CranioSacral Therapy & Integrative Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain in Shelburne, VT
BUILD a resilient NERVOUS SYSTEM
Hi, I’m Rachel!
I’m a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Certified Chronic Pain Specialist.
My practice is very different from what you probably imagine when you think about physical therapy. Most outpatient PTs are orthopedic specialists who treat the structure of your body, but neglect the root causes of pain.
Chronic pain is more than a structural issue; it is a protective, nervous system response to perceived danger.
Treatments for chronic pain often fail because they focus on structure without addressing why the nervous system has become overprotective.
That's why I'm a nervous system therapist.
Instead of just treating the structure of your body, I help you repair and rewire the alarm system so your nervous system can feel safe again.
Pathways to Restore Nervous System Resilience
-
CranioSacral Therapy & Manual Therapy
Recharge your nervous system, unwind tension, and rebalance mind, body, and spirit.
-
Pain Neuroscience Education
Understand why you hurt and rewire your nervous system to break the pain cycle.
-
Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain
Restore sensory integration and nervous system resilience to decrease pain sensitivity.
-
Yoga & Qigong Classes
Balance your energy with therapeutic yoga & qigong classes in Burlington, VT and online.
-
Ayurveda & Yoga Therapy
Learn your body’s language & build an intuitive self-care practice so your vitality radiates.
-
Free Discovery Call
Curious but not sure where to start? Let’s connect and develop a plan together. You’ll leave with clarity, not pressure.
Learn to speak your body’s language.
Symptoms like pain, exhaustion, trouble sleeping, and feeling overwhelmed are all signs that your nervous system needs help.
Stop masking symptoms and pushing through chronic pain and depletion. Learn to listen to your body’s wisdom, rebalance your energy, and restore your nervous system’s resilience so you can live a sustainable, wholehearted, courageous life.
Break the pain cycle for good.
My name is Dr. Rachel de Simone. I’m a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a certified Chronic Pain Specialist. I also lived with chronic pain for years before I learned how to heal my nervous system, so I understand pain from the inside out and the outside in.
I’ve developed a holistic, nervous system-informed approach to healing the root causes of pain that will help you understand why you hurt and give you the tools you need to finally break free from pain.
How We Are Different
At Lotus, your pain will always be taken seriously and met with compassionate presence.
It hurts my soul to hear stories of people struggling with pain whose providers minimize or dismiss their symptoms, insinuate that their pain is all in their head, or make them feel that if they just lost weight, tried harder, or exercised more, they would be fine.
Your pain is real, and the more you have to fight to be believed, the louder your pain alarm gets.
You deserve to work with a provider who believes you and who trusts the wisdom of your body.
You deserve to feel seen, heard, and safe, and for your healing to happen at the speed of your nervous system.
Signs of nervous system dysregulation:
•
Depletion
•
Chronic Pain & Illness
•
Feeling Overwhelmed
•
Irritability
•
Fatigue and Sleep Problems
•
Difficulty Concentrating
•
Skin & Gut Issues
•
Sensitivity to Sensory Stimuli
•
Hormonal Imbalance
• Depletion • Chronic Pain & Illness • Feeling Overwhelmed • Irritability • Fatigue and Sleep Problems • Difficulty Concentrating • Skin & Gut Issues • Sensitivity to Sensory Stimuli • Hormonal Imbalance
LOVE NOTES
Does this sound like you?
Diagnostic tests don’t explain why I hurt.
I’ve tried everything, but nothing really works.
My symptoms are easily activated, but not easily relieved.
I am exhausted all the time, but I don’t sleep well.
My digestion is off. I’m starting to cut out foods like gluten or dairy from my diet.
My symptoms are limiting my ability to do the things I love to do.
I don’t have energy to connect with the people I care about.
Little things set me off. I’m not as patient or resilient as I used to be.
I’m tired of being in pain (whether that is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain).
Who I Help
Nervous system sensitivity is the root cause of many common conditions affecting the immune, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and movement systems.
I work with anyone who wants to boost their nervous system’s resilience, including people with the following diagnoses:
Chronic pain
Neuropathic pain/neurogenic pain
Central sensitization
Complex regional pain syndrome
Radiculopathy and nerve sensitivity
Fibromyalgia
Chronic fatigue
Dysautonomia
Vagus Nerve Dysregulation
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
Long COVID
Lyme disease
Connective Tissue Disorders & Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Frozen Shoulder
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJD)
Pelvic pain
Migraine & tension headaches
Whiplash and trauma-related pain patterns
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Adrenal Fatigue
Burnout
High stress
