Japanese Acupuncture 

Elizabeth's acupuncture style is unique. She has pursued advanced training in several Japanese Acupuncture styles, including Meridian Therapy, studying with renowned teachers Stephen Brown and Atsuki Maeda, and Kiiko Matsumoto style acupuncture, which she learned from Kiiko herself.

In Japanese Acupuncture, the main focus of treatment is to make the patient as comfortable and relaxed as possible, lulling you into the state most conducive for healing. This is seen in the gentle techniques, and the use of a guide tube to make insertion painless. Japanese styles of acupuncture also rely heavily on palpation, or diagnostic touching, for diagnosis and treatment. You'll experience this as a careful touch of your arms, legs, abdomen and/or back to locate treatment points and diagnose your core imbalance. This palpation-based style is extremely effective while being minimally invasive.

Esalen Massage 

Kie practices the somatic art of Esalen massage, which is deeply rooted in quality of touch, intuition, and heartfelt mindfulness. There are only a few teachers of this unique style in the world, and Kie has been lucky enough to study with three of them, Robin Fann-Costanzo, Jessica Fagan, and Ellen Watson, who bestowed on him the title of somatic artist. He has augmented this training with his own unique personality, using intuitive energy work and deep care for each client to infuse treatments with deep healing intention.

Esalen massage is known for its healing and nurturing touch; it combines long strokes, gentle rocking and stretching, and articulate sculpting of the deeper musculature. However, Esalen massage goes beyond the physical result of bodywork by focusing on energy exchange and psychological well-being. It aims to tune the mind and body together to create a sense of serenity and peace.

Another defining feature of Esalen massage is that it is largely intuitive. The practitioner does not impose a predetermined set of techniques on the recipient but instead tries to sense what is needed in each moment. Rather than working on the client, the practitioner works with the client, listening closely to messages being communicated through the client’s body and responding accordingly. Esalen massage is sometimes described as a “moving meditation,” due in part to the wholehearted focus displayed by practitioners.

Botanical Medicine

In addition to Acupuncture, Elizabeth is also a board certified herbalist. Chinese herbal medicine is a sophisticated and complex healing modality that can be used for many internal and musculoskeletal conditions. 

Multiple substances are combined to create a synergistic effect not unlike a rock band. While the lead singer might be fantastic, he needs a guitarist, and some bass and drums behind him, to sound like a band. The frequencies of the different instruments, like the chemical makeup of different herbs, create something that’s bigger than the sum of its parts.

Instead of using one herb to treat one symptom, Chinese herbalism takes the whole person into account. Your herbs are formulated not only to treat a symptom, but to treat the root cause, so that you eventually don’t need the herbs anymore. This is personalized medicine at its finest. During the course of your treatments, you’ll start with a formula containing multiple herbs, and that formula may shift as your symptoms change and reduce. 

Elizabeth uses high quality herbal extracts that go through a number of tests before they are processed and sold. They are free of pesticides, heavy metals, and contaminants. She uses practitioner level products that are more powerful than those that can be purchased at a health food store or online.