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Wednesday 1pm - 6:30pm Friday 9:30am - 3:30pm Saturday 9:30am - 1:30pm

Niagara Healing Arts

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Canada
Saint Catharines, ON
Niagara Healing Arts

We work together through phases of relief, rehabilitation and regulation. I continue to be fascinated by human suffering and resiliency.

Craniosacral Therapy, Medical Qigong/Daoist Energetic Medicine, Visceral Manipulation

Book an appointment: https://niagarahealingarts.com

Subscribe to read my essays on Substack https://open.substack.com/pub/niagarahealingarts Nancy Dougherty RMT MQP

★Craniosacral Therapy/Somatoemotional Release Technique
★Visceral Manipulation
★Medical Qigong Therapy/Chinese Energetic Medicine
★Somatic (Body-based) Trauma & Emotional Processing
★Qigong Exercises & Meditation/Daoist Inner Alchemy
★Mindfulness Meditation

Patients receive attentive care and a gentle, precise treatment that helps to acknowledge and reorganize dysfunctional physical, mental, emotional and spiritual processes. My education and training is ongoing with an emphasis on Medical Qigong Therapy through mentorship with Dr William Welch Jr. (Temple of the Celestial Fire), who is a longtime and Senior Student of Professor Jerry Alan Johnson of California. I am disciplined in the practices of Qigong and Meditation and have maintained a private clinical practice since 2005. I value an ethical and honest approach to assessment and treatment, and expect patients to consider all of their life conditions as part of the treatment plan. Relief from suffering extends beyond the experience of our physical symptoms, and this includes establishment of healthy boundaries, self-esteem, attitudes and relationships. This realization compels me to teach about the value of meditation, self-awareness, social determinants of health, self-regulation and natural breathing. I came to this work 20 years ago from a background in Employee Benefits Consulting, and am led by my ongoing healing journey from chronic pain, mental health challenges and injuries. Chinese Energetic Medicine works with the complexity of the continuously changing human experience, and is therefore a good lense through which we can explore healing possibilities for sufferers of chronic physical, somatoemotional or psychospiritual conditions. Craniosacral and Visceral techniques, both forms of manual medicine with roots in Chinese Medicine and, more recently, osteopathy, are skillfully applied to engage the deeper tissues in the body and transform dysfunctional tension relationships that might be causing pain, or inhibiting posture and movement. Your initial appointment is an opportunity to be heard and to identify circumstances inhibiting your recovery and wellbeing. Each person is unique, and treatment plans vary according to all factors considered, including your goals and expectations. Born & raised in the Niagara Region, I graduated with honours in Massage and Hydrotherapy from Canadian Therapeutic College in 2005 and promptly entered into private clinical practice. Continuing Education includes, but is not limited to:

Thai Yoga Massage Introduction with Lotus Palm School---
Craniosacral Therapy 1 & 2 with Upledger Institute---
Somatoemotional Release 1 & 2 with Upledger Institute---
Visceral Manipulation 1 - 4 with Barral Institute---
Chinese Energetic Medicine/Qigong (ongoing) with Dr. William L. Welch Jr, D.T.C.M., D.M.Q. (China) ---
Mindfulness Meditation Facilitation Training Intensive with Michael Stone

Book your appointment online .niagarahealingarts.com

11/10/2025

How I Prepare for a session…
When I first started practicing massage therapy, the long days of physically demanding work weren’t easy. It didn’t take long before I struggled with fatigue and begun absorbing toxic energy from patients. This is natural, and how energy flows between people. It often manifested in me as joint pain and headaches.

For energetically aware people it is really helpful to develop energetic hygiene skills and boundaries. These two skills go hand-in-hand to protect your health and avoid burnout.

I personally have a preparatory routine before I start my day, before and after each patient, and a closing routine before I end my day.

Some of my professional boundaries include:
- Adhere to a schedule that meets MY needs (not working too early or too late, not working on days off, time for snacks and rest)
-Referring patients who I know I can’t help, for whatever reason
-Embodying my role as an educator & facilitator of healing, taking no credit or blame for any outcome

Aside from an early bedtime, I practice Qigong & Meditation to keep my body, energy and mind attuned day-to-day, but when working with patients I include the following ritual:

- Spend some time in meditation to settle any distracting thoughts and emotions from my personal life
- Before each session I perform a specific Qigong meditation to help me establish a sacred space in the treatment room
- I end each session in a way that helps the patient and I gently disconnect from each other’s energy

In retrospect, without these practices I would never have lasted this long in my career without chronic burnout or serious health & financial problems.

If you are in a helping profession, and feel that this sort of energetic ritual might help you when working with patients/clients, I would be happy to teach you.

We need all the tools we can get.

Thanks for reading,

Nancy

11/05/2025

Ginew Benton posted this on TikTok today, and the teaching cannot be more timely.

In last week’s Qigong class, I had planned to teach some practices to help with emotional healing, but postponed it to accommodate someone who needed it.

I didn’t realize at the time that the rescheduled class would land on a Supermoon, so we will be extra kind and gentle with ourselves this evening.

It has been awhile since I taught a meditation training, but am planning one for this winter, as it is a perfect antidote for the darkness and all that comes with it. I believe that a gentle practice in community is helpful in winter, and meditation can help dispel dark and unhelpful thoughts and emotions, allowing more space for light to enter.

During a season where natural sunlight is scarce, we must create and amplify our own inner light to sustain us until spring.

If you are interested in learning or practicing meditation with me, informed by Buddhist Mindfulness, Daoist Inner Alchemy, Neuroscience, Energetic Psychology and Culture, type STILLNESS in the comments and I will message you with details once they are rolled out.

Thanks for reading.

Nancy

11/03/2025

Some things I’ve learned about the process of healing:

1. Relief from pain is only the first step. This is often the pain from sustaining your acquired patterns, or all the ways in which you try to avoid or escape the underlying problem.
2. Intellectualizing your problem does not heal your problem. It might actually create distraction, resistance, frustration or shame.
3. You can’t heal it until you feel it, and you might need some support when the feeling part happens. Whether it’s awakening a sensation in the tissues, or identifying an emotional “trigger” or pattern of mental reactivity, it helps to have a facilitator.
4. Healing happens in degrees. For example, just when you think you’ve got your anger “under control”, you will be challenged. This is an opportunity for deeper understanding and healing.
5. In order for lasting transformation to happen, we have to acknowledge our ego-based defense mechanisms. Healing happens in relationship to others.
6. Healing cannot be performed on you, it catalyzes an awakening of something within you. If you don’t experience some sort of shift in your body, mind or spirit, then you are not yet ready for change, and that’s ok.

I’ve been there, done that, and have facilitated the process with thousands of patients. When we leave our expectations at the door, a whole world of possibility opens up for us. Your body knows what to do, so let’s just get curious and listen.

Thanks for reading.

Nancy

10/27/2025

There are many misconceptions about healing work that patients might bring to their session. Allow me to bring some clarity.

1. “The therapist will figure this out for me”. The therapist is a skilled mediator, negotiator and facilitator. Even when the therapist has special assessment or intuitive skill, the patient still needs to acknowledge, accept and transform what needs healing most, which might not be what the patient expected (especially when the treatment focus was on the physical body).

2. “I feel better so I am healed”. This might be true, or this might be a stage of temporary relief. A change in symptoms can be a good thing, but this isn’t always an indication that the pattern fueling the problem has been addressed. Dysfunction that is missed or avoided can show up in different ways. This is why we ask so many questions.

3. “The therapist doesn’t need to know about “X””.A skilled therapist knows more about you than you think. When you omit crucial information for whatever reason (forgot, don’t think it’s important, are ashamed to disclose, etc) it is likely to arise during a session in some way at some time. Feeling safe to disclose information is integral to healing, and every moment of your life experience matters.

4. “Healing will bring me peace”. Perhaps, but before peace arrives we must let go of what is causing us to feel anxious, restless, angry or distracted. This might be difficult or take some time to work through. Healing is a process, not a destination, and something must be sacrificed or resolved in order to create space for peace. We also need to learn what peace feels like for us.

Healing work can go fast or slow depending on many factors. Timing is everything, and it helps to consider practical things like financial, work and relational obligations and supports. There’s no one way to work with suffering. Choose what suits you and what you’re willing to engage honestly with.

Thanks for reading.

Nancy

10/26/2025

Sinus Congestion & Pain

I had a Craniosacral Therapy session myself this week, and attention was drawn to a chronic cranio-facial pattern of mine that tends to result in stagnation and mucus accumulation in my left frontal sinus. This sometimes causes pain, but mostly blocks the left nostril airway somewhat. The day following my session, and after a steamy shower, I was able to blow my nose multiple times to discharge the mucus. (It felt like it was stuck to my brain, lol) It was quite a bit, and I was grateful to free that airway.

These are the type of techniques that are difficult to perform for oneself, and necessary when the problem is complex. You see, it’s not just about my sinuses, and in order to work with the whole-body pattern I need to be in a relaxed and receptive state with someone facilitating the process.

Helpers need helpers too. Our own challenges are what keep us humble, and motivated to learn and grow as therapists.

If you struggle with sinus congestion, blockages or other respiratory complaints once the cold weather arrives and your heat turned on in the home, remember that Craniosacral Therapy is a relaxing and gentle way to get relief. It is possible to avoid the headaches and pain associated with mucus & phlegm, dryness, irritation and other reactions to dust, viruses, sniffling, coughing, etc.

Nancy Dougherty RMT CST MQT
www.niagarahealingarts.com

10/24/2025

Get Right with Rest

As we transition into winter, our bodies and minds naturally crave slowness, warmth, and restorative practices.

Winter hibernation is important, and there are lots of things you can do to conserve energy and nourish your Shen (Spirit) during the winter months.

The key is to avoid overstimulation (caffeine, screen time, emotional disturbances) and promote calm & relaxation (cozy clothing, meditation, warming soups and teas, incense and soothing music).

You will know when your Shen needs nurturing if you experience symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, irritability or foggy thinking. Stress, overwork, overexertion and a poor diet can destroy our efforts to feel well.

The winter’s diminished sunlight, which a vitalizing Yang energy necessary for health, can be replenished by gathering Divine Light through meditation and prayer. We naturally absorb this light when we are still, relaxed and receptive to it.

Deep rest is supremely important for our health and longevity. Sadly, it’s counter-cultural. It’s not indicative of weakness or laziness. It’s not an indulgence. It’s an act of self-appreciation. It’s what we need to feel whole and connected to life.

So, get your fuzzy socks out and put the kettle on.

What are your favourite nurturing and rest activities during winter?

Thanks for reading.

Nancy

Photo by Aleksandar Cvetanovic on Unsplash

See this article to learn more about the Shen in TCM. https://holisticacupuncture.net/the-shen-in-chinese-medicine-nurturing-the-spirit-for-optimal-health/

10/23/2025

About Last Night.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our first Qigong practice at the new clinic.

The consensus was that we succeeded in “Transforming our Chaos into Calm”.

(The mood lighting definitely helped).

There’s a class scheduled every Wednesday evening at 6pm until December, and anyone can join for one or more classes on a Pay-What-You-Want basis, space permitting.

Register at www.niagarahealingarts.com

10/22/2025

In my work as a Medical Qigong Therapist (Daoist Energetic Medicine) it is essential to maintain a routine practice of Qi cultivation and personal transformation.

What does this mean?
This means that in order to offer powerful energetic medicine to others, I must also practice the medicine myself. As life conditions change, we change. As we age physically and grow spiritually, our practices must change also. So, some sort of intentional daily practice is necessary to work with what’s arising in our bodies, minds and spirit to be transformed.

What does this look like?
That depends. I have a daily Qigong workout routine to stretch the tendons, relax the tissues, focus the mind and connect with heaven and earth energies to gather and store Qi. This takes under an hour to do, but sometimes I do a shorter practice, depending on my schedule. There are many Qigong exercises and meditations I can perform specific to my physical and emotional state. I do many of my daily tasks in prayer and gratitude. I also enjoy an evening meditation and prayer session (about 30 minutes).

It takes a regular practice of returning to a balanced and grounded state to be able to notice when you’re “off”. Life happens, and our habitual patterns of thinking and feeling will show up unexpectedly. If we notice our harmful or unskillful responses to life soon enough, we can perhaps avoid making things worse. We can do something to interrupt or change the pattern (if we want to).

This is the process of transformation, and it is possible for everyone.

Thanks for reading. Nancy

10/09/2025

Here’s another sneak peek into the new clinic space!

I found this location while scouting for a place in St. Catharines to hold Qigong and Meditation classes.

I’ve been telling people that this space is a combination of my favourite things about my various clinic and teaching locations, such as:

- the quiet, private, accessible & professional medical environment with lots of parking and a bright, clean aesthetic as with
- The rectangular teaching space (just the right size), partially underground (to gather the yin earth energy) with lots of natural light (to gather the yang solar energy) as with
- The modern flooring and cozy treatment room of my Port Dalhousie location.

Added bonuses in the new space are:

- TWO private bathrooms
- a large storage room
- an office for virtual appointments and writing my Substack essays
- an additional treatment room with a private entry (available for rent maybe? To be determined…)

I’ve been doing my Qigong and Meditation practice there, and the space feels great already. I can’t wait for you to visit.

If you have any questions about the new location, shoot me a DM.

Nancy

Address

Saint Catharines, ON

Opening Hours

Wednesday	1pm - 6:30pm
Friday	9:30am - 3:30pm
Saturday	9:30am - 1:30pm

Website

http://www.niagarahealingarts.com/, https://niagarahealingarts.substack.com/

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Nancy Dougherty has 14+ years of private clinical experience in manual therapy and practical self-care. Whether you are a young athlete, recovering from a surgery, suffering from stress or managing a chronic condition, Nancy is a compassionate partner in providing the most efficient and effective treatment possible. She has sought out exceptional teachers that devoted their lives researching and developing techniques that help people achieve greater health and harmony on many levels.