by Alvina Quatrano | Apr 18, 2024 | Newsletter
There are several versions of The Women’s Health Protocol Story depending on where you were at the time of its development. There are many perspectives…
How It Started…
A Request in Class
Missy Grace Oleaga and I co-taught a Clinical Acupressure 2: Meridians Class with Susan Grant in Wilmington, North Carolina, in a hospital, which sponsored the program for its nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists and massage therapists. A student came to Missy Grace asking for acupoints applicable for women’s breast health as she was teaching a segment on breast health the next evening at a hospital. The student showed up for her class on women’s breast health and discovered that it was really on Women’s Health. Missy Grace got an intuitive hit that we needed to pursue this request and need.
We all started to make suggestions, “the Spleen acupoints for blood”…and such. I opened the question to the Insight Acupressure Community for input. I wrote to Dr. Aminah Raheem (the originator of Insight Acupressure) , Leah Matalon, Angelique Priscilla and Betsey Baker, senior teachers, and others who gave their ideas of which acupoints would be beneficial to woman’s health.
So, we started with a question. Gathered some data. Arrived with books. A lot of books!!! Yet we didn’t need a one. Not a one. As you will hear.
Travel Ensued
Several months later, Alvina Quatrano, Missy Grace Oleaga and Cathy Miller met one weekend at St. Micheals, MD, a sleepy fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore of Maryland near to where Cathy Miller (former President of Insight Acupressure lived. We arrived to a quiet motel situated by the Bay at the turn of spring. The back of the car was piled with texts. Each woman carried her sworn texts on the subject — there were piles of books — no two alike. We thought we’d be hunkered down all weekend delving through those books, pouring through, discovering secrets of the ultimate healing potion for women’s health.
That’s not what happened.
Books!!!
Alvina left her Ocean Grove, N.J. home to pick up Grace in PA on the way to meet Cathy in St Michaels, MD. Grace and Alvina met Cathy and they all trundled their books into the motel room. After the long trip in the car Alvina used the bathroom (“the loo” British friends say, “the head” the sailors say) and when she came out of the bathroom Cathy was on the massage table set up between the beds, surrounded by piles of books and Missy Grace moved around her. “Are you guys???”… and they never stopped.
I (Alvina) grabbed a pad and pen and started writing but Missy Grace said, “We remember it.” They moved easily from one set of points to another as though spiritually guided. They were spiritually guided. We all tapped into the spiritual guidance, checking in to our experience of how the points felt and adding suggestions along the way. And, before we knew it it was done. The Women’s Health Acupressure Protocol.
Ta-Dah!!
Forty minutes after arriving to St. Michaels, MD for a studious weekend we finished the protocol. We were annoyed, elated, shocked, a little confused, grateful and happy. Now, we had vacation time in this beautiful location, not indoor study time as we had anticipated.
We practiced the protocol to be sure and we were sure.
And Then…
After the weekend, we brought the protocol to our teachers Dr. Aminah Raheem and Susan Grant, the developer of the Clinical Acupressure Program. They tested The Women’s Health Protocol and made decisions about what we gave them.
It was/is a very powerful protocol. Aminah wasn’t ready to let us teach it yet, for a long time. She wasn’t ready to grant the whole community to teach it but we developers could teach it if we wanted. And so we taught The Women’s Health Protocol for many years on our own as a one-day class (8 hours).
Finally, 20 years later Cathy Miller who was by now the President of Insight Acupressure and also the Graphics Designer, was redesigning the Clinical Acupressure Manual, which has 75 protocols in it, asked Dr. Raheem if she could add the Women’s Health Protocol to it. And she said yes!
Currently
Since that original time, Cathy Miller has developed Clinical Acupressure 3: Extraordinary Vessels — Lineage Material and she implements the Master Points for the Chong Mai Meridian to support the original WHP, and so, that sequence is added as an option to the beginning of the protocol. Subsequently, the manual size and style changed, so, several versions of the Women’s Health Protocol exist as it has been explored over the years.
In-Person & Online Classes
Join us as we present the new 3-hour Self-Care Version of the Women’s Health Protocol , created to present on Zoom. We also teach a longer 6 hour version for Insight Acupressure Certified Practitioners to offer for giving to others. The class is also available in person.
Request For Classes Always Considered.
Request A Session
Of course you may request The Women’s Health Protocol from your Practitioner in your next Insight Acupressure Session. Looking forward to seeing you!!!
In Good Health!!
by Alvina Quatrano | Apr 18, 2024 | Newsletter
My experience with the acupressure point IA 23 (LI 18) Receive Support and Rush Out.
Assisting a PA Class In Borrego Springs, CA
I was at my teachers (Dr Aminah Raheem) home in Borrego Springs, California, assisting her in a Process Acupressure Class when I learned the power of acupoints for support and healing in a very dramatic way. Although I already knew that acupoints and acupressure are tremendously healing and powerful — it works!! — I had a dynamic illustration of how it works when I partnered with one of the students for her practice session.
Student Practice
She kindly asked me how she could serve me as she did a client intake with me sitting on the massage table in Dr Raheem’s office which was completely covered with photos and icons of saints from all of creation (talk about being supported). Dr Raheem was also standing in the room observing us. I chose a protocol (I don’t remember which one) which had the beginning acupoint IA 23 (LI 18). When the student touched that acupoint I said that I would prefer if she only held the area of the point with her whole hand as I felt I just needed to feel supported there. The student complied.
Altered States
Immediately, I began to cry but only for a moment. Then, I was coughing, like in The Green Mile movie where the actor takes in people’s badness and illness and then lets it out in a stream of gadflies. That happened for a bit, forcefully extracting something from deep down through my throat. I whipped my glasses off (I couldn’t wear my contacts in the desert dryness). As I moved off the table and commenced into a yoga flow that was from an altered state of consciousness for some minutes. One move after the next seamlessly flowing. And then I stopped. I was in a full Camel Pose when I came out of the altered state and I raised one arm up and asked to help me come to a standing position. Dr Raheem told me to go ahead and rest on the lanai the rest of the morning.
Acupoint Name Relevance
Later Dr Raheem came to me to say “That point name is Receive Support and Rush Out”!!!
World Support and Healing
That afternoon was supposed to be my turn receiving a treatment from Dr Raheem as a demo in front of the class. Since I had had such a dynamically transformative session in the morning she gave me the option to have the session or not. I said that I would like to have the session but only if it was gentle. And so she invited me to the table for my session with her. As I was relaxing on the table and she was working around me I had a vision of yellow flowers in a field. It felt as though angels were surrounding all of us and we were being blessed with all love and beauty. Everyone felt it and the room turned golden. It filled with a golden light. We all experienced it.
And that’s how I came to understand that being a support can lend support and healing and bring beauty and love to all. Also, that we don’t have to hold on to any poor feelings or experiences — we can let them go and be well and loved.
For more information on Insight Acupressure Practitioners and Classes
Introduction to Insight Acupressure with Alvina Quatrano, L.M.T.
by Alvina Quatrano | Jan 15, 2024 | Newsletter
January to April Naples Florida
Dear Friend, Wishing you the best in this new year! Below and attached is my Chair Yoga schedule. It looks like the Monday class is full. Please let me know if you would like to come to the Tuesday Zoom class or the Wednesday in-person class. Feel free to call or email if you have any questions. Jeanie 413-230-1518, jean.erlbaum@verizon.net.
CHAIR YOGA WINTER CLASSES
MONDAYS 1 – 2 pm from Jan. 15 to Feb. 12 and then Feb. 26 to March 25 at the Nina Iser Cultural Center, 4720 Pine Ridge Rd., Naples. There is a reduced cost for Women’s Cultural Alliance members of $45.00 for each five week session/ $55 for non-members.
TUESDAYS on Zoom 11am – 12 pm, Jan. 9 – Feb. 13 and then Feb. 27- April 2. Each 6 week session costs $45 and includes a video of each week’s class.
WEDNESDAYS 1 – 2 pm from Jan. 17 to Feb 14 and then Feb. 21 to March 27 (skipping March 13) at the Fleischmann Community Center, 1600 Fleischmann Blvd, Naples (near the Coastland Mall and the Naples Zoo). Each 5 week session costs $55.
CALL or EMAIL Jean for INFORMATION:jean.erlbaum@verizon.net, 413-230-1518. PRE-REGISTRATION is required. Class size is limited. To reserve a spot, please send a check made out to Jean Erlbaum, 8022 Players Cove Dr. #202, Naples, FL, 34113. Chair yoga videos are available upon request when missing class.
CHAIR YOGA is a great program for anyone who wants a gentle practice of stretching and centering. Beginners and experienced yogis are welcome. We will do flexibility and strengthening exercises that can alleviate sore joints, tight muscles, and symptoms of arthritis, all done on or next to a chair. The class is suitable for people of all abilities, including those with joint replacement and those in wheelchairs. (For folks for whom it is best to remain seated throughout the class, alternative poses are offered to the standing balance poses we do next to the chair.) We will end the class with calming yogic breath and a relaxing meditation.
JEAN ERLBAUM, MS, has studied yoga and meditation since 1967 and is a Certified 500 Hour Experienced Yoga Alliance Teacher. Jean is schooled in several styles of yoga, meditation, and stress reduction. Her specialty is Yoga for Seniors and she is certified in Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga. Her book, Sit with Less Pain: Gentle Yoga for Meditators, was published in 2014 by Wisdom Publications.
Jean Erlbaum
8022 Players Cove Dr. #202
Naples, Fl 34113
413-230-1518
by Alvina Quatrano | Jan 7, 2024 | Newsletter
Healing With Love
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I have had the privilege of knowing Alvina for 13 years, and I can wholeheartedly attest to her incredible healing abilities. Our journey began when she worked with my 1-yr old son post open-heart surgery, and her nurturing presence brought a sense of comfort and peace to both my son and me.
Alvina seamlessly transitioned from being a practitioner to a cherished friend and mentor, and her work has been profoundly grounding and soothing. Her extensive knowledge across various modalities is a testament to her dedication and expertise.
If you are looking for a way to improve your well-being, I highly recommend making an appointment with Alvina. Her compassionate approach and deep understanding of healing will undoubtedly leave you feeling better than ever. Thank you, Alvina, for being a guiding light on our healing journey.
Cynthia Sharpe, Naples FL
Note From Alvina:
Due to Cynthia’s diligent parenting and her educational background as a teacher she was well equipped to pursue the needed talents a mother of a down syndrome child would need to create success for her child. Thus, Cynthia has become a healer in her own right, integrating many modalities including biofeedback, meditation & play therapy. CynChronisity.com
She and her husband Doug sponsor a yearly non-profit Art Show for varied abilities contestants at the Naples Botanical Garden. It really is beautiful to be able to offer the backdrop of Nature with the natural gifts of the participants. It’s a natural high for everyone who participates.
Make An Appointment With Alvina Today!!! Check-Out All Her Classes!!!! Something for Everyone!!
Insight Acupressure
Zero Balancing
by Alvina Quatrano | Jul 23, 2023 | Newsletter
“SEVA” MEANS SERVICE IN SANSKRIT
In 2001 The Insight Acupressure Faculty and Dr. Aminah Raheem, the founder (formerly Soul Lightening International), created a specific acupressure formula as a world gift to relieve shock and stress after the events of 9/11. Originally, the acupressure formula was called the Shock Stress Release and was taught virtually anywhere in the world. I learned it along with 10 other teachers on the floor of a yoga studio in Rhinebeck NY. I lived at the Jersey Shore at the time (1 hour from the World Trade Center) and my mentor was in Tivoli N.Y. so I drove the 2 hours to tap in to the acupressure formula that was created specifically to heal from this horrible time in our history and to share it with everyone who was also dealing with this emotional and disturbing time. The work has been shared in war zones, hurricane relief and earthquake zones in many areas of the world.
Name Change
Since 2001 the name of the formula has been changed to The SEVA Stress Release after the Sanskrit word for Service because the purpose of the work is to be of service to anyone anywhere in the world who suffers from stress or shock or simply wants to feel supported and deeply relaxed. Many other possible outcomes may occur by practicing the SEVA Stress Release, including resolution of symptoms or personal growth.
Heart-Centered
The acupressure formula was created from the hearts of the Soul Lightening faculty utilizing the Heart Chakra and Heart Meridians of the body. The Heart Chakra is all about love, compassion, and forgiveness. My experience is that focusing on this area helps to bring a person home to themselves which is crucial in times of shock and very high stress. The SEVA Stress Release utilizes the acupoints along the Heart Meridian which helps to create calm in the body. Creating a state of calm invites a person to settle in to themselves, find their breath and peace in their own body and space.
Training — Anyone Can Learn
This formula may be applied by a person to themself – Self-Care – or from another person – For Others. There is a training program that is 3-hours for the Self-Care portion and an additional 3-hours for the For Others portion. Anyone can do it. It is very easy to learn yet there is a specific touch style that is discovered to administer both the self-care and for others methods. Faculty are empowered to grant continuing education contact hours for massage therapists via NCBTMB (National Massage Therapy Board).
Used & Studied In Many Settings:
The SEVA Stress Release was used in the first face transplant at Walter Reed Hospital. The formula was taught to the recipient so that he could calm himself during the ordeal of healing from the operation and it was used by the nurses to help keep the patients stress level low and relaxed. (See additional related post below)
Care for the Caregiver Expo, Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Gina Rosenthal, PT
Abilities Expo, Gina Rosenthal, PT
Nurses Week, Crossings Healingworks, Walter Reed Hospital, MD, Cathy Miller, Ac, MT,
Integrative Care Service, University of Maryland Medical Center, Dr John Reed, MD
Breast Cancer Support Group, Naples Community Hospital (NCH), Lisa Ann & Lira Bennet.
Golden Gate Senior Center (Spanish & English), Naples, FL
Cancer Treatment Center, West Virginia University School of Nursing, Kari Sand-Jecklin, RN
Neuropsychiatry & Acute Rehabilitation, University of California UCI Health, Susanlee Wisotzkey, Ph.D, RN
Thiotte Haiti Vulnerable Children Relief (THVCR), Theresa Haag, RN, BSN
Community Service, Emily Wright, Deanna Waggy, Sylvia Goodman, Sue Lovett, Diane Arney, Marilyn Zurwaski, Emily Tellez, Alison Babil, Claire Howell, Susan Popiel, Michele Wade, and all the SEVA Teachers world-wide.
Resource:
Empowering Whole-Being Health Case Study Collection (A whole third of the book is devoted to SEVA), Cathy Miller & Deanna Waggy
Contact
There are over 60 SEVA Teachers in the world and many more people who have been trained to give SEVA Stress Release Acupressure. Contact Alvina Quatrano with any inquiries at 732-266-5276 or alvinaq@aohmassage.com or find info at www.InsightAcupressure.org
Alvina will be teaching the SEVA Stress Release Class on Sunday September 10 from 9 AM – 4 PM at the World Tennis Club, Naples, FL. You can take only the 3-hr Self-Care portion from 9-12 (Lunch Included) or do both sections including an additional 3-hr Part 2: For Others 9-4 (including lunch). Register at www.AOHMassage.com or call Alvina.
Read More…
Below is an original article I published in 2009.
A Way To Relieve Suffering
A Gift From Soul Lightening Int’l
by Alvina Quatrano LMT
September 2001….The World Trade Center had been demolished and many people I knew were at the scene. Everyone in the world was shocked, numb, dumbfounded, grief-stricken. Triages were set up all over to relieve symptoms of shock and stress and grief. Many therapists of all kinds volunteered their time to help the wounded. My regular clients came to me like lost wounded souls and I felt like I needed more to offer. I asked my acupressure mentor to please come up with something. The acupressure teachers of Soul Lightening International led by Aminah Raheem, Ph.D. of Borrego Springs, California got together here on the east coast one day and created a new protocol to serve the world in relieving shock and stress. It is called SEVA. SEVA means service in Sanskrit and was created to relieve suffering and stress and to promote general relaxation. SEVA is a simple acupressure treatment created for anyone to give or receive.
A SEVA treatment can be administered in just a few minutes or can be extended
20-30 minutes, depending on the circumstances. It can be given in a therapists office but was truly designed to be given whenever and wherever it is needed. My friend Missy helped a runner who was down and in shock on the street on a very hot day to revitalize even while EMT’s were standing by. She reconnected his vital energies to come back to the here and now.
Receiving SEVA is a very calming and centering experience. It can relieve post traumatic stress
syndrome. It can provide a turning point for an individual to move toward true healing at the deepest levels.
Clinical Acupressure ( which is an ancient healing modality from China and Asia using finger pressure to acupoints on the body) enhances the free flow of the body’s vital energy, activates it’s own recuperative abilities and diminishes congestion. It can address a multitude of symptoms including back problems, headaches, respiratory, digestive and systemic problems as well as colds, flus, allergies and physical injuries. This treatment modality will facilitate but should not replace, delay or interfere with medical treatment. This work uses the knowledge of ancient traditions combined with contemporary understanding to promote health and self-responsibility for wellness.
I implemented SEVA right away and the results were immediate. I saw the difference in people who received treatment as opposed to those who hadn’t and my heart ached for those who hadn’t sought treatment of any kind. Many divorces happened after 9/11..moving and displacement…many health issues are still happening. After 9/11 most people I know who sought treatment used several modalities to balance themselves as they found necessary; chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, acupressure, yoga, psychotherapy, spiritual guidance, homeopathy, and nutritional counseling and more were sought out to alleviate a myriad of complaints including respiratory, fear, shock, confusion, digestive, muscular, etc. SEVA allowed the unraveling and peace to begin to find a way through from the other side of pandemonium.
I am a certified SEVA instructor and I and my colleagues are teaching SEVA in schools, hospitals, PTA’s, and communities so everyone can know the relief and health building that is possible through acupressure. It has been a terrific addition to the community if someone is so disposed to volunteer it to Women’s or Men’s Shelter’s, VA Departments, and Senior Centers for instance. The protocol is about 20 minutes long. A class runs 3-6 hours. If you would like to learn SEVA or to set up a group demo let me know and it will be arranged. I am available at Art of Holistic Massage (AOHMassage) in Naples FL. 732-266-5276.
by Alvina Quatrano | Jul 20, 2023 | Newsletter
People will forget what you say.
People will forget what you do.
But people will never forget how
You made them feel.
Maya Angelou
New Job
I started to work one-day-a-week at an assisted living facility and memory care near my home. It took me a little while to acclimate myself to the 75-100 year-old demographic. I realized more than ever that the power of touch makes people happy and brings us home to ourselves. People will remember how you make them feel.
Getting Acclimated
Asking the aides for help getting folks on and off the table for a massage since they could easily fall if they had advanced Parkinson’s or other disease was important to secure from anyone getting injured.
Finding out what their favorite music is and making playlists from the turn-of-the-century music that is dear to them.
Using clothed techniques to make it easier for a person to be treated and not have to go through the hassle of disrobing and redressing when their motor skills and pain level would aggravate the matter helped add variety and ease.
Having them sit up and hold the handles of their walker or the back of a chair so that I can give them a back rub, if they can’t turn over easily. It was all about making it comfortable, enjoyable and beneficial.
Applying liniment to their bruises allows them to heal faster. Somehow their nervous system doesn’t register pain as much. In some instances confusion and frustration is evident. I just like to come in and give a hand and go out leaving them feeling as if someone has cared for them. And so they are calmer, relaxed & peaceful.
Feeling Feedback
After our first session together, I quietly entered the room where a 91 yr-old was resting after lunch. I whispered, “Do you want a massage?” He replied by throwing off the covers, jumping up and yelling, “Yeah!” The aide in the room started to laugh. I was very surprised and happy about the response. Evidently, he remembered his experience of the previous week.
Another person likes to relate to past experiences by saying, “You have a good touch” and telling folks, “She gives a good massage”. Of course this person is no stranger to massage. They have previous experiences to compare. As Jane Fonda says, I feel I’m part of their “Third Act”. I’m part of this time in their lives where I can make a difference in a meaningful way. One person says, “You do me a world of good”.
Since I started this job, the saying above, by poet Maya Angelou makes so much more sense to me. In fact, it really hit home. I know that my work is appreciated even when sometimes folks don’t have the words to describe the feeling they have. Their enthusiasm speaks volumes!!
Alvina Quatrano 2023
AOHMassage
Alvina Quatrano, Licensed Massage Therapist
MA50896 FL Provider 50-9777, NCBTMB Provider 451544-11
732-266-5276 | alvinaq@aohmassage.com | Naples, FL 34105
