About Me

Bonjour, I am Nathalie Fossé. As a licensed massage therapist, I have been operating my own practice since 2003 in Gainesville, Florida.

I developed a thriving practice with satisfied clients. To fit the trend of the time, my one technique was deep tissue massage on the troubled areas -- “no pain no gain” leitmotiv (my motif). Clients loved it. Deep tissue massage felt to them that we were really doing something.  We were addressing their physical difficulties. Clients left my office thrilled -- they were feeling better.  

But truthfully, I was not satisfied with the results I observed in my clients. The results were too short-lived and they felt incomplete and not integrated with the entire body.

So, like many who are enthusiastic about their professions, I began my quest for better ways to treat and serve my clients. I found most of the answers while trying to repair my own body and mind after recurring injuries and a succession of disappointing treatments.

I began to explore yoga to learn about biomechanics, breathing, and letting go (giving my mind and body the permission to unwind) . That led to my ultimate realization that how we move and how we feel it is all related to our brain function. Voilà!

To treat my clients’ bodies more judiciously and thoroughly, I needed to include their brains in the sessions.

I began my exciting journey in neurosciences and applied neuroanatomy. I came to understand that ankle flexibility can be improved with a wrist circle, shoulder flexibility and strength can be improved with eye convergence drills, and hearing can be improved with olfactory stimulation just to cite a few examples. There it was -- the neural twist I incorporated into my manual therapy treatments.

Learning about the brain -- in particular about the insular cortex which regulates our internal environment, homeostasis and the vagus nerve -- led me to visceral therapy and cranio-sacral therapy the fundamentals of manual osteopathy.

Today my practice now provides greater long-term success for my clients and is more rewarding for me.

EDUCATION – CERTIFICATIONS and TRAININGS:

  • PhD in Chemistry in Material Science – University of Nantes and CNRS, France
  • Massage Therapy Certification – Florida School of Massage
  • Sports and Injury Massage Therapy Certification -- Florida School of Massage
  • Yoga Certification (RYS 200) with the talented Melissa Montilla in Gainesville, Florida, at Sanctuary Yoga (yogagainesville.com/ ).
  •  Z-Health Practitioner – Certified by Z-Health Performance Solutions, an education program on pain and performance neurology for health and fitness professionals. Certified in R-Phase, I-Phase, T-Phase, 9S-Structure and 9S-Next Evolution  (zhealtheducation.com/)
  • Personal Trainer Certification – National Academy of Sports Medicine

Continuing Education:

  • Craniosacral Therapy (upledger.com)
  • ortho-bionomy – Kalpesh Patel
  • visceral manipulation -- The Barral Institute (barralinstitute.com)
  • Chapman’s lymphatic reflexes release (https://www.luannovermyer.com)
  • aromatherapy – Tracy Walton (www.com)
  • treatments for cancer patients -- Tracy Walton (com/)
  • myosfascial release
  • connective tissue

BIO

I was born in France where I grew up playing various sports -- from dance, tennis, windsurfing, skiing and rowing to Tai Chi and even some Olympic weightlifting. I was raised spending lots of time outdoors playing, riding my bicycle, planting a vegetable garden, camping and traveling.

That active childhood carries over to me now, as I love to hike, run, play tennis, workout, bike, practice yoga and cultivate plants in my yard.

I graduated in France with a PhD in Chemistry in Material Science. My USA adventure began with a couple of years of post-doctoral fellowship in chemistry. The daily afternoon headache on my workdays, forced me to face the truth -- I was miserable in my profession. Personal reasons brought me to Gainesville Florida where playing Ultimate Frisbee became my favorite activity. Unfortunately, the pleasure of playing was constantly overridden by several agonizing body pains from a bunion, to knee and hip pain.

Those debilitating pains introduced me to massage in 2001. I was amazed at the ability of massage to reduce and eliminate my chronic pain. That led to me to decide to become a massage therapist myself. I graduated from the Florida School of Massage in the fall of 2002 and started my practice in 2003.

After a few years of kneading bodies in my massage practice, I added kneading croissant dough! A friend and I started and operated a thriving European bakery. Our handmade breads, croissants and pies could be found in our local supermarkets and restaurants and drew the crowd at the farmers markets. We successfully sold the business to move into new journeys, allowing me to have more time for hiking in the mountains, traveling and studying.

Because studying is a formidable brain stimulus and because one can never be done learning about the body, I always have a book on anatomy, cranial nerves, neurology, visceral organs, osteopathy, or even psychology by my side, and I am continually considering the next workshop to take or certification to earn.

I bring my enthusiasm for fitness, my experiences with injuries and on-going pain, and my insights into how the brain impacts the physical body to my practice and to my work with each client.