This is my story.
Long before I started asking clients about their history, I was trying to make sense of my own.
My first surgery was at 15, followed by more abdominal surgeries for endometriosis in my early 20s. Add in an adventurous childhood, accidents, old injuries and plenty of things I had never thought to connect, and I spent years trying to understand why my body was doing what it was doing.
I couldn't sit for too long. I couldn't stand for too long. And I was constantly trying to work out what would actually make things better. I'd seen physios and chiropractors and, while some things helped, nothing really held long term. Some treatments even made things worse and I didn't understand why.
What frustrated me most was feeling like I was getting answers about individual pieces of my body when what I really wanted was someone to look at the whole picture. Eventually I realized I was going to have to start asking better questions.
I originally studied Clinical Pilates because of my own back pain (and because a physio told me to not waste my time - tell me I can’t do something and watch me do it!). It helped a lot, but there were still things I wanted to understand.
Then I had a NeuroKinetic Therapy treatment that started connecting things I’d never really considered connected before. My abdominal surgeries, old spinal injuries, head knocks, whiplash, recurring SIJ pain and everything my body had been through along the way. That was the day I knew there was more to this.
Over the next 10+ years, I kept studying and adding different ways of looking at the body. Clinical Pilates gave me a strong foundation in understanding movement and mechanics. Scar tissue release changed the way I looked at the effects of surgery and injuries. Applied Movement Neurology brought the brain and nervous system into the movement work I was already doing. Functional Neurology, brain-based therapy and lymphatics allowed me to take that work even deeper. Every new layer gave me another way of looking at the body, broadening my scope. It’s a big part of why I don’t work from one modality alone.
I’ve also done the work myself.
I know what it’s like to sit on the other side of the treatment table knowing something isn’t right and wanting someone to actually take the time to work out why. And I know what it's like when your health starts giving you more freedom instead of continually limiting what you can do. These days I train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu three to four times a week, lift weights, get outside, hike and, most importantly, have the capacity to keep up with my kids. I genuinely don’t think my body would tolerate what I ask of it now if I hadn’t spent years doing this work myself.
Your version of that probably isn’t a combat sport, and that’s the point. The nervous system work isn't the destination. Living your life is.
How I work now
After more than 10 years working with the human body, I’ve ended up with a pretty big toolbox. But the modality isn’t the starting point.
You are.
I want to know your history.
What happened before this started?
What changed afterwards?
What helped but didn’t hold?
What might still be relevant now?
Because those details mattered so much in my own body and they’re often the details I find most interesting in yours.
Training & Qualifications
Functional Neuro Health
Square 1 System (Level 1 & 2)
Chikly Health Brain Therapy & Reflexes
Scar Release Therapy
Applied Movement Neurology (AMN Level 1 & 2)
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS)
Professional Pilates Instruction
Lymphatic drainage & fascial support techniques
Read more about each of the modalities I use at brain.body.mvmt here.
Outside the treatment room I love music, art, movement, being a mum and getting outside. I don’t take myself too seriously, and I don’t think working on your body needs to feel clinical or heavy all the time either. I believe there is always more to learn and I’m still ridiculously curious about the human body.
If you come in with something that makes me think:
“Hmm that’s interesting. Why is this happening?”
That’s my favorite place to start.
“After six years of struggling with severe rotator cuff issues and facing surgery as my only remaining option, I turned to Allyssa and her approach. Despite having undergone numerous treatments, including four cortisone shots, nothing had brought significant relief.
In just two sessions with Allyssa, I experienced a remarkable 95% improvement in both motion and pain relief. Her approach was unlike anything I had tried before, focusing not just on the symptoms but on the neurological underpinnings of my condition.
Allyssa's expertise and her personalized care made a profound difference in my recovery. For anyone grappling with chronic pain or considering surgery, I highly recommend Allyssa's services. Her approach has not only alleviated my physical discomfort but has also restored my hope in finding lasting relief.”
-Jason