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Nicole Keane

Nicole Keane, MS LMT BCTMB
My massage therapy practice is based in Alaska and Oregon, serving the communities of Anchorage, AK and Hood River, Oregon, as well as surrounding areas. 

Integrative Nutrition Consulting, Central Oregon, Alaska, Portland, Bend, Anchorage, Hood River, Visceral Manipulation, Functional Nutrition, Functional Medicine, Somatic Experiencing, Massage Therapy, Reiki, Continuing Education, Physical Therapy, Structural Integration, Integrative Health, Wellness
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Thanks for doing the deep dive into my website!! Here is some specific info about how I've taken the deep dive into the study of whole body healing. It is my passion and my purpose in this life.  I am grateful to be able to help others heal, and have learned so much from my journey on the path to my physical and emotional healing, as well as the actual research and practicum study I have done over the past 20 years. 


My intention through all of my work is to facilitate and support individuals in realizing that they are the source of their own healing and well-being. No two therapies that I give are ever the same; they are each specifically tailored to individual needs, and are a blend of all of the modalities that I have been trained in providing.

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I have over 10,000 hours of training and clinical experience since 2002. Over the years my practice has grown into an integrative practice with Advanced Manual Therapy as the cornerstone, and nutrition and life coaching built off of that foundation.

 

I practice Advanced Manual Therapy techniques as taught by the Barral Institute, Chickly Institute, and techniques I have developed myself, including variations of Visceral Manipulation and Neuromenengeal Manipulation, work in the deep brain nuclei, Toyohari style acupressue and meridian therapy, Reiki, energy work, emotional release, neuroendocrine balancing, myofascial release. I blend these techniques into a clinical application of the theories of structural integration (musculoskeletal) and the Polyvagal Theory (neurobehavioral and neurophysiological). These techniques are very gentle, and highly effective in initiating lasting and profound changes in the mind body system.  

I have had the opportunity to successfully treat many conditions and alleviate symptoms associated with:

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  • Sciatica

  • Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

  • Carpal Tunnel Pain

  • Hip pain

  • Frozen Shoulder/ Rotator Cuff Injuries

  • Low Back Pain

  • Shoulder Pain

  • Neck Pain

  • Knee Injuries / Knee Pain

  • Sacro-Illiac (SI) Joint Issues

  • Ligament Tension and Pain 

  • Tennis Elbow

  • Plantar Fasciitis

  • Foot Pain 

  • Headaches

  • Tempral-Mandibular Joint Dysfunction and Pain (TMJ) and Cranial Tension

  • Bladder Dysfunction, Incontinence, Urge Incontinence, and Issues Associated with Kidney Infection 

  • Endometriosis

  • Dysmenorrhea

  • Intestinal Issues: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

  • Gastro-Intestinal Reflux Disease (GERD)​

  • Liver Dysfunction

  • Circulatory Issues

  • Detoxification

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I have trained extensively with the Barral Institute in Visceral Manipulation and Neuromenengeal (Neural) Manipulation (very similar to Cranio Sacral Therapy). I am also trained in Active Release Technique (ART), trigger point therapy, acupressure and meridian massage, swedish and deep tissue relaxation therapy, Thai massage, and prenatal and postnatal massage.

 

After taking one massage class in college and loving it, I received my massage therapy education at the Desert Institute of Healing Arts, in Tucson, AZ (now Cortiva Desert Institute) in 2003. I then went on to pursue a desk and field work job by getting my Masters degree in Environmental Law and Policy. I worked for the State of Alaska in Ocean and Coastal Management, and as an environmental scientist for private consulting firms for several years.  At 28 years old I went big and quit my job to start a career that would be more personally fulfilling.  I wanted work toward my goal of helping people find their innate ability to heal themselves. During my brief retirement and career change I took classes in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Five Element Theory at the Oriental Healing Arts Center, in Anchorage, AK. I started building the foundation for my dream, Gratitude Healing Arts, soon after, and have been working on that building ever since. 

I received a certificate in Prenatal, Postnatal, and Labor and Delivery massage in Colorado from the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in 2012.  Since then I have focused my research on myofascial release and release of restrictions within the visceral and nervous systems.  I have grown leaps and bounds as a therapist from the amazing insights and clinical experience taught by Jean Pierre Barral, DO PT (France) and Alain Croibier, DO (France), through the Barral Institute. I've studied directly with Gail Wetzler, PT BI-D PhD, Ron Mariotti, ND BI-D, Jean Ann Zollers, PT, Erla Olafsdottir, LMT (Iceland), Roberto Bonanzinga, DO (Italy), Eric Marlien, DO (France), and Bruno (DO, LMT) and Alaya Chikly. 

 

These mentors have meant so much to my growth as a professional manual therapist and integrative health practitioner.   Through my work in the viscera and personal changes to my health, I have also studied holistic nutrition and certification in Herbal Medicine through a Masters program in Nutrition and Integrative Health from the Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH), which has a partnership with the National College of Naturopathic Medicine!  In 2004 , I nearly went to grad school to become an ND, but opted for Environmental Law instead....
"Though the course may change sometimes, rivers always reach the sea." - Led Zeppelin

 

For the past several years I have been researching the Polyvagal Theory, as developed by Stephen Porges, PhD. This research has led to advanced manual therapy techniques that I have developed for working with the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).  The effects of this work on the body are subtle, but reach far into the complexity of the control centers of the body, enhancing the ability to achieve homeostasis and balance.  The body can and will heal itself under these conditions of balance, through the creation of resilience. Through the awareness that this study has brought to my life and my practice, I have been able to further heal the effects of neglect and emotional abuse that I experienced as a child. My history allows me to understand even more deeply, the effects of this profound theory, and the clinical application of it, on the human nervous system. 

 

At the end of 2019, I started a project that would carry me through the downtimes of the Pandemic (little did I know that to start this project then, was great timing!!).  In that mean time I have created a curriculum based on all my training and clinical experience. This curriculum is called Elemental Manual Meridian Theory and Techniques (EMMT), for more information on the classes involved in this program, please visit www.gratitudehealingarts.net.  I have written and illustrated a book as well, and more info on this book can be found here. 

In my free time (what little there is)  I enjoy playing in the backcountry of Alaska, Colorado, Arizona, and Oregon, paddleboarding, packrafting, hiking, mountain biking, yoga, snowboarding, freestyle nordic skiing, fly fishing...photography, drawing, painting watercolors... I am definitely in tune with what it takes to give a therapeutic massage for an active lifestyle. 

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