Meet Erica Reid | Occupational Therapist, Myofascial Release and Holistic Pelvic Health Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erica Reid and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success…. LOVE. I love what I do. I bring love into my treatments. I love myself.

That last one may sound a bit weird, right? But it makes perfect sense to me. I work with individuals to help facilitate their healing journey in their body. I use my hands, my ability to hold space, and dialoguing. But, most importantly I have found that the way to healing involves loving ourselves first. Every part of ourselves. Once we have found that grace and acceptance and forgiveness and understanding and peace within that allows us to love ourselves, then we can help others. One of my biggest mentors/influencers always taught us “You can only take others as far as you are willing to go yourself.” So, I feel my success comes from the fact that Ive done the work, Ive emerged from the muddy influence of childhood, societies expectations, and religion’s rules & limitations and began blossoming into that beautiful Lotus flower that we are all designed to be; each in our own unique ways. When you have joy, love or any positive energy coming from you because you are genuinely happy & loving, and genuinely love what you do, others will feel that. They will be attracted to that and they will find their way to your office, your space, your place of ‘work’ …. Lucky for me I love getting to work with people on their journey of life and I love seeing them reconnect to their bodies for less pain, better posture, easier pregnancies and healing from PTSD. I celebrate with them- as it is not always an easy journey. “Healing is messy” is another thing my mentor taught us- as did life itself. Lastly, I feel I bring love into my treatments as I hold a non judgmental, unconditional caring space for each person who comes in looking for guidance to regain appreciation for their body. Love may not be the only reason for my success, but I definitely feel it’s the foundation.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have a private Occupational Therapy practice. Most people don’t know what that means- do I help people find jobs? Nope. I do help people overcome pain, PTSD, posture and other physical and emotional limitations keeping them from doing their ‘ADL’s’. Activities of Daily Living. In other words, anything you do to be you  From dressing yourself to expressing yourself. I don’t have a ‘normal’ OT practice however. Instead, I’ve had extensive training in manual therapy techniques addressing the fascial and connective tissue system which extends to every cell in the body. By addressing this web of tissue, relief from pain symptoms can occur but also the root of the problem can be discovered and addressed. Traditional therapy usual just treats the area affected and therefore clients have only temporary relief, whereas MFR and Visceral Fascial Mobilizations techniques can and are able to provide long-term reduction of pain. My treatments are all hands on one on one sessions, for babies to elderly and yes, I even treat animals!

After going through my own healing journey with pelvic floor pain, I also became specialized in pelvic floor therapy for both male and female clients through the Herman-Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute as well as a handful of other credited and amazing teachers. Incontinence, pregnancy pain, posture dysfunction, neck and back pain, and pelvic floor pain & sexuality are just a few of the conditions I provide education & treatment for.

My pride and joy however, is my nonprofit foundation A New Dawn of Shinah. This was created to help sex trafficked survivors find mind-body balance through holistic healing approaches and alternative medicine. The “alternative” approach is founded on a fundamental principle of viewing the individual as a whole person. This approach also embraces the belief that a person does not need to be ‘fixed’, as there is nothing ‘broken’ to begin with. Instead, it seeks to uncover or reveal the innate health and wholeness that lies within.

Has it been a smooth road?

It’s not been a smooth road, but I look at that as a good thing. Smooth would have been boring and no opportunities or motivation to grow. And I’ve done a lot of that  Because of some childhood experiences, I became quite shy around middle school. When we moved to a new school, my shyness caused one unhappy classmate to try and shame and ridicule me and I didn’t know how to stand up for myself. I guess I got bullied in a way, and it had its effects. But I look back now and see my transformation and how I overcame the shyness and the belief that I wasn’t a worthy person. Now, I can relate to those going thru it, and I still challenge myself constantly to continue to reshape my beliefs about myself and my place in this world. So, thank you Vicky M haha! I think being a tomboy but also not knowing how to appreciate and embrace my femininity without feeling like I was ‘asking for trouble’ held me back from true expression and therefore joy as well..That mindset has also changed. I’ve found my life abundant with many leaders, coaches, and shining examples of how to be fiercely feminine – and the best part is many of these mentors I can personally call friends. Having been failed a few times by the mainstream medical system, and having a mom who was ahead of her time in natural /alternative medicine, gave me the teachings & the tools to get a science-based degree combined with a holistic functional approach which I find the most rewarding for me and for my clients.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ohh unfortunately Im terrible at remember places and names, I leave that up to my bf…. But, I can tell you what I’d do with a visiting friend :). The mornings would definitely start out with a cup of Joe or Rose Matcha latte right in my own backyard. I have a beautiful open space and garden that makes me feel like Im not in the middle of one of the largest cities! Afterwards, we would definitely hike either around Laurel Canyon itself and see the amazing views of LA, or head off to a hike along the cliffs and coast in Malibu. Lunch would be at one of our many organic, farm to table restaurants. If its typical beautiful LA day, maybe a walk on the beach will follow. A visit to the ranch where my horse lives is inevitable during their stay. Interacting with the horses, and the other farm animals that live there is a grounding healing experience for sure. One night will be a city experience heading out to one of our trendy vibrant restaurants in West Hollywood/Hollywood area. Another night I would opt to go to a bar in Los Feliz for a more artistic and chilled environment. I would drive along Hollywood boulevard and Sunset blvd. just so they get a feel of the touristy parts. No need to spend a lot of time there ha! Lastly, there are a couple healing facilities I would invite them to come to with me… they’re on the down low so Ill keep them a mystery here ;).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So many people have contributed to my story, each weaving into my life at different times offering inspiration, love, advice, support, and guidance. Either they directly gave these gifts to me or they did it without even knowing. But I want to give a Shoutout to my dear friend Eleni B. Eleni came to me as a client first, and quickly became a friend. A dear friend. Eleni is not only a beauty physically, but from within. She is a mom of 3, wife, entrepreneur, health wizard, animal lover and rescuer and a true friend. How she does it all? Ill forever wonder…. Eleni has supported my work and trusted herself and her children, husband and father in my care. I feel blessed to know her sister and mother as well, who are also amazing healing, artistically gifted and giving women. Its rare that we can have a conversation less than 30 minutes when one of us had one quick question. We end up talking about different healing modalities, what we can do for our pets, where we can purchase land and learn to farm haha! and many other topics. She is a wise old soul that takes it upon herself to make sure everyone is ok. Like, really ok. And she will remind you who you are. Who you really are at your core, in case you forget. She will remind you that you are an amazing human being and can do anything you want. She will remind you that we can do things the way we want to, the way we need to, not to do things just to please others. She will teach how to help heal yourself, motivate & inspire yourself, love yourself. She will cry with you, as she has done with me in my grieving. I feel blessed and honored to be a friend of hers in this lifetime, Shoutout to this amazing human, ELENI!

Website: www.head2soul.net

Instagram: @head2soultherapy

Facebook: @head2soultherapy

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdaEoGrXtEsvXj1YROu5vbQ

Other: www.anewdawnfoundation.org