I've been a Certified TragerŪ Practitioner since 1989. This deeply-relaxing mind-body form is named after its creator, Milton Trager, M.D., who developed it over a 50-year period. To become certified as a TragerŪ practitioner, a person must successfully conclude a rigorous training program involving more than 500 hours of training and practice.

A practitioner is re-certified every year by working with a tutor approved by the Trager Institute. In each of my first three years of practice, I also took at least one class a year provided by the TragerŪ Institute -- and after that, at least one class every three years.

The quality of the TragerŪ program is extremely high. As an example, I have taken several classes with Deane Juhan, author of Job's Body. This handbook for bodyworkers provides a detailed, vivid picture of how the body responds to touch. It also describes how bodywork is mind work. Deane is one of at least 10 outstanding teachers I've had.

In addition to my professional dedication to TragerŪ, I've studied and continuously applied other forms of mind and bodywork beneficial to clients. Other mind and bodywork modalities that may be integrated into client sessions include:

Body Electronics: A very powerful system of natural healing, developed continuously over more than 40 years by John Whitman Ray, M.D., Ph.D., N.D., D.Sc., N.M.D. Dr. Ray has conducted seminars in more than 220 cities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Hawaii, Cook Islands, India, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. In the spring of 1996, I studied advanced Body Electronics and held points six days a week, 10 hours a day for six weeks in Australia!

CranioSacral: I've studied Levels 1 and 2 through the Upledger Institute. The Craniosacral mechanism was first observed by an osteopathic doctor named William Garner Sutherland. Dr. John Upledger, D.O., O.M.M., teaches the rhythmic movement of the craniosacral system. Coupling a scientific background with tactile sensitivity, he understood how the human hydraulic system using cerebrospinal fluid might function inside a membranous sac encased within the skull and spinal column canal.

Mari-El: An advanced form of energy work inspired and developed by Ethel Lombardi. It builds on the already-amazing energetic power of Reiki by accelerating and facilitating its application to the most receptive energy pathways of the human body.

Process Bodywork: For four days in 1993, I studied a hands-on approach that works at the edge between conscious and unconscious systems. The practitioner contacts tight muscles, as well as the person beneath them. As the process of relaxation unfolds, physical and emotional barriers begin to soften, allowing new awareness and a sense of health and well-being to emerge. The practice draws heavily on the work of Dr. Arnold Mindell, Jungian analyst and founder of Process-Oriented Psychology, and Marion Rosen, physical therapist and originator of Rosen Method Bodywork.

Reiki: I'm a Third-Degree (Master) Reiki Practitioner.

RosenWork: I've taken more than five classes in RosenWork, developed by Marion Rosen. This sensitive form of mind/bodywork guides a person to feel and stay connected with tight muscles to help them relax. Rosen method practitioners are trained in the art of sacred presence and the skill of gentle touch. Her hands make firm contact with the body. At times, they gently move different areas to remind the body of the possible range of movement, and that tension is no longer needed. The practitioner looks for muscles to relax under the hands...along with a shifting of breath. The client may experience breathing easier, and relief of physical discomfort or pain. Marion Rosen began her training in Munich, Germany, where she studied the interrelationship of breath and relaxation. She was later licensed in physical therapy. Working in Stockholm, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and elsewhere, she developed her unique approach over many years.

My continuing training has involved the expenditure of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours over recent years, and that investment in time and money continues. As examples from 1998: I attended the four-day TragerŪ Conference in Cleveland. Before the conference, I took an additional three-day class.

All techniques practiced share the philosophy to...

It is important to me to let the body find its own balance without force. Inherent re-education is possible. By placing clients in positions of comfort, they will make impressive progress, especially if nutritionally prepared.

In Chile, two of five siblings are medical doctors. Another was the national sales representative of a major North American pharmaceutical company for many years. Two nephews and a sister-in-law are Medical Doctors. Another nephew studies to be an M.D. A sister-in-law is a midwife. I'm proud to join family members as a holistic practitioner!