Manual Osteopathic Therapy
My own personal growth as a manual therapist has spanned nearly 20 years. I started out in massage therapy, then delved into Upledger CranioSacral Therapy which I have been practicing since 2009. The vast healing potential of CranioSacral Therapy is what drew me to practice body work in the first place. After conventional medical care, physiotherapy and chiropractic treatment did not alleviate the symptoms I was experiencing following numerous concussions, a broken neck and other injuries, mainly from contact sports, it was CranioSacral Therapy which helped restore my health. The “magic” which I experienced from such a gentle, relaxing, therapeutic modality was immediate and lasting, with each treatment peeling away layers of dysfunction.
Being able to provide similar results for my own clients is incredibly rewarding, and my understanding of how it works has transformed CranioSacral Therapy from “magic” to applied science, where I’m facilitating the release of often deeply held physical restrictions and supporting the body’s own regenerative functions. By also therapeutically holding space and treating the whole person, not just their symptoms, I am able to address the unique nature of an individual’s patterns. Debilitating symptoms from various injuries and conditions can be resolved in this way, even ones that people have been living with for years.
In several months I will also start offering manual osteopathic treatments, as I am currently completing the final semester of my 4 year diploma program from the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy. Classical osteopathy is a principles based approach to determining the causes of mechanical and physiological dysfunction, then treating them to restore the body’s ability to self-heal and self-regulate. What drew me to osteopathy was seeing the tremendous results of this approach first-hand, as well as how it would offer me a unique method of addressing complex structural compensation issues. When the body’s ability to compensate for the wear and tear we put on it becomes compromised from injuries, repetitive strain, or functional changes from aging and disease it can lead to persistent pain and other symptoms affecting muscles, fascia, joint mobility, as well as the cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, and endocrine systems (among others). Osteopathy is particularly adept at treating such issues. I am excited to soon be able to share this in my practice.