Life occasionally sends us in unanticipated directions. For me that road started in Hollywood. But it finally found me in a very different field, one anchored in healing, compassion, and ancient wisdom. Now a Daoist internal healing arts educator, my focus is help others learn how to apply these time-tested practices to recover from the effects of childhood complex trauma. This was definitely not the path I had envisioned. But the trip itself has taught me that healing can emerge from even the most unlikely places.
Hollywood Beginnings: A Dream Thought Twice
Excited to start a career in Hollywood, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film and television in the mid-1990s. My passion for movies made this choice seem easy, and I chose to give the business a solid five years to see if it would be a good fit.
About four years in, though, I started to doubt the choice I had made. The job itself felt repetitive and unsatisfying even with the glitz. Beyond that, the networking and social interactions required to “make it” were exhausting and left me feeling out of place. The tension began to slowly compromise my physical health. Little aches, tiredness, and a general feeling of disquiet caused me to question whether my symptoms might have deeper roots, maybe linked to my traumatic upbringing. Some of the scars left by my father’s drinking were ones I hadn’t really come to grips with.
After noticing my difficulties, a friend who was a chiropractor advised looking into Chinese medicine, saying it might provide some relief, and a fresh direction.
Introduction of Chinese Medicine
Curious, I visited a reputable Los Angeles Chinese medical school and met with an admissions counselor. That discussion opened me to something really important: the theory that disease could start with emotions. This viewpoint spoke to the emotional and physical problems I was starting to experience.
Understanding that an imbalance in one area always influences the others, Chinese medicine acknowledges the interdependence of body, mind, and spirit. These ideas connected for me immediately. They helped me to see how closely our emotional, physical, and even spiritual experiences are intertwined. Captivated by this all-encompassing perspective, I took a leap of faith and enrolled in the program.
Five years later I graduated with a master’s degree in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. This new path provided the tools I needed to help others find healing. While many came for physical ailments, my approach increasingly focused on what I came to recognize as emotional wounds.
Practicing Acupuncture and Exploring Deeper Patterns
I discovered soon after I started practice that although many of their problems appeared to have emotional underpinnings, patients typically sought quick fixes for mostly physical complaints. At first, I thought I could help them “fix” the problems they were experiencing. But over time, I observed that in many cases their suffering stemmed from emotional and, in some cases, even more profound psychological patterns. Chinese medicine’s methods could help with the symptoms, but I began to question what underlay these emotional imbalances.
Chinese medicine acknowledges emotions as a fundamental cause of disease. But I started to realize something was still lacking—a more basic explanation behind the emotional imbalances themselves. I began noticing subtle cues that hinted at unresolved childhood trauma in some of my patients. Many of those I questioned about my suspicions confirmed them. I began to recognize that unaddressed trauma might be the actual driver of their mental and physical problems.
The Impact of Trauma: Blending Daoist Healing with Western Trauma Theory
While still in acupuncture school, I had started exploring Western psychology in an effort to understand my own issues. This led me to trauma theory, and the realization that my trauma history held the key. I reflected on a financially stable but emotionally stormy childhood defined by my father’s alcoholism. Only much later did I realize that my social and academic struggles were likely effects of what is now known as childhood complex trauma.
Trauma theory helped me connect the dots. I began to recognize childhood complex trauma as a core influence on emotional health, often fueling illness, anxiety, and various other challenges. Its impacts frequently shape emotional well-being in profound ways, subtly driving long-term health issues.
COVID-19 and a New Direction: Creating an Educational Resource
As I was piecing together these connections, COVID-19 hit. The epidemic prompted me to change my strategy. It reduced my patient count and eventually made it impossible to maintain my office space. This was a chance for me to turn toward a new vision: building an online learning resource that would let a larger audience access these ideas.
Transitioning away from my practice into online learning required time and patience. It took several years to learn the fundamentals of content creation and website design. Over this time I developed and discarded countless drafts as I honed my ideas and message. I’m now almost at the point where my project is ready to launch. It’s goal is to enable those with trauma histories to employ Daoist healing to foster health and wellness.
Finding Purpose: Teaching the Daoist Arts to Address Trauma
This road has brought me to a surprising but important destination. Instead of simply practicing acupuncture, I now concentrate on guiding others to utilize Daoist techniques for emotional balance and trauma recovery. Uniquely suited for this work, Daoist healing provides a path that integrates body, mind, and spirit to restore harmony.
The beauty of Daoist healing is two-fold. First, it offers a path to self-care that promotes resilience, fostering both recovery and adaptability. It also empowers people to reconstruct their sense of agency and health from the inside out. Today, I’m dedicated to sharing this approach with others, enabling them to transform their lives and find a sense of peace, balance, and well-being.
It’s A Wrap
My trip from Hollywood to healing has shown me that sometimes a meaningful transformation calls for an unexpected route. For me, each step—from the stress of Hollywood to the study of Chinese medicine, and eventually to embracing the Daoist internal healing arts—has revealed deeper layers of healing and self-discovery.
I hope this resource inspires and empowers those ready to explore a path that unites mind, body, and spirit. It offers tools to support healing from the impacts of childhood complex trauma. If you, too, are seeking to understand the roots of your experience and cultivate wellness, I invite you to learn more about the Daoist healing arts and join me on this journey of transformation.