My Story

Licensed to Practice...

Prior to moving to WA State in 2020, I held a license to practice Traditional Chinese Medicine in the state of CA, since having  graduated with a Master's degree from Five Branches University in 2003.

National certification by the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission of Oriental Medicine) currently gives me license to practice Acupuncture and Eastern Medicine in the State of WA, as well as Chinese Herbal Medicine, Qi Gong Therapy and TuiNa Massge Therapy.

Since treatment styles differ according to a practitioner's academic background and experience, I will share the story of what lead me to acupuncture and the unique blend of modalities I currently use to help people with.

My Story

I received acupuncture for various health problems over four or five decades before ever dreaming I'd become an acupuncturist. Acupuncture and the practitioners I saw, changed the course of my health in obvious and unseen ways. It is not something I would have wanted to live without.

Looking back, I sought out knowledge and practices that brought me to the study of Eastern Medicine. At a young age I was drawn to Meditation and Eastern philosophy and had the great honor of being with Eknath Easwaran in the 70s at the Blue Mountain Center for Meditation in Berkeley. I began working with my Hatha Yoga teacher, Ann Erickson, on a daily basis during this same period of time. Many other interests prior to studying Traditional Chinese Medicine also centered around healing modalities, meditation and movement practices.

During infancy, I was hospitalized due to an unrelenting and lengthy period of high fever. It went on for weeks, and later a diagnosis of poliomyelitis was offered as an explanation for this rare event. Over time I came to realize that polio sequelae had diminished my overall strength in both my core and limbs. Nerve conduction studies reveal a lack of nerve signaling from spinal nerve roots to my hand, thumb, arm and upper back on my left side.

At age 19 I met my Yoga teacher and worked with her up until the birth of my first child at age 24. I saw her daily. During that time, lifelong constitutional weakness were gradually transformed into renewed strength, as well as a sense of at-one-ment.

My first acupuncture treatment was in 1986. I was being trained as a Massage Therapist at the time, and felt more capable than ever before that I could eventually meet the demand of being a therapist. I worked professionally over the next 26 years.

Out of a desire to effect deeper, more lasting change in my clients, I enrolled in pre-med classes at Cabrillo College to prepare for Five Branches College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Cruz County.  After four years of intensive study, I graduated with a Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

My first time receiving acupuncture treatment was in 1986. I was being trained as a Massage Therapist at the time, and felt more capable than ever before that I could eventually meet the demand of being a therapist. I worked professionally over the next 26 years.

Out of a desire to effect deeper, more lasting change in my clients, I enrolled in pre-med classes at Cabrillo College to prepare for Five Branches College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Santa Cruz County.  After four years of intensive study, I graduated with a Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Inserting an acupuncture needle into an acu-point for the first time taught me that Qi is a tangible force. 'Qi' is pronounced 'chee,' which is a Chinese word for 'energy,' or the electromagnetic current running through currents within the fascial planes of the body. These currents, or 'flow of Qi,' is stimulated by an acupuncture needle to improve Energy flow throughout the body at all levels of our being.

The CranioSacral system is also a science-based skill of following flow of Qi or Energy flow. Over the past 20+ years of practice, I've found the combination of acupuncture and craniosacral therapy to be a perfect 'marriage' of modalities.

Before studying Chinese Medicine though, I immersed myself in Continuum workshops with Emilie Conrad over a period of ten years. Emilie was the originator of Continuum movement, a somatic listening practice that heals deep-seated imbalances while leading one into self-discovery. It is a personal exploration into Self as 'organism.'  Continuum could be said to encompass more traditional movement practices  such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong, and more exactly the yogas.

After hundreds of hours in workshops with Emile and Susan Harper, sensitivity through touch developed to a profound level.  Day and week-long explorations into the breath and experimentations with sound vibration creating movement at the cellular level, expanded my awareness.  The realization that the Universe and its rhythms move in us and move us can be experienced rather than merely conceptualized. This 12-year inner journey resulted in a degree of de-programming body and mind while re-defining how ‘movement’ is perceived, within my own energy system.

*Continuum is an awareness-based movement practice that has helped thousands of people heal and recover from physical and emotional trauma.