Integrative Therapies
Integrative therapies are good for body and soul. We offer these therapies with the knowledge that they can help relieve some of the side effects of surgery, radiation, and other treatments as well as symptoms of the cancer itself, including fatigue, nausea, pain, and anxiety. They also provide stress relief and comfort to caregivers coping with a loved one’s cancer.
Like all our services, Cancer Connection offers integrative therapies free of charge for people living with a cancer diagnosis, their families, and caregivers.
Individual telephone sessions by appointment.
Please call (413) 586-1642 to schedule.
Cancer Connection offers massage, reiki, and acupuncture, as well as Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster™ and our Calming Strategies & Relaxation via telehealth.
Monthly Reiki Night
The RETURN of Cancer Connection’s free MONTHLY REIKI NIGHTS at a NEW VENUE!
Reiki has been used for years to reduce stress and achieve body and mind relaxation and reduce pain and anxiety. Join us for a half hour Reiki session formatted in a group setting. Each participant will be on a separate Reiki table and will have not one, but TWO certified volunteer Reiki Practitioners working on them at the same time.
Reiki tables are a safe distance apart and staff will be wearing masks. Comfortable low lighting and sound healing music will create a soothing atmosphere for you to feel the wonderful healing energies flowing into your body from the practitioner’s hands.
This is a first come, first served event. Sessions will begin at 6pm with the last session starting at 8pm and ending at 8:30pm.
Currently, we do not require that you sign up for this monthly event. We welcome walk-ins and look forward to seeing you soon!
When: EVERY SECOND TUESDAY of the month except for January & August
Where: The State Room at 35 State Street, Northampton. Entrance located on side street on the left side of the building.
Parking: Street, metered parking or the Northampton parking garage. Please do not park in the private, small back parking lot by the State Room entrance.
Acupuncture
With Laurel Turk
By Appointment Only | Call to register – (413) 586-1642
A safe and painless form of traditional Chinese medicine that is effective in treating chronic pain and some side effects associated with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery including peripheral neuropathy, nausea and vomiting, postoperative pain, lack of appetite, dry mouth, and chronic fatigue. Acupuncture can also be helpful in relieving stress, depression, and anxiety for people with cancer and their caregivers.
Laurel Turk
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Laurel Turk has been providing acupuncture at Cancer Connection since 2013, after her own breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. She has practiced acupuncture locally since1996, and interacting with Cancer Connection participants is a favorite highlight of her work. She combines several styles of acupuncture to provide gentle and individualized treatments to address each participant's specific concerns.
She received her Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches University in Santa Cruz, California, is licensed by the state of Massachusetts, and is nationally certified. She has received advanced training in oncology acupuncture from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the TCM Academy of Integrative Medicine, and several other oncology acupuncturists. She enjoys broadening and keeping her skills in order to assist people as much as possible with their healing.
Calming Strategies
Telehealth | Phone sessions with Nancy Carter-Price, Peggy Schjeldahl, and Bernadette Nicholson
By Appointment Only | Call to register – (413) 586-1642
30-minute confidential sessions with an experienced integrative therapist focused on calming strategies. Sessions will vary based on individual participant’s needs. Sessions may include a relaxation exercise, guided imagery, walking through a self-care practice that you already know, sharing other helpful resources such as an online relaxation tool, or some other appropriate calming intervention.
Nancy Carter-Price
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Nancy Carter-Price is honored to be part of Cancer Connection’s integrative therapy team since 2002. She began as one of eight monthly Reiki Team members that year and became co-facilitator of the Reiki Team shortly after joining the team. Nancy has been providing individual Reiki sessions both in our center in Northampton in addition to sessions in South Hadley for over 15 years.
Nancy received her Usui/Tibetan Reiki Master /Teacher training in 1998 and Karuna Reiki Master/Teacher in 1999. She also has Advanced Integrative Energy Therapy (I.E.T.) Training and utilizes several other modalities to meet the various needs of participants seeking support. Nancy Carter-Price is owner and operator of Journey to Wellness, located in Northampton, MA. For more information about Nancy you are invited to go to www.journeytowellness.be
Peggy Schjeldahl, M.A., L.M.T.
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I was introduced to Cancer Connection, in 2018, when a beloved colleague told me of an opening at Cancer Connection for an integrative therapist in Reflexology. When I visited Cancer Connection for the first time, I immediately felt the warmth, acceptance, and caring from the staff extended both to participants and to one another. I resonated with this atmosphere from my 27-year career as a Healing Arts therapist and co-director of the Kripalu Bodywork Training at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA. I am grateful to provide a time for deep relaxation and renewal for our participants.
I attended the Sarasota School of Massage Therapy and I’m a licensed massage therapist in Massachusetts. I’ve been trained in a variety of massage techniques, including Reflexology and Energy Balancing. In 2010, I attained a Master of Arts degree in early childhood education in an on-site combination work/study program from St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, MN. Earlier in my career, I worked as a Montessori pre-school teacher in Kripalu’s resident children’s program and was the Director of the Kripalu Guest Children’s program.
Bernadette Nicholson, M.S., LMT, RCST.
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Bernadette has been a Holistic Health Practitioner in the Pioneer Valley for over twenty-five years. She served as the Department Chair of Integrative Health at Springfield Technical Community College where she directed the Massage Therapy Degree Program for eighteen years. Dedicated to healing the body, mind and soul, she blends her training in Massage Therapy, Oncology Massage, Craniosacral Therapy and Reiki in her treatment sessions. She also integrates her skills as a Certified Embodyoga teacher in helping clients find mindful, breathing and movement practices that enhance their well-being and healing.
Calming Strategies and Relaxation Recordings (“Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster”™)
with Ann Buscemi, CHT, using remote technology
By Appointment Only | Call to register – (413) 586-1642
Ann is certified in therapeutic hypnosis and emotional healing, and has earned the certification needed to offer "Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster"™ workshops. Her sessions focus on relaxation and visualization techniques, which impact all aspects of healing and self care. Whether you are facing surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, medical procedures, treatment transitions, or simply the stress of life, these techniques make a profound difference. Ann prepares a guided visualization made especially for each participant. She can meet with participants by phone and send the recording by Dropbox, in an email, or as a CD by postal mail.
Ann Buscemi, CHT
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Ann Buscemi is certified in therapeutic hypnosis and emotional healing. Ann trained with Peggy Huddleston and is certified to present “Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster”™ workshops.
She provides Calming Strategies at Cancer Connection in addition to working with patients at Cooley Dickinson Hospital Women’s Health department. “A client’s time, words and thoughts are the palette that I use, to create the canvas, the recording, that becomes their guide for a calming, healing visualization. This is beneficial for surgery, chemo and radiation therapies. Simply stated, the stress of any diagnosis. Taking time to visualize one’s healing is a vital part of any treatment strategy.”
Reiki
With Nancy Carter Price
By Appointment Only | Call to register – (413) 586-1642
Reiki is a light-touch, energy-based therapy with a wide range of physical and emotional benefits, including better sleep, improved mood, and pain relief. Reiki helps the body enter a state of relaxation, which allows it to better heal from damage brought on by stress, injury, or disease. It is a non-invasive, gentle, and supportive complementary healing modality.
Nancy Carter Price
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Nancy Carter-Price is honored to be part of Cancer Connection’s integrative therapy team since 2002. She began as one of eight monthly Reiki Team members that year and became co-facilitator of the Reiki Team shortly after joining the team. Nancy has been providing individual Reiki sessions both in our center in Northampton in addition to sessions in South Hadley for over 15 years.
Nancy received her Usui/Tibetan Reiki Master /Teacher training in 1998 and Karuna Reiki Master/Teacher in 1999. She also has Advanced Integrative Energy Therapy (I.E.T.) Training and utilizes several other modalities to meet the various needs of participants seeking support. Nancy Carter-Price is owner and operator of Journey to Wellness, located in Northampton, MA. For more information about Nancy you are invited to go to www.journeytowellness.be
Massage
With Lisa Gallauresi and Janice Peterman
By Appointment Only | Call to register – (413) 586-1642
For those with cancer, oncology specialized massage treatments help them manage their experience with cancer during active treatment, recovery, and survivorship. Benefits include improved sleep and immune function as well as helping to ease nerve pain, fatigue, swelling, muscle tension and nausea. It can also improve emotional well-being and quality of life for both those with cancer, and their caregivers, by reducing stress and anxiety and promoting relaxation.
Lisa Gallauresi
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Lisa is a healer who has had the honor of working with thousands of people and families effected by a cancer diagnosis over the past 25 years.
A graduate of the Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage in Syracuse, NY and the State University of New York at Binghamton, she has been on the faculty of massage schools in both states. Lisa’s training includes a New York State license coupled with advanced certifications in prenatal and postpartum massage, newborn and infant massage (individual and group classes), Lamaze teacher training, manual lymphatic drainage, and oncology massage (caring for people with cancer).
Lisa maintains a private practice in downtown Northampton, MA that focuses on complex medical narratives including lipedema, lymphedema and oncology work.
Lisa contracts with The Cancer Connection to offer oncology massage therapy support to those living with a cancer diagnosis and their families. She also works at the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital offering oncology massage services within the Integrative Oncology program.
She continues to learn and humbly grow from the people whom she serves. Her goal is to create a space of comfort and support so that healing can occur on many levels.
For more information, please go to: Lisagnorthampton.massagetherapy.com
Janice Peterman
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Janice’s bio is coming soon!
Learn more about our other services
Befrienders
Befrienders are trained staff and volunteers who listen and support both those who have been diagnosed and caregivers through challenging times.
Support Groups
Support groups offer a place where we can laugh, cry, celebrate, and use humor to find relief in the universality of our experiences.
Programs
We’ve recently added new programs, including opportunities for Cancer Connection participants to enjoy programs through All Out Adventures.