Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034, United States
Welcome to the Dome
Massage Therapy is not our Business
It is our Passion and Mission in life
About the Dome Healing Center
About the Dome Healing Center - Our original Dome Healing center 2005-2021
Important news Update January 2023!!!:
We have closed our last Dome location on First Coast Hwy/A1A. Don had to have surgery June 4th 2023 for prostate cancer. He has fully recovered and is healthy. Cindy Murphy had a ruptured appendix with emergency surgery at our local hospital. She too is fully recovered, very healthy, AND still fully retired from Massage Therapy..
Don will continue taking appts at a new location. He will only be seeing Gift Certificate holders and longtime regulars. You know who you are! Call 0r better text us at 904-277-3663.
Life has been an interesting journey for the both of us. We both had surgery experiences that gave us a few pauses and breaks in our routines. We are now both healthy and ready for our 70's, yes we are both in our 70's! Cindy is taking classes and volunteering at a memory care group at the Nassau County Council on Aging. Don had returned to his guitar playing after a 40 year break. Retirement is looming in the background but still hasn't taken root.
Regular RVing has fill in some of the time. We are starting to explore the SE US more seriously than we were able to in the past.
The Story
Since early 2018 stories had been flying in the air about our selling the property to a major grocery store and closing our massage and Yoga Center. There was a developer who was talking with us and working on developing the property. Nothing came of it. The deal evaporated and went into an alternative Universe.....Another rumor had us moving our business to downtown Fernandina to a house where we were living upstairs and doing massage therapy downstairs. Another that we had sold the Dome! Well, we did sell the property.
We have been living and working on Amelia Island for over 36 years. For the many of you who know us we have been working 100 hours a week for over 25 years. This was how we were able to see over 18,000 people and do over 100,000 massages. The numbers, as we look back, are unbelievable but we learned a lot and helped many people. We love what we do and will continue to do as we enter our retirement years.
The rumor that is true is we have sold the property but not the Dome business. We have closed the big Dome location and returned it to the Saint who bought our 3 acres back in 2019. Don was doing Massages at another location 100' to the south in our original Dome Healing Center location. He now will be continuing on but at a bit saner pace and intensity. Those of you who are able to come in for an appointment will get the rest of the story. Lots of background going on in our lives.
Don will continue to see those of you who have played a powerful part of making the Dome Healing Center become a reality. In general, he will not be seeing new clients. If we have seen a lot of you over the years, you will have the greatest chance of getting in. If you are a healthcare worker- doctor, nurse, therapist, teacher, or a mother with screaming children in the background are encouraged to call, you all will all have a better chance of getting in......
We do want to mention that it is time for any of you with a Gift Certificate from the Dome to use it soon! If you know anyone who has a Gift Certificate, see if you can motivate them to actually use it. Some have been holding on to the Gift Certificate for years, some for a decade or two, for a special time. That Special time is here.
We want to express our sincere and heart felt appreciation for all the support and love that we have received from everyone who has helped us reach this time in our life. We have brought into many friends lives and feel honored for that great experience.
During 2024 we will have reach our 71st year in life. We have decided to start to more fully enjoy the fruits of our labors of Massage Therapy, Yoga and meditation classes. Our 70.s have arrived.
We wish all who have helped us get to this point in our lives many blessings and love,
Thank you!!!
Don and Cindy Murphy, LMT
More of our Story
Back in 1986 Don and Cindy Murphy took a couples massage class in New Orleans, LA. This was the training that lit the fire in them that eventually led to the forming of the Dome Healing Center.
The Dome was "born" in 1994 when Don and Cindy received their Florida Massage Therapy licenses. They started with house calls around Amelia Island and surrounding communities while working other jobs. Don as a retired sea captain, was part owner of a shipping line called Ocean Line, and finished his maritime career as an estimator with a Jacksonville Shipyard. Cindy worked in finance and account at Rayonier. When massage sessions began to fill up all their free time they left the day jobs to follow massage full time starting the Dome Healing Center.
After a series of rented rooms and partnerships they built a 3200 sq foot Massage and Yoga Center. They practiced Massage Therapy and taught many Yoga and Meditation classes over 16 years.
On February 1st 2021 due to many reasons, including COVID, it was decided to close the Dome and downsize to a single massage room the building that their first massage center was located, next door to the larger Dome Healing Center.
Cindy has fully retired and Don, well, semi-semi-kinda-sorta retired. He will be keeping a lighter schedule than the 100 hour weeks Don and Cindy kept for many years. Cindy will no longer be doing massages.
The Dome Healing Center did not go out of business. It just became a lot smaller as we enter our pre-retirement years. We wanted to still be available for the people who have consistently and strongly supported us over the last 30 years.
It will be difficult, if not impossible, to get an appointment. We would suggest you try calling and telling us your story and needs. You never know. You might be able to get in.....
If you have a Gift Certificate no matter how old it may be please call us. It may take some advanced planning but we WILL see you. That is a big part of our dedication to massage therapy and the commitments we have made to the community
Healthy Well-Being
At the Dome we focus on therapeutic sessions that aid in balancing and increasing the natural healing abilities of the body. Relaxing and rejuvenating therapy and techniques are used to help the client to achieve a more healthy sense of well being.
Our Mission
To help improve the quality of live of those who find us. To Teach and make available techniques and therapies to relax, relieve stress and increase energy and the health of their bodies.
Healing is our Mission, NOT our Business
Experience relaxation and freedom from stress like never before. Walk into the most relaxing and soothing atmosphere on Amelia Island. You will leave the Dome renewed, revived, and feeling as though you have been on an Island Vacation.
Don and Cindy Murphy are Florida Licensed Massage Therapists. Don and Cindy have been practicing Holistic Massage Therapies since 1984. We specialize in Upledger CranioSacral Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage, Deep Tissue Massage, Foot Reflexology.
We want to make our practice a useful place for all of our friends and supporters where you can benefit from our years of experience in the fields of Health, Stress Management, Yoga, Massage, and life experiences.
Our purpose is to convince you that there is a Holistic way of looking at life’s challenges. Many of the techniques and therapies that we specialize in help create a fuller, more energetic, and better life experience for you. On this site we will try to provide you with tools, outlines and homework to use on your own or with family and friends.
We try to practice what we preach. We believe in moderation and consciousness in following a healthy lifestyle.
Please feel free to call, write, or e-mail us with any comments, questions, or suggestions so we can make this site more useful. Take a moment to explore our site.
To contact us: Phone 904-277-3663 Local
E-mail questions or comments to: domehealingcenter@comcast.net
Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.
Therapists Who Care
Don and Cindy Murphy have been practicing Massage Therapy since 1986, over 34 years. They specialize in Therapeutic Massage, Upledger CranioSacral Therapy, Foot Reflexology, and Reiki. Over the past decades they have seen over 18,000 clients. They have dedicated their lives to caring and taking care of others who are in need of their skills.
When you come to the Dome for the first time you will be asked to fill out a short intake form so that we can understand your need and concerns. This way we can formulate a path to take in the therapies that we offer to you. Over the years we have encountered many of the issues that are showing up in your life. We can use our experience to offer you the therapies that we have found to be effective in balancing and improving your level of stress and tension. At our age, born in 1953, we are sure that we have personal experience in many of the conditions that have brought you to the Dome.
After filling out the client form we will discus with you the therapies that we may feel would be appropriate for you and your needs. Many times where you are hurting is not where you are hurt. We will explain that reasons for this and the methods that we offer that will address the root cause of your discomfort. We may suggest some self therapy or procedures that you can do at home between you massage sessions. It is this "homework" that can have an incredible positive effect on the quickness of your recovery. Many times you will find that after you have resolved your issues that continuing a regular massage therapy session can help prevent the return of even long term issues.
This has been our mind set over the many years we have been in the Massage and health field. We try to help you with your discomfort and then show you methods that will help decrease the possibility of your pain increasing or returning.
Experienced Knowledge
Don and Cindy have had a varied background of experience they brought to Massage Therapy.
Don has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology (1975 Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA) , Yoga Teachers Certification (Sivananda Hatha and Raja Yoga Styles), and is a Certified Synchronicity Meditation Instructor. Don is a Licensed Captain (Master, Any Oceans) in the US Merchant Marine and spent 17 years at Sea as a Captain.
Don also worked in Ambulance squads, Autistic Children Psychiatric Units, a hospital Emergency Room, and Psychiatric wards through out High School and College. During college he trained as a Yoga Instructor and started teaching classes at his college, Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA. After College he worked as a Emergency Medical Technician and a Paramedic in South Florida. With an interesting twist he ended up going to sea on ferry boats in Martha's Vineyard, Yachts from the Caribbean to the great Lakes, container ships from Brooklyn to the Persian Gulf, and finally Captain of oil field supply boats and deep sea Tugboat all over the Caribbean, central and south america. It was the opportunity of starting a shipping line that brought Don and Cindy to Amelia Island in 1988. After two years the company went belly up. Don worked for a local shipyard. In 1993 he took training in Massage Therapy and started working evenings with Massage while working days at the shipyard. In 1997 the first Dome Healing Center was opened in a small garage located on the First Coast Hwy property on Amelia Island. Cindy has an extensive background in Health and exercise. She has taught many years of Aerobic classes, is a Certified Aerobics Instructor, Certified Amrit Yoga Teacher and a Licensed Massage Therapist.
Both Don and Cindy were born and raised in North and Central New Jersey. They have lived in and experienced many places before settling on Amelia Island, Florida (in 1988) including Dallas and Galveston, Texas, Mexico (two years), New Orleans (eight years), Miami (two weeks!!), and Boston MA to name a few.
Cindy started teaching aerobic classes in 1993. She has worked for a variety of companies in finance and accounting. In 1994 she completed her massage therapy training and received her Florida Massage license. She has studied many years of anatomy, physiology and massage therapy techniques. She also is a Certified Yoga Teacher and has taught many years of yoga classes at the Dome. As of February 1st 2021 Cindy will no longer be taking massage appointments.
They have training with many of the Massage technique originators including Dr John Upledger of the Upledger Institute of CranioSacral Therapy, and Dwight Beyer of the International Institute of Reflexology. They are trained and certified Yoga Teachers with many years of teaching experience which have helped them to understand the workings of the body and techniques to relax and release muscle tension and stress.
All of our Massages Sessions One Hr session $75
Pricing
We offer 60 minute massage sessions for $75 each session.
We do not offer 90 minute sessions.
All of our sessions are 60 minute sessions consisting of 5 minutes getting prepared for massage, 50 minutes of actual massage, followed by a five minute relaxation resting period.
Deep Tissue Therapuetic Massage
Over the past two decades we have done over 100,000 massage session with over 17000 clients. This is our primary predominant therapy that addresses deep stress and tension. It is not necessary to go so deep that the session is painful. We have found that Deep tissue Therapy is more effective if it NOT so deep that it creates pain. Deep Tissue Massage reaches deeper layers of muscles. It is used to break down knots and relieve pressure points throughout the body. This massage is beneficial for athletes and those who sit for long periods of time.
Foot Reflexology
We offer Foot Reflexology based on the technique of Dwight Byers founder of the International Institute of Reflexology St Petersburg, FL. This therapy consists of working on a specific set of pressure points on the feet and calves designed to increase circulation and release areas of tension and discomfort in the not only the feet but the whole body. The feet are the end point in the bodies central nervous system. Pressure point in the feet effect the entire body through sending nerve signals all the way to the brain. It creates an amazing sense of relaxation and calmness in many of our clients.
Rieki
Rieki is a light touch healing technique that we have been practicing since 1978. It consists of 12 light touch hand positions on the body. The session is generally done fully clothed on a massage table. The Rieki session has been found to be very relaxing and balancing of all systems of the physical, emotional and mental bodies. As part of the session you will be instructed in how to perform a Rieki session for yourself at home. In fact, we feel that is you who is the best one to do Rieki for yourself and not someone else. It is a system that creates a sense of calm relaxation by redirecting sensations from your hand creating a loop circuit back to the brains central nervous control centers.
BETAR Sound Tables
All of our Massage therapy tables incorporate the VibroAcoustic technology of the BETAR Sound Table System. We use Hemi-Sync sound tracks from the Monroe Institute.
BETAR stands for Bio Energetic Transducer Assisted Resonance which delivers a high technology deep relaxation experience. The system utilizes music, blended Alpha, Theta and Delta brain wave frequencies, and the Monroe Hemi-Sync sound wave technology to deeply relax and revive the bodies energy systems. Personally experience the BETAR vibroacoustic table to truly know deep relaxation and alternative meditative depths of mind and body consciousness.
Upleadger CranioSacral Therapy
CranioSacral is a light touch but very effective technique to relieved deep seated stress and tension. It is strongly suggested for people with migraine level headaches. We have been practicing CranioSacral Therapy since 2000 performing thousand of sessions. CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle hands-on treatment method that focuses on freeing restrictions to physiological motion of all the bones of the skull, including the face and mouth, as well as the spinal vertebrae, sacrum, coccyx, and hips. We have extensively trained in CranioSacral for many years and have found it to be a very effective therapy. For more information on Upledger CranioSacral Therapy see below.
Upleadger CranioSacral Therapy
More Info on Upledger CranioSacral Therapy
Both Don and Cindy Murphy, founders of the Dome Healing Center, have trained extensively in the Upledger CranioSacral therapy Methods. Please take some time to read the information below about the benefits of CST. If you feel that you might benefit from receiving this therapy please call to schedule an appointment.
Upledger CranioSacral Therapy TM
The Therapeutic Value of CranioSacral Therapy
Now for nearly 25 years, osteopathic physician and researcher John E. Upledger, DO., O.M.M., has been a proponent of using the rhythm of another body system, the CranioSacral system, to enhance body functioning, and help alleviate pain and discomfort.
The CranioSacral system consists of the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. It extends from the bones of the skull, face and mouth, which make up the cranium, down to the sacrum, or tailbone area.
Since this vital system influences the development and performance of the brain and spinal cord, an imbalance or restriction in it could potentially cause any number of sensory, motor or neurological disabilities. These problems could include chronic pain, eye difficulties, scoliosis, motor-coordination impairments, learning disabilities and other health challenges.
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle method of detection and correction that encourages your own natural healing mechanisms to dissipate these negative effects of stress on your central nervous system. You also benefit from better overall health and resistance to disease.
Because of its positive effect on so many body functions, CranioSacral Therapy is practiced today by a wide variety o healthcare professional. They include medical doctors, doctors of chiropractic, nurses, physical therapists and Licensed Massage Therapists.
What Conditions Does CranioSacral Therapy Address?
CranioSacral Therapy strengthens your body’s ability to take better care of you. It helps alleviate a range of illness, pain and dysfunction, including:
- · Migraines and Headaches
- · Chronic Neck and Back Pain
- · Motor-coordination Impairments
- · Stress and Tension-Related Problems
- · Infantile Disorders
- · Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
- · Chronic Fatigue
- · Scoliosis
- · Central Nervous System Disorders
- · Emotional Difficulties
- · Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
- · Learning Disabilities
- · Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- · Orthopedic Problems
- How is CranioSacral Therapy Performed?The CranioSacral Therapy practitioner uses a light touch, generally no more than the weight of a nickel, to test for restrictions in the CranioSacral system. This is done by monitoring the rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid as it flows through the system.
While experienced clinicians can detect this motion anywhere on your body, they can most easily feel it at the skull, sacrum, and coccyx. These bones attach to the membranes that enclose the cerebrospinal fluid.
The positive effects of CranioSacral Therapy rely to a large extent on your body’s natural self-corrective activities. The therapist’s light, hands-on approach simply assists the hydraulic forces inherent in the CranioSacral system to improve your body’s internal environment and strengthen its ability to heal itself.
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, hands-on treatment method that focuses on alleviating restrictions to physiological motion of all the bones of the skull, including the face and mouth, as well as the vertebral column, sacrum, coccyx and pelvis. The CranioSacral therapist also focuses on normalizing abnormal tensions and stresses in the meningeal membrane, with special attention to the outermost membrane, the dura mater, and its fascial connections. Attention is paid to alleviating any obstacles to free movement by the cerebrospinal fluid within its membrane compartment and to normalizing and balancing perceived related energy fields. This approach is derived from experiments of DR John Upledger, DO.
As usually practiced, this therapy is a noninvasive treatment process that requires an uninterrupted treatment session of at least 30 minutes. Often the session is extended beyond an hour. Practitioners indicate that successful treatment relies largely on the therapist’s ability to facilitate the patient’s own self-corrective processes within the CranioSacral system.
The most powerful effects of CranioSacral Therapy are considered to be on the function of the central nervous system, the immune system, the endocrine system and the visceral organs via the autonomic nervous system. This therapy has been used with reported success in many cases of brain and spinal cord dysfunction. Although these successes have not been documented in formal studies, both patients and therapist have observed them subjectively or anecdotally. Most prominent among these success reports are cases of brain injury that resulted in symptoms of spastic paralysis and seizure. Other areas of claimed success include: cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, seizure disorders, depressive reactions, menstrual dysfunction, motor dysfunction, vision disorders, Temporomandibular joint problems, various headaches, chronic pain problems, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Energy and CranioSacral
Energy is the fundamental source that drives and allows people to move through life. The more energy one has available, the greater ones tendency toward health. In CranioSacral Therapy, the Therapist tries to optimize the energy within a persons body so that the body’s own ability to heal itself can shine through. When a person gets sick, his or her energy either gets stuck or diminishes, much like the energy from a battery gets depleted. The body then reflects this depletion by an inability to handle the daily stresses of life. Our goal is to get people back in touch with their abilities to recharge those batteries, and to access this energy to help themselves and others.
The CranioSacral System
The CranioSacral system is a recently discovered physiological system. It is a semi-closed hydraulic system contained within a tough, waterproof membrane (the dura mater) that envelopes the brain and the spinal cord. An important function of this system is the production, circulation and re-absorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CFS). Cerebrospinal fluid is produced within the CranioSacral system and maintains the physiological environment in which your brain and nervous system develop, live, and function.
Normally, the production and re absorption of CFS within the dura mater produces a continuous rise and fall of fluid pressure within the CranioSacral system. The semi-closed hydraulic system expands and contracts to some extent with this rhythmical pressure fluctuation. These volume changes prevent pressure from building up too much within the CranioSacral system. If for some reason your body is unable to accommodate these pressure changes, the subsequent buildup of pressure can contribute to dysfunction and ill health, especially in the central nervous system, which is enclosed within the boundaries of the CranioSacral system.
Primarily osteopaths and chiropractors who formed societies to investigate and teach cranial methods performed early exploration of cranial manipulation. These pioneers where at odds with the larger scientific community, and often with their own peers, over one central aspect of the cranial system: the movement of the cranial bones. Conventional anatomical wisdom taught that cranial bones were moveable only in young infants and were solidly fused in adulthood. The controversy raged until quite recently.
In the early 1970’s, the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University sought to resolve this controversy. It brought together a team of researchers with the objective of proving or disproving the basic tenets of cranial manipulative techniques. Of course, the major premise involved the movement of cranial bones.
By studying fresh cranial bone specimens rather than the chemically preserved specimens that were studied by previous researchers, the Michigan State University team demonstrated the potential for cranial bone movement. Optical and electron microscopy showed the existence of blood vessels, nerve fibers, collagen, and elastic fibers within cranial sutures. There was little evidence of sutural ossification, which would prevent movement of cranial bones in relation to each other.
With the existence of cranial bone motion established, the Michigan State University research influenced the therapeutic application of cranial techniques. Previous techniques were primarily based on the movement of cranial bones. It was now known that the dura mater, the protective layer surrounding the spinal cord, plays a key role in cranial bone movement. Dr. John Upledger, DO., largely developed these techniques for evaluating and treating the dural membranes.
Inner Physician and Biological Wisdom
CranioSacral Therapy is based on the concept that the body the power to heal itself. This ability is driven by a “mind,” a non conscious intelligence that we call the “Inner Physician.” By getting to know this aspect of ourselves, we can develop a source of guidance to help us direct our energy toward optimal wellness.
The Inner Physician is the name that we have applied to that part of the unconscious that knows all about our bodily functions and conditions. It also knows why things are as they are, and what must be done to enhance/improve these functions and conditions. The Inner physician knows about the messages from the psychoemotional and spiritual selves that these bodily conditions may be trying to represent. The Inner Physician is usually most willing to assist in the interpretation of these messages, and to assist by providing the necessary wisdom to resolve deep problems of deep self-healing can begin.
The dialogue with the Inner Physician is often best begun in the presence of a helping, caring person who will assist in the achievement of a proper receptive state of mind, and the establishment of dialogue between the conscious awareness of the subject and the Inner Physician (unconscious mind) of the person. The helping person is therefore assisting in the establishment of lines of vertical communication between the subject’s various levels of conscious and unconscious awareness.
It is also our feeling that, when two persons touch in a caring/helping way, the Inner Physician (unconscious) of these two persons are automatically in communication. The task is then to develop vertical communication for each of these persons between their Inner Physicians and their conscious awareness. It is well for the helping person to simply request of his/her own Inner Physician to be used as the recipient’s Inner Physician sees fit. Too often, the helping person tries to impose his/her opinion of what is best upon the subject/recipient. This may not be best in the judgment of the subject’s Inner Physician. This specifically tagged, well intentioned, supposedly healing energy may then be rejected. This rejection may then be misinterpreted as a failure. Not so. It represents an improper use by intrusion of the natural ability that we all possess.
- The Inner Physician manufactures combatants to fight viruses, cancer and AIDS. Endorphins are manufactured to fight pain. They create the “runner’s high.” For the Inner Physician to function, it needs food, water, vitamins, minerals, psychological, and physical space. (Not enough physical space causes restriction in the low of nutrients and blood.) Minor aches and pains can be a signal, so you should pay attention to them.
- It only takes a few minutes every day to benefit yourself and others around you.
(The above was excerpted from the book Inner Physician and You by DR John Upledger, DO.)
To Schedule a CranioSacral Appointment
If you feel that you might benefit from receiving this Upledger CranioSacral Therapy please call to schedule an appointment.