Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel McCrossin.
Hi Daniel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Back in the winter of 1997, I had just returned from an annual hockey trip with my team and life felt well within my grasp and my confidence was riding high. Little did I know that this would be the last time I would be gracing the ice for some time. As I sat in the locker room preparing to take the ice against one of the more superior teams in our division, I began to realize that I could not move a single muscle. It was as though, the life force in me had been sucked out into some vortex and I just sat there motionless. I recall telling my coach that I would not be able to play. Those were not easy words for me to murmur. I would pretty much play through anything because my love for the sport of hockey was held above most things at that time of my life.
The journey that started in that fateful locker room continued throughout the next 5 years of my life. I would go on to visit most of the internal and specialty doctors in the tri state area. I would be diagnosed, due to my symptoms, with various illnesses and diseases. Many of the medical professionals seemed rather perplexed with my situation.
After 2 years into my healing journey, I realized that I had to become my own doctor. My true frustration of not receiving any answers was beginning to take its toll on me in many aspects of my being. This was essentially when the universe, God, and Source gifted me with Maureen who became my healing muse and guiding light. My parents and I would pack up the car and drive 3 hours to see Maureen for a 2 hour session. Maureen would greet me each session with a big healing hug. She would do various different healing modalities with me ranging from Iridology, CranioSacral, and gut and microbiome detoxing just to name a few. Maureen was the practitioner who began to work on healing me from the root cause and not just treat my symptoms.
I must admit that it took me some time to really begin to believe what was taking place in me. Perhaps that was due to the constant bombardment of treatments by doctors and other practitioners before. However, there was something different about this experience that I just could not put my finger on at this time. I did know something which was monumental to me. I could feel it! I began to feel a shift and it felt weird. I have learned now after all these years a new appreciation for the term, “weird.’ It simply means that things are changing.
After a long struggle with my health, there was suddenly a crack in the wall where the light could find its way through. My perception was beginning to change and my mind was expanding along with that heart of mine that had many barriers in front of it for some time. This step into the alternative landscapes of healing had activated something inside of me to explore deeper.
I had no idea what was would become of my future self at this time. I went on to complete my degree in Psychology. I worked in the field for some time following my graduation. I also began a deeper exploration of the energetic healing arts. I purchased a frequency generator, which was known at the time as a Rife Machine to aid my healing from Lyme Disease and other co-infections. I even stepped into the realm of learning Usui Reiki from individual teachers over the next few years. This was a practice that I mostly shared with family and friends. I delved into anything that I could find or felt guided to research that connected to my healing journey.
I must admit, even though I would immerse myself in all this information surrounding energetic healing, I would also try to distance myself from it. It was almost as though there were to oppositional forces at play within me. One of which was that of my higher self, that most certainly knew all along of the outcome and the other that was more practical life with people. I did go on to work many jobs where I was on my own and I truly enjoyed them. I went on to become a mail carrier with the USPS for 5 years in Upper Darby, Pa. This job taught the importance of hard work and collaborating with my fellow employees. The discipline that went into the this job and the hours spent Monday-Saturday is something I have carried into my own practice for the last ten plus years.
When I finally realized that my time as a mail carrier was coming to a close, there was this unsatiable question that was deep inside of me. Where do I go from here? I have this degree in Psychology and years training in energy healing. I finally just put my trust in the Universe. I was later blessed to work alongside an incredibly talented massage therapist that allowed me to assist her clients with energy work.
As I began to spend many hours a day crafting my energetic work, there still felt like there was an elements of me that was missing. I would observe the interactions that the therapist whom I worked alongside flourish with a surplus clients daily. Meanwhile, I was truly struggling to make ends meet. I can still recall having a breakdown one night and asking God in what I like to call my George Bailey epiphany. I asked God how can I assist more people at this time. All I heard was, “go back to school.” I did not fully understand what that entailed. As I was able to become more still and silent, the answer rushed over me like a crashing wave. I was to return back to school but in a much different way than before. I was to attend Massage school. I had not ever for one second thought that I would be back in the classroom again and especially learning a new craft that would involve more of connecting to the physical body.
I decided to attend Cortivia in King of Prussia, Pa and dedicated the next six months in study and practical applications of massage while continuing to see clients at the studio after class. This decision would prove to be the turning point for me in connecting back to my purpose.
And so I would go onto to complete the program in June of 2014. After completing the program and receiving my licensure to practice massage, I completely hid from doing any type of work for an additional 4-5 months. I decided to help my buddy with his landscaping business instead of pursuing massage. During this time, I had a dream that seemed so real that I just could not shake. I remember being on a beach and I could see a ceremony taking place from a far. I could not tell if it was a celebration or the death of someone. All I could recall from my dream that there was a date being echoed through my senses, November 3rd! I did my best to dismiss that this had any connection to me. I went on working through the summer months and into the greater part of the fall.
Then came, the infamous date of November 3rd. I remember it as if it was yesterday. I got home in the early afternoon from work. It was one of the those perfect fall days. The kind that felt that you had been graced from above. I was beyond excited to ride my motorcycle before sunset. I quick went to my bike. It was an older Yamaha cafe racer style motorcycle. It seemed to be one that always had something going wrong with it. It was indeed part of the attraction of these bikes. I attempted to start it up and it would not kick over. So, instead of heeding this warning from the universe. I decided to try and jump my bike to get it started. In hindsight, not the best decision. I finally got it cranked over and we were off on the backroads of Chester county. I was just going to take what we call a quick rip around the area and come back before sundown. I got around my first loop and I was heading back and something inside me was telling me just to remain straight on the road and head home while this other nagging voice was like, make a right and go on creek road for a bit. I gave into the other voice and by the second turn on this windy back road I lost traction going through this curve and went down into a ditch. This would be a turning point in getting back on my spiritual path. Sometimes we have to keep be hit over the head literally or thrown into a ditch, in my respect, to wake up.
Immediately following the accident, I was resigned with letting go of all my possessions from my home, dog, and creature comforts. I was hospitalized for one week following the accident with a 3rd degree laceration of my spleen and was medivaced by helicopter to a nearby trauma center. Over the next month, I would now have to begin my journey towards my career and started by working at a nearby Hand and Stone with a lacerated spleen. This was my creation and it later became one of my greatest lessons. I went on to work at the Hand and Stone crafting my skills as a therapist for the next 5 years. Over that time, I was also slowly building my practice which would later become my business, “All-Embracing Healing.”
Ever since beginning my journey through the school of Psychology, there was something inside me that beckoned with the belief that this study would come into play somewhere down the line. Just as one sets out on a course, we never truly know where our journey will take us. I had a feeling that mine would be a collection of various different modalities. I was now seeking which one would be the first that I would seek out. I came upon an intro CranialSacral class in Lancaster, Pa. A dear friend of mine and fellow student from Cortiva also signed up for the course. It was being taught by a teacher in the Upledger community. I remember sitting down in class and being enthralled by the information that was being transmitted to me. Our teacher was speaking about the Cerebral spinal fluid and I instantly recalled how the Lyme spirochetes traveled up and down through the CSF of the spine. Then I stepped out of the room and glanced at a nearby office door and it read Lyme Specialist. At that moment, I had this realization of the work that had been done to me almost 10 years prior when I had been diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease. I ran quickly back to class and raised my hand to ask my teacher a question. I could not wait to hear her reply. And when she validated my statement about the efficacy of CranioSacral therapy and Lyme Disease. I knew then I was in the right place. I had found my next modality to study and practice. Ever since then, I dedicated myself to learning the earlier stages of CranioSacral therapy and the addition of Somato Emotional Release through the Upledger foundation.
I currently have now had my practice going since 2015 in West Chester, Pa. I feel as though after many years of seeking and often times hiding in the shadows of other occupations. I have finally found my home in the small confines of my 500 square foot studio on the corner of Reservoir Rd.
My greatest hope is that those who enter this space feel a bit of what I experienced 20 years back when I had lost my way and my teacher/healer ignited a spark inside of me that continues to this very day.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My road has been my own creation. It took time for me to realize this simple truth. I have a difficult time believing that anyone who begins a practice or a business isn’t going to encounter their share of roadblocks and struggles to overcome.
There are many river to cross as the late Jimmy Cliff once exclaimed. They have all been some of my greatest lessons and teachings. From the onset of being diagnosed with Chronic Lyme disease and losing most of my cognitive functioning and experiencing acute pain for years to and working through a lacerated spleen early on in my massage career. This injury provided me with a harbinger to let go of some of my most valuable possessions and make tough decisions in order to reconnect to my path.
We all have our stories and these narratives are what often shape us to become more resilient and better practitioners for those who come to seek our care and teachings. I came to discover that one of the greatest obstacles ended up being myself. I remember hearing the doctors telling me over and over again that Lyme will be with you forever and you are always going to feel and experience the symptoms. I simply did not want to accept that my life was going to revolve around being in pain and unable to formulate sentences due to brain fog and constant fatigue. The breakthrough happened when I attended a Lyme meeting at Neumann College back in the early 2000’s. As I entered the space and sat to hear many of the participants sharing their stories, my heart was open and I held a deep compassion and empathy for those in attendance. But there was something that I just could not shake. That was the voice that kept echoing in my head and heart for me to leave now! I did not quite understand at that time but I knew it was a higher part of me speaking and I needed to heed the warning. So, I did get up and leave in the early stages of the meeting. This rush came over me as I was walking out. I finally understood how I was able to move forward beyond this chronic condition one would label as Lyme Disease. It was now my time to break the identity that I have casted on myself and been branded with over the past 5 or more years. I was now ready to take back my power and see myself as whole for the very first time in my life. I now understood the truth of healing. It was in the “wholeness” of self. One of which I could not feel when I was in the suffering stages of depression and suicidal ideations due to the uncertainty of my future.
I will not ever forget that moment in time. Everything seemed to come together and form into this crystallized realization of truth for me. Now, when people ask me how did I feel heal from Chronic Lyme Disease? I simply respond by saying that it is when I came to the understanding that I am much more powerful that any identity of disease that was ever put on me. It was all about coming back to Source or God and recognizing that we are not broken or meant to feel less than. We are meant to see ourselves as whole and beyond any identity or label or illness/disease that comes into our experience.
As you know, we’re big fans of All-Embracing Healing LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My business became established back in 2015. I had a vision to assemble a practice that centered around being a place where clients could come and be heard. During my early 20’s, I had visited many practices where I did not feel heard and sometimes even respected due to my age. Many times I was rushed out and categorized by my symptoms. The majority never really got to know me as a person, they only saw the outer edges of my story.
My intention from the start of my practice was to become a vibration that would attract those that were seeking. I decided from the onset that I was going to play the long game. I would continue to remain true to my beliefs and not conform to the casualties of over marketing. I wanted to be like one my heroes, the late great musician Jeff Buckley. He often said, you only need to make to an impression on one person in the crowd. Maybe that person will tell another. Then you can start your very own community.
At All-Embracing Healing, we utilize modalities like deep tissue and therapeutic massage along with CranioSacral and Somatic Emotional Release. I am also a firm believer and student of Traditonal Chinese Medicine and Heart Math Coherence teachings. We now also offer Hypnotherapy services that hone in on getting to the root of the clients issues. The RTT (Rapid Transformational Therapy combines the most beneficial hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, CBT, and neuroscience principles. Along with addition of Dolores Cannon’s QHHT method of hypnotherapy which allows the client to access all parts of ourselves, the higher self, oversoul, and even the soul self.
Our primary initiative here at All-Embracing Healing is to grant the client with different avenues of healing that will allow to explore deeper parts of themselves, while providing education and encouragement along the way. Providing tools for our clients to gain better self regulation and heart coherence is extremely important and vital for the
Our services are geared towards those who are seeking depth in their healing. It is important for each person to know that we are here to collaborate and work together towards reaching their goals in creating better connection and communication within oneself. I want my clients to understand their true own innate abilities to heal themselves. We offer simple guideposts. However, true work happens outside of the parameters of the studio.
The ultimate vision of All-Embracing Healing has always been the same. I saw it to be a place to be and become for those that are exploring the deeper reaches of oneself. All the answers are simply waiting for us to be unlocked within. True change and transformation exists when we are able to overcome our identities and internal programming. Once we understand the power that we behold inside, nothing will truly ever be the same.
My proudest moments are experienced when a client begins to see themselves as no longer through the lens of separation. But one that is mirrored with hope and wholeness. That reflection that they carry is their own true self.
What matters most to you?
It takes a lot of courage to fully immerse oneself in a journey of self healing. All clients that enter through the door must be handled with care. That is why what matters most to me is that the client feels safe in the confines of the healing space and also with me as their practitioner. A deeper healing and bridge of trust just cannot exist without a strong foundation from the start.
Everyone deserves to feel a sense of hope. When a client begins to perceive that there is more out there to explore in healing, that is when the real discovery takes place. Then the client understands the “how” in healing is most important. From that moment on, the awareness of presence becomes paramount.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://allembracinghealing.com
