About Us

My interest in health and natural methods of healing began early in  life. Having been an athlete and intuitively appreciating the healing  benefits of spending time in nature from a young age, I found myself  continually drawn to learning as much as I could about natural ways of  promoting health and vitality throughout life. While earning my  undergraduate degree in Health Science and Psychology at San Diego State  University I discovered a program in Holistic Health at a local school,  the Institute for Psycho-Structural Balancing. The name and curriculum  piqued my interest. The program blended a combination of western  science, physiology, humanistic psychology and Asian arts such as Tai  Chi. I graduated enriched with a foundation of solid bodywork skills in,  among others, structural integration (a style of bodywork similar to  Rolfing) and myo-facial release as well as having a profound  appreciation for the role of the psyche in our physical health and  overall well being. This set the stage for a lifetime interest in  discovering natural health care solutions for the integrated beings that  we are.
 

I ventured into different professions but continually found myself drawn  back to health and healing. My massage practice lead me to working with  physical therapists in outpatient orthopedic clinics in both San  Francisco and Santa Barbara. I opened my practice, Healing Arts of Santa  Barbara, with another well respected body worker and augmented my  education with hypnosis training, working part time as a clinician at a  center specializing in supporting patients in healthy lifestyle choices.
 

I knew my education was limiting the extent to which I could help  people. I was searching for the next level of education and quite  accidentally stumbled upon acupuncture and East Asian Medicine. My  roommate in San Francisco was attending a graduate program for  acupuncture. He offered to treat me for the onslaught of a summer cold  that to me seemed inevitable. With the first insertion of the needles, I  was completely taken aback. I could feel so much sensation in my body  that I was instantly and profoundly intrigued by the energy that was  being stimulated by the needles. I was also surprised at how much better  I felt and the cold never materialized. Because of this experience, I  sought out a seasoned practitioner and tasked her with helping me with  some debilitating periodic physical issues I was experiencing.  I had  exhausted attempts at conventional help through western medicine to no  avail.  Within a few months of regular acupuncture treatments and herbal  medicine, my issues had resolved. With this unexpected success, I knew I  had found my next area of study.
 

Being drawn to the wisdom of a medicine based in thousands of years of  trial and error, I was interested in finding a Master’s Degree program  where the education reflected the solid tradition and scholarly rigor  typical of this field of medicine. I chose the Seattle Institute of East  Asian Medicine, a school whose curriculum is firmly rooted in the  classics. Their apprentice style education, the traditional method of  conveying the medicine, appealed to me. During my schooling I had the  opportunity to study the medicine in it’s native land. I spent three  weeks observing herbalists and acupuncturists in Hangzhou, China.
 

Since graduating in 2007 I have been pursuing very different directions  of the medicine. On one hand, I’ve been studying the gentle art of  Japanese acupuncture, which uses finer needles and  and at times  non-insertive methods of bringing the body back into balance. This  traditional medicine from Japan is a field of study that continues to  amaze me with its efficacy. I’ve been fortunate to study with Kiiko  Matsumoto, Steven Brown and Takahiro Funamizu, all well respected  Japanese practitioners. Their styles reflect the subtle yet profound  abilities of Japanese acupuncture. On the other end of the spectrum,  I’ve been studying Sports Medicine Acupuncture with Matt Callison. This  intense year long program specializes in treating musculoskeletal  injuries and degenerative diseases. Matt’s comprehensive approach  focuses on the Western physiological model of the neurological and  musculofascial connections combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine.  These diverse approaches have provided me with gentler methods for more  sensitive patients, such as children or the elderly, as well as  physiologically based methods to treat competitive athletes.
 

Recent travels have taken me to the foothills of Nepal on a volunteer  medical trip providing treatments to Buddhist monks, nuns and local  villagers in August of 2016. The same year I had the fortune of joining a  group of practitioners from around the world studying Ayurvedic  medicine at the AVP Research Foundation in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu in  Southern India. I studied with a Wat Po certified Thai Traditional  Massage Instructor in Ko Samui, Thailand and in 2017 I traveled to  Japan, experiencing treatments and touring clinics. International trips  have been fulfilling on a personal and professional level. I feel  blessed with the opportunity to travel, sharing my skills while  enriching my life by experiencing local cultures and spiritual  traditions.