Sometimes, when life is spiraling out of control, you really need a wake-up call to get back on track. For Cindy Doody, that moment happened when her husband found her having a seizure on the bathroom floor of their Boston condo.

She was only in her 20s, her daughter just 2 years-old, but her job as a facilities administrator for an IT business was taking its toll. The company, in the dot com heyday, was opening offices all over the world--- sending Cindy to San Francisco and London on a regular basis. She was not exercising, not eating right, and not sleeping. The seizure was her body's way of saying 'knock it off'.

"I was at Mass General [hospital] and they couldn't figure out what happened," Cindy remembers. But she knew her lifestyle was to blame. "I thought, what am I doing?"

Shortly thereafter, Cindy and her family moved to Scituate, which is when she told her husband she was quitting her high-pressure job and going back to school for massage therapy. 

In 2002, after having her second baby, Cindy opened up an office above Riva restaurant in Scituate harbor. She was in that location for about a year, transferred to Muscles Rx, and then, just last year, opened up her own office once again, called Mariposa Massage and Body Therapy. Located in Cohasset Village, Mariposa--- which means butterfly in Spanish--- specializes in neuromuscular therapy, which is the utilization of static pressure on specific myofascial points to relieve pain.

According to Cindy, this technique manipulates the soft tissue of the body (muscles, tendons and connective tissue) to balance the central nervous system. In a healthy individual, nerves transmit impulses (which are responsible for every movement, function and thought) to the body very slowly. Injury, trauma, postural distortion, or stress cause nerves to speed up their transmission, inhibiting equilibrium and making the body vulnerable to pain and dysfunction. It is therefore necessary to stabilize low levels of neurological activity to maintain normal function and overall health.

Cindy works with two other muscular therapists at Mariposa. And, aside from neuromuscular therapy they also offer Swedish massage, pre/post natal massage, Reflexology, stone therapy massage, and oncology massage (a specialized category of body work for people living with cancer). In addition, the Mariposa team is very active in the community and often participates in local athletic events by providing pre- and post massage therapy treatments.

"I love helping people," Cindy says. And, everyday she learns something new, which keeps her in tune with her clients--- as well as her own mind, body, and spirit. "I wouldn't want to go back to that other job," she says.

Why would she after that stress-related seizure? In fact, you could say that making a move to massage therapy not only put her on a better career path, but probably saved Cindy's life, too.

For more information contact Cindy at:

Mariposa Massage and Body Therapy

15 Depot Court

Cohasset, MA 02025

339-337-3635

info@mariposabody.com

www.mariposabody.com

On-line scheduling is available

By Stephanie Neil

Stephanie Neil is a journalist. Her business, technology, and human interest stories have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines including eWeek, Managing Automation, The Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Huggies Baby Network, South Shore Woman, and The Boston Globe.  She lives on the South Shore with her two kids, two cats, and a dog. Contact info: stephanieneil@comcast.net  or 781-378-1652. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieNeil

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