Annelisa MacBean, M.A., C.M.T.
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M.A. in Human Development
Professional Movement Coach
Certified Somatic Therapist
Certified Aston Patterner
Certified Massage Therapist
Consultant and Coach
Pre- and Peri- Natal Specialist
How I Became Interested in Back Pain Relief?
I have spent my life learning about every aspect of the body . . . structure, function, and movement. I was compelled to learn because as a young child, I had to wear corrective shoes to amend a tendency for inward pronation of my ankles and knees.
Within months of wearing the prosthetics, my knees began to dislocate, literally popping out of the sockets. At the time no one saw the connection between the shoes and the knees.
As time passed it became evident that the rest of my body paid a high price for this attempt at correction of symptoms. Because I was in a wheelchair through most of my adolesence, as my body grew and matured through puberty my muscles and the alignment of my my muscles and bones adapted to a seated position.
When I got back on my feet again as a young adult, I suffered ankle, knee, hip and back pain until my early thirties. My right leg is about 1 inch shorter than my left leg. I can't fully rotate my right hip. The bones in my spine, ribs, shoulders and neck are twisted in response to the surgical reattachment of my thigh muscles.
I've focused much of my life on understanding what happened to my body, unwinding the twists and turns of my history. After years of study, research and therapy, I have become aware of my body's structural patterns, and, I have learned to teach others how to work with their own structural characteristics, to resolve their back pain by working with their own unique imbalances. It's natural and it's easy.
What I believe causes back pain.
Back pain for most people is caused by HOW daily activities are performed - sitting, standing, walking and sleeping. How you move through the world, day after day, week after week and year after year establishes a structural pattern in your muscles and joints.
Simply stretching or popping a vertebrae does not change the way you perform your daily activities. If you return to habitual movement patterns after a treatment, adjustment or exercise class you are simply reinforcing your structural limitations and negating the benefits of any treatment or adjustment.
Learning about HOW you are using your body now - and how you can use it more effectively - can ultimately become the foundation of your back health!
My Professional Background
Since 1983, I have served hundreds of clients suffering with symptoms of back pain ranging from sciatica to depression. I have written a series of back-pain relief and exercise manuals to support my clients and to bolster the efforts of those whom I cannot see privately. I emphasizes relationship of the mind and the body, teaching clients about how thoughts and beliefs affect physical experiences.
With more than two decades of experience with numerous bodywork modalities and movement therapies, I have developed a sharp eye for assessing how the human body falls into inefficient, repetitive, painful patterns. I have also developed common-sense intelligence about how to restore and rebuild a healthier, happier, vital and pain-free body. As a back-pain sufferer who has dealt with sciatica, hip, and shoulder complications, I empathetically help others with back-pain to set and achieve wellness goals and return to a balanced, active life.
My clients range from stay-at-home moms to world-class athletes, from week-end warriors to pregnant women, from young adolescents to the very elderly. My professional career also includes coaching for executives, consulting for corporations and private psychotherapeutic consultations. I am a hiker, a cyclist, a lover of music and dance, living in San Rafael, CA with my husband and the spirit of our recently deceased cat.