Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie O’Hearn
Hi Katie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been a helper and a lifelong learner. For the past 14 years I have worked in healthcare as a Certified Child Life Specialist. My role was to support children, teens, and families to cope with the stress of being in the hospital by providing developmentally appropriate preparation and support for procedures (like stitches in the Emergency Room, dressing changes in the Burn Unit, serial casting in Orthopedics, etc.), emotional support, and play. I have witnessed incredible healing stories, and yet, from the beginning I also felt like something was missing in healthcare. So, I dug in.
While I was volunteering at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa I learned M-Technique, a structured method of touch, lighter than massage, used to encourage the body to release stress, anxiety and trauma for even those who are critically ill and fragile. When I moved home to Minnesota after my internship I gained great experiences as insight at multiple hospitals including nearly ten years at a Level I Trauma Center. My time there ignited a passion in me for truly trauma informed care as I dug deeper into the world of somatics and how our bodies really do keep the score of all our lived experiences (and many inherited experiences as well)! I attended webinars, conferences, and certificate programs in a variety of modalities including YogaCalm, MindBody Solutions, and Somatic Trauma Therapy.
I also personally learned the toll that stress and trauma take on our bodies. In our current healthcare system, we are constantly challenged to do more with less, work more hours, “be resilient!” and keep going even when our bodies are screaming for rest. After many bouts of burn out, several auto-immune flares, and hearing from my own doctors many times, “this is just how you are going to feel from now on, there’s no way to change it,” I refused to accept that and eventually quit my job without a plan.
Thankfully God had a much better plan ready for me! I was still working casually within another healthcare system, was pregnant with my second child and had wonderful and flexible care for my first (along with being able to be home more often and actually be present with her!) I had an incredible manager reach out to me to help start a new program at a hospital just down the road from my house. The work and the team there were incredibly supportive and healing, and I will forever be thankful for them! I also met my midwife who also practiced a new-to-me type of body work, Dynamic Body Balancing, a really cool combination of craniosacral therapy, myofascial unwinding, and biofield therapies. Receiving this body work during pregnancy helped to relieve many pregnancy symptoms and was a total game changer for my postpartum experience! And it didn’t just help me: my son was born with multiple oral tethers (lip, tongue, and cheek-ties) that made nursing very challenging and painful. We had the ties released when he was four weeks old, however, his little body continued to wind back up to its super tight state a few days after receiving therapies. The one thing that really helped him was this bodywork. I would watch as he melted in my midwife’s hands, and everything would get easier. With time I needed to learn more-so I did!
In 2023 I attended all five levels of Dr. Carol Phillip’s Dynamic Body Balancing training, and in February of 2024 I opened my own practice, and here we are!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think anyone’s life is smooth without bumps along the way, but that’s part of life! I often refer to our struggles or hard parts in our journey as “adventures,” hoping to reframe these experiences in my mind to be focused more on what I can learn, because I feel like some of our biggest moments of growth come from these times.
Some of my own adventures included working far too many hours in the beginning, not setting good boundaries, and experiencing repetitive burnout and health complications of my own. Now I set my own hours, am very intentional about boundaries as well as slowing down in all areas of life. I finally feel recovered from my last burnout nearly three years ago, and the majority of my autoimmune symptoms have disappeared!
We’ve been impressed with Hummingbird Healing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After a year of practicing on family and friends in my backyard or in their homes, I opened Hummingbird Healing, LLC in Bloomington, MN in February 2024.
Now I facilitate fascial unwindings to help you release tension, toxins, torsion (twisting), and trauma from your body, rebalance your nervous system, and restore health and wellness so you can live your most optimal life! If you were to step into my office during a session it would look a little like a dance. With gentle hands-on techniques, I’ll encourage your body to release things big and small as it feels safe and comfortable. As you move, I follow along (the dance!) You may be standing, sitting, or lying down on a massage table. We can play soothing music, talk throughout, or keep it quiet.
From my own experiences I have a passion for those who have experienced trauma or are caregivers for those who experienced trauma, pregnant women who want to have fewer pregnancy symptoms and have a beautiful, physiological birth, children of all ages, and really anyone who is looking to restore their health. Our bodies are amazing and are designed to heal! With the right supports they can!
What makes my practice different from other craniosacral therapy or myofascial release? It’s the combination of it all! Dynamic Body Balancing (DBB) techniques are grounded in the same in-depth cranial anatomy and physiology as other schools of training in Craniosacral Therapy. With the addition of Myofascial Unwinding and Bio-field Therapies, DBB has become a beautiful form of hands-on care that restores balance to the mind, body and spirit.
To learn more about Hummingbird Healing you can check out our website hummingbirdhealingmn.com, Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556330783319) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hummingbirdhealingmn/)
I currently offer appointments in the office on Mondays and Thursdays, and am also able to provide in-home visits on Wednesdays, evenings, and weekends.
If you’re feeling stuck in your health journey, or are ready to let go of stuff you’ve been hanging onto for too long, I’d love to meet you and see what I can do to help!
Pricing:
- Initial In-Office Appointment: $140
- Follow Up 30 Minute Appointment: $60 (most common for kids)
- Follow Up 60 Minute Appointment: $110
- Follow Up 90 Minute Appointment: $160
- See website for in-home visits.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hummingbirdhealingmn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hummingbirdhealingmn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556330783319
