Marika Chop Spreads the Power of Healing

Marika Chop Spreads the Power of Healing

PHOTO BY MEGAN SMALL

Marika Chop of the Alameda Wellness Center uses a variety of techniques, including massage and hypnotherapy, on her clients.


In Marika Chop’s opinion, everyone deserves body, mind, and spiritual wellness. As the owner and director of the Alameda Wellness Center, Chop is doing her part to bring healing and wellness to her clients.

In Marika Chop’s opinion, everyone deserves body, mind, and spiritual wellness. As the owner and director of the Alameda Wellness Center, Chop is doing her part to bring healing and wellness to her clients. She has been at it for more than a decade and is a certified massage therapist as well as certified hypnotherapist

 

In addition to massage therapy, what other treatments do you offer at your studio?

I offer several techniques to help my clients have a better relationship with their mind and bodies. All of my work is about self-empowerment and one’s relationship with self. One of my favorite skills is being a certified Reiki master. Reiki is an energetic healing practice that channels the healing energy of the universe through my hands. It brings peace and balance as well as accelerates a healing process. I love being a conduit to my clients in this practice. I am also a practitioner of Emotional Freedom Technique, EFT, a technique of tapping on meridians or energy pathways in the body to release held emotions that are in the way of peace and well being. By tapping on specific acupressure points, emotions are released, thus freeing us from negative feelings. Clients learn the technique of EFT so that in a crisis they can help themselves and tap whenever something comes up. It’s the tapping that lets the emotional charge go.

 

What else?

I also practice craniosacral therapy. This method is based on osteopathy, which works with boney structures. This technique is very helpful with issues like TMJ dysfunction, blurred vision, vertigo, headaches, and migraines. It is with a feather-light pressure that I cradle one’s head as it sinks into my fingers. This work is also very subtle and gentle and harmonizes with a natural rhythm in the central nervous system. Craniosacral therapy also works wonderfully on children and babies. Ultimately, the power of these modalities comes from the fact that as human beings, we respond to touch. All that we read about the importance of touch is absolutely true. Touch is transformative. This is what I love about my job.

 

Tell me about your hypnotherapy practice.

Hypnotherapy is quite simple and very effective. Knowing that 80 percent of the information stored in our brains is in our subconscious explains why hypnotherapy is so helpful. When we induce a trance, we access the subconscious mind that holds our memories. While in a trance, one is safe to make lasting changes in the subconscious mind that then helps in day-to-day life. These changes can bring a new lease on a client’s life. Not being afraid to fly on a plane or get in an elevator or get up in front of people and talk are some examples of what hypnotherapy can resolve. It’s pretty amazing. The misconception is often that one is no longer in control once induced. This is not the case; a person is always in control, but it is during this time that one can access their subconscious mind and where healing can take place. You slowly relax and make contact with your higher self, your inner guide. Before you know it, your mind can explain what’s going on.

 

Over the last 15 years, have you witnessed increased stress levels among your clients?

Oh, gosh, for sure. We are living through a period of incredible cyber speed, heightened consumerism, and feelings of inadequacies. It takes real effort now for people to know how to relax, unplug, and be satisfied with what they have. I offer ways to slow down, to feel nurtured, and to put balance back into their lives. I want to help people make a shift in their understanding of their own lives and empower them to not only get by, but to thrive. Being aware and mindful of how we use our bodies and how react to stress is a big part of what I help my clients with.

 

You seem to have really found your calling.

Yes, I have. My work gives me great purpose and gratification. I’m grounded, empathetic, and compassionate, and I bring these traits into all of my sessions. I feel like every treatment is win-win. I’m not about curing people, but about helping them feel better and be well. I’ve learned in my personal life, and in my practice, that what I do isn’t about achieving a result, but about being present. Whenever that philosophy is adopted, good things usually happen. I can’t say it enough: My whole practice is about self-empowerment. I see myself simply as the navigator and the client as the driver, always. The methods that I practice are not a part of circus show or anything bizarre, but rather very real ways to bring ease and peace to the body. We all need some personal restoration every now and then.