About This Website
Chest binding is one of the most accessible and safest ways to alleviate dysphoria and align gender expression with gender identity for transmasculine and nonbinary people.
Resources exist to address the do’s and don’t’s of binding but HealthyBinding.com goes deeper.
Created by Frances Reed, author of Healthy Chest Binding for Trans and Nonbinary People: A Practical Guide, this site includes tools to empower people to make the best decisions about binding with unique tools:
- BinderFinder creates an easy way for people to explore the many options that exist in the exploding niche industry of binding to find their best match
- Info Cards are quick reference pages for health, wellness, and educational professionals that allow individuals to easily advocate for the highest level of care and support
- Ask the Coach and FAQ’s allow people to get answers to their specific questions about binding
- Parent and Provider Resource Pages present information about binding that is most relevant to these crucial supporters of people who bind or want to bind
This website exists because it is needed. It is a labor of love supported by donations and Frances’ personal time and resources. Consider donating to support this work.
About The Book
Healthy Chest Binding for Trans and Non-Binary People: A Practical Guide
Binding is a crucial strategy in many transgender and non-binary people’s lives for coping with gender dysphoria, yet the vast majority of those who bind report some negative physical symptoms.
Written by Frances Reed, a licensed bodywork and massage therapist specializing in gender transition, this comprehensive guide helps you make the healthiest choices from the very start of your binding journey and provides resources for addressing pain and discomfort if it occurs.
Including guidance for choosing the right binder, approaching your first bind, an overview of potential health risks and complications, 23 self-massage and self-myofascial release exercises to minimize pain and dysphoria, as well as tips and tricks for exercising safely in a binder – this is the ultimate resource for anyone who binds or is considering binding.
About The Author
A binding injury impacted my ability to show up as my true self in the world and ignited a passion in me to create resources for making binding a healthy part of gender expansive people lives.
Hi, I’m Frances Reed (they/them) and I am the author of Healthy Chest Binding for Trans and Nonbinary People: A Practical Guide. I created HealthyBinding.com as both a companion resource to the book and a unique site with dynamic tools for making the best choices about binding health.
I’m a licensed massage therapist in private practice in Silver Spring, MD. I specialize in trauma-informed bodywork that supports the full spectrum of physical changes in social and medical gender transition.
Testimonials
What They’re Saying
The class’s integrated focus on both advanced technical skills and on how to hold safe, respectful, informed, and supportive space for our transgender clients was the perfect combination of notes. I left feeling encouraged to take more ownership over my own practice. I highly encourage anyone with the opportunity to take this class!
I want to be a safe person, but there is not always “safe” ways to get an education on this subject. Frances was super clear and nonjudgmental.
I’ve been scared to start binding and now I feel like I know more. I’m still not ready but this class has made me much less nervous about making the decision.
I’m an occupational therapist and would have thought Frances was an OT from how adept they were at addressing considerations for people with mobility concerns and chronic pain conditions. Invaluable information.
I truly appreciate the safe and non-judge mental space you created to allow me to learn and explore. I feel much more equipped to serve the trans community.
…one of the most valuable CEU classes I’ve had the opportunity to take in years. Frances provided a great, technically detailed but accessible refresher on the anatomy of the upper body and I learned new things about the science of fascia that hadn’t even been covered in my previous Neuromuscular Therapy training.
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