NeuroSomatic Therapy

I’m often asked what was the catalyst of change was for my scoliosis.

After years of recommended prescription muscle relaxers, which I rarely took, measly referrals to physical therapy, multiple chiropractors, rehabilitation exercises with said chiropractors, desperately trying to push through my yoga practice, seeking out a not so helpful spinal specialist, going through the physical therapy just to find out insurance would no longer pay for it after 6 weeks… I finally found something called NeuroSomatic Therapy, and the Schroth Method for Scoliosis, more on the second one another time.

NeuroSomatic Therapy (NST) is defined as “an integrative form of manual therapy that identifies and corrects structural and biomechanical patterns in the body that cause chronic pain.”

My wonderful team of therapists at the Body Center St. Pete changed my life! If you’re in the Tampa/Pinellas area of Florida, and have any kind of pain or discomfort, I highly recommend seeking them out. Even for headaches/migraines, TMJ issues, and more. You can also search for NeuroSomatic Therapists in your area and if you have Scoliosis, check out Schroth therapy! If you’re interested in studying NST, check out the school based in Clearwater, FL or keep an eye out for seminars held in various locations.

NST fuses together a variety of modalities, looks at posturology and measurements, assesses the muscular setup and compensations, looking at the body as a whole. Rather than using forceful adjustments, NST uses neuromuscular therapy, targeted massage techniques and more. Simply put, this encourages things back into place. NST also looks at what is under-active and then encourages stimulation and reprogramming with corrective exercises and other techniques, like Schroth exercises for scoliosis.

These therapists are absolute anatomy experts. By thoroughly understanding each muscle, tendon and ligament, and knowing what they do and how they can interact/impact other areas when tight or unengaged, we can better understand what is happening in our body - and why. From there, hopefully we can return things to a place of neutral or better alignment and work with our bodies to encourage things to stay in a proper format.

I’ve learned so much about my body thanks to my journey with NeuroSomatic Therapy and the Schroth exercises. It has made me incredibly aware of how I move, sit, stand, and what I need to do to better support my body, no matter what activity I’m engaged in. After finding NST, I was able to return to horseback riding and fully indulge myself in rider biomechanics to help support my body and my horses. From there, I had an intense desire to study horse biomechanics and a variety of bodywork techniques and therapies, that I apply to my equine bodywork practice.