In the midst of my 2 year program I came to love massage therapy, especially sports massage, as another mode of alternative healing. I loved the ability to assist the body in healing without medications. I have always been fascinated with anatomy and physiology of the body so this career fit perfectly within my strengths. Now 5 years after graduating I continue to be grateful for the ability to help others find an alternative path for their physical and emotional healing.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This process to study craniosacral and massage therapy was extremely smooth. Being a believer in this type of healing made the road to get there challenging and exciting. The one struggle I encountered was managing my school schedule while being a stay at home mom. At that time my children were ages 10, 8, 6 and 3. I was blessed to have a supportive husband to care for them as I attended classes 2 days a week as well as studying 3-4 hours a day 7 days a week. The balancing act of being a mom and a student was demanding but in the end amazingly rewarding.
Focused Intention – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business is called Focused Intention and I specialize in craniosacral and massage therapy. I am known for my detailed, focused work in massage therapy to help with injuries. My favorite cases are injuries or situations clients have that I can help “investigate” so I can create a plan to assist in recovery and pain management. I love the mystery of the human body and how to navigate what is necessary to help someone improve naturally with these therapies. CranioSacral therapy comes in with people who want a gentle approach to pain management and believe in energy work as alternative therapy. I also offer combination treatments that include 45-60 minute massage followed by 45-60 minute craniosacral treatment.
What sets me apart from other therapists is my willingness to listen to the client as they explain their situation and then listen to their body to help create the best treatment possible for their healing. I also like to educate my clients about the process that I am using so that they can better understand exactly what is happening to their body. This allows them to gain a good understanding of what massage and craniosacral therapy can do for them.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career so far was treating one of my first clients for craniosacral therapy. She had been skeptical about this therapy but was suffering emotionally and was looking for alternative therapy. During her treatment she was responding well but continued to feel immense sensation down her left arm going into her left ring finger. At the end I explained what I had felt and how well she had responded. While I was talking she began to cry and told me that she was currently going through a divorce. She could not believe that she was feeling it all in her heart and her ring finger where her wedding ring used to be. She couldn’t believe that I had known nothing about her situation but was able to feel exactly what was going on with her emotionally. I explained that this was her bodies energy doing what it needed.
That moment is when I realized that this was truly what I was meant to be doing for my career.
Pricing:
- 60 minute massage or craniosacral therapy treatment $80
- 90 minute massage or craniosacral therapy treatment $110
- 90-120 minute combination treatment $140
Contact Info:
- Address: 5 Crystal Pond Road, #225
Southborough, MA 01772 - Website: www.focused-intention.com
- Phone: 617-803-3798
- Email: valarie@focused-intention.com
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