You never expect to find yourself where you are. You seemingly wake up one day and there you are,
no clue exactly how you arrived there and curious to find the reasons why. Now one could hope to only experience that once in their life, because the disorientation can be overwhelming. We want to say that we are the masters of our universe, working resolutely towards a fixed horizon and totally capable to handle what the outside world throws our way. Most days that would be true but in the moments it isn’t…I never seemed to have the ability to stay fully present. I remember feeling frustrated, scared, numb and exhausted. It takes time to recover and find your footing again, to fully feel capable of handling “life” as we know it. I feel like that has been my whole adult life and on this side of it, I can say how thankful I am for it and how much I never want to go through it again.
In 2015, I found myself being pummeled by life and death. I lost 5 people from my close circle within 4 months of each other. I found myself literally on death’s door myself in early 2016 and have been slowly and sometimes shakily coming to know myself and how I fit into the world again ever since. I fought to strip away labels, I found myself setting new boundaries for myself and within that process I found the full body integration I have always been seeking. In the middle of all the chaos, a friend recommended a continuing education course that really left him feeling enlightened about being a bodyworker and what we can help facilitate through massage. I needed the hours and it fit my budget; it was a win/win situation. I had no idea that I had just changed the trajectory of my entire life.
Synergy Bodywork has given me so much more than an education on the Neuroscience of touch and
the body felt journey. It has given me a greater capacity to see myself with compassion, autonomy,
strength and resiliency. It has allowed me to see myself not as a mind, a body and a spirit but as a
wonderful intertwined whole. We can not have the full experience of one without the other. It is
because of these things that I can stand at the side of the table with babies, mothers, fathers, humans
having this profound experience of life and offer a safe framework to experience all that they are in that moment.
When most people think of a massage therapist, you might think of a spa with white fluffy towels and
cucumbers laid over your eyes. Perhaps you imagine a brawny woman from Sweden giving you a deep tissue massage that “hurts so good”, I mean I am sure she exists somewhere! While those things can be great, the truth is we are capable of so much more. Within this paradigm we can help facilitate deep release of tension within the body; transformative release that often feels like magic. I never knew how resilient my brain and body were. I do now and that is why I will do this work for the rest of my life. It transcends that of just life as a bodyworker. It permeates deep into my bones and shifts how I interact with others around me. I can hear the stories of others and not react in judgement or try to fix anything. I can be more thoughtful in my own selfcare and honor my needs without (much) guilt. It has truly helped me find healing in loss and given me a new zeal for life. I pray that those that come to my office, seeking assistance with their new baby, a sore shoulder or an overworked heart and mind will always feel safe and know that I will always do my best to meet you where you are. I will do all I can to never push you farther than what you are able to do in that moment. If you are coming for energy healing or physical bodywork, your highest good is always in my mind. I set the space and you set the pace.

Kimberly Payne LMT

Holistic Coaching