FAQs
Most frequent questions and answers
Are you’re feeling Less-Than Your Best? Perhaps with a gimp in your step or a kink in your swing? TMBW ortho-/ sports massages are not about relaxing, but rather are focused on helping you Find & Unwind the patterns that cause you pain so that you can Reset & Reactivate the muscle mechanics that will help you reclaim Pain-Freeing ways to Move and the best in your mobility, strength, and endurance.
TMBW Massage is focused on helping you reclaim your ideal and Pain-Freeing Ways to Move and so the TMBW Method involves both muscle releases and movement-based protocols to Reset and Re-wire the way you move. Most clients prefer to wear flexible shorts or leggings and a T-shirt, or as appropriate, a sports bra or camisole. You’re free to wear what works best for you.
Hydration is important – Based on clinical findings, I generally recommend that my clients drink 17-20 oz of water (not tea, coffee, or soda) 2-hours before our appointment and then again after our appointment together. This will help facilitate your muscles’ ability to adopt new Ways to Move and to reduce the likelihood of what can be, a work-out like muscle soreness after our session together.
My office address is at Greenville Towers III, 230 Presidential Drive, Suite #003, Wilmington, DE 19807. Click for Google Maps directions.
You’re free to pay multiple ways – i.e. cash, check, Venmo, and most credit cards and some HSAs via my Square Account.
In light of Covid-19, I’m delighted that we’re not required to wear masks, though I have several clients that still prefer to wear them and I will do the same, as you may prefer. I’m fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine (2 shots) and have received the Moderna booster. In addition, I have recently added natural immunity – I’ve had and am fully recovered from Covid.
Pain is often the language of the body telling us that our posture habit, for example, isn’t quite right – AKA Causing you Pain! The Good News? We know where all the “treasures are buried” and together we’ll work to Find & Unwind the pain patterns so that we can help you achieve the needed shift to re-activate & re-balance muscle patterns so that you can
Return to Pain Freedom!
If you purchase a discounted package – First and foremost, Thank you!!
Over the years, I have found that my clients’ greatest successes with the goal of Feeling Great Again! happen when clients can come in to several sessions in quick succession – initially weekly – followed by periodic sessions to help maintain your optimal level of activity and pain-free living that we’ve achieved in those earlier sessions.
With this in mind, I love a good win-win scenario and so I offer discounted packages to encourage clients to come in weekly, particularly in the beginning, so that we can more quickly and efficiently get you to the other side of your existing pain patterns/habits.
My most popular massage packages are for 90-minute ortho-/ sports massage sessions. 90-minutes sessions provide time for both hands-on muscle release as well as time to recommend and coach corrective exercises that can be performed at home in-between sessions to facilitate and expedite your ability to Feel Great Again! The TMBW Massage pricing for 90-minute sessions are as follows:
- (1) 90-minute sessions: $150.00
- (3) 90-minute sessions: $375.00 (discounted to $125/90-minute session)
- (5) 90-minute sessions: $500.00 (discounted to $100/90-minute session)
- (10) 90-minute sessions: $900.00 (discounted to $90/90-minute session)
I also offer 60-minutes sessions as follows:
- (1) 60-minute sessions: $95.00
- (7) 60-minute sessions: $595.00 (discounted to $85/60-minute session)
- (10) 60-minute sessions: $750.00 (discounted to $75/60-minute session)
Of note, there is no expiration date for massage sessions and/or packages that you’ve purchased.
If for any reason you need to cancel your package of orthopedic massage sessions, we will gladly work with you.
Our refund policy – First, I hope we’ll get a chance to chat first so that we can explore ways to make our sessions together work better for you and your preferences. Orthopedic massage can feel like a “workout session” with a “workout level of soreness” after the first session or two. If that’s the case and it feels like too much, I’ll gladly modify my techniques – first and foremost, I’m dedicated to helping You Feel Great Again!
None the less, if you need to cancel your package, you will be refunded as follows. (1) Cash refunds will be provided when initiated within 30-days of your initial purchase. Since packages are discounted based on the number of sessions you purchase in advance, should you request a refund, please realize that you will lose the discounted package pricing.
As such, your refund will be the total package price paid less a charge for any sessions used at the regular orthopedic massage session price of $150 for 90-minute sessions and $95 for 60-minute sessions.
First, I always look forward to our sessions together! – though I also know that “Life Happens“! In fact, I totally understand that there are a multitude of life stresses and delays that can interfere with your massage therapy appointment at The Mind Body Whisperer Massage & Fitness. In an effort to be equitable and fair to all of my clients as well as me and my family, I’ve adopted the following policies:
- Please provide a minimum of 24 hours (preferably 48) notice when canceling an appointment time so that I can contact other clients and provide an opportunity for another client to schedule in your original time slot.
- If less than 24 hours notice is provided and we are unable to fill your time, we reserve the right to charge the full amount of what would have been your appointment charge. Similarly, if you have a massage package, your missed session may be deducted from your remaining package total.
- At our discretion, you may be (a) required to pay this fee at the beginning of your next appointment or (b) as applicable, we will deduct the amount from the remaining value of your gift certificate or massage package.
- If you can’t attend a session, Please communicate what’s going on and I’ll be happy to work with you. Although understandably the stresses of life can happen, if there is no communication or discussion and your appointment is missed, for whatever reason, that session will be considered a “no-show.” In this scenario, clients will be charged for their “missed” appointment before their next session and/or the value of that session will be deducted from any existing massage package.
Thanks for you consideration – All the Best,
Christine, The Mind Body Whisperer
In Delaware, insurance covers massage therapy sessions related to motor vehicle accidents and workman’s compensation – unfortunately, not for general health.
If you’ve been involved in an accident – I’m sorry to hear! Having been in an head-on auto accident, I can relate to how disruptive it can be to your life – not to mention the Pain! And yes, I do work with clients and in-turn with their insurance company for MVA-related massage therapy.
TMBW Massage will help Optimize your Sports Strength & Balance. For example, you’ll get greater power in your forehand stroke as we work to balance your Pecs to your Rotator Cuff Muscles.
Once balanced, you’ll enjoy a larger swing arc facilitivated by your rotator cuff muscles pulling your swing back further “to the ready” so that your Pecs have a greater swing arc to Power Your Swing!
The older we get, the less tolerance a body seems to have for “bad form” for exercise as well as movement in general. Good form is dependent on balanced muscle teams that work optimally together. Unfortunately, in the context of old injuries, etc., a body often adopts pain-avoiding habits that linger and become pain patterns.
As a partial example, good form when lifting, depends on many things including whether you have the range of motion to lift a barbell with arms and elbows straight overhead vs. the “bad habit” of a forward shoulder which prevents a full overhead and increases the likelihood of injury in relatively short order. As such, The Mind Body Whisperer Massage & Fitness Method will help you reclaim optimal joint range of motion so that you can both move & exercise with pain-freeing form.
A good golf game is dependent on (a) the torque of your torso, (b) your ability to rotate your upper body independently of your lower body, (c) your ability to exercise great hip and T-spine mobility to facilitate the arc and power of your swing, (d) the option to keep a stiff and then mobile ankle joint for optimal foot rocking through your swing, (e) your ability to utilize great neck stability and range of motion for torso torque and swing-through for your shot, etc. With The Mind Body Whisperer Massage & Fitness we’ll work to restore your full, balanced, stable, and strong ranges of motion so that you can consistently have a great golf round.
In our society, touch is a curious thing. In the best of worlds, touch can be both commonplace and a lovely part of the human experience. Science tells us that the brains of children that are appropriately touched (i.e. hugged, have their hand held, etc.), generally have internal brain structures that are better able to tolerate stress throughout their lives. Sadly, however, touch can also be part of some of the most scary and terrifying of life experiences.
One of the advantages of working with me, Christine Eckery, The Mind Body Whisperer, is that I have a MS and I advanced to PhD candidacy – both in clinical psychology (unfortunately, a technical glitch kept me from completing my dissertation and in turn, my attaining my PhD.) Lastly, I was a Delaware certified trauma therapist. Of note, I am not a practicing psychologist or trauma therapist. None the less, this knowledge base and a developed sensitivity for that kind of work does inform my understanding of how the body can act and react to events – and how these experiences and reactions can influence our muscle patterns and at times, the pain patterns we experience.
Separately, as a licensed massage therapist, I have worked with clients that have a history of various forms of abuse, including sexual abuse. In that context, I would focus our work on what would help you become more aware of and grounded in your body.
If you have particular sensitivities to touch, I will encourage you to take the lead – or if you’re more comfortable, work with me – to set the parameters of our work together. Some clients prefer to start with the basics, i.e. setting up the therapeutic massage table. Others prefer to specify where (i.e. shoulders) they would feel the most comfortable with the touch of a therapeutic massage. The focus, under all circumstances, would be to make certain that you feel safe for and comfortable with our therapeutic massage work together.
I take my profession as a therapeutic massage therapist seriously and am focused on helping my clients move more freely and with less pain – always under terms that will be the most comfortable for you and will create the greatest sense of safety and assurances of comfort for our work together.
Unfortunately, pain can happen as we work together to find and unwind existing muscle spasms, fascial adhesions, and unbalanced myoskeletal systems in your body – AKA all the things that cause your pain problems. I wish I knew how to make a miracle happen so that there was never any pain, however, I haven’t figured out how to make that happen yet. LOL ☺
Communication in our sessions is important. While pain can happen, it’s not my intention or my preference – though it can, and does happen.
As we work together, its important that you keep me posted on your pain levels in the moment. While I’m quite good at perceiving the discomfort levels of my clients, some of my clients will also tell you that they have experienced some discomfort/pain via The Mind Body Whisperer Massage Method.
As such, I use the scientifically supported pain-thermometer during our sessions, AKA The “0-to- 10” scale where:
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“0” means that you feel absolutely no sense of pain while
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“10” means that you’re experiencing such intense pain that you’re ready to go through the roof. (PS This doesn’t happen in sessions.)
Recognizing that the objective of The Mind Body Whisperer Massage Method is to help you alleviate painful muscle patterns, there is often some level of pain that will be experienced during the session. The good news is that as we’re Finding and Unwinding your pain patterns, the level of pain generally doesn’t last very long. Since pain can happen, so to speak, here’s good framework for us to work within:
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A pain level of 1 – 3 usually suggests that there is a slight “kink” in your muscles that is quickly released via our in-session massage work together.
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A therapeutic level of pain is 4 – 6 and represents the therapeutic level of pain that occurs as we together Unwind and Reset your pain-based patterns – a process which ultimately restores you ideal level of sport and activity, even as we age.
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A pain level of 7 or 8 can happen – and if I miss it, please let me know ASAP! A pain level of 7 or 8 usually means we need to unwind another area first so that this 7 – 8 area can better and more easily unwind. Or, it may mean that we need to work through a back door so that we can unwind the 7 or 8 pain pattern and reset it for greater comfort.
The good news is that a body loves to reset and rewrite its mobility patterns so that it can experience pain-freeing ways to move once again. And with The Mind Body Whisperer Massage Method we’ll get you to Pain Freedom as quickly as possible!
How do clients feel at the end of their session with The Mind Body Whisperer Ortho-/ Sports massage?
Many of my clients report that they feel great after our ortho-/sports massage session with The Mind Body Whisperer Massage & Fitness and were excited to leave the session feeling like they could be more comfortably active again!
Especially, with my new clients, we often end up talking about how many nice gains we’re able to achieve after a short 90-minute session. That comment about relief is often quickly followed by a wish that they’d got started with our sessions sooner – nothing like a bit of “instant gratification” and happier muscles! At the end of sessions, I’ve had clients talk about massage package goals and achievements like the following:
An improved drive off the tee and a more consistent golf game because their hips now rotate more fully and they can better power their golf swing – with better torso torque and in turn, a better swing.
A stronger overhead smash at the net as well as better power serves because of the improved shoulder range of motion that we’ve achieved in-session.
Less pain and faster times after their next 5K runs and marathons because their calves and hamstrings are now better balanced and are no longer screaming in pain after their run – PLUS with better hip mobility they had a better/longer stride.
Better lacrosse play because with their new ankle flexibility and calf integration they have better endurance and better “plant and pivot” options for their attack on goal.
More competitive volleyball spikes because their freer shoulder range of motion increases their swing arc to power their shot with greater accuracy.
More ease of hip movement and a longer swing for greater comfort walking.
Greater endurance and less back pain after cycling.
And best of all for me is to hear clients leave with an expressed greater sense of Hope and Possibility.
To facilitate your healing process and to speed your healing, each session at The Mind Body Whisperer Massage Massage & Fitness has the option of BioMat infrared heat.