Who I Am and the Work I Do

My journey in life has largely been about how to "stay open" to life- open to the goodness, open to the pain, open to receive, open to express, open to seeing myself as a collaborator with the universe, allowing whatever it is to be here in warmth and curiosity. Staying open to life has taught me how to trust life and all it brings to my doorstep with a sense that this is for me, perhaps even a mirror to me. This practice of staying open over decades has engendered a deep faith in me, faith in the healing forces ever present with us, and an abiding love for the human experience. 

I grew up in the Southeast region of the US as a sensitive child with rich sources of contradiction all around me. Lots of beauty, lots of suffering. I began to understand that it is our encounter with suffering that is the invitation to turn on the lights and grow our awareness. Our pain or dis-ease points the way back toward health and wholeness. I believe in the innate healer in every being, and a large part of how I work is inspired by the desire to really get you- to gently hold you and all that brought you here with respect, curiosity, and care. I strive to work collaboratively with my patients to help them take a more active role in their health and reclaim health in tangible ways in their daily lived realities. I enjoy exploring health concerns through a variety of lenses. I believe that the body is a history book of everything that has ever happened to us, and working with dynamism and gentleness can help us be present to our true and authentic experience.

I didn’t have a clear interest in medicine growing up and found visits to the doctor to be uninspiring, impersonal, and sterile feeling. Over time, the idea of medicine began to flower in my awareness as less a pill or something to do the work for us, but our relationships to all things, of interactions with loved ones, in the way food is lovingly prepared, in the quality of breath taken, in the feelings of kindness and receptivity toward self and others, in what we notice and to what we bring our conscious attention. My belief is that the highest form of medicine helps the person internalize a process so that change happens from the inside out.

While completing anthropological fieldwork for my undergraduate degree I had the opportunity to spend a month in Ecuador studying the indigenous medicine of the Napo tribes and how their relationship with the natural environment shaped their culture and practice of medicine. When I observed one of my colleagues cut by a machete while gardening for yucca, one of the native women grabbed a plant nearby, chewed it to small bits, and then applied it to the cut, quickly stopping the bleeding. I was hooked. I became fascinated by the interdependence of people, place and spirituality as a model for holistic health. It wasn’t until I began training in martial arts during college and later moving to Beijing, China where, as a patient, I experienced Chinese medicine. I’ll never forget my first treatment. I was appreciative to learn about my body, and I was inspired to listen to it, not as a machine that had faulty parts, but like I would the words of an honest friend. From there, I started noticing how the climate, food, water, quality of my inhalations and exhalations, beliefs, thoughts and perceptions were influencing how and what my body would express. I learned how my body was an instrument of resonance, and that it was always communicating with me about the processes of change happening in and around me.

At the heart of Classical Chinese medicine is an understanding that the human body is resonant with everything in the universe and all natural phenomena. The universal order underlying all things in our world is elegantly captured in Five Element theory and the timeless observations of ancient Daoist writings. The elements are likened to processes of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. This model helps us understand how nature interacts with the body and how the different dimensions of our being impact each other. This was brought about by an exceptional level of observation of the natural world and the laws that govern it. We are in deep relationship with the world around us, more than we could possibly imagine. We belong as an integral part of the natural cycles of the planet and are tethered to it through the wondrous receptive and radiating nature of the body. And so, this is how we will approach the body, as a great receiver and emanator of information in exquisite connection with the whole. We will explore the relationship of the body to the emotions, to thoughts, and to our daily habits. What we decide to do together will be in service to sustainable balance and harmony of mind, body, and spirit.

What to Expect in Treatment: I deeply trust the body and the field of intelligence that surrounds it, and so my work depends on listening to what I feel. I enjoy working with people of all backgrounds, identities and ages, including teens. For treating whatever chief concern you may have, we will draw upon the traditional modalities of Chinese medicine and tools of modern mind-body medicine which can include acupuncture, bodywork, classical Chinese herbs, aromatherapy, medical qigong, mindful somatic exploration, nutritional therapy, (conservative use of) supplements, sound healing, guided meditation, intuitive work, and more. What I love most about what I do is building long term relationships with my patients and watching how their health shifts when they meet themselves with curiosity, warmth, and openness. Realities do shift. Miracles happen!

I am not a primary care provider, but I enjoy working with other healthcare providers in an integrative way to coordinate your best care. I accept most insurances, but some of the services I offer may have an additional cost if they are not covered under your insurance plan.

Education: I earned two Master's degrees in East Asian Medicine and Integrative Mental Health from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. I am a NCCAOM Board-Certified and licensed acupuncturist. During my six years of graduate school I completed two years of supervised clinical internships and have served a wide variety of patients at five community clinics around Portland, Oregon since 2015.

My specialized training in Integrative Mental Health is a new and expanding model of care that incorporates complementary therapies such as nutrition, trauma informed practices, mind-body medicine, and somatic therapies. I also went on to become certified provider of TRE, Tension and Trauma Release Exercises. I combine Classical Chinese medicine treatment modalities with embodiment tools and practices to create a deeply holistic alternative for addressing nervous system imbalances that lead to chronic health issues. Through mindful, somatic, experiential methodologies I build a bridge between Eastern and Western philosophies while exploring the connection between physical ailments and emotional patterns held deep within the physical and energetic layers of the body. I often work with core beliefs, core wounds, and other energetic fields of experience to explore how a person's childhood development and emotional injuries in those sensitive periods may have contributed to chronic vulnerabilities in physical dimensions of the body that people experience as symptoms. 

Other Education, Training and Related Work Experience:

Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina: B.S. Degree Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology, Minors: Anthropology, English – Creative Writing, 2011

Tian Yi Kung Fu Center, Yang Style Taiji and Qigong, Master Liu Hongchi, 2011-2014

Wudang Mountain Taoist Monastery, Wudang Style Taiji and Qigong, Master Yuan, 2013

Chinese Herbs and Qigong Focused Study Abroad with Heiner Fruehauf and Jin Jing Gong qigong lineage, Sichuan Province, China, 2016

Tibetan Dream Studies, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, 2016

Shen Hammer Pulse Diagnosis, Brandt Stickley, 2017

Integrating Anti-Oppressive Practices for Healthcare Workers, 2018

Craniosacral Training Levels 1-3 with Michael McMahon, Moving Mountain Institute 2018-2020

Integrative Energetic Anatomy & Manipulations with Régis Blin and Sylvie Martin, 2019

Five Element mentorship with David Berkshire, NUNM 2018-2019

Medical Qigong for the Dying, Stephen Schleipfer, Mokuti Medical Arts, 2019

Apprenticeship with Sara Bowes, M’illumino Natural Medicine, 2020

Kiiko Matsumoto Acupuncture certification course 2021-present

Myofascial Release Series, Moving Mountains Institute 2021-2022

Active Isolated Stretching Series with Moving Mountains Institute, 2022

Classical Chinese Herbal Formulas Mentorship with Michael Givens 2020-present

TRE ⓒ Tension and Trauma Release Exercises, Certified Provider, 2022

International Focusing Institute, Focusing Academy, 2024