Hi, I’m Janine McCarthy.
I’m an Advanced Practitioner & Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy. I help people break free from pain by harnessing their body’s powerful self-healing intelligence.
Ortho-Bionomy was developed by an osteopath in the 1970s and has become a leading somatic therapy. It relieves tension, pain and stress without using deep pressure or forceful adjustments. It feels gentle and supportive while being quickly effective and giving lasting results.
In 25+ years of clinical practice I’ve seen so many people achieve lasting recovery from acute and chronic conditions. Ortho-Bionomy creates a deep sense of safety and activates the body’s natural ability to correct itself.
Book a free 20 minute Zoom call with me to find out if this could help you too - or book a consultation if you’re ready to get started.
My Approach
I believe that by following our biological blueprint we harness our body’s innate self-healing intelligence. This is how we free ourselves from chronic health problems and restore our authentic wellbeing.
My teachers were some of the first students of Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, founder of Ortho-Bionomy.
I’m a leader in my field and committed to excellence in the practice and teaching of Ortho-Bionomy, serving as chair of the board of directors of Ortho-Bionomy Australia (OBA), the Instructor Review Committee (IRC) of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International and currently as chair of OBA’s IRC.
I prefer the term facilitator instead of ‘healer’ for myself. ‘Healer’ falsely credits the practitioner for their clients’ healing, but all healing comes from within and every human has the right to access their own healing capacity in their own timing.
I aim to have no expectation or judgement about when or how you will access your healing. I offer my knowledge, expertise and experience to guide you to initiate and engage with your body’s self-healing intelligence and support your healing journey.
I continue to work on unlearning the biases I inherited and learned as a white woman growing up in a colonised country with a history of attempted genocide of its First Nations People and current-day systemic and social racism. My journey towards Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in my business and life continues.
Disclaimer:
This work isn’t right for everyone – it’s not intended as a replacement for proper medical care and may only be helpful for people not suffering from a medical condition. While I am a registered Ortho-Bionomy practitioner, I am not a medical practitioner – so I do not diagnose, cure or treat any medical conditions and my services must not be interpreted as medical care. These services are intended to teach you how to relieve tension and discomfort in your own body using specific gentle self-care techniques involving comfortable positioning and gentle movements. Consult your medical practitioner before using this or any other self-care program.
The Ortho-Bionomy and Sandollar logos are registered trade marks of Ortho-Bionomy Australia Ltd and are used with permission.
What led me here?
One Kind of Health Care
When I was 12yrs old I was taken to see a big muscular male practitioner who ‘adjusted’ my body using forceful, high-velocity manipulations - ‘cracking’. It was frightening and disempowering, especially as I was wearing only my underwear and a surgical gown. I felt unsafe and vulnerable. I knew then that this was wrong for me (and it didn’t resolve my health problems).
Experiences of Pain
Through my teens and early 20s I had low-back and hip pain most days and suffered severe pain, diarrhoea and emotional symptoms with my menstruation. I was out of action for days each month but I just accepted it as my own version of ‘normal’. My doctor prescribed the contraceptive pill to stop my menstrual pain while I finished school. For lack of any other solutions I ended up staying on the pill for years afterwards which caused a host of problematic side effects that took years to reverse. I felt dismissed and let down by conventional medicine which at best gave me only two options – drugs or surgery – and at worst gave me more health problems. Gathering my own excellent health team – a Homoeopath and a Naturopath – resolved many of my symptoms but I still suffered chronic back, hip and menstrual pain, until one day my Naturopath recommended I see an Ortho-Bionomy practitioner. Since I trusted her advice I took that leap of faith even though I’d not heard of this bodywork method before.
A Better Approach
The experience couldn’t have been more different to those awful treatments when I was 12.
I was fully-clothed and I felt comfortable and safe. I was amazed by how gentle and subtle the practitioner’s touch and techniques were, yet how much I could feel my body adjusting and shifting, with an overall feeling of ease and deep rest. I felt supported, cared-for, listened-to and respected. At the end of the session she showed me simple self- care techniques I could use at home to relieve pain and help my body find more functional ways to move and be.
With a few more sessions and some self-care work I was experiencing life without daily pain. I felt in charge of my own health and empowered to know what was best for me. That experience inspired me to study Ortho-Bionomy so I could help others learn this gentle, non-forceful way of relieving pain and develop the same sense of agency over their own health.
Your Body is a Healing Powerhouse
When it’s given the right information your body can release pain and restore alignment and flexibility quickly and easily. It doesn’t need force, deep painful pressure or repetitive long-term treatments to return to balance.
If you’ve always had a feeling that there was a kinder way to treat your body, you’re right. Lasting change IS possible – and you can start today.
“We must learn to fly within ourselves, and launch ourselves into spaces where we see no landing place. This is the only real courage.””