I never intended to study medicine; instead, I stumbled upon it during a three year stay in Japan in my early 20s.

During that time, my body lit an impatient, demanding fire underneath me. I would wake every morning at 4am with a burning butt and take a cold shower. I knew something was wrong but doctors in Japan and North America didn’t have answers. So along I stumbled, until a rock bottom moment stopped me dead in my tracks. It happened on Sado Island after a night of too much shochu. When I awoke the next morning, I couldn’t remember my name. Returning to more normal consciousness several hours later, I solidified my commitment to finding answers and making changes.

My childhood was balanced by love and challenges. On a physical level, I received many rounds of antibiotics for ear and other infections. I broke two bones, including my femur. By age 10, my overly fungal internal terrain sprouted onto my face in the form of a white, beard-like fuzz. Throughout childhood and adolescence, severe hay fever sealed my morning eyes shut for several weeks a year. Then came mononucleusis and mild depression in high school (like many teens). I did myself no favours when it came to nutrition or lifestyle in university, and my body responded by gradually layering on cystic acne, IBS, hiatal hernia, low back pain, chronic prostatitis and the aforementioned fiery anus in Japan. I was 23 and my body was screaming at me.

This was all physical stuff and, as you likely understand, for every physical symptom, stuck emotions, ancestral callings and soul imbalances played starring roles behind the scenes. Alongside physical detoxification and the reactivation of my immune system through fevers and other acute illness (chronic illness often heals with the restoration of uncomfortable, acute immune responses), I have cried, shook, thawed, raged and softened my way towards a deeper trust in my body.

As I write, I feel gratitude for my early life challenges, and the many other seeming missteps and traumas along the way. All these tough experiences play important roles in propelling me forward. While people talk a lot about spiritual awakening, my journey so far seems more akin to body-reconnecting.

As I surrender to all that will remain unknowable, I do know that breathe, feel, heal is the real deal. I continue to experience the return of physical harmony within the various body systems, and connect with deepening states of body-anchored trust. I now understand that tension in the nervous system from unresolved fight, flight and freeze energy underlies a great deal of somatic suffering. And that restoring flow to stuck energy is key to any healing path. Stated elementally, re-balancing fire happens alongside melting some ice.

These days, my heart is full as I give thanks for self-care practices, a loving family life, strong community, inspirational clients, and the opportunity to study and teach. My work continues to focus on natural medicine, trauma-integration, somatic practices and natural law.

Thank you for reading this. I hope it inspires you in your own healing, as together we move towards self-discovery and fulfillment of our deep soul desires.

Other stories of healing can be found here.