July is LGBTQIA Empowerment Month!
Each week we sit down with one of our practitioners to discuss topics of interest in the health & wellness industry.
Melissa Epping joins us this week!
Each week we sit down with one of our practitioners to discuss topics of interest in the health & wellness industry.
Melissa Epping joins us this week!
About Melissa:
I have been practicing Massage Therapy since 2005. My practice is client-focused and my ultimate goal is to help my clients feel their very best so they can be their very best! Clients can expect highly skilled, compassionate care backed with honest answers and thorough knowledge about the human body and how to heal."
What aspects of your practice do you believe relate in particular to LGBTQIA Empowerment?
One of the cornerstones of my practice and philosophy is to really create a safe space for my clients. This ensures for the massage session to truly be therapeutic in nature and allow for real healing and transformation to occur. This is especially important for clients who are a part of the LGBTQ community, which is a community that still faces a lot of adversity despite recent political and social progressions."
What are three health & wellness tips that you'd recommend for LGBTQIA empowerment?
1) Find your support network.
This will be a community of people that supports your authentic self and you feel comfortable being able to express yourself and ask questions without fear of judgment or rejection. Finding a virtual community through use of technology can be especially helpful if you are newly questioning your sexual identity or feel more isolated in general.
2) Get regular therapeutic massage and bodywork.
Therapeutic massage isn't ONLY for relieving physical aches and pains. For example, healthy, compassionate touch can help the client feel comfortable and loved in their own skin. This is especially needed for anyone who experiences gender dysphoria, which is the feeling of being "born in the wrong body" and that your authentic self does not match your biological gender identity.
3) Know you have the right to ensure your safety.
When seeking out a community, therapy, or any type of health care know that you have the right to ask questions beforehand. Feeling confident that the treatment you are seeking truly provides a safe space is the first step in your healing process.
This will be a community of people that supports your authentic self and you feel comfortable being able to express yourself and ask questions without fear of judgment or rejection. Finding a virtual community through use of technology can be especially helpful if you are newly questioning your sexual identity or feel more isolated in general.
2) Get regular therapeutic massage and bodywork.
Therapeutic massage isn't ONLY for relieving physical aches and pains. For example, healthy, compassionate touch can help the client feel comfortable and loved in their own skin. This is especially needed for anyone who experiences gender dysphoria, which is the feeling of being "born in the wrong body" and that your authentic self does not match your biological gender identity.
3) Know you have the right to ensure your safety.
When seeking out a community, therapy, or any type of health care know that you have the right to ask questions beforehand. Feeling confident that the treatment you are seeking truly provides a safe space is the first step in your healing process.
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