Feel better, move more, and live well with Soma.

Soma Structural Integration is a touch-based therapy that aligns and mobilizes your fascial system, allowing you to experience life with a sense of physical vitality and emotional ease.

Is your body trying to tell you something?

Sensations (pleasant or unpleasant) are your body’s way of communicating with the entirety of you. If you experience sensations like pain that is too intense or unrelenting- your nervous system can become overwhelmed, resulting in immobility, depression, anxiety, self-criticism, or numbness. When this happens, perhaps what you might really begin to notice is an uneasy sense of stuck-ness- in your career, relationships, goals, family, and other arenas of life.

Whether it’s a result of injury, illness, workplace body mechanics, trauma, transition, or grief- Soma addresses your pain at the source, by targeting the substance in your body that is rich with sensation because it contains the most free nerve endings- your fascia. Soma also gently brings momentum back into your body, guiding you back to living in a functional, easeful, calm and confident state. My clients gain tools for embodiment and self-regulation, empowering them to feel better not only during sessions, but outside the treatment room and in their day-to-day lives as well.

While seeking relief from pain is a frequent reason why clients find their way to my practice, there are plenty of reasons to choose Soma:

Gain clarity on sensing boundaries and improve relationships (What does an emphatic “YES” feel like in your body? How about a resounding “NO?” How do you decipher and trust your “gut feelings”?)
Address breathing problems, TMJ, and sleep quality
Effortlessly improve posture and increase self-esteem
Inspire movement and develop self-care practices that are authentic and a unique expression of you
Deepen yoga practice
Improve athletic performance, increase bodily awareness
Explore and re-write the story of your life that is encoded in the body
Quiet the mind and experience the present directly through your bodily senses, like a sensory meditation
Experience joy and treat yourself to something that just simply feels good.

Whether you have never received bodywork before, or you are a seasoned “somanaut”— you’re in good hands! Contact me to book your first session.

Rooted in Tradition, Backed by Science

Soma Structural Integration was developed by Ida Rolph and Bill Williams, based on the principle of tensegrity. This image shows a tensegrity model of the spine- demonstrating how each vertebra are suspended (not touching) by a system of soft tissues under tension. Both Soma Structural Integration and Rolfing Structural Integration (Ida Rolph’s SI method that preceded Soma) aim to rebalance the tension in soft tissues to realign the body’s physical structure.

Soma was developed when Ida (a biophysicist) and Bill (a psychotherapist) began noticing some unintended psychological benefits experienced by people receiving the Rolfing Structural Integration series. Thus, Soma was developed considering the mind, body, emotion and spirit- all in tandem. And just like many eastern and indigenous wellness traditions, Soma centers the inter-connectedness of these elements as the wellspring from where wellness originates.

As new research continues to develop around fascia, the nervous system, and pain- The bodymind benefits that so many have experienced with Soma are now being confirmed by scientific study. For example, we are discovering that symptoms of anxiety and depression can be eased by improving proprioception (your sense of body awareness in space), which Soma specifically supports. The part of your brain that processes sensory information and stores body memories- the amygdala- needs regular stimulation through movement and touch to communicate to your whole body that you are safe, all is well, and it’s actually OK to relax those tense muscles!

Learn more on my resources page.

What to expect during your Soma Session

I always meet my clients with the utmost quality of care and presence. After a brief check-in, we will begin with “body reading” or postural analysis while you are standing, to see how your body is interacting with/holding within the force of gravity.

Clients lie down or sit on a treatment table, while I use my fingertips, hands, knuckles, and forearms to reach your fascia, muscles, and other soft tissues- to a depth of your comfort and choosing. Clients always remain partially clothed during sessions to allow for more movement options. Generally, this looks like a swimsuit-level of undress, although more clothing can be accommodated. Sessions typically conclude with a customized embodiment or movement practice that you can continue using at home, whenever you need to “refresh” your bodymind memory to the benefits of our session.

While one session can yield lasting impacts, Soma is most effective when you commit to a regularly-scheduled series of sessions.

Welcome to my practice.

My name is Madison Spencer (she/her) and I am a Soma Structural Integration Practitoner and Licensed Massage Therapist on Whidbey Island, WA.

A former exploration geologist in the Arctic tundra-scapes of Alaska, I used to chart the ore bodies hidden within the Earth. I draw inspiration from the natural world when working in therapeutic alliance with clients- by helping them navigate their body-bewilderness so they can find treasured nuggets of wisdom in their bodies.

[Photo credit: James Harnois]

Client Testimony:

“The next morning [after my first session], as I sat down at my desk, I noticed that my pain was gone. At that moment I realized that it had become a constant part of my life, but also that it didn’t have to be.”