About me
My name is Christina or Chrys (they/them.) I am passionate about supporting folx in cultivating the ability to experience the wisdom of their bodies and connect to their own awakened nature, in order to have more access to joy and capacity to respond to life's vicissitudes. I consider myself a generalist with a wide breadth of spiritual education, and can assist with a variety of physical and spiritual issues. I draw much of my inspiration from an embodied relationship with my human and more-than-human ancestors and kin, and am continuously learning from the forces that flow within and around me. I show up for this work grounded in my identity as a queer, non-binary, animist, trauma-informed healing practitioner of Manchurian and Han Chinese decent. I am held and woven in inter-relationship with unceded Abenaki land colonially known as Vermont.
Experience
I have been a student and practitioner of the healing arts for nearly twenty years. I bring experience from, and have been impacted by multiple spiritual lineages including: Animism, Theravada Buddhism, Daoism, Contemporary Shamanism and Spirit Work, the Amazonian Shipibo/ Mestizo and Andean/ Quechua medicine traditions, traditional healing ceremonies of Turtle Island (North America,) and I am a Ceremonial Fire Keeper, Mexica Moondance Pipe and Song Carrier, Herbal Medicine Maker, Regenerative Gardener, Citizen Mycologist, Naturalist, Usui Reiki Master, Certified Firewalk Instructor and Transformational Breathwork Facilitator.
Visionary Plant Medicine Work/ Herbalism
2008-Present
Trauma-Informed Practitioner
2023
Somatic Spirit Work
2013- Present
Ancestral Healing and Psychopomp Training
2015- Present
What to Expect
Healings sessions are typically one hour long and done via distance by phone. In some cases, work can be done in-person for those who live locally. I recommend bringing forth a particular intention of something you would like to work on. This could be something that is presenting in the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual realm or any combination of the above. Examples include but are not limited to: addictive behaviors, patterns of self- sabotage, limiting beliefs, recurring problematic relationship dynamics, or an emotion that is an over-response to the current situation. Because the energy and memory of all our experiences are held in our bodies, (have you heard the saying our "issues are in our tissues?" Tara Brach) we will go on an inner journey within the framework of the body to discover the source(s) of the issue and bring curiosity and awareness to the energies involved. Depending on what the root cause(s) is/are, healings can often involve: working with inner children, ancestral healing, past life healing, soul and power retrieval, in utero and birth work, cultural healing, clearing of cords, intrusions and attachments.
I realize that the effects of trauma can result in one feeling unsafe and unable to feel (sensations) in the body. If you feel that this is the case, there may still be ways we can work together. I do my best to meet folx where they are. Please feel free to inquire.
Once I receive your request, I will do divination to confirm that working together will be a good fit. I will then reach out to schedule a 20 minute consultation. If for some reason, I am not the right practitioner for you at this time, I will do my best to make recommendations on where to receive further care and support.
Principles of Trauma-Informed Care
*Participation is by Invitation and Cooperation- this way of working and relating to one another comes from the Andean/ Quechua medicine tradition and is in direct contrast to systems of dominance and oppression.
*Asking the body for consent continuously, and centering the intelligence/ wisdom held therein. Because trauma happens as a result of too much, too fast, or too soon, we will do our best to slow down to “move at the speed of trust” (Adrienne Marie Brown.)
*Honoring every being in their wholeness, complexity and nuance; all of one's interdependent parts are welcome; particularly those who were told they were too much, or not enough will be held with love, curiosity and unconditional friendliness. Expression of any emotion and whatever is arising in the moment is welcome.
*We look at the sources of both trauma and resilience on a personal, structural and cultural level with recognition of positionality. We acknowledge that White Supremacy Culture is the default and is the ocean we are swimming in unless new values are explicitly stated and upheld.
*Support of nervous system regulation- We may work with various tools to develop resilience in the nervous system including: resourcing and titration, orientation, grounding, co-regulation, sensing/ motoring, boundaries and polyvagal theory.
*While I have many years of training as a practitioner in multiple lineages, I am a human with blindspots that I am continuously investigating. I welcome any questions, concerns and feedback, and I thank you in advance for your patience and the opportunity to learn and grow together.
An Invitation to Brave Space by Beth Strano/ Mickey Scott Bey Jones
Together we will create brave space,
Because there is no such thing as “safe space”
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars, and we have all caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere
We call each other to more truth and love
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow
We have the responsibility to examine what we know
We will not be perfect
It will not always be what we wish it to be
But
It will be out brave space together,
And
We will work on it side by side