About Meg Kane

I have always had a fascination with psychology and our unique gifts as human beings. This curiosity was only strengthened by the twists and turns along my journey to becoming a physical therapist and mental health counselor.

My personal journey of growth began in the 1980’s when I was struggling with my own sense of belonging, and searching for answers to subdue my angst. I have been a physical therapist since 1972, having studied at the Mayo Clinic, but after 10 years I wanted to find a way to better understand and treat my clients. And in my search I began working with The Loving Relationship Training (LRT), an organization that offered seminars on mindful breathing techniques and processes about relationships. In addition to doing breathing work with my clients, I became a center manager with LRT, organizing and leading breathing seminars.

But my journey wasn’t over; in 1996 I became a Hellerworker, introducing deep tissue massage, body movement education and verbal dialogue to further help my clients. This was a wonderful adjunct to physical therapy, and it helped me begin to integrate the mind-body connection with my clients. Many of the issues clients bring to my office have their roots in trauma, early relationship issues or failing to find a good work/life/play balance. And because I firmly believe we cannot separate the mind from the body, I wanted to address my clients’ issues from a “mind” emphasis as well as a physical one. So I decided to continue my education, beginning my Masters in mental health counseling at Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2009.

After I earned my Master’s degree I was hungry to know more about the mind-body connection and how I could treat my clients more completely and effectively. I completed over 180 hours of postgraduate training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, an approach that uses mindfulness and the body to explore and reveal from the “bottom up” what is going on in the mind, heart and body. This work has complemented my experience as a Hellerworker and Physical Therapist. My experience with the body is that there is often an underlying stress that is exacerbating the symptoms my clients are facing. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy works with the mind and body to integrate healing.

I wanted to work directly with the unconscious as well. The unconscious embodies the aspects of our lives that remain below our awareness. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy helps explore the unconscious by working with the body. I wanted to explore dreams and how they can help us unravel past experiences in our lives. So I enrolled in a three year program with Robert Bosnak, a Jungian Psychologist, to train in a process called Embodied Imagination. Embodied Imagination is a therapeutic way of working with dreams, memories and symptoms that can be helpful in alleviating pain, trauma, anxiety and depression. In my work with dreams, memories and physical pain, I have found that images often reveal deeper meaning and insights that increase our ability to integrate painful and unknown material and experiences. Both of these modalities feel like an exploration that is respectful, insightful, and compassionate and can even be a great deal of fun!

Not only has my education been full of twists and turns, but my life experiences have been as well. I grew up on a ranch in Montana, where my love of horses and the exquisite beauty of the land captured my appreciation of nature. I went to college at Montana State University where I joined the small men’s swim team; there wasn’t a women’s team.  I even came in third in breast stroke. Of course, there were only three swimmers competing!  After studying physical therapy at the Mayo Clinic I went off to Fairbanks to visit friends; a visit that ended up lasting five years. I even got my pilots license on a little two seated Cessna 150.  My personal growth voyage took me from Fairbanks to New York City, where I was involved in a process called “New Identity Therapy” and helped in an inpatient drug rehab community.

It was in NYC that the twists of life lead me to breath work, the Loving Relationships Training and my work in mind-body connections and mental health counseling.  When my first son was born, my family moved to the beautiful Northwest where we have been ever since. I now have two adult children who have taught me a great deal about myself; they are my greatest teachers. My passion for working with both mind and body has led to Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Embodied Imagination and working with clients in a holistic modality.

I have an eclectic background that includes training in voice dialogue, mindfulness work, breath work, sensorimotor psychotherapy and working with dreams and embodied imagination. When I take off my therapist hat I love hiking, road biking and gardening; weekends usually find me engaged in one of these activities with friends. I love working in the soil and watching plants grow. I also enjoy writing poetry and use it as a way of expressing myself when nothing else can quite capture what I am feeling. I still travel to my roots in Montana to see family. My work as a human being on this planet pulls me to know more about what it is to be human and how I can help myself and others in this journey.

To learn more about me and my Licensed Physical Therapy practice, please visit www.megkane.com.