Hello, I'm Christina

I was compelled to start my own healing and professional journey because by the age of 18, I had already completely burned myself out. After a rather dysfunctional childhood, my go-to survival mechanisms of people-pleasing, over thinking, numbing out and harsh self-criticism left me really disconnected from my body and myself. I was exhausted, my digestion was a mess and I had a difficult time connecting with people - I knew I needed to learn a new way.

So I spent the last 25+ years seeking out the embodied beliefs, behaviors & traumas within me that prevented me from living my most authentic, joyful and creative life. I have studied the human experience from a variety of perspectives: Massage Therapy, Bioenergetics & Shen Sensitivity training, Nutrition, Fermentation & Gut Rebuilding, Health Coaching, trauma sensitivity training, BodyMind integration, Ayurveda and more.

But it was finding my bodywork mentor, Wassim Nehme, and receiving regular Bioenergetic-Shen Sensitivity therapeutic touch, that changed everything for me. Over the 14 years I spent in direct mentorship with Wassim, I received my Master level practitioner and began to teach and practice this profoundly healing modality. BST is based a few key principles: the bioenergy of the body as intelligence and able to organizes in ways that are self-protective, the energy system of the body is also how we connect with the larger universal field of potential and how touch is the fundamental way to restore a sense of grounded wholeness to a person’s experience. Through this experience I came into direction contact with my inner beauty, preciousness and joyful expression and it has forever changed me and my relationship to myself and the world at large.

Another key milestone in my journey was my recent training in the Alchemy of Inner work. I now practice through an Alchemical Healing lens.

Through hands-on bodywork, classes & workshops, I coach others to heal their own wounds of disconnection, to develop alchemical self-care habits & to create fulfillment by tapping into their own innate capabilities. I help you reclaim the sovereignty of your life, to attune to the language of your body & to deeply trust yourself.

I practice through a trauma-sensitive and whole being perspective and will always honor you as the driver of your own experience. I will assist you in determining if coaching and bodywork is the best fit for you at this moment of your journey or if seeking professional medical and/or mental health is more appropriate.

  • 1976 - present - Christina Cunningham in the flesh

    2000 - Bachelors University of North Carolina at Wilmington - Creative and Professional Writing, minors in Sociology and Women’s Studies

    2001 - Utah College of Massage Therapy - certified Massage Therapist

    2004-2019 - Master level Shen Sensitivity Training & Bioenergetics

    2006 - 2009 - Adjunct Professor Vermont Community College

    2009-2012 - Lifestyle Educator at the Sanctuary Integrative Medicine

    2010 -2020 - Owner / Operator Chrysalis Healing Art, llc Fair Haven, Vermont

    2010 - Institute of Integrative Nutrition - certified health coach

    2012 - Fermentation Mastery - certified Gut Rebuilding specialist

    2016 - Yoga Healer Body Thrive training - certified Body Thrive coach

    2019 - Growing Resilience - Trauma Informed Principles certification

    2020 - the BodyMind Method - practitioner level certification

    2021 - present WNC resident

    2021 - Somatic Embodiment & Regulation Strategies level III certified

    2024 - Alchemical Healing practitioner in trainig with Lori Dechar and Benjamin Fox

My Trauma Sensitive & Whole Person Principles

  • challenge by choice

    Be gentle and always titrate expansion. All experiences are optional and you are always the ultimate driver of your own choices.  My bodywork and coach offerings are designed to be co-creative and adaptive, and I use flexibility to facilitate offerings for those with differing self-discovery interests. 

  • normalize needs

    Everyone’s experience is unique & your needs are valuable. I strive to maintain a welcoming environment that is free of harsh chemicals, loud noise or abrasive smells. You are welcome to move about the space as needed as well as to express your needs as they may arise. I honor your experiences as your own and will always maintain your sovereignty as sacred.

  • compassion & curiosity

    Every person’s trauma will surface in different ways, so I meet you with compassion and curiosity. I guide you to do the same. I practice with empathetic listening and encourage your innate embodied Soul wisdom to be the truest measure. I validate experiences and emotions, and I lovingly challenge you when appropriate. I refer out when I am clear that I am out of my professional scope of practice. I am not a therapist, but a guide for this leg of your journey.

  • boundaries & clear communication

    To the best of my ability, I start and begin each session on time. I practice confidentiality and I maintain the ethics dictated by my professional licensing body. I practice non-violent communication and I welcome open and honest dialogue.

  • accountability

    What you can expect from me: to lovingly coach, be your biggest cheerleader, bullshit detector and embodiment guide. As well, I will use the skills of my training as a professional to assist you in reaching your personal objectives. I will be co-creative as to the pacing and I will take the best care of my own energy, time and self.

    What I ask of you: to decide if you are truly ready to engage in a journey of self-discovery and transformation. (you must take full responsibility for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health). . Be open to being coached and guided even if we are touching upon parts of your experience that are delicate and may elicit emotions that are uncomfortable.

  • everyone is whole & life is precious

    I look at a each person as a human being, equal to all, not defined by their past, their weaknesses, their strengths, their status, their struggles. And I understand that the consciousness of all creation dwells in every single human being, animal and the planet at large and has never been separate or disconnected. It is all preciously intertwined and intra-dependent upon the sum of its parts.

I humbly acknowledge that my experiences and opportunities originate from a place of a certain amount of financial & societal privilege. I am very interested in the intersection of evolving the inherent biases of such a foundation AND my true calling as a guide to assist others in living an authentic, embodied & contributive life. I fully accept that this process is on-going in my life & in society at large. I am fully dedicated to realizing my place in the healing of people & the planet and the restoration of an interconnected consciousness. And I honor the land of the Cherokee on which I am grateful to practice.