Amy Townsend is a licensed massage therapist with additional training in medical massage, manual therapy, abdominal therapy, holistic nutrition, personal training, chronic pain and repetitive strain treatment and management, and veterinary physical rehabilitation. She attended Blue Heron Academy of Healing Arts, The Arvigo Insititue, The Canine Rehabilitation Institute, and Baker College.

Having been personally impacted by manual therapy and abdominal therapy, Amy is passionate about sharing these skills with people on their journey to health. She approaches treatment from an educational starting point, believing that understanding how your body works and what it is doing can help clients to change their story. She prides herself on being able to explain, in simple terms, the science behind the symptoms of musculoskeletal and abdominal/organ disorder, and helping people to understand them from a whole-body perspective.

Amy has grown up learning about traditions from various cultures with her mother, Beth. The most fascinating to her are Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mayan, Native American, Reiki, Tibetan and Zen Buddhist practices. Amy loves seeing how science-based methods tie in with different healing traditions from around the world.

Most recently Amy’s training has expanded to include The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®. This has become a centerpiece of Healing Traditions, a practice rooted in ancient traditions and supported by Western science. Arvigo® Therapy focuses on digestive, urinary, reproductive, and women’s health. Teachings emphasize self-care, in which clients learn to listen to and nurture their bodies, and often can independently maintain their wellness. Amy has completed professional care, pregnancy and fertility training with the Arvigo Institute, and continues ongoing studies to promote wellness for women, girls (pre-puberty through menopause), and their families.

Amy’s lifelong connection with animals led her to start volunteering for a non-profit veterinary clinic in 2003. This, in turn, led to another career in veterinary medicine. She enjoyed working as a licensed veterinary technician in emergency and specialty veterinary practices before starting a family. These days, in addition to Healing Traditions, Amy continues working with select veterinary clients through Eastown Veterinary Clinic and several local veterinarians. She sees referrals for physical rehabilitation (in collaboration with the patient’s DVM), massage therapy for pain management and hospice care, and behavioral modification.