A Bit of Background
Alas, I am but another dreaming primate wandering upon Earth.
Indeed, it has been my wont to wander. From an early age I sought to explore, and this carried me to various regions of our home planet: and ultimately, into the realm of working with other human beings; into the world of Chinese medicine; and into the subtle ocean of craniosacral biodynamics.
I now reside in Brisbane, where I offer these therapeutic practices.
A brief Curriculum Vitae
I received formal Chinese medicine (acupuncture) training at Endeavour College of Natural Health in Perth, Western Australia. Since that time I have continued to learn privately, and see Chinese medicine as an endless field of study. My principal interest lies in the collection of ancient writings known as the 黃帝內經 Huàngdì Nèijīng, and while I am certainly no expert in this field, it is from this that I draw most of my inspiration for practice.
I have a diploma in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy from the Body Intelligence school of training and have done further study and training with the Institute for Craniosacral Training in Brisbane. BCST is a truly wonderful practice and, I feel, a welcome balsam for our face-paced world.
I recently lived in South Africa, working as the principal acupuncturist in a busy clinic, seeing many different conditions daily. Here, I was given the isiXhosa name “Qaqambile” — in which the “q” is pronounced as a “palatal click”, performed by pressing the tongue to the roof of the mouth and releasing it sharply downwards. I would prefer it if you called me by this name.
Since early 2024, my acupuncture practice has been based at Ondol Oriental Medicine Clinic in Toowong, where I practice 3 days a week. I currently offer craniosacral sessions at Vessel in Paddington two days a week.
Having lived and studied for a period of time in Taiwan, my conversational Mandarin is quite adequate; having lived for several years in South America, my Spanish is more than adequate, but far from perfect. Having never been to Iceland nor been involved with its language, my Icelandic is non-existent.
Philosophy
The philosophies and perspectives of the practitioner will always influence how they practice and who it is that seeks out their expertise. Our own unique orientation to life will colour our approach to what we do. Given that my life has been primarily oriented to exploration, it naturally follows that this is my most comfortable approach to treatment. That is to say, I am less interested in removing symptoms as I am in using symptoms as catalysts for growth and the discovery of deeper levels of our life and being.
To truly heal — perhaps — is to become Whole. We see this in the etymology of the word “heal”, coming from Old English “to make whole”. This is a guiding notion of my practice, and certainly one that informs craniosacral biodynamics, if not Chinese medicine. Our desire to be “healthy” may have deeper roots than the mere absence of symptoms, and it is these roots that I attempt to contact in my practice. It is here that we can move gradually out of fragmentation and into a more wholesome way of being. It is my perspective that as we do so, we simultaneously heal our community and indeed our planet.
However, it is also the case that pain, sickness and disease cause suffering, and it is the medico’s task to alleviate this suffering. So all aloof philosophies aside, I fundamentally seek to provide the necessary care, attention, energy, knowledge and skill to achieve whatever degree of alleviation I may be able. إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ.
Contact
If you would like to book a consult, enquire about something, or — most preferably — have a chat about dreams, please get in touch.
