Hi, I'm Angela. Today I am lucky to have a rewarding and happy life, but the journey has been long, slow and at times very tough, and, even, almost unbearable. I was born extremely premature, having to be put in an incubator to survive at 4lbs, the size of a football. At 6 years old, I got a bone disease that killed children before antibiotics, and had to be on extremely strong antibiotics for over a month. This and emotional trauma led to a lifetime of physical health issues culminating in becoming bedridden for a decade in my early 30's. I, suddenly, one day stopped being able to breathe correctly, and, overnight, went into the nightmare of 24 hour symptoms of suffocation and gasping for air constantly. I was misdiagnosed for 10 years, seeing almost every kind of practitioner one can think of, most doctors assuming it was asthma, although asthma medication made my symptoms worse.  I was finally diagnosed correctly, with a digestive disorder called LPR or Laryngopharymgeal Reflux, a form of Acid Reflux that affects your vocal cords, throat, ears, and presents differently than traditional Acid Reflux or GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. I, also, over this time of being bedridden, developed Type 2 Diabetes, Cervicogenic Vertigo, Convergence Insufficiency in my eyes which causes severe double vision, insomnia, ear issues, energy issues, other digestive issues, and up and down problems with obesity. I am probably leaving some things out, as it has been a long road of symptoms and they began to stack. 

After experiencing despondency, anger, hopelessness, and grief, I first discovered mindfulness meditation and yoga nidra and artwork as a way to ease the mental and emotional torment associated with the physical symptoms. I began to eat correctly for my conditions, and studied and learned about the nervous system and it's role in healing, as well as neuroplasticity and self-compassion. Through these discoveries I went from bedridden to being able to live a somewhat normal life. I became an avid swimmer, and succesful artist, and became accredited in many modalities so that I could help myself and others learn to heal digestive disorders, and live a full life when huge upheavals inevitably hit. I have accredations in Mindfulness Meditation, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Gut-Focused Hypnotherapy, Integrative Somatic Therapy for Trauma, Trauma-Focused Mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, EFT (tapping), Mindful Self-Compassion, Awakening Joy (TM). I have been a Licensed Massage Therapist since I was 19 with my primary focus being on sick and injured folks, a holistic cook for sick people and Holistic Nutritional Counselor. I am also accrediated in PolyVagal Theory with and emphasis on the Gut-Brain Axis, Body-Focused Inquiry, and inner journeying/guided visualization with Depth Hypnosis....and am currently studying Relational Focusing, and Resourcing. I also came deeply enmeshed in Internal Family Systems work through all this. I was also lucky enough to work with the shaman Eliot Cowan of Plant Spirit Medicine before he died, and Tara Mandala's Feed Your Demons, and my most important, and, for me, sacred, a life practice of Vipassana Meditation, having taken many long silent retreats that have brought me to know that I am part of the beloved connectivity . Once I dive...I just keep diving! 

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With my clients I practice something I call therapeutic mindfulness, or mindfulness guiding where I employ my years of knowledge and experience as a sick (and healing) person and intuitively pull from my toolbox a what feels right for the person or groups I am working with at the time. 

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All of these modalities I use for myself and the results have been truly life-changing and transformative and led down roads I never even dreamed possible. With every suffering being in mind, along with myself, I explore with depth and commitment my mind, body, felt-sense, nervous system, self-compassion, and a deep tenderness that has sprung up naturally from years of this internal work. 

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There is SO much more to my own story I could get into, my interest is how my story can  help yours. I am a nature lover, a lover of connection, and believe in the connectivity of all things and beings. I like to imagine that I have now become a hiker of the inner world, where the peaks are vast and the vistas are endless. That inner world houses the boundless spirit and heart. 

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My mission from the beginnig, when I first began studying healing arts as a teenager, has been to inspire, empower, and bring great compassion to anyone struggling (which, at different times in life, is most people) so that they can learn to thrive by unlocking the tools and wisdom and knowledge to reduce suffering . As someone who lives with a disability and chronic illness still, although functional, I feel that this unique perspective makes me approachable and non-shaming, non-judgmental, and open and understanding to how others deal with their own limitations. I hope that my life experience can help you, my beloved client, harness the power of their minds, heart, and body so that they, too, can have fulfilling and meaningful lives. 

Go to the Work With Me section to set up a time to talk with me, or book a session. I give a 20 minute free phone consultation so that we might both see if we are a good fit to work together. 

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