Trauma Massage Therapist

Heya! I am Renée Houston. I’ve been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 2009, Certified Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist since 2020, and a Trauma Touch Therapist since 2022, and I absolutely love what I do.

I have always felt more drawn toward serving clients seeking nurturing more than the idea of “fixing” people. This inclination was 110% validated when, during my first oncology massage class, I heard for the first time such phrases as “holding space” and “we can’t fix someone with cancer, but we can support them through their journey.” I began seeking training that would
lead me further and further along this new “not fix, but support” path, and I now know that this is precisely what I was created to do.

Since that class in 2014 (that was just the day before yesterday, wasn’t it?), I have been blessed to study under some of the most compassionate, knowledgeable, and remarkable trainers in my industry. My adventures in massage education include now having sat at the feet of not one but two of the pioneers of oncology massage; learning how to safely and effectively serve burn
survivors and those with other complex medical conditions; excellent training in manual lymphatic drainage; massage for hospice and palliative care; and several classes geared toward supporting people living with the effects of trauma and other mental health conditions. And there is still so much more to learn!

An overarching theme among all the people that I serve seems to be dissociation– some variation of “I know that I live in this body, but I don’t feel very connected to it.” What happens to us also happens to our bodies, and more often than not, the way that our bodies “store” our trauma causes us to eventually see the body as “the enemy” rather than the innocent,
hardworking friend that it is. It’s like the mind has decided that the body isn’t a safe place to hang out anymore, so it gets as far away as possible from the body (or part of the body), which it views as “the problem.”

As a licensed massage therapist, I only work with the body– I am not a counselor. Massage in any form is not and never should be passed off as a substitute for proper medical or mental health care that is provided by appropriately licensed/credentialed professionals. However, my work can be a fantastic complement to mental health therapy and other adjunct therapies along
the healing journey.

I don’t “massage out the trauma” (what a traumatic concept, in and of itself!). My ability to provide safe, validating, positive touch can reap great, often unexpected results. When a person who has lived with dissociation for a long time finally experiences safety in their body, a sort of “magic” happens. They begin to “hear” what their body has been trying to express for so long.
Then the “fight/flight/freeze” response begins to quiet. It takes time– sometimes, a lot of time. Safety is not something that just happens. Safety can even feel decidedly unsafe for a lot of people. And that’s ok. It takes as long as it takes. Learning to be friends with your body again (or for the first time) is hard work; it makes sense that we must go slowly.

Testimonial:

♥ A testimonial from one of my Trauma Touch Therapy™ externship (Level 2 training) clients:

“Even though I’d made some baby steps in processing my emotions regarding the extensive trauma I’ve experienced since birth, it wasn’t until I worked with Renée through Trauma Touch Therapy that I was finally able to look at, process, and handle anger. My entire life experience with anger for >34 years at that point had been life-threatening violence, sadistic torture, and emotionally devastating manipulation and a part of me was terrified that if I allowed myself to deal with my anger over the abuse, to feel and acknowledge that righteous anger, that I would loose grip on reality, control of myself, and become the very person I’d grown to abhor. The Sunday I had a massive PTSD episode and realized that not only was I experiencing extreme
anxiety bordering on panic but also extreme fury at my father for everything he stole from me was the day I finally realized 1) I hadn’t lost touch with reality, 2) I hadn’t lost control of myself and hurt any of the people around me, & 3) it was impossible for me to have ever become someone like my father in light of the way I controlled (overcontrolled) my own self. I’ve never
been the same since. That was only 4 visits into TTT after I’d been through severe, multifaceted abuse and torture for 34 years. Since that day, my mental health scores have dropped to 0 (normal) for the last 2+ years and my PTSD and depression have been in remission as well.

Before TTT, I had tried to go thru pelvic floor rehab twice and never even made it out of my home. After completing TTT, I successfully completed pelvic floor rehab as well and my chronic migraines have also improved as well.”–K.O.

♥ Listen to this podcast by Rita Vigil LPC, wherein she interviewed me about my experiences
working with Trauma Touch Therapy™:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-backpacking-introvert/id1522958008?i=1000650371
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♥ I recently spoke at the Trauma Support Services Female Survivors of Violence Conference
about the work that I do: