FAQs
What to expect from a session with Lucinda?
Massage
You will be greeted warmly and invited to discuss your needs; any questions you have will be answered and your story heard. After our brief conversation we will formulate an adaptable plan for the type of massage you will receive. Lucinda is proficient in Swedish Massage, Shiatsu, Thai, Tui Na Chinese Medical massage, and acupressure. Unless specified, the massages she gives incorporate all the techniques from each of the aforementioned types of massage. Lucinda does not believe in the notion of “no pain, no gain”, however she does believe in allowing change by utilizing the breath to disrupt unwanted patterns in the body and mind.
Prenatal Massage
Lucinda offers prenatal massage during every trimester of pregnancy provided there is absence of complications. In the first trimester, if you are comfortable, you can receive a prenatal massage while lying face down and face up. In the second and third trimesters, all prenatal massages are given with you lying on your side while propped and supported by multiple pillows. It is not unusual for a prenatal client in this side lying position to feel very relaxed and sleepy. Lucinda is a certified prenatal massage therapist trained under the tutelage of Kiera Nagle the creator of MaMassage®, a prenatal massage therapy that combines various techniques like Swedish massage, manual lymph drainage, and acupressure. Common pregnancy-related concerns such as low back ache, upper body tension, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and hip pain are treated. After your prenatal massage we can talk about “homework” you can do for self-care such as stretches, mindfulness activities, or eating supportive foods. What is most important for me as your therapist during this time, is to help you feel strong and capable in your body.
Acupuncture
Initial visits for new patients generally last 90 minutes and include the following: full intake of medical history, pulse and tongue reading, palpitation and orthopedic testing if applicable, and a focused conversation about what your needs and concerns are. Depending on the reason for your visit, we may speak extensively about your emotions or digestive system, or both! Your body is made of many parts all of which work together; my job is to help them do so optimally. The more Lucinda knows about you the better she can do her job.
Aside from asking questions, listening, and observing, Lucinda will be treating you with sterile acupuncture filament needles. Lucinda believes in obtaining therapeutic results without causing discomfort. She chooses to work with the thinnest needles and always pays close attention to how you are feeling at the moment. Generally Lucinda treats the front of the body and back of the body, with about 20-30 minutes devoted to each side. Other modalities and tools she uses in her acupuncture treatments are electrical stimulation acupuncture, massage, Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage), acupressure, moxa, gua sha, infra-red heat, and liniment application. You can expect that each acupuncture treatment you receive will be professional, intentional, and therapeutic.
Follow-up visits generally last 60 minutes and begin with a report from you about results and changes from the last treatment and a physical exam if applicable. Lucinda will listen to what is going on with your life noting things like if there is an increase or decrease of stress.
Aside from asking questions, listening, and observing, Lucinda will be treating you with sterile acupuncture filament needles. Lucinda believes in obtaining therapeutic results without causing discomfort. She chooses to work with the thinnest needles and always pays close attention to how you are feeling at the moment. Generally Lucinda treats the front of the body and back of the body, with about 20-30 minutes devoted to each side. Other modalities and tools she uses in her acupuncture treatments are electrical stimulation acupuncture, massage, Tui Na (Chinese Medical Massage), acupressure, moxa, gua sha, infra-red heat, and liniment application. You can expect that each acupuncture treatment you receive will be professional, intentional, and therapeutic.
Facial Acupuncture
Facial Acupuncture is the same as described above, with the addition of facial and scalp massage. Initial visits are 90 minutes with a full intake and exam. A discussion of what your goals are and how we will achieve them occurs and a plan is created. Follow-up sessions are 60 minutes and include a brief conversation of results and any changes that occurred since the last treatment. Facial acupuncture concentrates mainly on points in your face, but body points are also used to treat you holistically. Fine filament needles are placed strategically to target dark areas, wrinkles, sagging, dryness, acne, and any other concerns you might have. Facial and scalp massage completes your treatment and can include the use of a jade roller, jade gua sha tool, or silicone cups. You will feel and look your best after this treatment and can expect to see improvement in your complexion soon after. Dramatic results are visible generally after 10-12 sessions, but they are long-lasting as they come from within. Along the way you will enjoy benefits to your overall health and beauty.
Pediatric Acupuncture
Pediatric Acupuncture is suitable for those under the age of 18 years old. For infants and young children, needles are not used. At these ages, children respond very well to acupressure and the use of massage. For certain cases in older children, a needle might be used, but is removed immediately after. Common pediatric issues Lucinda treats are constipation, diarrhea, digestive upset, colic, difficulty sleeping, respiratory distress, allergies, and behavioral concerns. For older children and teenagers, common issues Lucinda addresses are stress, pain, anxiety, acne, mood, and digestive disorders. A parent or guardian is always present in the room during treatment.
How do WE prepare for a session?
You will receive an INTAKE FORM and a CONSENT FORM prior to your session via email. We encourage you to fill these out to the best of your ability easily online. The INTAKE FORM asks many questions concerning current and past health history dealing with the physical, psychological, and emotional states. Your answers ARE taken into account even before you walk through the door so that we can help give you the best holistic treatment possible. The CONSENT form MUST be signed before any session can begin. We will review your intake when you come in and if you did not have time to fill it out, you may fill it out in person with our help.
What to wear:
For Aleks we suggests you wear some kind of stretchy workout clothes. Although sometimes there is a component of working with massage oils, liniments, and cupping much of the session may be done over clothes.
For Lucinda you can wear what you like, her sessions are usually preformed with oils and lotions and the client is always properly draped.
Intake and “hands-on” time: we do our very best to make sure that each client gets the advertised amount of time on the table or mat. Meaning we leave enough time in the session to do the INTAKE (often done before the client even walks in). If a session starts a little late we leave enough time at the end to add that time back :)
Hygiene: We promise to be clean and healthy and not have on any kind of strong cologne or perfume. We find that it is best if the client also prepares for a session by washing off the day or night. We would prefer it if you did not wear any heavy colognes, perfumes, oils, or strong deodorants. Life does catch us off guard sometimes and it is not a deal breaker if a client was not able to shower before a session. We do have a bathroom on premises feel free to ask us for some towels to wash armpits and feet if you feel it is necessary.
What to expect from a session with Aleks?
Every session begins with a warm welcome and a conversation. We discuss what is currently going on and take into account past history as well as future objectives.
All of my work is grounded in Somatic Experiencing™ (SE for short), which is the 60+ years of research and practice developed by Dr. Peter Levine and his students and now teachers. It is a gentle approach of working with traumatic experiences through the sensation of the body. Employing both the natural fight/flight/freeze mechanisms and the rest and digest mechanisms of the nervous system. Our work consists of decoupling sensations in the body from the way we may think of them. Giving us new modes of movement and expression in our lives.
I have found this approach to be the safest and most useful when working around various issues that are not easily apparent to us and may be dormant in the body, creating postures and ways of moving that no longer serve us, causing pain and discomfort. As we work in this gentle field, uncovering our own innate self-healing and regulation, we discover all the gifts that are still here with us.
Somatic therapy is the umbrella that informs all the traditions and philosophies that I practice and employ. I do not make distinctions when working in one system or another. This creates a cohesive and gentle flow to a session.
Here is a list of some of the work that I find has merit for myself and my clients:
Sessions often include the latest researched methods such as: Dermo Neuro Modulation (DNM), a structured, interactive approach to manual therapy that considers the nervous system of the patient from skin cell to sense of self. Techniques are slow, light, kind, intelligent, responsive and effective.
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a stretching technique utilized to improve muscle elasticity and has been shown to have a positive effect on active and passive range of motions.
Muscle Energy Technique (MET) is a technique that was developed in 1948 by Fred Mitchell, Sr, D.O. It is a form of manual therapy, widely used in Osteopathy, that uses a muscle’s own energy in the form of gentle isometric contractions to relax the muscles via autogenic or reciprocal inhibition and lengthen the muscle. As compared to static stretching which is a passive technique in which the therapist does all the work, MET is an active technique in which the patient is also an active participant.
Ortho-Bionomy a holistic approach to healing that works with the proprioceptive aspects of the nervous system to cue the self-corrective reflexes inherent in everyone. Ortho-Bionomy uses gentle positioning and movements which can allow tension patterns which are creating pain to relax, reset and reorganize from within.
These and other approaches are blended with Shiatsu, Thai massage, and Tui Na techniques and philsophies —all forms of Eastern hands on modalities.
I want a massage just to relax do you offer that?
My methods are deeply relaxing. Often clients will report more energy after a session as I pay close attention to where a client is in terms of their nervous system regulation. I make sure that a person leaves the room feeling relaxed yet alert with all options open to them.
I have a Chronic injury/condition and nothing is helping. Can You help me?
We welcome anything that is deemed challenging. Especially clients that have been dealing with intense obstacles and adversity. Although there is not guarantees that ANY healthcare professional can legally offer, we will work to empower you in the journey of you healing. We have found that often enough people have given up their own VOICE and WILLPOWER during their healing, we help them restore that and find inner strength and their agency.
Can these sessions help me boost my overall performance?
You may have been hearing things about “flow states” and new research on topics like “neuroplasticity,” as great as these concepts are, what we can guarantee is that with each session you will gain a greater understanding into your own being, who you are and how that relates overall to your body. We see each session as a back an forth lesson. As we truly learn from within we improve on all aspects of the self. You help us practice our art and our craft, in turn, making us better at what we do and who we are.
What is a Biomat™ and do I have to Lay on it?
You may choose to NOT use the Biomat™. There is NO extra cost added for using it.
Amethyst BioMat™ is modern body heating system that generates Negative Ions known as “vitamins of air” and Far Infrared Rays.
This revolutionary body heating system uses Far Infrared (FIR) (6 – 12 µm) to improve core body temperature. This FIR causes vibration within body up to 6”(15 cm) deep. Cells react to this vibration by increasing production of energy and heat without need for muscle contraction.
Body reacts to increase of its core temperature by dilating cardiovascular system which leads to improved blood circulation and oxygen supply to muscles and organs without additional stress on the body.
Improved blood and oxygen supply together with better function of cells due to an increased concentration of negative Ions contributes to better immune system, temporary relief from minor pain and stress. Amethyst BioMat™ can be used as a stand alone heating device to improve blood circulation and core body temperature without an additional stress on the body or as a compliment to any other therapy, such as a massage or physiotherapy.
WHY do you need my credit card in advance?
To hold your booking we require an active credit card. We also retain the right to charge your card if you do not show up to your booked session without giving us 24 hour notice. We do this because we are a small business and require a certain amount of clients per week to keep our doors open. 24 hours is the minimum amount of time that we would need to rebook a session and even then it is not guaranteed.
We are aware that life happens and there are incredible circumstances. We are always willing to work with each client to resolve any issue. Communication is the key.
Do you take INSURANCE?
Please follow this link for a full understanding of our policy.
CANCELATION POLICY.
We have a standard 24hr cancelation policy. If you contact us 24hrs prior to your appointment that you can not make it we will cancel your appointment and we will not charge your card. We are aware that life happens and there are incredible circumstances. We are always willing to work with each client to resolve any issue. Communication is the key.
Can I purchase a gift card?
Yes, please call or email us to do so:
631-213-1710
contact@lightyearstherapeutic.com
We can provide both virtual and physical gift cards.
Why have you called your holistic healthcare center, “Light Years” ?
It took us a while to settle on a name that encompassed how we felt about our business. Light Years in its basic sense is both the speed of light as well as the feeling of lightness. These are two characteristics that we often heard people say after sessions. “I feel lighter and full of light.” To add substance to this very simple explanation we expand further out; the faster you go in space, the more slowly you age, and objects diminish in length; clocks slow down and eventually would stop at relativistic speeds (approaching the speed of light). We think of our bodies as vessels that traverse these fields of space, through gravity, electromagnetism, among all other visible and invisible fields. Our bodies do this easily and without much interference from our thinking brain. We believe this to be a miracle- the fact that we don’t have to think our hearts into beating or our lungs into breathing or our legs into crawling, walking, and running (but we can if we want to). This leaves us with the certainty that we are well; that sickness, illness, disease, syndromes, these are hypothetical states or pauses in a long journey. These are never our final destinations no matter what is diagnosed or prescribed. The goals of healthcare is always to tap into consciousness, to refine this consciousness, and let the body do its work in the most easy and elegant way that it knows how.