Approach | Principles | Profiles

Simplicity
Whenever possible, we use techniques that are subtractive, rather than additive. This means that before (or instead of) teaching clients new strategies or exercises, we simply help them to remove any barriers to comfort, health, joy, and fulfillment. Such barriers may include habitual patterns of bodily use, the unresolved psychophysical effects of trauma, and various other sources of imbalance and dysregulation. At the core of our work is an emphasis on the great resiliency and adaptability of the human mind and body. A decline in harmful factors enables a freer operation of the body's innate righting reflexes and self-regulatory processes — and this in turn promotes ease and flexibility in responding to all of life's challenges.

Integration
Taking a truly holistic perspective, we believe that sustainable change in any aspect of health or well-being requires integration on a variety of levels. For example, a deep release in one part of the body will not last if other body areas cannot accommodate that change, or if fixed patterns of attention continue to reinforce old patterns of holding. Stillpoint-affiliated practitioners use methodologies that encourage full body/mind integration. We work at a moderate pace, avoiding cathartic approaches that may overwhelm the nervous system and lead to a relapse of symptoms.

Grounded support
We share a strong belief that our own sense of support is just as important as our technical expertise — particularly when engaging in deep or subtle levels of work. In addition to our years of training, we have all received extensive work in our chosen modalities. This enables us to bring a much greater level of grounding and stability to our practice, as well as a better understanding of the client's experience.

Shared learning
A session with a Stillpoint-affiliated practitioner is always a collaborative effort. Rather than passively receiving a treatment, our clients are active participants in their own learning and healing. We encourage clients to develop an understanding of the principles behind our work and to learn to apply them on their own.

Practicality
Underlying all we do is a simple and practical mission: to improve our clients' quality of life. The principles outlined above reflect not just our philosophical preferences, but our deep-seated beliefs — based on our training, research, and experience — about what makes educational and therapeutic work most effective. Through comparative study of interrelated disciplines and continuing dialogues with outside practitioners and researchers, we're constantly striving to refine and enhance the services we provide to our clients.