Chronic Pain Can Change
Healing begins with understanding
Thomasina Larkin
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Registered Massage Therapist
Pain Reprocessing Therapy Practitioner
I help people living with persistent pain, stress, and mind-body symptoms retrain their nervous system and reconnect with a sense of safety and ease.
Healing is Possible
Understanding Chronic Neuroplastic Pain
Chronic pain is not always the result of injury, structural damage, or something “broken” in the body. In many cases -- especially when pain persists despite clear scans, treatments, or time -- it is driven by the nervous system itself.
Neuroplastic pain develops when the brain and body learn pain as a protective response. Stress, anxiety, unprocessed experiences, ongoing life pressures, and past injuries can sensitize the nervous system, causing it to send danger signals even when tissues are safe. The pain is real, and can feel exactly like an injury, but it comes from learned nervous system patterns rather than damage in the body.
The hopeful part is that the nervous system can also unlearn patterns and pain. With the right support, education, and nervous-system-informed care, symptoms and pain pathways can change, and the body can return to a greater sense of safety and ease.
My work is grounded in this understanding. Whether through hands-on bodywork or psychotherapy, I help clients make sense of their pain, reconnect with their bodies, and gently retrain the nervous system so the pain no longer has to run the show.
Registered Massage Therapy
Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy
Cranial Sacral Therapy
Sports Massage & Injury Rehabilitation
Osteopathy Techniques
I tailor each massage session using advanced manual therapy skills informed by over 14 years of clinical experience, adapting treatment to each client’s goals and presentation.
I work with clients experiencing complex and persistent pain presentations, including sciatica, migraines, TMJ dysfunction, back and neck pain, shoulder dysfunction, and GERD, where stress and nervous-system regulation may play a role. With a background in pain management, neuroscience, and psychology, I support clients in exploring whether their pain is more likely related to injury or structural factors, or driven by protective nervous-system patterns commonly seen in chronic pain. I provide clear education and evidence-based resources on pain science to help clients better understand their symptoms and feel more confident in their care.
I work within a sports medicine clinic alongside sports physicians and physiotherapists, allowing for collaborative, integrated care when injury, biomechanics, or rehabilitation are contributing factors.
Hours
Mondays: 2:30 - 7 PM
Tuesdays: 8 AM - 4 PM
Wednesdays: 8 AM - 4 PM
Thursdays: 2:30 - 7 PM
Fridays: 8 - 11:30 AM
Location
MedSport Ottawa
320 March Rd, Suite 300
Kanata, ON
Registered Psychotherapy (Qualifying)
Pain Reprocessing Therapy
Somatic Experiencing-informed
Internal Family Systems-informed
Gestalt Therapy
My work is grounded in a nervous-system- and trauma-informed understanding of chronic pain. Rather than focusing solely on symptom management, I support clients in making sense of their pain within the broader context of their lives, stressors, relationships, and past experiences.
Many of the individuals I work with have lived with pain for years, often after extensive medical testing without clear answers. Together, we explore how patterns such as chronic stress, anxiety, caregiving roles, perfectionism, and difficulty resting or setting boundaries may interact with the nervous system and contribute to ongoing symptoms.
Through psychotherapy and somatic approaches, I help clients build greater awareness, safety, and regulation in the body, while collaboratively supporting reductions in pain and a renewed sense of ease over time.
During my practicum, I will be supervised by psychologist Dr. Kimberly Sogge, C.Psych., and all services will be billed under a psychologist’s license throughout my internship.
Hours
Mondays: 9 AM - 1 PM
Thursdays: 9 AM - 1 PM
Fridays: 12 - 5 PM
Location
Ottawa River Integrative Mental Health
14 Chamberlain Ave, Suite 202
Ottawa, ON