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About Mary
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Mary P. Shriver, CMT

Pre- and Post Surgical, Somatic Stress, Trauma and Massage Therapist

Mary P. Shriver (she/her/hers) is an integral part of the Fusion/Femina team. Her work as a Trauma-Informed, Somatic Stress Therapist (Shake Off Stress) is an invaluable part of the healing journey for many of our patients.

Besides being a Certified Massage Therapist, Mary is a The Resilience Toolkit Certification Trainer, Certified Provider of Tension/Trauma Release Exercises (TRE®), Certified Compassion Fatigue Educator, and holds a B.S. in Psychology from Denison University. She is also trained in the Trauma Resilience Model and Community Resilience Model through the Trauma Resource Institute, Motivational Interviewing for Behavior Change (MINT), Level 1 Resistance Flexibility with Bob Cooley, Pelvic Floor Piston Science from Julie Wiebe, and is a member of the International Pelvic Floor Society.

Mary is also trained in the SSP/Safe and Sound Protocol (acoustic ventral vagal tone stimulation) and Brainspotting.

A native New Yorker, Mary began her career in the public relations and marketing field. She worked in both the Las Vegas and Los Angeles markets, including a decade-long stint as a corporate spokesmodel for companies such as Black and Decker, LG and Oracle, before burnout helped her discover her calling as a healer.

Mary’s unique hybrid approach to healing blends massage with assorted tools from The Resilience Toolkit from Lumos Transforms, with emphasis on a lesser known modalities called therapeutic tremoring and myofascial unwinding. This combination of hands-on massage, advanced therapeutic tremor interventions, along with other evidence-based mindfulness and movement techniques helps build body-mind awareness and produces deep relaxation, reducing symptoms of chronic anxiety and pain.

Mary specializes in helping clients who struggle with chronic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, and musculoskeletal blocks. She offers new solutions to both men and women suffering from a multitude of “above and below the belt” health issues and emotional symptoms.

Mary’s spirit and personality reflect the deep connection and spark she feels towards her work. Her enthusiasm for the work can best be summed up in her own words:

This transformational work provides me with the purpose-filled life I’ve pined for since college. It’s the most important thing I’ve ever done, and is the last career I see myself having. This is it for me. I am finally home.”

Mary has worked with physicians, nurses, and mental health clinicians at hospitals and agencies across the LA area. As a clinical intern, Mary spent six months facilitating TRE® to people experiencing homelessness and addiction at Homeless Health Care Los Angeles. As a volunteer, Mary has worked with burn survivors through the Phoenix Society and served on an international humanitarian response team supporting Typhoon Yolanda survivors, first responders, and clinicians in the Philippines.

Mary is the Immediate Past Executive Director of the TRE® For All nonprofit, providing support to TRE® Providers and organizations in more than 35 countries internationally and serves as senior staff at Lumos Transforms.

Massage techniques avaialable:

  • MyoFascial Release (MFR)
  • Therapeutic Tremoring (TRE)
  • Myofascial Unwinding (MU)
  • Pre/Postnatal and Pregnancy
  • Soft Tissue Mobilization (STM) such as
    • Swedish
    • Deep Tissue
    • Sports
    • Skin Rolling
    • Lymphatic Drainage
    • Scraping
    • Currently training in Cranial-Sacral

Mary is also trained in the SSP/Safe and Sound Protocol (acoustic ventral vagal tone stimulation) Brainspotting, the Trauma Resilience Model and Community Resilience Model through the Trauma Resource Institute, Motivational Interviewing for Behavior Change (MINT), and Level 1 Resistance Flexibility with Bob Cooley.

What Our Patients Have to Say

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Testimonial by Alexandra B.

Heather is without exaggerating AMAZING! After years of trouble with a certain part of my body, in no time, she made everything change back to equilibrium and to what would be considered normal. She explains everything in detail and therefore gives you a better understanding of why things are the way they are, and how you can work towards turning things around. I would highly recommend Heather for any type of Physical Therapy. She has created her own "Method/Therapy" through years of studying (with some of the greatest practitioners), practice and breaking down the issues of her past patients, enabling her to fine tune her own system. I'm so thankful to have found her, and I'm especially grateful for the quick recovery I've achieved, after years of distress. If you cannot afford her, I recommend you purchase her book. Although it may not be Heather in person, it can still help you to get on the right path to recovery!

-- Alexandra B., 5/20/2015 via Yelp!

Testimonial by Rosanna R., age 35

Heather has affected my life in the MOST POSITIVE way and I am forever grateful. My husband refers to her as the "sex doctor" so you can only imagine how happy he is with my therapy outcome.

After the birth of my son I suffered from "Vaginismus", however, at the time I just thought I was broken. My "broken vagina" affected me physically but it was an emotional struggle as well. Many women in my life also suffered with pain from sex after their babies were born so I knew I wasn't alone. They told me they "just got used to it" but I couldn't see myself living that way.

Sex wasn't just painful, it was literally impossible - IT DIDNT FIT!

Read more: Testimonial by Rosanna R.,...

Testimonial by P.M.

I was hopeful but frankly skeptical when the doctor treating me for Interstitial Cystitis recommended that I go to Heather for physical therapy. Medication and diet helped control my IC symptoms, but I had never heard of physical therapy being used to treat IC. The education and treatment I received from Heather was a revelation. She explained that the pain I experienced with IC had helped create a cycle of muscle guarding which affected the entire pelvic area. I had no idea of the amount of tension being held there. No wonder my husband and I had not been able to have sexual intercourse for years!

Read more: Testimonial by P.M.

Testimonial by Amanda W.

Heather's unique physical therapy program literally changed my life! After years of struggling with vaginismus, a condition that made it impossible for me to have intercourse and very difficult to use tampons without pain, a gynecologist referred me to Heather. I was nervous for my first appointment, but Heather's professional and friendly demeanor put me at ease. She did a great job explaining each technique she was using to help my muscles relax. Heather uses a combination of internal and external stretches and exercises to relax the pelvic floor and build muscle strength. Her specially developed home program helped me quickly recover from an issue that seemed insurmountable before meeting Heather. She was optimistic about my progress and incredibly encouraging. Less than 6 months after my first session, I was able to have pain-free sex for the first time in my life! If you are suffering from vaginismus or any other pelvic floor issues, I highly recommend making an appointment with Heather and reading her book!

-- Amanda W., 2/15/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by J.B.

My husband and I were having problems with painful intercourse. My therapist recommended that I go and get a pelvic floor evaluation from a physical therapist. Having never been treated by a physical therapist, I wondered how this really was going to help me. My husband who is a physician was very supportive and agreed that a PT evaluation would be a great idea. So i made the appointment and was blown away by what I learned. I had no idea that pelvic floor muscles could get tight and have trigger points just like any other muscle in the body. I'm a massage therapist and very familiar with tight muscles, and this new thought really amazed me. Heather's program to help relax and strengthen these muscles made such a difference. I can say that I am 100% pain free during intercourse now. Yippee! Going to the PT appointments and doing the at-home exercises was definitely a discipline, but it's 100% worth it! The rewards are amazing.

-- J.B.

Testimonial by T.C.

While pregnant with my twins, Heather took care with keeping me on my feet and pain free. She saved my back, my sanity and the holidays! I would recommend her to every “mom” looking to stay on her feet during pregnancy and post-partum.

-- T.C.

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