Meet the Owner and Physical Therapist of ALIGN
Susan McLaughlin, PT
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My intrigue with the human body evolved after an injury sustained in a car accident. I experienced constant back and nerve pain down my right leg and into my foot. I tried conservative approaches: chiropractic, physical therapy, and a nerve root injection to no effect. My solution was surgery. And for a few years I was “fixed”; I was 25 at the time. Gradually, back pain returned as well as periodic SI dysfunction, and pain became the focus of my life for 10 years. My pain ranged from a moderate continuous inconvenience to short episodes of incapacitation: unable to walk or stand up straight.
In 2011 my perspective changed. I began to be more objective about how I moved and used my body on a daily basis. I realized that I had a lot of tension in my nervous system and muscles, and it was reflected in how I used my body biomechanically, behaviorally, and relationally. Within 3 months of being attentive to how I moved and used my body, as well as performing daily movement correctives, I was not in pain anymore. At the time of my accident in 1994 I was fumbling with what I wanted to “do” in life. I was a college graduate with a degree in english, working for UPS slinging boxes to make my living. I had relied on my body, and because of the pain, I couldn’t use it in the job I had chosen. This experience placed me into self-reflection: I discovered that I wanted a profession that was focused on health, wellness and taking care of the body. I wanted to support other people to learn about their own bodies, to get out of pain and become vital. And so I began the process of getting an education to become a physical therapist. I have been practicing physical therapy since 2001. In 2012 I started my own business. I transitioned away from the major medical healthcare system to a holistic and eclectic collection of skills, all of which fit under the title of my business name: ALIGN Integration | Movement. As a practitioner I meet each client with the empathy and compassion that I, too, have sat deeply imbedded in the suffering of pain, and have been able to transform my body, mind, and spirit to get out of it. You don't have to live in pain! |
This quote sums up my lifetime goal and what I hope for my clients:
"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are," -Carl Jung
"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are," -Carl Jung
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Education:
Master's in Physical Therapy, University of Utah 2001 Bachelor's in English, Brigham Young University 1992 Certifications & Trainings: Upledger Institute: CranioSacral Therapy 1 Pelvic Level 1 & 2 CAPP Certified DeMystifying Pudendal Neuralgia Gynecologic Visceral Manipulation Restorative Exercise Specialist™ Certification through Nutritious Movement: Katy Bowman, 2011 Melt Method Hand and Foot Certification, 2013 NeuroKinetic Therapy™:
Restorative Breathing Level 1, 2013 Anatomy in Motion™:
Pudendal Neuralgia & Pelvic Pain 2015 Trauma & The Pelvic Floor 2017 Pre & Perinatal Education Certification Program 2020 Kathy Kain/Somatic Practice:
Memberships:
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What you can expect from a session with me: The treatment process may take many forms and will always include a whole body focus.
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