Daniel Fields _{CAMTC #68678}

Daniel Fields was born and raised in Oakland, California. He brings a wealth of knowledge and training in Eastern modalities to the Synapse team. Daniel’s journey in health education began with Tui na Chinese medical massage at the Academy of Chinese Culture & Health Science in Oakland. He went on to complete the core program at the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville, where he then worked as a teaching assistant. He holds national certification in massage, and is a certified instructor in Taijiquan and Qigong. Daniel is finishing his Masters of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine at ACCHS in Oakland. All this to say – he is a highly trained practitioner with a unique skill-set; we are honored to have him join our team at Synapse.

Daniel’s work is rooted in his Eastern medicine training. He is skilled with reading tissue and is able to work at appropriate depths to create effective change in the body and mind. If you are curious about working with a practitioner who works outside of the realm of traditional massage, Daniel is the perfect fit.

Brandon Casbeer _{CAMTC #75304}

Brandon is an accomplished massage therapist who focuses on creating space for clients to connect with their bodies. He believes that therapeutic massage and self maintenance are key to attaining a more vibrant lifestyle. Brandon utilizes a variety of bodywork modalities including Myofascial Release, Shiatsu, and Deep Tissue Massage to offer a custom experience that promotes deep healing in the body.

Brandon began his career in massage therapy after completing 900 hours of training at the National Holistic Institute, and has been working as a holistic health practitioner with a focus in shamanic practice and herbalism since 2010.

Dustin Kosek _{CAMTC #71999}

Dustin believes that the body is sacred and should be treated as such. As someone who regularly surfs and plays soccer, he also knows the importance of maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit for optimal performance.

He derives his inspiration from his travels to Indonesia where he was introduced to Balinese massage. Dustin continued his studies at the National Holistic Institute of Massage where he completed 900 hours of training. His background in early childhood education fostered his calming and patient energy, which is a nice compliment to his work as a massage practitioner.

Whether the focus is on relaxing after a long week of work, or recovering from a long hike or sporting event, Dustin uses the regenerative powers of massage to help others continue doing what they love most.

Ximena Arestizabal

(Pronounced “He-men-ah”)

Ximena Arestizabal is a native of El Salvador who grew up in the East Bay. Since graduating from the National Holistic Institute in 2000, she has worked in many settings ranging from physical therapy and chiropractic offices to luxury resort spas. She has recently returned from living in Hawai’i where she studied lomi lomi massage.

Ximena’s work strikes a perfect balance between intuition and skilled therapeutic intervention. As influenced by lomi lomi, each session is soothing, and flowing –leaving her clients with a sense of balance and wellbeing. Ximena is excited to be back in the bay area to continue practicing and learning with each client.

Breanna Carroll _{CAMTC #74980}

Breanna’s journey in massage began when she witnessed the positive effects it had on her life. With a background in sports, she was no stranger to the tension, tightness, and stress that can often exist within the body. Since following the intuitive nudge to enroll in massage school, she has completed over 1000 hours studying the relationship between the body and the mind. Breanna views human nature as multi faceted, and believes that proper care of the body can facilitate healing of the internal and external experience.

In addition to massage, Breanna is a certified yoga instructor. Her work combines breath awareness from yoga with the scientific and therapeutic qualities of massage for a unique and integrative experience.

Carolyn Letherland _{CAMTC #24127}

Carolyn believes in the healing power of massage and provides her expertise to assist in the process. Drawing from her extensive training through the National Holistic Institute, her unique style blends various modalities to create each hypnotic and restorative session. As a therapist, her goals are to provide relaxation, decrease pain and support body awareness and self-care for each client.

She brings to her craft a wealth of life experiences including a background in Montessori education and the completion of a yoga teacher training. Outside of her working life, Carolyn enjoys traveling to far away destinations but loves to call California home.

Zoe Burton _{CAMTC #46636}

Zoe is on maternity leave

Zoe loves practicing massage as a way to facilitate well-being. Her work is therapeutic in nature, drawing on advanced techniques including deep tissue, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release, Swedish, sports, and prenatal massage.

Zoe incorporates specific work within nurturing full body sessions, which allows for deep relaxation. Her daily meditation practice supports clarity, grounding, and intuition in her bodywork.

Her work is informed by over 900 hours of education at the San Francisco School of Massage and Bodywork and at NHI’s Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy Program. A lifelong learner exploring the body, mind, and spirit, Zoe supports clients as a fellow traveler on the path to better self-care, healing, and a thriving body.

Anna Seva _{CAMTC # 14217}

Anna Seva has always loved the life and language of the body. A bodyworker for over a decade, her practice integrates elements from a background in yoga, dance, hospice work and expressive arts therapy. She holds a MA degree in somatic psychology from Santa Barbara Graduate Institute.

She sees the body as a gateway to clarity and wisdom and seeks to affirm its innate healing capacity and ability to re-align and re-organize towards greater health and well-being. She specializes in deep tissue and trigger point work based on listening to the body’s cues and supporting the nervous system in restoring and resourcing.

Anna grew up in Northern Finland and feels most at home in a forest or by the ocean. Movement is her medicine and she loves to dance, do yoga, ride her bicycle and go backpacking whenever possible.”

Kellyn Foxman _{CAMTC # 70723}

Kellyn brings a multitude of skills to the Synapse Crew. A love of practicing bodywork was born out of her passion for yoga, mindfulness, and partner acrobatics. Beginning her massage training in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Kellyn studied the stretching and pressure-point work of Thai massage. She has since spent over 900 hours studying Tui Na, Shiatsu, Swedish, Deep Tissue, acupressure, Chi Nei Sung (belly massage), myofascial therapy, and trigger point therapy. She meets her clients with a therapy that best suits them, and it is often a combination of techniques.

Using breathwork in her sessions, Kellyn believes watching and playing with how we breathe is an essential key to healing. She believes that our bodies are healing themselves all the time, forgiving all the harm we knowingly and unknowingly inflict upon ourselves. Her aim as a bodyworker is to support that process as it unfolds.

Saloni Desai _{CAMTC #69167}

Saloni is a passionate believer in the mind-body connection and its role in our everyday coping strategies.

Drawing from her 1000+ hours of study in a wide variety of Eastern and Western modalities, Saloni customizes her techniques to best align with the needs of each client. With an emphasis on energy, flexibility, and malleability, she strives to release and reorient holding patterns of stress, dis-ease and physical manifestations of trauma within the body from the core outward.

Saloni’s life experiences have given her a passion for health, wellness, and mind-body balance. Having learned to manage her own chronic pain and autoimmune issues over the past decade, she values being able to support and facilitate healing for all who come her way. A fervent proponent of self-care, Saloni recognizes the benefits of setting aside time each day to heal oneself, and is passionate about sharing this knowledge with her clients.

As she continues on this journey, she invites you to explore the inner workings of your self and discover what can be revealed when you unwind and allow yourself the time you need to heal.

Liz Williams _{CAMTC #37637}

Liz Williams offers clientele both massage and physical therapy services. She brings to the practice an integrated approach that combines manual therapy, mindfulness and exercise to facilitate health & well-being. Her goal: to help clients find their way to a healthy and balanced body.

Liz has worked extensively in orthopedic and neurologic rehabilitation since attaining her master’s degree in Physical Therapy from UCSF/SFSU in 2005. Her work is results oriented and guided by her profound knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology. That being said, she aims to balance her work with a healthy dose of yum – in recognition of the sweetness to be found in human touch. Liz has been a certified massage therapist since 2000 with training in multiple disciplines; she completed her certification with Professional Yoga Therapy Studies in January 2013.

Outside her life as a massage therapist and PT, Liz teaches with the YogaSlacker crew sharing the practices of partner acrobatics and slackline yoga. She enjoys hiking, riding her bikes both on and off the beaten path, and finding balance upside down when and wherever possible.

Stan Barrett _{CAMTC #27853}

Stan is the humble owner of Synapse, who began his career in bodywork on the East Coast more than two decades ago. From 1998-2002 Stan lived out his dream of working in professional cycling with Mercury, an American team based in France. In the ensuing years he developed his expertise in sports massage by working with UMass Rowing and the University of Wisconsin swim team. Stan has also worked with elite runners, adventure racers, and triathletes over the years.

Fast forward to the early 2000’s – Stan landed in the Bay Area and worked at the Claremont Spa where his practice deepened in efforts to meet the expectations of the most discerning clients. The nuances of the spa experience, in combination with decades plus of skilled bodywork, are the foundation for the massage experience one can expect when coming in to Synapse.

In addition to creating a top-notch experience for clients of Synapse, Stan goes to great efforts to create a positive environment for the talented team of Synapse therapists. As a result, Synapse is known for its reliably outstanding bodywork in the East Bay, which is built upon a foundation of mutual respect. Stan is honored to be of service to you, your colleagues, and your loved ones.