I am a Certified Instructor of Shen-Hammer Pulse Diagnosis and I hold a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from the National College of Natural Medicine (2012).
I am also a graduate of the Hakomi Institute of Oregon/META Institute (2017) and have therein and elsewhere received advanced training in Hakomi, R-CS, Primary Attachment Psychotherapy methods. I continue to receive ongoing consultation in Mindfulness- and Somatically-oriented Psychotherapy methods in order to continually improve and deepen my work with clients.
When at my best, I provide a solid, heartful container in which various forms of healing can occur. I believe that we all are innately whole and yet comprised of so many intricate, precious, and attention-worthy parts. I tend to be gentle, playful, direct, and loving.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine hold within them the capacity to heal, both on individual and collective levels.
Chinese medicine can change the world and I endeavor to use it to do just that. This medicine enables us to heal ourselves individually and by extension, collectively. Aptly utilized, Chinese medicine (and medical theory) is a framework which illuminates a greater understanding of all the spaces, roles, relationships, and habitual ways we inhabit our body and mind.
Healing is already taking place inside of each of us. Our body and our being know best and are yearning for a way to express this — in today’s society this can become a challenge as there are many forces arrayed against our connection to ourselves. I treat individuals through accessing your vital energy, allowing it to flourish, and give rise to positive transformation. Healing is not always pretty, in fact, more often that not, it is difficult. I greatly value sitting with discomfort and shining a light on the spaces that are waiting patiently to be touched, awakened, and healed within each us.
My care is personalized and tailored to each individual. Through my studies and training, I have developed techniques and tools to treat anyone, no matter their ailment or injury. Classical Chinese medicine is not a medicine designed to only treat specific things – it is an entire system of healthcare from the ground up that engages patients in myriad ways and makes them active participants in their health – this is one of the reasons why this medicine has been such a profound part of my own personal path and healing.
I have a special interest in treating gastrointestinal disorders, women’s health, and pain – often times I find these are rooted in emotional issues or past experiences that stay lodged in our bodies as we attempt to bypass them to continue to function in the world. This is something that my teacher’s teacher, Dr. Leon Hammer (author of Dragon Rises Red Bird Flies) terms, one’s restorative mechanisms – these mechanisms have served us up until this point – often times they are still with us because they haven’t been given permission to rest. We will work together to find those places – unblock them, or set them free. This work is fun and transformational – in body and spirit, combined.
Whether you have identified symptoms of physical pain, emotional instability, or you aren’t quite able to put your finger on any form of dis-ease, but you want to try acupuncture and/or Chinese medicine, come and see what we can accomplish together for the betterment and evolution of your well being! Some of my most fascinating cases come from folks who have never had any exposure to Chinese medicine – so you needn’t be an expert (or even a novice) to try!
TRAINING
I hold a Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine and graduated with highest honors. I am now studying toward a Doctoral degree in the same field. I am certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).
During my masters program, I worked both in the school’s medical clinic and in community clinics around the Portland Area. I have treated patients in community clinics including Outside In, Hooper Detox Center, OHSU Richmond Integrative Care Clinic, Volunteers of America Men’s Residential Center, and the Mercy and Wisdom Clinic. The privilege of representing Chinese medicine, as well as NUNM in various community organizations fueled my passion and ability to see acupuncture as a tool not simply for individual healing, but also for restorative and social justice work.
An ardent student of Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis (CCPD) as well as Shen-Hammer Lineage, I have had the good fortune of studying closely with Brandt Stickley, Gwen LoVetere, and Stephen Higgins. These teachers are my inspiration and have instilled in me an incredible love and devotion to this work. Currently I am assisting in pulse seminars whenever possible – and working toward becoming an assistant instructor of the pulse myself. Along with my own continued study, there is not much that I enjoy more than gathering to learn and practice within this community. CCPD provides both the patient and practitioner with a way to access messages that the body is attempting to communicate in a meaningful, elegant, and powerful way. The body knows best, and it always leads us to healing.
I also have begun to learn the art and efficacy of Cranialsacral Therapy and Myofascial Release (MFR) at Moving Mountains Institute with Micheal McMahon in Portland, OR. I find that these modalities are truly complementary therapies to the principles found in Classical Chinese medicine. The study of these therapies has greatly increased my proficiency in speaking the language of the body.
The body has a homeodynamic intelligence that knows how to restore balance. With an integrative system of holistic medicine, we remind the body of this knowledge and nudge it back towards wholeness. In service of this inherent knowing, I offer a blend of Classical Chinese Medicine—both acupuncture and herbal therapy, cranialsacral, applied qigong, mindfulness-based practices, and flower essences.
Education
I hold a Doctorate of Science in Oriental Medicine (DSOM) and a Master’s of Science in Integrative Mental Health from the National University of Natural Medicine. I have studied within the Shen-Hammer lineage of pulse diagnosis since 2015.
