Today we’d like to introduce you to Emma Julaud.
Emma, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far. I was born and raised in France, went to school there, started dancing at the age of 5 and studied French Modern Literature in college.
Around 20 years old, I started my professional career as a dancer which led me to Paris, where I pursued commercial and artistic gigs. It is over there that, in 2003, I discovered CranioSacral Therapy (CST). At first, it was for my personal healing and the treatments I received helped me so much to get back on my feet that it rapidly became a passion. I started studying and would put my hands on the head of my friends any chance I got.
That same year, my personal life moved me to from Paris, France to Los Angeles, CA where I continued dancing for a while as I adapted to a new language & culture. I then ‘retired’ (aka broke up with dance) and made a clear decision to go back to CST. My body had shown me once again the limit of its abilities and pointed me in the healing direction.
In 2009, I became a certified massage therapist and soon started diving in the CranioSacral world again. I have been now practicing CST as a stand alone modality for the past 4 years in the Los Angeles area, helping a great majority of the people I treat.
I also reconciled with my dance practice mostly through ‘contact improvisation dance’ over the past few years, allowing me to enjoy moving around freely and creatively simply for the pleasure of it!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you? I did not pick a super popular field, and by popular I mean that people typically don’t know about CranioSacral Therapy. The answer I usually get is “Cranio…what?” or “Can you say that again?” (maybe attributing it to my French accent) ~> Awkward entrance.
-Cranio stands for ‘cranium’ and -Sacral for ‘sacrum’, basically the top and bottom of your vertebral column, which gives you an idea on what may be addressed.
So part of my work has been to educate people, to their level of interest, about this form of alternative body therapy, which has encouraged me to find many ways of explaining what I do! I have encountered such a wide range of views -from skeptics to believers, some interested in all the details, others promptly dismissive. And it’s been interesting!
Ultimately all of these reflections of the work itself have helped me define it better myself! A wonderful process.
We’d love to hear more about your business. My practice, knowledge & experience and my perspective about the body is wholistic. And I focus particularly through the lens of CranioSacral Therapy to assess and treat people.
CST is a unique modality that comes from osteopathy and uses a light touch to evaluate restrictions and help release tension in the body. It differs from regular massage therapy as the person being treated remains fully clothed, and unlike a traditional chiropractic adjustment, the techniques and approach used are very gentle. It can help a wide range of conditions, from chronic pain to depression or any stress-related disorder, and it is great at any age, from beginning to end of life.
I absolutely love what I do and have an idiosyncratic view of my work.
Coming from the artistic background of dance, I have spent years studying and practicing movement in space, with an experience ranging from complete freedom of motion to intense pain and utter immobility.
Diving into the healing arts, I reframed my vision about my body and added layers of appreciation.
Through my practice over the years, I have been conscientiously developing my sense of touch which gives me a sense of motion from the inside out.
I still dance with the body. Yet the way it looks like and the way I look at it are now very different.
What were you like growing up? I grew up in the countryside of France, in a beautiful environment, with a loving family. Picture lots of green, lots of nature, animals, farms, organic and homegrown food, clean air, pitch dark starry nights, an inspiring silence… (and I landed in Los Angeles, I know)
Yet I also had to deal with severe health problems during childhood and teenage years, which definitely helped me to grow up faster in some ways and get in touch with my survival modes. My condition sent me more than once to the hospital and forced me to stay in bed to recover for days, sometimes weeks. It took diligent work and courage to overcome the physical and emotional imprints.
Music, dance, and arts, in general, have always been very present in my life since I could ever remember, which all have contributed greatly to my personal healing.
It always has helped me to connect to my body and to the present moment and there is nothing else like being fully in the present moment, alive in space. Which I guess, whether through dance or craniosacral therapy must be what I am looking for!
Read Article HERE
Emma Julaud, CMT, CST. Flowing Still, Body Therapy. emmajulaud.com