BODY FOCUSED MENTAL HEALTH AND EMBODIED PAIN MANAGEMENT SUPPORT FOR EVERY BODY IN ANY STAGE OF HEALING.
ACUPUNCTURE IS MORE THAN TEENY TINY NEEDLES.
It's a way of understanding your body and having the tools to manage the symptoms you're experiencing. My hope as a practitioner is that over the course of our journey together you learn and feel empowered to treat your pain and regulate your nervous system when you need it the most and become more grounded and connected to the present moment.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE.
I know it can feel lonely to experience pain, anxiety and depression. Trauma, pain and illness makes it difficult to stay in relationship with your environment, other people and yourself. Through the use of somatic based techniques you can relearn how to be in relationship is crucial to the healing process.
CURIOUS? SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
NEW CLIENTS are invited to set up a virtual appointment first. This is a great way to introduce ourselves and answer any questions you may have about my services as well as share with me where you are on your healing journey. We’ll also have an opportunity to introduce a few tools that I use with clients to help support them and share any exercises that are unique to you and your body. No two clients are the same, but I have found this to be the most helpful way to begin.
EXISTING CLIENT can schedule a virtual appointment online or text me to schedule something for in-person.
SLIDING SCALE PRICING FOR ALL.
NEW CLIENTS:
Intro Appointments (virtual): $50
EXISTING CLIENT:
Virtual Appointments sliding scale $50-$75
In Person Appointments sliding scale $75-100
(Location: 5215 N. Ravenswood Ave #301, Chicago)
NOTE: IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE, I HAVE MADE A VERY LIMITED SCHEDULE AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE BOOKING. PLEASE REACH OUT VIA EMAIL OR TEXT IF YOU DON’T SEE SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR YOU OR HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
HOW CAN ACUPUNCTURE BE DONE VIRTUALLY?
Acupuncture is an umbrella term used to encompass a wide variety of holistic healthcare and Chinese Medicine which includes much more than just the insertion of needles. For example, guasha, tuina, moxa, herbal medicine, nutrition, qigong, meditation, and acupressure. Because of this the ‘tools of acupuncture’ can be done easily taught to clients and be practiced at home. This means you can get relief when you need it.
WHAT IS SOMATIC EXPERIENCING?
The physical symptoms of stress and trauma often find their way in our lives when our body hasn’t fully completed the natural self-protective motor responses after the threat has been removed. There are so many reasons that this can happen and it’s not your fault. Somatic Experiencing is a multidisciplinary approach to facilitate the completion of these protective responses, support the resolution of the symptoms and increase our tolerance of uncomfortable bodily sensations, pain and suppressed emotions. My main goal for every treatment is to establish a safe and curious environment to do this work.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
Clients can expect a combination of virtual and in person treatments that include acupuncture, touch work, somatic focused nervous system regulation, storytelling, visualization and meditation all in the safety of a supportive and trauma-informed relationship. Clients are invited to be curious about their body sensations, emotions and experiences how those things may be connected.
WHY DO I OFFER SLIDING SCALE PRICING?
Sliding scale pricing allows me the ability to make my services as accessible as possible to as many people as possible regardless of their financial situation. Those who pay at the higher end of the pricing scale help to offset the cost for those at the lower end of the scale. This pricing model also makes it possible for me to float my free community acupuncture clinic.
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM MY SERVICES?
It is true that almost anyone with benefit from body based mental health and pain management support. But that being said, I do think some will benefit more than others. Are you struggling with long term chronic pain of any kind, fibromyalgia, vulvadynia, anxiety, depression, grief, insomnia or have other stubborn symptoms acupuncture and somatic experiencing can be wonderful tools to help you. I also work with survivors of medical trauma, sexual assault, natural disaster, and political torture as well as those who don’t feel like themselves anymore after a scary or difficult event or accident. Our nervous systems and bodies want to find regulation and balance, but sometimes that can be difficult without a little support along the way. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have, please send me a message or go ahead and set up an intro appointment.
WHO WILL NOT BENEFIT FROM MY SERVICES?
Clients who are experiencing acute illness or recent injury, will likely benefit from another provider, because those issues require multiple treatments in a short period of time. For the same reason, clients undergoing IVF and other active fertility treatments will also benefit from a more specialized and condition focused provider. I would love to connect you with any number of amazing providers in my network to help guide you on your journey.
We, as individuals, are inextricably linked to our communities and our natural environment. I recognize the violence white supremacy and capitalism, in all its forms (racism, ableism, sexism, food insecurity, housing insecurity, fatphobia, transphobia, homophobia, perfectionism, medical inaccessibility, classism, habitat destruction and border immobility), has on the health of our bodies, minds and communities. I fully admit that no single acupuncture session can impact these issues as much as full systemic change will. But I will never shy away from unpacking these biases within myself and with my clients when they are willing. Healing comes in the context of relationship. This is where I see my role as a healthcare provider and how we build the foundation for monumental change.
I would like to acknowledge that everything I know about acupuncture, trauma, healing and liberation I did not come up with on my own. I am a direct benefactor of the hard work and research of others. I’m humbled by the generosity of my teachers, Dr. Cai, Dr. Tan, Dr. Zhu, Dr. Xie, Dr. Kim and Dr. Kwon who shared their wisdom and techniques. Much of which was passed down through their families over generations. I would like to acknowledge the work of Dr. Mutulu Shakur and the Black Panther Party who developed a free, no-stigma community health clinic which included an acupuncture detox program. His program in combination with the work of Dr. Miriam Li became the framework for the Peoples Organization for Community Acupuncture, from which I modeled my business, including my sliding scale pricing for everyone and free community acupuncture for survivors of torture. I would like to thank the staff and participants of Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center for allowing me to learn from your expertise in community-based trauma treatment and for allowing me to be a very small part of your beautiful community. Thank you to Alaine Duncan, Acupuncturists Without Borders and my instructors from Somatic Experiencing International for showing me how to be a better witness and develop the capacity to hold a safe container for someone else’s pain. Knowing that you continue to create an army of practitioners who understand the effects trauma has on bodies and communities and who seek to make the world a better place is like looking up on a dark night and seeing stars. Lastly, I would to acknowledge my patients, old and new, in both my private practice and community clinics: there is no training or books or articles or studies that can compare to all that I have learned from working with each of you. Thank you for showing up with your curiosity and for trusting me to be a part of your healing.
