My Story.
My Pain.
Your Gain.
Over 30 years of learning, evolving, and showing up; on the sidelines of national championships, behind the bench of a hockey rink, and in the clinic with people who needed someone to actually find the problem. My mission: help people feel, move, and perform better in sport and in life.
I’ve Felt the Pain,
Both Physically and Emotionally.
I’m Mike Grafstein, and I chose this work from a treatment table, as the patient.
Over eight concussions. Multiple surgeries. More than a few nights wondering if I’d ever feel right again; or if I was even worth the effort of trying. I know what it’s like to hurt, to doubt yourself, and to wonder if anyone can actually help.
That experience is the foundation of everything I do. My mission is to help people feel, move, and perform better, in sport and in life.
I have received my fair share of injuries from head to toe, including over seven concussions (one of which came from a hit from behind in men’s hockey), a broken bone, multiple knee surgeries, and more stitches than I care to remember. I know what it feels like to be out of work, unable to play, and unable to do the simple things of daily living. The sleepless nights. The frustration of not being believed or properly assessed.
Most of my injuries never received the proper care and attention they deserved. I had one injury mis-assessed and misdiagnosed four times. I actually thought when I was younger that I would be the next Bobby Orr; those dreams came to an end when I realized I was picking myself up from the ice after countless body checks without any answers.
I am sharing this with you because I have felt that pain, and I made a decision somewhere inside it to become the person I needed back then, and didn’t have.
What makes my experience different is that I haven’t just felt injury from one side. I’ve lived it as a patient, managed it as a clinician on national championship sidelines, coached through it behind the bench of a hockey rink, and treated it across multiple sports . When you come to me, you’re getting someone who has been on every side of this.
From National Championships
to the Hockey Bench.
Before returning to clinical practice in 2016, I spent over 25 years working in the field with soccer as head therapist at both Provincial and Private Academy levels, including travel to Italy, England, Germany, and other countries. Those years taught me how to think creatively and get results with just my hands.
I’ve also worked as a Sport Massage Fellow and Athletic therapist with the Canadian Medical Team for the 2019 World University Games working with men and women fencers, basketball players, taekwondo athletes and woman’s water polo. I work with with Swim Ontario and Swim Quebec at competitive meets, and I am a certified instructor for the Sport Massage course in Canada. I haven’t just taken these courses; I’ve helped shape how other practitioners are trained.
Treating the Root Cause,
Not Just the Symptoms.
Through decades of field experience and clinical practice, I’ve learned that one type of therapy, technique, or treatment is not a “be all and end all.” There is more than one way to get positive results.
I have found that treating with Matrix Repatterning, on its own or as a base combined with other manual techniques and exercise, bringing more lasting, invaluable results for my clients. Matrix Repatterning allows me to locate restrictions from impact to the body from past and current injuries at the cellular level. I combine Craniosacral Therapy, Myofascial Release, Visceral Manipulation, and Exercise to complement that foundation.
If the foundation of the walls and floors in a house are uneven or poorly aligned, replacing a broken window with the same crooked frame will cause the window to break again. The same principle applies to the human body; lasting results require treating the true source of the problem, not just the symptoms.
Since starting with Matrix Repatterning as a base, my clients have had, and continue to have, a positive, pain-free functional experience. It has become quite common in my rehab of concussions and migraines that an initial Matrix Repatterning treatment of the lower limb leads to a decrease in pain and improvement in range of motion of the neck, without ever treating the neck or head directly.
My Journey
Into Hypnosis
My journey into hypnosis is also a deeply personal one. At eight months old I underwent a life-saving operation, and growing up in the aftermath of that experience, I found myself shaped by an environment of fear and overprotectiveness, rooted entirely in love, but one that quietly planted seeds of self-doubt, feelings of not being good enough, and questions of self-worth.
It wasn’t until I experienced hypnosis for myself that I began to truly understand and work through those struggles. That personal transformation, combined with over 25 years working alongside athletes, opened my eyes to something I kept seeing on the field and in the clinic: talented, driven people being held back not by their bodies, but by their minds.
I am passionate about helping athletes break through those invisible barriers and reach the next level, in their performance and in their lives. My training in Neo-Ericksonian Hypnosis, Master Time Line Therapy®, and Advanced NLP Coaching gives me a comprehensive toolkit that goes well beyond traditional talk therapy.
Please note: my hypnosis practice operates completely separately from my manual therapy. All hypnosis sessions are delivered virtually via secure video, from anywhere in the world. If you are curious about whether hypnosis is right for you, I warmly invite you to begin a discovery conversation; that door is open whenever you feel ready.
30+ Years of Learning,
Growing, and Evolving.
CAT(C)
Certified Athletic Therapist, 1992
RMT
Registered Massage Therapist, 2000
CSMTA(SF)
Canadian Sport Massage Fellow, 2012
CMRP
Certified Matrix Repatterning Practitioner, 2017
TMO Certified
Meditation Teacher, 2021
Neo-Ericksonian Hypnotist
Mike Mandel Hypnosis Academy, 2023
Master Hypnotist
Next Level Leader Centre for Excellence, 2025
Advanced NLP Coach
Next Level Leader Centre for Excellence, 2025
Master Time Line Therapy®
Next Level Leader Centre for Excellence, 2025
Also: Sport Massage Instructor, certified to teach the Sport Massage course in Canada · Sport Massage Fellow with Swim Ontario & Swim Quebec
Life, Like Healing,
Is Best Lived Fully.
Outside of the clinic I find time to hike the many trails in York Region, enjoy camping at Ontario’s Provincial Parks with my wife, and explore different forms of meditation.
The same curiosity and openness I bring to the trails, always looking, always learning, always finding a new path; that is what I bring to every client I work with.
My mission is simple: help people feel, move, and perform better, in sport and in life.
Namaste.
Where Would You Like
to Start?
Everyone’s path is different. Choose the one that fits where you are right now.
Hands-On Care in York Region
Matrix Repatterning, craniosacral therapy, myofascial release, and sport massage. Available at my Newmarket and Richmond Hill locations.
Book an AppointmentMindset, Performance & Emotional Detox
Hypnosis, NLP, and Time Line Therapy® delivered virtually — for athletes and everyday people ready to work from the inside out. Available anywhere in the world.
Book a Free Discovery CallYork Region, Ontario · Newmarket: 905-726-0799 · Richmond Hill: 905-773-5794