I am a creative spirit, a dedicated healing artist, and lover of laughter. I enjoy walking in the woods and connecting with nature. I find joy in movement and have explored improvisational dance for over 20 years.

My path to becoming a healing artist was a long and unexpected one.

I was a very healthy as a child, but in my mid-twenties I developed fatigue, anxiety and depression, as well as strange symptoms like blurry vision and forgetfulness. My friends were getting married, launching their careers and having children, and I was trying to figure out why I felt so bad!  

​​It took me 6 years to get a diagnosis, but it finally came: Mercury Poisoning. I was stunned and also relieved as so many of my unanswered questions were finally answered. I began a long path of treatment and recovery. ​

​Along with the challenges, I was blessed to work with many talented helpers and healers. These people made miracles happen for me. I met Wendy Weiss, who ran IFS (Internal Family Systems) study groups. Through this work, I discovered the power of listening to all parts of myself--the rage, the shame, the joy--from an orientation of curiosity and compassion. She showed me how to observe my feelings and not become my feelings, which gave me a deep sense of calm that I could return to at any time. 

I found Maria Owl, an energy healer and learned the basics of energy wellness.  She taught me simple and effective practices that I incorporated into my daily routine. They revitalized me at times when I felt frazzled and depleted. 

I settled into a daily practice of embodied mindfulness, discovering that if I was able to come into a place of sensing--feeling my feet on the ground, hearing the birds, enjoying a warm breeze, that I could find some relief from even the most intense feelings. And dance, my greatest love, was incredible medicine for helping me to move through trauma that was locked in my body. 

Training in Somatic Experiencing, a body-based trauma resolution approach, helped me to solidify the skill of working with present moment experience and releasing stored survival energy. 

​​In my work with clients, I weave these healing tools with a warm and welcoming approach. I offer you the opportunity for touch that is gentle and present which has been honed from over 20 years experience with a touch-based dance form, Contact Improvisation.

I bring the wisdom of my lived experience: I know what it's like to live with anxiety and trauma locked in the body. I also know that there is a way through this experience: It is possible to heal and live each day with a deeper sense of peace, even with all of life's challenges.  

​I am excited to empower you with tools for self-healing and emotional regulation. And my greatest passion is to help you cultivate your own sense of embodied presence so you can live each day with more joy. 

I am also excited to offer you spaces for creativity, self-expression and groups where you can be deeply seen and know. 

​If you feel drawn to work with me, I invite you for a conversation. I want to know, what are you experiencing now? What are your challenges? What are you longing for? I honor the courage within you that is ready to take the next step. I honor the tenacity within you that has kept you going. I also honor that joy within you that is longing to emerge. I hope that I may be of service.

Education & Experience: 
Dance & Movement Studies/Practices:
BA in Dance from Wesleyan University (2000)
Bates Summer Dance Program & American Dance Festival  (2001 & 2002).
20 + years practice in conscious dance & improvisational dance forms including Ecstatic Dance, Authentic Movement & Contact Improvisation

Somatic Trainings:
Somatic Experiencing Trauma Resolution Training, Years I & II (2019-2021)
Stillness Touch Workshop (Spring 2015)
Embodied Storytelling, Body Tales & Motion Theater (2000-2004)

Teaching & Facilitation:
Embodied Storytelling: (2014-2016, and 2022-current)
Somatics & Parts Work Groups (2021-current)
Grief Groups (2018-2020)
​Girls & Teen Groups (2000-2004) 
​
Mindfulness Trainings & Practices: 
Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Online training with David Treleaven (2021)
20 + years of daily meditation practices.

Internal Family Systems:
3 year study group with Wendy Weiss (2011-2014) 
Workshop leader in Somatic-based Parts Work (2021 +)

Transformational Group Process:
Naka-Ima (Inside of Now), Transformational group process

Gratitude for my teachers in the healing arts: Bonnie Lawlor, for teaching me unconditional love, Olivia Corson, Lysa Castro, Deborah Riverbend, Maria Owl, Leslie Kotin, Maria Freebairn-Smith, Meryl Juniper, Julie Velichinsky, Dan Zemelman, Marcia Webster, Matt Perry, Wendy Weiss, Roy Pales, Charles Ridley, Marianne Balfe, Jacob Harris, Chance Massaro, Aimee Pomerleau and Nicole Stone. 
​
Photo Credits:  Photo of Mandy standing in the studio: Carla Kimball: revealedpresence.com.
Photo of Mandy with the scarf: Andrea Hurley:  https://www.flickr.com/people/152070446@N03/