ABOUT
Dena
A Different Path. A Deeper Purpose.
Welcome to Twisted Roots Integrative Wellness. I’m glad you’re here.
I believe meaningful care begins with understanding the person, not just their symptoms, diagnosis, or the challenges they’re navigating.
My journey into somatic wellness began through my own experiences with trauma, parenting, and learning to understand the relationship between our bodies, our nervous systems, and the lives we’ve lived.
Over time, my own experiences and the changing needs of my family have deepened my understanding of what it means to live with chronic pain, fatigue, neurodegenerative conditions, and changing physical abilities. They’ve also shaped my desire to support not only those navigating these challenges, but the people caring for them.
Whether you’re exploring care for someone you love or recognizing that you need support yourself, there’s a place for you here.
My Story
For more than a decade, my husband and I were foster parents, and together we’ve raised a beautifully blended family that includes children with diverse neurological and developmental needs.
Through fostering, adoption, and parenting my husband’s two older children, I began recognizing patterns from my own childhood and how those experiences had shaped the way I responded to stress, navigated relationships, and carried responsibility.
My introduction to somatic work grew from a desire to better understand those patterns and experiences. At the same time, I was navigating changes in my own body through menopause, including new aches, pains, and physical limitations. I began exploring how our lived experiences, nervous systems, and changing bodies influence the way we move through life.
But life had more to teach me…
Today, I’m also navigating the realities of being a wife and caregiver to my husband, who is living with a complex Parkinson’s-plus condition. Throughout our marriage, he has lived with chronic pain, and I’ve witnessed how changing physical abilities and diagnostic uncertainty can affect nearly every aspect of everyday life, not only for him, but for our entire family.
We wake up each day adapting to uncertainty, navigating unexpected changes, finding our way through new normals, and learning to take life one day at a time.
These experiences have deepened my understanding of something I now consider central to my work:
Feeling better doesn’t always mean getting better, and meaningful care isn’t always about fixing what’s wrong.
Sometimes it’s about finding a little more comfort, preserving a sense of independence, adapting to changing abilities, or discovering ways to continue participating in the life you’re living and on the harder days, sometimes it’s simply about giving yourself a little grace.
These experiences have changed the way I think about wellness and the kind of practitioner I want to be. They’ve taught me that I don’t need to have all the answers and what matters is understanding the person in front of me, recognizing what’s important to them, and exploring ways to support their quality of life, even when the path forward is uncertain.
My Areas of Focus
My work and continuing education are centered around:
- Chronic pain, persistent tension, and movement limitations
- Somatic movement, body awareness, and functional movement education
- Nervous system regulation and stress-related patterns
- Individuals navigating neurodegenerative conditions and changing physical abilities
- Caregiver wellness, stress, grief, burnout and overwhelm
Education & Professional Qualifications
My professional foundation includes training and certifications in somatic practice, integrative health, yoga, mindfulness, and nervous system education.
Professional Certifications & Training
- Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Practitioner
- Integrative Health Coach
- Mind-Body Practitioner
- SMC-CEI — Level 1
- Certified Life Coach
- CYT-200 Yoga Instructor, specializing in Yin, Gentle Somatic Yoga, and Yoga Nidra
- EFT Practitioner
- Mindfulness Practitioner
Continuing Education & Professional Development
I’m currently pursuing a massage therapy licensure (Graduation 7/27) while continuing to deepen my education in Clinical Somatic Movement and therapeutic approaches to pain and movement.
My long-term professional direction includes trauma-informed therapeutic massage, neuromuscular therapy, and Structural Integration, bringing together movement, education, and therapeutic touch in a more integrated approach.
Looking Ahead
My vision for Twisted Roots is to continue building a practice where individuals living with chronic pain, neurodegenerative conditions, changing physical abilities, or diagnostic uncertainty, and the people who care for them can find personalized care grounded in dignity, collaboration, and respect.
A practice where movement, education, therapeutic touch, and meaningful human connection can work together.
Not everyone who comes through the door will be seeking the same outcome. Some may want to move more comfortably, while others may be navigating progressive changes or simply looking for support through a difficult season of life.
My hope is that each person feels heard, respected, and involved in shaping their own care.
Your body. Your pace. Your voice.
