503.341.0663 admin@nurturance.net

 

Meet Me

 

I’m Barbara Horsley (formerly Barbara Loomis) educator and practitioner of abdominal therapy. I’ve worked with thousands of bellies and each one is uniquely beautiful and has a story to tell.

I’m constantly curious, I love studying anatomy, physiology, and herbal medicine as well as biomechanics of natural movement. I have a heartfelt enthusiasm for teaching people how to care for their reproductive and digestive organs. What lights me up is to see people connect with the inner beauty and wisdom of their bodies.

Fast Facts

 

26 years of experience and training as a licensed massage therapist. Michigan massage therapy license #7501013021

 

  • NCBTMB approved provider #1000347 for my online courses.
  • Studied and certified directly with Dr. Rosita Arvigo in the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®.
  • Was a teacher for the Arvigo Institute for seven years.
  • Studied and certified with Master Mantak Chia in Chi Nei Tsang.
  • Completed Nutritious Movement™ Restorative Exercise Specialist program with biomechanist Katy Bowman.
  • Wise Earth Ayurveda manual therapies for women’s health
  • Craniosacral Therapy 1-Upledger Institute
  • Functional Methods (low force Osteopathic Techniques)
  • Anatomy of the Abdomen and Pelvis; from basics to clinic (Coursera) by Universiteit Leiden & Leiden University and Medical Center
  • Holistic Nutrition Lab-Digestive Intensive Graduate
  • Certified Women’s Herbal Educator by Dr. Aviva Romm, MD
  • Certified IWHI Perimenopause & Menopause Certificate Program Graduate
  • Visceral Manipulation™ at the Barral Institute
          • VM1-Abdomen Liver, Stomach, Intestines
          • VM2- Spleen, Kidneys
          • VM3- Pelvic Organs
          • VM4- Thorax
          • VM5- Manual Thermal Evaluation
          • VM6- Visceral Emotional
          • L1- Osteopathic manual evaluation techniques
          • Visceral Lymphatic Balancing

Google Reviews

CM
CM
2020-04-24
Barbara was an incredible help to me in the lead up to my endometriosis surgery in June 2019. Her expert care relieved very painful symptoms from organ dysfunction and adhesions. She is second to none as a visceral manipulation therapist and really has an innate sense of how body systems work in concert (or don't) to create pain and poor function. Thanks to her care I was able to maintain my sanity while waiting for surgery. I'm now pregnant and expecting my first child, and I hope she returns to Portland in the future because I would love to be under her care for the post-partum period. Barbara, thanks for all you do. You are a treasure and I'm so glad I received my referral to you.
Alia Paquette
Alia Paquette
2020-04-01
Barbara offers a remarkable service that is effective and has sustained benefits. I would highly recommend this unique treatment approach and her incredible skill set to anyone.
Laura Paulini
Laura Paulini
2020-03-24
Barbara is a kind, empathetic and skilled practitioner. She helped me resolve a muscular/skeletal issue related to scoliosis that was giving me much discomfort. She also found ways to encourage me to find connections between my physical and emotional states and how they might come into play regarding my overall well being.
Jolie Ann Donohue
Jolie Ann Donohue
2020-03-23
Barbara is an incredible healer. She is one of the most skilled, wise, and intuitive practitioners I have ever worked with. She is an integral part of my treatment team. I credit my sessions with her for significant healing and relief I have experienced for multiple chronic illnesses. I would highly recommend Barbara for anyone suffering from endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, Crohn's disease, GERD, and asthma.
Jodi Heintz
Jodi Heintz
2020-03-20
Barbara came highly recommended to me by my naturopath to address my history of gut health problems. She is a gifted healer. Her calming presence helped allay my anxieties as I started working with her. My sessions with her were extremely helpful and comforting -- alleviating my symptoms quickly. She gave me self-help tools to use at home which helped progress my healing at home. She has been a invaluable resource and I cannot recommend her enough.
Trina King
Trina King
2020-03-02
I first decided to visit Barbara while I was researching Mayan abdominal massage. Meeting her felt like meeting an old friend. She is so warm and personable. I explained that after reading the plethora of knowledge that she has written about and posted on her blog, I was just going to put myself in her hands and let her do the work she felt my body needed. After my first session, I knew that this was the healing my body was looking for. If you can get a regular body massage, then you can definitely get an abdominal massage from Barbara, I promise. Even if you've never had any sort of body work, you will feel so at ease in her presence. I have always been very resistant to any sort of pressing or pushing on my stomach from doctor visits, but Barbara makes it so easy to relax and so comforting. She provides a very warm, safe space. We have worked on my bladder placement, which now feels at home in my body, and most recently her abdominal massage has been the key component in working out some very painful knots around my pylori area. I drive four hours one way to see Barbara and she is worth every mile. I am so thankful that I found her and you will be too.
Maureen O'Hara
Maureen O'Hara
2020-02-12
Barbara is very intuitive. She is very knowledgeable and I trust her without reservation. I highly recommend her.
Kelly Williamson
Kelly Williamson
2020-02-11
Working with Barbara has completely changed my perception about how massage therapy can change your body. She is incredibility intuitive, gentle and an amazing healer. Abdominal massage may seem like it could be uncomfortable, but in fact the opposite is true. It is incredibly relaxing and has helped me become much more in tune with my body. I used to think in order for massage to be effective you need to have very deep tissue work, but Barbara's approach is exactly what my body needs. She is magical and I feel fortunate to know her.
Rebecca Green
Rebecca Green
2019-02-28
Barbara Loomis us very kind and her treatments very effective. Its impressive how someone can tell so much about what's going on inside the body, from the outside!

Dr Northrup and Barbara

Dr Christiane Northrup, Margo The Wandering Womb, and Barbara Horsley

Barbara and Rosita

Barbara Horsley and Dr. Rosita Arvigo in Belize.

“Thank you Barbara for being such a beautiful spirit and healer on my path.  You’ve made such a difference and continue to in so many ways that I can hardly express.  Thank you for being such a blessing in my life.”
Darlene Reed, PhD

“The menstrual cycle following my treatment was not only pain-free, it was lighter and lasted two days shorter than usual. Overall, the two sessions with Barbara left me feeling more grounded and in balance with my body, which was very empowering.”
Michele Eccleston

Gardener