My story:
As an elementary school teacher for 33 years I found that a big part of my job was offering a safe space for my littles to grow and thrive. I was sensitive to a need in the community to heal well before earning any health credentials. I had always been drawn to alternative modalities of medicine so I naturally turned to acupuncture and Chinese herbs when my daughter experienced a serious health condition when she was very young. I don’t use this word lightly, but the miracle we experienced with my daughter sold me on the effectiveness of the medicine and I decided to begin studies at Emperor’s College of Oriental Medicine during my last years as an educator.
I completed my Master’s degree and and attained my license. My practice flourished, but something was missing. Years before my studies in Chinese medicine I had visited the great mountains of Wudang, China and something awakened there as I practiced ancient forms of Tai Chi and Qi Gong; a connection with something greater than myself. A few years into my practice, contemplating and reflecting on my path I was reminded of how the ancient practitioners wandered these mountains in search of nature’s wisdom. I imagined how the Daoist doctors might have sat in nature for years at a time, as I read the ancient texts. I thought of how they might have observed a river to correlate how our blood vessels might work like the tributaries of a river, or how a vine growing in the forest might somehow creep and crawl energetically through someone’s veins to eliminate blockages and decrease blood pressure to avoid a stroke.
I closed my practice during the pandemic, with ample opportunity I spent countless hours in the local mountains foraging and meditating on native plants, much like the early Chinese practitioners. My connection to nature during this time grew, as I was curious about native plants and their medicinal properties. I wanted to somehow incorporate this into my practice. Eventually we all came back on line and then tragedy struck, within a short 3 month period, my brother was diagnosed and passed from cancer, as did one of my childhood friends and my mother suffered from an accident from what I’m sure was related to grief. The series of traumatic events impacted me physically, emotionally and spiritually. Effected severely, I read everything I could to help. I eventually came upon the work of my mentors, Alaine Duncan, author of the Tao of Trauma: East Meets West for Integrative Healing and Lorie Eve Dechar, as an alchemical healer, teacher and Five Spirits: Alchemical Acupuncture for Psychological and Spiritual Healing, Kigo: Exploring the Spiritual Essence of Acupuncture Points Through the Changing Seasons, and The Alchemy of Inner Work: A Guide for Turning Illness & Suffering Into True Health & Well-Being and about the same time I had stumbled upon the book The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams. On the first page the author in his discussion of the benefits of nature for our health mentioned the concept of Forest Bathing and how participants are guided by guides in this intentional work. I immediately ran to my computer and searched for Nature Therapy guide programs. I found the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) and applied for the program the same day. It resonated so strongly with the work of the ancient practitioners of China and I knew intuitively I had made the right decision. The process of healing my own trauma through these teachers and their wisdom has been nothing short of miraculous. I am more than thrilled to be offering treatment modalities to my patients.
Irene holds certification with the following bodies:
• Emperor’s College of Traditional Medicine, Master of Traditional Medicine Cum Laude
• National Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
• California Board of Acupuncture
• Association of Nature & Forest Therapy
• First Aid & Wilderness First Aid certifications
Partnerships
Conejo Recreation and Parks District
River Oaks Academy
