When first connecting with Heather about her experience at Valeo, The Rolling Stones classic lyrics, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find… you get what you need” came to mind.
Now, to clarify: Heather DID get what she wanted; just not in the way she anticipated! It turns out the approach to satisfy her ‘want’ wasn’t what she thought she needed…
Searching for Relief
Heather found Valeo through a Google search for lymphatic drainage. She had experienced an injury while doing aerial work about 18 years ago, and after a recent dance intensive out of state, the injured area was flaring up.
“On the third day of the intensive, my foot just ballooned up. It swelled so badly! I tried to figure out what was wrong. Maybe it was dehydration, maybe it was the altitude, or maybe just the fact that I was on my feet dancing all day combined with the scar tissue from my old injury, but it just wasn’t getting better. I figured that lymphatic drainage would help, so I searched for that and found Michelle at Valeo.”
Digging Deeper with Michelle
“When I was filling out the new client paperwork, one of the questions asked if I wanted relief care, corrective care, or comprehensive care. Of course I wanted relief, but I am also all about finding the root cause and going deeper, so I wanted to pursue comprehensive care, to look into all possible causes,” explains Heather.
After discussing her injury and current status with Michelle, they decided to forego lymphatic drainage and utilize a couple of other techniques including myofascial release and some emotion work surrounding both Heather’s injury and some other events in her past.
“It was so interesting” says Heather, “and it helped me to release some patterns in my brain. When I left the appointment, I felt SO different.”
The After Effects
The differences that Heather felt were both physical and mental.
“First, I could feel my entire foot on the floor, which was very new to me. My feet are tight from wearing pointe shoes a lot, and they just felt much more relaxed. I felt very grounded and balanced, not just physically but overall, and everything just feels easier!” Heather shares excitedly.
“It was a big change in just one session. Usually when I go in for a massage somewhere, I’m tense again by the time I reach my car, but after my appointment with Michelle, things have been different… even a week later, I still feel such a difference,” says Heather. “I know there’s more I need to do, but I’m so excited and happy about the changes so far! I was holding on to fear and tension and don’t know why. Whatever she did allowed me to let go of it.”
Heather recognizes that the work Michelle did in their appointment also brought things to her attention that she’s been working on since her session, which she also believes is contributing to the lasting effects.
Listening to the Heart
“I believe in our body as a system,” explains Heather. “At first, I was nervous about not addressing the pain with lymphatic drainage, like I was originally planning to do. All I wanted to do was get rid of the pain. But my heart knew I should dig deeper… and I trusted Michelle that the best path might not include lymphatic drainage and instead some of the other modalities she’s trained in.”
Heather took a leap of faith to try a new approach to get closer to her desired destination. Her openness to trusting Michelle as an experienced practitioner allowed her to get what she needed!
“I’m glad I listened to my heart, because I’ve already seen such a difference!”
If you’d like to schedule advanced bodywork with Michelle, please call 952-949-0676.
