Kristen graduated from Daoist Traditions in 2015 with a Masters in Oriental Medicine. Before attending DT, she attended Penn State University after which she lived in Chonju, South Korea on a Fulbright Scholarship. She has also taught English with the Peace Corps in Africa and ESL in Massachusetts. Kristen has also worked as an Immigration Specialist helping people become citizens and reunite with their families.
Kristen practices in Asheville, NC at Point Acupuncture & Apothecary.
We try to instill in students the importance of self-cultivation. How do you cultivate to help support yourself in your work?
I meditate daily and practice Qi Gong about five times a week. I am also careful to reserve some quiet time to myself each day by going on a walk, journaling, or reading a good book.
What made you decide to study Chinese Medicine?
I received my first acupuncture treatment in 1993 while I was living in Chonju, South Korea as a Fulbright Scholar. One day I became very ill with food poisoning. My host mother called an acupuncturist to come to their house and give me a treatment. After the needles were inserted, I instantaneously felt better after hours of agony. I was amazed and thought to myself, “I want to learn how to do that someday!”
What do you enjoy most about working with patients?
I enjoy helping patients to see themselves in their best light.
What do you enjoy most about working with students?
It is such a pleasure and an honor to have the opportunity to witness a student as he or she finally grasps a difficult concept and understands how it fits into the bigger picture. I love being able to make students laugh and to help them find some joy in the learning process.
What is your favorite acupuncture point and why?
Pericardium 8 as it represents the ways in which we toil in life, but it reminds me that those challenges are what make us stronger, more compassionate people. We work with our hands, but we also talk, love, comfort and heal with our hands.
Tell us one thing about you that no one at DT knows.
I am a bit of a daredevil. I love roller coasters and a couple of years ago my son and I rode on a roller coaster called Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. Kingda Ka is 456 feet (45 stories) high and goes from zero to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. I was so scared that when I tried to scream, nothing came out of my mouth. By the end, I was laughing. Pure exhilaration!
