Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Ferrera.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
You could drop a pin anywhere in my timeline and declare it the beginning of my story. It’s almost impossible to pretend it isn’t all connected to where I am today. I was taught at an early age to listen to how my body was reacting to situations in my life and how it was manifesting into pain and discomfort. The more I listened to my body, the more in-tune I was with myself, my intuition, and my ability to feel and experience joy.
After the passing of my brother and the pregnancy and birth of my first child, my entire world turned upside down. I released my position in the architecture firm I had been with for over seven years to dedicate my life to supporting women in understanding their bodies for birth, major life transitions, and healing trauma through various forms of bodywork. Along the way, the gifts in my hands were becoming more and more subtle, yet having deeper and lasting effects. This presented the perfect opportunity to transition into Craniosacral Therapy, a light-touched approach to balancing the nervous system and releasing the stories and traumas stored in the body. My training with the Upledger Institute has primarily focused on Obstetrics, Pediatrics, and the Immune Response.
A major part of my work has been surrounding birth and education. Over the years, I have taught a specialized birth preparation course called Birthing From Within which focuses on educating families as well as guiding them to their own personal truths. Being in complete alignment with Craniosacral Therapy, this educational aspect has filled my heart as I observe mothers and partners recognize what is right for them, no matter what others believe. These families have been inspiring and I have been blessed to hold space and guide them along the way.
Supporting women through pregnancy has naturally evolved into working with their children. At this moment, a large portion of my practice is in pediatric and obstetric Craniosacral Therapy. While I see women of all ages for Craniosacral Therapy, I also continue to provide opportunities for growth, learning, and diving deep through women’s circles, body awareness courses, and one-on-one mentoring.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Leaving a successful career in architecture was not initially supported by my family. Like anyone who has a career that provides constant income and recognition to the outside world, it took a moment for my extended family to understand what I was doing. I was always asked, ‘When are you going back to architecture?’, ‘When are you going back to your Real job?’ Over the years, when the opportunity presented itself to care for my family with Craniosacral Therapy, they completely understood why I chose this path. They declared it to be a spiritual experience to receive what was moving through my hands. In fact, they were simply feeling what was already there, inside their body the entire time.
Leaving two small children at home, while traveling across the U.S. for education and training the first few years, tugged at my heartstrings. Mothers of small children know, the initial leap can be challenging, but worth it every time!
The most challenging part of my work has been getting the word out about how CranioSacral Therapy can support the community. I have a strong referral base and many of my clients come from word of mouth via midwives, doulas, acupuncturists, and previous clients. Craniosacral Therapy is still not part of the mainstream dialogue around health and healing. Leaders in the mindfulness field such as Krista Tippitt of On Being and Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., a leading researcher in the field of PTSD, have noted and acknowledged the deep and healing nature of Craniosacral Therapy. My goal is to create a regular dialogue around this work throughout our community.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Wisdom of the Body story. Tell us more about the business.
Wisdom of the Body was founded on the belief that the body has the innate ability to heal itself. I practice Craniosacral Therapy based on the teachings of John Upledger, D.O. The short and sweet explanation is that this work is a non-invasive, light-touch form of bodywork that balances the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, releases compressions in the body, boosts the immune system, creates optimal movement between cranial bones and helps release stored emotions and stories in the body.
In our community here in Miami, I am best known for my work with newborns, prenatal and postpartum mamas, and people facing difficult immune system conditions. Newborns receive care when they have had challenging or traumatic births, colic, difficulty latching, mis-shapened heads, and seizures.
With prenatal mothers, I am known for supporting the body to find balance from the pains of pregnancy such as hip and back pain. I am also the go-to ‘baby whisperer’ for turning breech babies in a gentle manner.
I support children on the spectrum, experiencing seizures, sleep troubles, digestive concerns, asthma, and anxiety to name a few.
With adults, I mostly work with chronic pain and headaches, back pain, TMJ, and immune system dysfunction such as auto-immune conditions. Craniosacral Therapy also provides support in terms of the physical and emotional balancing related to cancer, chemotherapy, and other major life transitions. Some of my favorite experiences come from clients who have been working with traditional medicine and find that they have either plateaued in their healing or the doctors cannot figure out what is going on. These clients can testify that Craniosacral Therapy has shifted to something significant for them. I also have many people who come in using Craniosacral Therapy as a form of truth-seeking, since it guides them into their body to find answers.
I am also known for providing education. I continue to offer Wisdom Practices courses for women that always relate to tuning into their body, listening to their intuition, and stepping into the Divine Feminine to create the life they desire. I am currently working on a course on ‘Connecting to the Pelvis and Breaking Ancestral Patterns’. I suggest anyone interested begin to follow me on Instagram to stay connected to when this is released.
I take pride in the amazing experiences I’ve witnessed with children releasing their seizures. Due to structural dysfunctions in the cranial bones, I have many children come in with seizures, get treatment and find that their body no longer experiences seizures after only a few sessions. For me, this is profound and I sit in a place of deep gratitude for this work.
I am also proud that this work has supported women with breech babies to turn their child into optimal position without the need to do external turning in the doctor’s office or the need for cesarean birth due to a breech baby.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t know that luck is the word I would use. I have been blessed to have had good times and hard times in my life. The difficult times have created opportunities for growth and learning, leading me to who I am and what I’m doing today.
I have been blessed to be part of the birth community in Miami. The women, mothers and care providers, especially the midwives, have made my practice what it is. They have shown me what community can be and in turn, I have created and extended this network to my clients. This beautiful group of women came into my world from experiencing my own challenging first birth and my hunt for something different, richer, and more profound. So in a way, it’s the balance of life.
I continue to feel blessed and lucky to have a small group of women that I consider my confidants and sisters. Their friendship has pushed me to stay accountable to my goals, love, and truth when I feel discomfort in how I am being pushed to grow.
Overall, I make requests of the Universe in the face of a hard time and receive whatever I am handed, hopefully with grace and ease. This makes the journey entertaining and beautiful.
Contact Info:
- Address: Bodhi Wellness
191 Giralda Avenue
Penthouse
Coral Gables, FL - Website: https://www.wisdomofthebody.org/
- Phone: 305-912-2785
- Email: alisoncarine@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisdom_of_the_body/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wisdom-of-the-Body-LLC/360409840661917
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wisdom-of-the-body-coral-gables
Image Credit:
First Image: Stephanie Rodriguez @_of_love_and_dust_, All other Photos: Jackie Bermudez Photography @jackiebphoto
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
