Does your chronic pain return despite receiving massage on a regular basis? Have you done years of talk therapy and still feel braced, numb, or disconnected from your body?

I am an experienced trauma-informed Licensed Massage Therapist trained in Somatic Experiencing®.

Somatic Experiencing® is a body-based approach that helps people develop greater capacity to regulate their nervous systems and respond to stress. We begin by slowing down and noticing what is happening in the body, allowing sensations, impulses, and emotions to be experienced at a pace that feels manageable.

I will not try to fix you. I will work with you to uncover your own capacity for healing, and to help you find a greater sense of safety and ease in your body.

My work is for people who want to be an active participant in the session, not just a passive recipient of it. Before we begin, I'll ask what you're noticing and what you'd like to explore. During the session, I'll check in with you about what's happening in your body.

This is not a traditional Swedish or Deep Tissue massage. We will work with what is present and available in your body rather than following a predetermined routine.

If an area feels tight or stuck, sometimes the answer isn’t more pressure. We may pause there rather than push through, giving you a chance to notice what’s happening in your body. I might ask what you’re experiencing—a sensation, an emotion, an image, an urge to move—and we’ll follow that together. Working this way can open the door to deeper, more lasting change than working on the muscles alone.

Sessions may include grounding meditation, breathwork, conscious touch, and invitations to move or make sound. All bodies are welcome. All emotions are welcome.

Most of my clients are members of the LGBTQI+ community. As an elder in this community, I bring both professional experience and lived experience to this work. I know firsthand some of the physical and emotional effects of homophobia, discrimination, and violence. I lived through the AIDS crisis, lost loved ones to the disease, and know the fear and shame that can come with simply being who you are.

Over many years of hands-on work, I’ve noticed that some of my LGBTQI+ clients carry a familiar kind of bracing in their bodies—a stiffness or guardedness that isn’t simply muscular, but may reflect years of having to be careful about how they are seen. Creating a space where that protection can soften is central to how I work.

All of this work can be done with the client fully clothed. That is important for many people — especially those healing from body shame, a history of sexualized substance use, or non-consensual touch.

This is slow and deep work. It requires time and space. Working with me on a regular ongoing basis is strongly encouraged. Packages are available.

If this way of working speaks to you, I invite you to reach out.

A one-hour session is $165. A package of 6 is $850.

Doug Dreyer, LMT, SEP

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