Trauma Awareness and the Nervous System in Esalen® Massage
An Esalen® Massage Approach to Trauma — 7-Hour Experiential Workshop with Robin Fann-Costanzo
Over the past few decades, our understanding of trauma and the nervous system has deepened, revealing how profoundly our bodies hold and express life’s experiences. Many clients come to massage seeking relief from physical tension or pain that is rooted in stress or unresolved trauma. These expressions might appear as chronic holding, fatigue, postural collapse, or emotional sensitivity—each one a reflection of the body’s wisdom and its efforts to protect itself.
In this workshop, we’ll explore how trauma lives in the body and how, as Esalen® Massage practitioners, we can meet these patterns with compassion, attunement, and presence. By bringing awareness to the nervous system and learning practical ways to support regulation, we create the conditions for greater safety, trust, and connection. From this place, clients can begin to receive our touch more fully and experience the nurturing that leads to true healing.
Through heartfelt discussion, demonstrations, and hands-on practice, you will:
Deepen your understanding of how the nervous system responds to trauma
Learn to recognize physical and energetic cues that signal dysregulation
Practice simple grounding and mindfulness tools to stay centered and resourced as the giver
Explore how subtle shifts in presence, pacing, and contact can transform your sessions
Refine your Esalen Massage practice to include a trauma-aware approach that expands your capacity for empathy, and encourages clear boundaries
Esalen Massage—with its long, integrative strokes, pauses, and emphasis on presence—is inherently well-suited to meet clients where they are. When we learn to listen deeply and respond with gentleness, our touch becomes an invitation for safety, release, and connection.
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026
Duration: 7 hours
Schedule: 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM, 15:00 PM - 18:30 PM
Room: Dojo
Book this course: Book via the scheduling link in the members-only area.
Meet the Teacher