Devon Burke

Mind-Body Therapy

Deep tissue massage

Heat massage

Reiki with crystals

Pamper massage

£50 per hour

 Tel: 07739 138825

 

An Interview with Devon…

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved in therapy work?

I worked for a while as a therapist in a sports centre in Crayford and then for a government sponsored treatment centre for people with HIV in South East London, before moving to Blackheath Complementary Health Centre. The centre was more focused on complementary health, which was something I was looking for.  I then took further classes that helped towards my development and techniques, which I believe, are client friendly and I feel happier with myself for that.

How long have you been a therapist?

I’ve been  involved in complementary health since 1993, doing work on a voluntary level involving adult groups and young people such as Age Concern, Bromley 16+, Locus (for people with mental health issues) and Scope. I’ve been a full time qualified therapist since 2001.

What are your training/specialisms?

My training is as a massage therapist specialising in heated aroma-massage, body stretching massage, deep tissue massage. When I started off in the 1990’s I took numerous training courses such as aromatherapy, Tibetan healing and bodywork classes before going back to college to study an ITEC diploma course in Anatomy & Physiology and also a Diploma in Massage. I have other qualifications such as Indian Head Massage, Crystal Healing, Reiki Master/Teacher, Guided Imagery & Visualisation and Bio-Tuning Treatment.

Where do you work?

I work in the Alter~native centre in Leytonstone, the Equilibrium Centre near Basingstoke, Dune Hypnotherapy group in London Bridge, and Blackheath Complementary Health Centre, and I do Home visits by arrangement. I am also the Massage therapist consultant for Stress Free Caring in the City.

What services do you offer?

There are a range of services I offer, which include Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, body stretching massage, group therapy, holistic massage, top and toe, Indian head massage, special foot massage, and soothing pampering massage. I also offer crystal healing, reiki, bio-tuning and healing therapy.

What are the benefits from your treatments and what makes yours different from others?

Well, I try to treat every client as an individual, so from the moment they walk through the door of my treatment room, I want them to feel the warmth and glow of a special place. I want them to leave the outside world behind and begin the voyage of relaxation and the journey to a deeper sense of calm and well being. From the incense in the room, the sounds, the candles, the warmth and the respect I give them, I hope that every client I have feels at home and relaxed before the treatment even begins. In my opinion, for the healing of mind, body or spirit, one has to be comfortable and feel at ease, not only with me as the therapist but also the environment. This is so that any spiritual, emotional or physical blockages that are causing any problems can be unblocked. This is called the Mindbody therapy approach, which is the framework within which I work.

What is the Mindbody therapy approach?

Following on from what I’ve just said, it is the creation of a holistic environment whereby the client can feel safe to discuss and find solutions to physical, emotional and spiritual problems without any pressure or blame.   In this fast moving world that we are living in, it is very difficult to find or create space for oneself. A period 60 – 90 minutes or even 120 minutes out of your week/month, I think, can prove vital for one’s sanity in this modern world.

You mentioned bio-tuning earlier, what is it and how does it work?

Before I started at Blackheath, I was working in Leytonstone at Alter~native (which I still do). Alter~native is part of One and One psychotherapy services. They were looking for ways of softening the effects of psychotherapy to some of their clients. I was asked to assist in finding a treatment that could run concurrently with psychological treatments for some of their clients in order to help those who had suffered traumas. We came up with a treatment, which uses passive movements, guided imagery and visualisation, reiki and a small amount of massage. We found that it worked wonderfully well, not just with clients with psychological problems but in tests, we found that it worked well across the board as well, taking the client into a deeper sense of tranquillity and relaxation.