Inner Court Acupuncture

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Bio

After receiving a bachelor's degree in dance from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, I moved to New York City in 1991 to pursue a career as a modern dancer. I performed and choreographed in the city and surrounding areas for the next ten years. During that time, I discovered the Gyrotonic Expansion System (www.gyrotonic.com), a powerful and therapeutic form of exercise. I found the system to be so beneficial and unique that I became a certified instructor of the system and taught it for 8 year. I specialized in working with dancers, clients with chronic and acute injuries, and the elderly.

I had begun to get acupuncture treatment while dancing, to help me heal from injuries and integrate my body more fully. As I delved into teaching and was working with people who were recovering from injuries or surgery, I felt the need for an adjunct therapy to help my clients make changes more quickly. Because of my own positive experience with acupuncture, and the connection I felt with the integrative and experiential nature of Chinese medicine, I decided to enroll in the Tri-state College of Acupuncture (www.tsca.edu) in New York City in 1999.

At Tri-State, I trained in the hands-on, meridian approach of the school's founder, Dr. Mark Seem, underscored by a solid foundation of classical Chinese Medicine. I was also exposed to Japanese acupuncture through Kiko Matsumoto, Five Element Acupuncture, and to numerous practitioners of diverse backgrounds. Part of what attracted me to the school is that very pragmatic and eclectic approach to healing, which focuses on treating what you see and feel on the table. I received a master's degree in acupuncture and became licensed in New York state, and began practicing in Manhattan, and later, in the lower Hudson Valley. I was asked to join the faculty of Tri-State College, and taught there until relocating to Portland in 2006.

Since beginning practice, I have deepened my studies in the field, focusing on Orthopedic acupuncture, contemporary acupuncture modalities, and working with the pulses. I am engaged in a long-term mentorship with master five-element practitioner Lorie Dechar (www.fivespirit.com), training in what she calls "alchemical acupuncture", a transformative approach to health that works at the level of the body, mind and spirit.