Please forward this along to friends & sweeties that have or are considering gender affirming surgeries!

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What's in this email

Scar tissue fascinations & trainings

What I offer in scar care (also a video if you prefer)

Additional scar remediation practitioners in Montréal

Weaving community care

Scar tissue fascinations & trainings

I think scar tissue is fascinating as fuck! And though it can be problematic when not tended to with intention, the ways our fascia heals a wound and strives to stabilize itself is an embodied analogy of the mind-body-spirit care that I nurture with my somatic gendering clients. We have these wounds we want healed and when our protective responses (nervous system / emotional / verbal reactions, etc) become over habituated with use, they can cause discomfort or pain. It takes intentional work to adjust from these reactions and develop new habits of purposeful and engaged responses. It's similar to collagen restructuring and fascia adhesions that seek to protect and stabilize tissue, but can lead to inhibited blood flow, cause abnormal attachments, discomfort and pain in the body. Sometimes it's presence is barely felt because we're used to it -- until it's relieved and we sense the difference. Other times we know it's troubling us, but aren't sure how to engage. It's this understanding that led me to hold both of these care offerings in tandem.

I have only two goals in my sessions:
to develop trust & comfort with one another,
and to meet you where you are.
This is all led by your desires.

I fell in love with scar tissue during the course of my own bohemian research prior to my double mastectomy in 2018. My studies with the Institute for Somatic Sex Education gave me a deeper dive into scar care with the work of Ellen Heed and embodied autonomy. This led me to conversations with my trans fem friends and lovers, realizing that they received literally no aftercare in the wake of their vaginoplasty or orchiectomy. Righteous rage and fierce protection led me to begin offering scar care for bottom surgeries. My 20 years of lovingly fisting vulvas was also put to use, having engaged with a myriad of scars (hysterectomies, c-sections, scars from sexual violence, and piercings). I often imagine these offerings as a kind of doula work given their intimate nature of care in trauma stewardship as well as gender and erotic rebirthing.

With so many people gaining access to these surgeries, but often not realizing the need for care until they're in the thick of planning or healing, I began developing some tools to offer such as the top surgery check list (now in French too). But I wanted more to offer. I recently returned from a several day intensive with Marjorie Brooks, broadening my scope of practice into a more integrated approach beyond scar tissue remediation, pleasure and somatics, to include proprioceptive support, body mechanics, and specificity in working with different fascia and collagen formations. I worked on a massive smattering of scars including breast reconstruction and mastectomy scars post cancer treatments, lung and lateral chest scars from work accidents, cesarean, hysterectomy, hip and knee replacement scars, a variety of burn types, and more.

It was eye opening to realize how much more care than we know to ask for, could be available to us! I'm bursting with vigor to put this work into practice, and more importantly to share what I've learned so you can as well!

What I offer in scar care
​(also a video if you prefer)

Here's a break down of what I offer in my pleasure scar care sessions, depending on your desires:

💜 Scar tissue release. If you want to dig into technicals with me, you can look up the STRAIT Method which is the basis of my touch process. I also will sometimes utilize castor oil packs, vibration and percussion massaging, myofascial scraping, and light cupping. This work is participatory: we work together, noticing where there's numbness or hyper sensitivity, etc. Sometimes I give you space to bliss out, but then I'll gentle bring you back to noticing.

💜 Explicitly pleasure focused. What do you want? Your desires, wants, wishes, comforts, and dislikes are what lead my work. I don't expect you to know what these are in advance! We first build trust together, so you feel confident using your voice to direct me. Then I will guide you towards these understandings and encourage you to share what you notice so I can follow your lead. Whatever shows up is welcome. I encourage your pleasure so you feel more comfortable and resourced to go after what you want.

💜 I coach you on your own scar care. I dream of a medical system that both offers us scar care support, and teaches us how to tend to our bodies with a lens of adaptability and accessibility. While other amazing people are working on changing the system, I'm here to offer you this support. I am happy to teach you, your friends and partners. We can chat about silicon tape vs gel, hypertrophic vs keloid tissues, emu vs vitamin e oil. I've also got tools to help you access your body with more ease and precision too.

💜 We develop a care plan together. Whether you're 6 weeks or 16 years post surgery, we'll craft a care protocol to support your goals of tissue integration and elasticity.

💜 Virtual care available. Of course I cannot offer touch work online, but I'm happy to consult, teach, and make a plan for your self massage and with care givers.

Book an exploratory call or session!
(July is nearly full)

Schedule Here

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For those that want to listen or watch, this is a social live video I created recently, all about the above information with more details and "umm's" for not-so-dramatic affect.

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Manual Scar Remediation in Montréal by/for Trans* & Queer Community

Ya'll don't even know how damned blessed we are to have such fabulous practitioners: some of the best! Here are three queer & non-binary practitioners offering manual scar therapy. There are additional and supplemental care forms within community that are also available such as Bam Truong who offers acupuncture!

Ele Hobbs “As an Athletic Therapist, I combine hands-on treatment with functional reconditioning exercises, individualized to your movement needs and goals. My current offering is for individuals undergoing top surgery (i.e., augmentation, reduction, or double mastectomy). Before surgery, we’ll look at posture and upper body movement patterns, laying the groundwork for recovery. Post-operatively, the focus will be on gradual return to your functional movements while promoting healing — scar care that facilitates freedom of upper body movement." ​Learn More →​

Kota Rook "As part of my trans-centered massage practice, I offer pre and post-operative manual lymphatic drainage for any surgical procedure. This gentle and effective approach supports movement of the lymphatic system, which is an essential part of the body's immune responses and healing processes. Pre-surgery, lymphatic drainage helps soothe the nervous system and prepare the body to respond to the stress of surgery and it can be immensely helpful to address excessive or painful swelling after surgery or after drains are removed. I also offer ongoing scar care and fascial work in combination with Swedish massage to help you regain and maintain movement and a sense of ease as you heal." ​Learn More →​

Manna Mu I offer queer and trans centered scarwork. This is a holistic and gentle hands on modality that supports scar tissue health, structure & function. I focus on supporting scar healing post trans masculine top surgery, breast augmentation, and grafts. I recently trained in pelvic and abdominal scarwork and am centering queer folks healing from c-sections, hysterectomy and endometriosis surgeries. Holding space for the deep emotional work is important to me and I hold a container for the emotional space that can arise in this work, through the invitation of meditation, art and journaling. This practice integrates a trauma informed approach where we honour the pace and consent of your body." ​Learn More →​

Weaving community care

Be a part of the tapestry that binds us together by forwarding this information along. You may think that your trans* community members already know: but so many of us do not! I've had many clients come through that had no clue they could ask for this support, or even what to ask for. Let them know that there are queer and trans bodyworkers that center their unique needs, offer solidarity sessions / PWYC / sliding scale options to encourage and support access that is widely inclusive and trauma informed.

If you've shared sessions with me, know that my work is 99% word of mouth! It takes trust to yet again place our transformed bodies into the hands of others. Please share a few words of feedback so others can learn about the impact. You're welcome to use your first name or remain anonymous.

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Much luv to ya'll,