About Cate: nationally certified and insured member of Amsat

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At the age of 14, I proclaimed to my parents I wanted to be an actor and I set about auditioning at the local community arts center. Simultaneously we discovered my spine was diverting from its straight path, the early beginnings of S-curve scoliosis. Since I had always been a mover/dancer (ballet and modern), I begin stretching on the living room floor constantly and made up exercises to counteract the developing pain. I refused to allow a cast or Herrington rod, amazingly, my parents let me handle it.

I arrived in NYC after college graduation and two years post-graduate studying acting and Martha Graham technique in London. I auditioned in NYC for 5 years with an agent, but landed most roles on my own, but was not artistically fulfilled. I turned to writing poetry and then painting showed up, then a friend introduced me to Contact Improvisation(dancing) and I performed at downtown venues. I created my own solo multi-media pieces at  Collective Unconscious, Williamsburg PAA and Dixon Place.   

I became licensed in massage therapy in 1991 which afforded a flexible schedule for continuing my arts and delving deeply into healing my spine and heart. The healing and art work was intertwined and interdependent, for example, a painting I did based on an image that came to me while receiving bodywork, became the cover of my first published collection of poetry, Separation and Return. I came to uncover, release and unwind the deep emotional pain that was stored in the tissues through several kinds of healers and somato-emotional work. In pursuit of my own healing gave me many insights and compassion into working with others, ‘healer heal thyself’.
By giving up the putting on the masks of character, my choice for living in a body with less pain, had me deconstructing my own masks!  AdditionalIy I was certified in: Cranio-Sacral®, Body-Mind Centering®, Reiki, Pilates, Yoga and Deep Memory Process®; diversifying my bodywork and movement practices in tandem with my personal healing process.

After 23 years of practicing massage and added modalities, I was burnt out. My forearms ached, my wrists were strained,  I was tired of the extra laundry, I was letting go of a lot of old stuff. So, I took care of my aging dog, sat quietly a lot and asked myself what am I going to do next? One night, while I was online, I found myself typing in Alexander Technique teacher trainings; there was my answer! I audited the class at ACAT the following week and the rest, as they say is her-story. 

Eight years later, and a three-year training of 1600 hours of Alexander work by senior teachers, my spine is now centered!!  In addition to practice of the Alexander principles, I continued my own energetic unwinding practices which contributed as well. I am living proof it is possible to heal the distorted curves and most importantly, the content that holds the tension. 

In the course of my meditations over the years, I came to understand the source of my spinal distortion and took full responsibility for reacting the way I did in order to survive my tumultuous family dynamic. I released those internal triggers for 38 years and my bodymind was allowed to respond in the natural direction - health!!