Our tendency is to heal painful symptoms by eliminating them through dominance, force and speed.

Here, we take a different approach…

It all started when

I graduated with a bachelor of human kinetics in 2012 and studied massage therapy shortly after. During my 8 years of being a registered massage therapist, I saw many patients struggle with chronic conditions, far from finding answers or lasting relief. While I could help some, my approach to treatment felt incomplete.

I kept asking, “Why can’t we readily find, touch, and soothe the root of pain? What are we missing?”

This lead me to deep dive into interfacing with pain - the art of interacting with a person’s entire being by asking questions and listening to answers with the radical use of all my senses. This approach teaches me that healing can take many forms, that it’s time to redefine what treatment can look like…

Ceaselessly sensing

since childhood…

I realised that I’m aware of subtle yet valuable information from our inner and outer environments. Incorporating the sometimes cryptic data can greatly enhance treatment. Showing up with the intention of deep listening can create optimal conditions for the participant to relax and then reap maximum and surprising benefits. If I arrive as a listener first, the person’s system feels an opening where there’s room for it to speak.

Sessions surpass dialogues, where many aspects of the participant, the environment, and I, converse. Information and guidance flow in as thoughts and sensations, which creates the treatment plan. I offer suggestions through my varied skillset, and this gentle approach empowers the person’s system by giving it a chance to choose and integrate my offerings.

Since 2014, I have had the pleasure of working with young children, high-performance athletes, people struggling with mental health and chronic pain, people who lead an active or quiet lifestyle looking for maintenance, and animals.

Today, I continue to be grateful for and humbled by the human experience - I could not have arrived to this deep sense of appreciation without my amazing and generous recipients.

With deep gratitude (and joy),

Shawn Mercer

Areas of education:

  • Kinesiology: membership with BCAK (2020 - 2024)

  • Registered Massage Therapy: membership with CMTBC (from 2014 - 2022)

  • Fascial release: CoAT™ training with Marjorie Haynes, RMT and CoAT™ founder (since 2017)

  • Somatic Therapy:

    • Organic Intelligence® - PTSD; EOTC (since 2022)

    • Somatic Experiencing® - up to Intermediate 1 (completed in 2022)

    • NeuroAffective Touch® - up to Module 3 (completed in 2021)

  • Clinical Hypnotherapy: Coastal Academy of Hypnotic Arts and Sciences (completed in 2017)

  • Nature Therapy: Forest Therapy guiding - Global Institute of Forest Therapy and Nature Connection (completed in 2023)