about us

Deborah Skell, gcfp

So much more than an entrepreneur, Deborah began her career in telecommunications marketing in New York City, then gave up the city for life on a barrier island in South Carolina where she sold real estate and later directed corporate sales and marketing in the travel industry. Finally, the siren song of New York pulled her back and she spent ten years designing in the fashion industry.

Exactly how Deborah arrived in the healing arts is less than obvious. The simple answer is that after a third surgery on the same hip and despite rigorous rehabilitation programs, she could not walk without using a cane. Three Feldenkrais® lessons later, over a ten day period, she put down the cane and her life was never the same.

In 2006, she packed up and moved West to live nearer her aging father and family while she completed her Feldenkrais training. She’s been teaching people to be more comfortable ever since. Deborah lives with her cat, a Royal Bengal named TsenTsai, in the hills of Eugene.

She was celebrating a few days ago because she was able to run up a set of stairs 2 steps at a time, with ease! It wasn’t too long ago that she wasn’t able to do anything like this. In fact, she was recovering from multiple surgeries which left her hobbling, walking with a cane. She had lost hope that she was going to recover her mobility. Since then she has experienced an amazing recovery including rediscovery of strength and agility. She could never believe that this would’ve happened, but it did. Deborah knows she owe this transformation to what she learned from the Feldenkrais method. She believes so much in it that she became a practitioner. Now she helps people in similar situations to achieve the same type of remarkable transformation that she experienced. She’s looking for people like her who are recovering from surgery or injury, and struggle with finding their strength, agility and mobility.

Deborah’s desire is to help you experience Joy in Motion.

Testimonials

Trestimonials

“Deborah is an incredible, intuitive healer. She is as gentle as they come, yet can produce changes in minutes that reverse decades old bad habits and patterns that your body may have adopted. A session with Deborah is a great way to start getting pain free. Additional sessions have a cumulative effect, each one bringing you closer to how you always wished that you could be.”

Dr. Matt Freedman | OsteoStrong Eugene

“Following a double mastectomy, I worked with a physical therapist and massage therapist but was still unable to fully extend one arm over my head or reach behind my back without pain. Through my work with Deborah Skell, in Feldenkrais sessions, I have been able to regain full use of my arm. These Feldenkrais sessions have also helped me release my shoulders and improve my posture .”

S.R. | Eugene

“How about something other than needles, narcotics, jolts and jabs for your pain problems? I am Deborah Skell’s patient, and happy to be writing on her behalf. Deborah practices Feldenkrais, a technique for observing and correcting matters of body movement and posture which can lead to chronic pain. It is gentle, respectful, and, in my experience, never disappoints. Like any other process of learning, you only need pay attention and bring the useful changes into your life. You may have all-but-forgotten tension habits, stiffness in joints, and other conditions which respond well to the process of Feldenkrais teaching. Deborah will help you find your way back to the sources of the pain, then lead you on an insightful journey back to wellness.

D.R. Linstrand | Eugene

“The Feldenkrais training I've had with Deborah has made a significant difference in my healing process. I have been in chronic pain due to Fibromyalgia for ten years and have experienced many different healing modalities. Feldenkrais is one that has been very positive. My body is realigning and relearning some patterns that help my posture and movement in ways that allow for less pain. I highly recommend Feldenkrais to anyone with pain or postural issues. Deborah is a gentle, caring, competent practitioner.”

L.S. | Eugene

“The simple miracle of Feldenkrais is that it works WITH your body and it WORKS. At the time of my first visit to Deborah, I was incredibly stiff, in a moderate amount of pain, and walked slowly with a wobble and a weave. The deceptively simple moves she showed me gave me immediate improvement in flexibility and by continuing to do them at home are hugely helping my recovery. She also showed me moves to help my legs and hips track properly and I can now walk in a straight line! Six months of PT only got me so far, and I wanted to be able to do so much more, so was willing to try something different. Thank Heavens I did. Am even out doing easy hikes again.”

Dianne | Eugene