What this means for you: you’ll understand why your pain behaves the
way it does. Sessions are paced by how your body is responding on
the day. If you arrive exhausted, we go
gently. There’s no pushing through.
LM
Lorimer Moseley & David Butler
Pain science · Explain Pain
It’s the science behind the guard dog analogy, and the foundation of how I explain pain to the people I work with.
Professor Lorimer Moseley, an Australian pain scientist, co-wrote
Explain Pain with David Butler. Their work shows that pain is the
brain’s protective response, not a direct measure of damage in your
tissues. When the system becomes overprotective, pain can persist
long after an injury has healed. It’s the science behind the
guard dog analogy, and the foundation of how I explain pain to the
people I work with.
JM
Jessica Maguire
Nervous System School
I work with where your nervous system is today, not just with what the injury is.
Jessica Maguire’s Nervous System School, where I trained, shapes how
I pace and sequence sessions. I work with where your nervous system
is today, not just with what the injury is.
DD
Deb Dana
Polyvagal-informed practice
Practical ways to notice what state your nervous system is in, and gently shift it.
Deb Dana translates Polyvagal Theory, developed by Stephen Porges,
into practical, relational tools clinicians can use. Its core idea
is that your nervous system is constantly and unconsciously scanning
for cues of safety or threat.
Reconnect
the body is part of the story
What this means for you: your physical symptoms are taken seriously
as physical symptoms. If something doesn’t add up neatly on paper,
that’s useful information — not a dead end, and not a sign it’s “all
in your head.” And you don’t have to tell your story to do this
work.
AS
Dr Arielle Schwartz
Body-aware approaches
Your body and your emotional experience aren’t separate systems to be treated one at a time.
Dr Arielle Schwartz’s integrative work across trauma, nervous system
regulation and the body has shaped how I think about symptoms that
don’t fully make sense from a purely mechanical view. Your body and
your emotional experience aren’t separate systems to be treated one
at a time. That doesn’t mean every symptom has an emotional cause.
It means I don’t rule it out.
ReCentre
bringing it together, carefully
What this means for you: I won’t try to fit your experience into one
theory. I’ll bring together a few well-tested lenses and use
whichever one helps you. And if you have a setback, that’s
information, not failure.
KN
Dr Kristin Neff
Self-compassion research
Recovery rarely goes in a straight line, and how you treat yourself through the setbacks matters.
Dr Kristin Neff’s research on self-compassion shapes the tone of our
sessions as much as the content. Recovery rarely goes in a straight
line, and how you treat yourself through the setbacks matters.
LS
Dr Luke Smith
Clinical neuropsychology
His work is my check against ideas that sound compelling but haven’t been tested.
Dr Luke Smith, a clinical neuropsychologist, brings
neuropsychological assessment and evidence-based mindfulness
practice to the mix. His work is my check against ideas that sound
compelling but haven’t been tested.
The foundation
None of this replaces the basics. I’m an AHPRA-registered
physiotherapist (Bachelor of Physiotherapy, The University of
Queensland, graduated 2007), a member of the Australian
Physiotherapy Association, and trained through Jessica Maguire’s
Nervous System School. These influences shape how I apply that
training. They don’t replace it.
The people named on this page have shaped my thinking. None of them
is affiliated with ReCentre Physio or endorses it.
A next step that feels right.
Explore the approach, begin with a conversation, or take a little time to reflect.
