Since working with Donna, my ten-year-old whiplash injury, which physical therapy had failed to address, responded to a combination of craniosacral therapy, massage, and yamuna body rolling - allowing me to reach the pain-free daily existence I had long thought was beyond me. When pregnancy brought its challenging aches and pains, magnified by lifting and chasing after a toddler, our regular sessions helped to relieve my pain, stress, and general discomfort. I cannot recommend Donna highly enough. Her knowledge of the body and the different techniques she employs helps me immeasurably. I look forward to each session and have the confidence that together, we can tackle any problem my body can dish out.
Robin Orseck
Fluid Body Movement classes have helped me get back in touch with my body! The holistic approach with a focus on three-dimensional, spiraling movements shows how everything is connected. I love the meditative quality of the class combined with the physical movement. After every class I feel freer and more energized. My posture is better and my walk is – well, more fluid!
Cindy Martens
"My wife has been saying for years that I don't need a psychologist because of my sessions with Donna. With as stressful a career as I've chosen for myself - one that is rife with hypertension and any other maladies that one might associate with a high pressure environment - my cranial sessions with Donna have done more to contribute to my longevity, stamina, and general mental and emotional well-being than just about any other thing in my life."
Derek Wilkinson
“I am a retired 65 year old woman with knee problems and a bad shoulder but still try to engage in a least one hour class of exercise, usually yoga or Pilates, each weekday. For the past three years I have been taking Donna's Fluid Movement class Wednesday afternoons at the City Fitness Gym in Cleveland Park, and whenever I can, the Saturday class at The Center in Tenleytown as well.
Donna brings something magical to my efforts to keep my body flexible, centered and strong. She has taught me to listen to my body in ways that are quite different from my yoga and Pilates instructors. Her moves are organic in nature, many based on the spiral shape, so commonly found in nature, which feels really good on my body. I have learned new ways of connecting body parts, engaging deep muscles that often go unused. I find her classes subtly intense, yet in the end I always feel very relaxed and peaceful.”
Susan Talley
"I've been getting massage and craniosacral therapy from Donna for more than 10 years. It's one of the joys of my life! Having had both my hips replaced and ongoing issues in my joints, sometimes I feel like a bunch of rusty, achy parts. From the minute I lie down on her table, until the hour is over (all too soon), I relax completely. The sessions touch on all my pain and makes me feel better. All of my pain is eased . . . The sensation is so strong, that even when I'm not there, I can visualize how good it feels."
Millicent Neusner
"Having been an avid jogger for the past 20 years, I pulled my hamstring and needed to rehabilitate my injury. During my physical therapy, the technicians strongly encouraged frequent stretching and persuaded me to consider alternative exercise & stretching methods to prevent future injury. In attending Donna's Fluid Movement classes, I enjoy her clear explanations about how muscles (for example, upper body versus lower body) interact with one another. She encourages "listening" to your body in a way that mixes both mind and body work. When I leave her class, not only does my body feel more relaxed, but I feel more centered. I enthusiastically recommend Donna"
Jason Levin
“I started working with Donna after having been diagnosed with Graves Disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes hyperthyroidism and eye problems. I was exhausted and stressed as a result. Shortly after my diagnosis and after starting on anti-thyroid medication, we began craniosacral therapy sessions, as I had heard that some Graves patients respond to this form of alternative care. I loved our sessions! They brought me a deep sense of calm and well-being. I felt transported to a different level of consciousness - not awake, but not really asleep either. The craniosacral sessions provided a space to rest and relax on a very deep level and I think that really augmented my ability to respond to the medication. After only 9 months on the anti-thyroid medication my thyroid was back to normal levels. I remained on the medication for another 3-4 months. Three and 1/2 years later, I am still euthyroid (normal thyroid levels). I really believe that my rapid response to medication and return to normalcy are related to the work we did together. I still have some lingering effects of this disease, but I'm so grateful that I returned to good health so quickly. Many people struggle for years and years to feel better.”
Katie McGervey
"I found Donna via internet because I looked for a craniosacral therapist in Washington DC. I recently moved here from Germany where I had a short but intensive experience with this kind of work and wanted to go on from there. I learned during our first very intensive and somehow enlightening sessions that she is also teaching a Fluid Movement class, which I since then also attend. Generally I feel blessed that I got to know Donna and can work with her on a regularly basis.
Donna is a modern healer in its best sense. She rather helps you to get in touch with your own inner healer than trying to push something on you. As I see it, she helps finding your own inner strength -or balance- by lending you some of hers. And she says what she perceives, seemingly without judging - a very rare ability, if you have ever experienced other so called health professionals, who are often rather quick with a superficial solution and judgment by the text book. I think, personally that this inner mindset of Donna helps very much in accepting the gift of healing and supports the merging in its process without part of you trying to fight the rightfully or unrightfully judgment of a typical doctor or therapist. This makes the sessions more a journey of two individuals in an interesting landscape than a therapy session where one is the all knowing active part and the other the passive receiver.
The Fluid Movement Class is like dancing on the floor and both, very relaxing and strengthening in a special kind of way. The movement almost happens naturally by itself. It helps you to get grounded after a long working day on the desk and refreshes you at the start of the weekend. The body takes what it needs."
Ralf Schlapper
“For me, Fluid Movement has familiar elements of yoga, t’ai chi, modern dance, Pilates, and mindfulness meditation - playfully blended by Donna in a way that encourages me to release my body-held stress and have a sense of well-being and comfort in my body. Done on the floor, I find the movements to be gentle but deep spirals, curves, and twists that stretch and release tension and reconnect me with my body.
I like Donna’s examples, explanations, and easy-to-follow instructions. Because the movements are done lying and sitting on the floor, I feel physically supported and can relax more into the movements. Also, contact with the floor gives me physical feedback about how my body is doing. I can feel tight muscles against the floor and I am learning to soften them during the movements.
I enjoy doing the movements themselves. And I always feel better afterward. I now have a home routine developed for me by Donna. At the end of a workday, I do my Fluid Movement exercises and it relaxes my shoulders, which are tight from using the computer all day. I also find that when I do my routine, I can fall asleep more easily.
In class and out, Donna creates an environment of non-judgmental awareness and exploration; she encourages questions and curiosity. I appreciate that she reminds me to work at my own comfort level. After each session, I feel like I have reset my body like I reset my computer, or wrung out my body like a wet washcloth. I feel relaxed, more spacious, and peaceful.”
Liz Kulick
"I have found my massage sessions with Donna to be an important part of my physical and spiritual practice. They help to calm and center me, increasing my sense of well being.”
David Gray
“I put my body through a lot. I am a fitness instructor, personal Trainer and bodybuilder. I have chronic and new issues all the time. Donna helps with all of them.
As a result of our work together, I have been able to heal from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, tendonitis in my ankle, a strained back muscle, and on several occasions get a soothing or deep tissue massage because my body felt great and I wanted a treat. She is very good about presenting techniques that will deepen our work together. I am glad that she is part of my team as I move through various stages of physical, intellectual, social, emotional, professional and spiritual development.
My advice to anyone thinking of working with a massage therapist would be to consider Donna as a great choice. She provides excellent value and care. She offers options for further exploration into different kinds of therapeutic work without having to find someone new. Years of experience have made her easy to relate to, and she is a great choice to build a long term relationship with.”
Suzannah Weiss MA,Certified Green Belt NIA Instructor & Personal Trainer, AFAA
www.suzworks.org
“As an actor, singer, and dancer, my body is my instrument, and my sessions with Donna really keep me in tune with myself. I’ve come in with aliments including chronic low back pain, shoulder injuries, stress, and everything in between. When I leave, I feel relaxed and hopeful. I love ending my massage and movement therapy sessions with a little craniosacral therapy. I can actually feel infinitely small pulsations traveling through my body.”
Gia Mora
www.GiaMora.com
