Linda McLaren, RMT

As a Registered Massage Therapist trained right here in my home province of B.C., I can offer informed and evidence-based patient care that focuses on a drug-free, non- surgical approach to your musculoskeletal pains and dysfunctions as well as help you with your goals for health and well- being.

I begin with providing my patients with a warm and comforting atmosphere, some relaxing music, a cozy blanket and high- quality therapeutic creams and oils. I don’t always use oils during my treatments, as some of the manual therapy modalities I employ, like fascial release and Visceral Manipulation work best without it, but I still utilize the time-honored techniques of Swedish and deep tissue massage.

I also like to emphasize the importance of post- treatment self-care. I am happy to recommend therapeutic exercises and any activities that will prolong and enhance the beneficial effects of the treatment. With all the knowledge I’ve acquired over twenty years of practice, I still believe trusting what my hands feel and communicate back to me is of most importance when connecting with my patient in their discovery of their health potential.

I graduated from the West Coast College of Massage Therapy (WCCMT) in 1996 when it was in downtown Vancouver, not far from the old Gastown Steam Clock. It was an intense but fulfilling curriculum which served as a sturdy platform from which I sprung into further training of manual therapies. Therapies such as Craniosacral, Visceral and Fascial Manipulation. In the early years of my practice, I discovered Pilates and even took part in a few teacher- training classes. That experience proved invaluable to me for my comprehension of the value of Movement for therapy and rehabilitation.

Over the years, I’ve taken courses in various fascial release focused therapies.

Fascia is the connective tissue that is invested at every level of our bodies, from just under the skin, to bone, muscle and organ, to the support structure framing the smallest blood vessels. More often though, fascia is referred to as that strong, glistening white tissue encasing our muscles. In the Fascial Manipulation method, very specific zones of this fascia are selected via comprehensive assessment and treated with friction massage to induce inflammation in order to restore pain- free full range of motion of the locomotor system.

As with our muscles and joints, our organs and nerves need an environment in which they are free from restriction and stagnation. Visceral Manipulation and Neural Manipulation are techniques in which gentle, hands-on treatments aim to release restrictions and restore healthy movement and adaptation.

For the past ten years I have been taking these amazing workshops almost yearly and have had wondrous results while adding these techniques into my treatment sessions.

One of my favorite things to do outside of my practice is gardening, especially growing vegetables. I have one of those local community plots where I grow everything from beets to zucchini. It varies, but I always grow tomatoes, because another of my favorite things is to cook with my own homemade pasta sauce!