It’s a story familiar to us all: a persistent pain in the body that we just can’t figure how to resolve on our own. This is where Potential & Possibilities comes in.
Heidi McLarty, an occupational therapist & certified matrix repatterning practitioner, opened her clinic in 2017. She takes a holistic approach to her work, looking at clients’ mind, body, spirit and emotional health, and how each could be impacting their life and preventing them from functioning optimally. The goal is to find the root cause of the issue, through discussion and hands-on treatment.
Heidi starts an appointment with asking her client how they’re functioning in their day-to-day life and what problems they’re noticing. While a client may think that pain in their body is solely caused by physical factors, Heidi says that stress can play a huge role.
“Often times people have stress and anxiety, and that contributes to challenges with doing day-to-day tasks because they’re not relaxed,” she says. “We have to consider that pain and stress are like best friends. They’re so connected.”
Heidi says that pain can be caused by emotional, physical, and chemical factors. From a physical standpoint, she assesses what is out of balance and what injuries the clients has had. For the chemical side, Heidi recommends that clients consult with their physician or a naturopath, looking into food sensitivities and body toxicity.
For the emotional side, Heidi uses the polyvagal theory to understand what is happening in a client’s nervous system and how it could be impacting their body. The person could be in fight or flight or freeze modes, common trauma responses. She helps guide the client, re-teaching their body a different way to feel safe and feel regulation through different activities that stimulate the vagus nerve.
“I see all the time that when there are too many restrictions and the body’s too stressed out, the brain says we have to prioritize where we’re putting our energy. So often times the joint stability is sacrificed,” Heidi says.
One of the treatments at Potential & Possibilities is called matrix repatterning, which is a method of identifying and treating the body’s restricted areas in a gentle way. For this treatment, Heidi takes a whole body approach to get to the root of the problems, by taking a detailed history of injuries, surgeries and other health related factors. She then looks at asymmetries in the body and how the body was impacted by injuries.
“Often times, the source of the pain people experience in their joints and other areas in the body isn’t just related to the area that is in pain. it's a combination of restrictions in the body’s fascia, creating increased tension patterns and issues with the bioenergetic flow in the body’s tissues,” Heidi says.
Once Heidi finishes her assessment, she is able to find out where the major restrictions in the fascia are located, and works to treats those. She says that this approach is also a “game-changer” for people who have suffered from concussions, as their skull bones can be constricted by tight fascia and their skull shape often changes. With matrix repatterning, Heidi can release those restrictions and help to restore the shape of the skull and the bioenergetic flow. This puts less pressure on the brain and can help decrease symptoms and help a person to function more easily after a concussion.
“I see people from all walks of life. I also love seeing athletes, to help them to recover more quickly from injuries and continue to bring their A-game to their sport,” she says.
Many insurance plans cover occupational therapy, and steel plant workers have particularly comprehensive OT coverage. Their plans cover 90% of the cost and there is no yearly cap.
Heidi also enjoys creating partnerships with others in the community. She is looking to participate in more programs and joint projects that help people who have experienced trauma and injuries to feel better and function better. She is passionate about teaching workshops and classes related to her work, and has been offering classes at the Active Living Centre about using body-based tools to deal with anxiety and pain, as well as rediscovering joy and meaning in life.
"I get to experience so much joy and fulfilment by helping my clients get back to functioning better in their day-to-day activities.”
For more information, visit here or follow Matrix Repatterning Sault Ste. Marie & Algoma on Facebook.