At Athena Wellness & Manual Therapy, you can expect one to one personalized and whole person care to address your health and wellness goals . My goal in using manual therapy is to re-harmonize and improve proprioceptive communication in the body, to enhance its internal mechanism for better health.
Visceral Manipulation treats a person's functional and structural
imbalances with the aim to affect their musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive, and lymphatic dysfunction.
Jean-Pierre Barral's famous dictum, “Only the tissues know,” expresses that the tissues in the body have a deep and innate intelligence. Everything that has happened in our lives—injuries, diseases, stressors, etc.—
is recorded in our tissues and nervous system.
The core of Visceral Manipulation (VM) is 'listening' to the tissues with our hands. Through manual listening techniques, a skilled practitioner can feel where the tissues are pulling into areas of restriction, the areas where the body is not moving, and the areas, when treated offer the greatest impact on the person's wellbeing from the manual therapy perspective.
Lesley Bludworth, PT, NDT-C
Education and Training: Graduated from California State University at
Long Beach with a Bachelors in Physical Therapy in 1993
Over 30 years of full-time professional experience.
10 years experience with inpatient and out patient neurological rehabilitation. Certified Neuro-Developmental Treatment 1999
Over 10 years experience with outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation with a specialty in post concussion, TMJ and vestibular rehabilitation and corrective exercise.
Since 2010 I have received ongoing and advanced training and mentoring in the Osteopathic approach to cranial, visceral, neural and vascular manipulation.
Recently I completed courses in applied and functional neurology
addressing functional issues at the level the vestibular system, brain stem and cerebellum. Currently I am receiving ongoing training in Polyvagal Manual Therapy.
IAHP Courses listed at: https://www.iahp.com/lesley-bludworth/
"As we co-regulate each other, we feel safer in the space and time that we
are in. We become more generous with others, more welcoming and more accessible"
Dr. Stephen Porges
Education and Training
Osteopathic Manual Techniques:
Visceral, Vascular & Neural Manipulation (Barral)
Neural Manipulation Peripheral nerves (Shacklock, Butler, Jacobs)
Functional and Applied Neurology
Craniosacral Therapy and Glial Interface (Biodynamic and Upledger)
Strain Counter Strain (Jones, D'Ambrogio, Weiselfish Giammatteo)
Primal Reflex Release Technique, PRRT
Neural Reset Technique, NRT (Advanced)
Associative Awareness Technique, AAT
PolyVagal Theory Informed therapy interventions
Vibration/Listening Therapy:
iLs Integrated Listening System, Focus Programs
Safe and Sound Protocol, Dr. Stephen Porges
HUSO Sound Healing Vibration
Traditional Physical Therapy:
Trigger Point Dry Needling (Dunning & Hobbs Masters)
Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)
Vestibular Dysfunction rehabilitataion and therapy
Restoring Natural Diaphragmatic Breathing
Dynamic Neural Stabilization (DNS)
Muscle Energy Techniques (MET)
Joint Mobilization
Neuro-Developmental Treatment Certified (NDT)
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation and corrective exercise (PNF)
Total Motion Release corrective exercise (TMR)