My journey to become a naturopathic doctor began after reading the following passage from a complementary and alternative medicine book:
“In ancient and indigenous healing systems, medicine was not about the putting of things into the body but using external resources to help stimulate the internal resources of the body. The body heals itself and maintains it’s own health.”
I was nearing the end of my undergraduate degree in Biology and I knew the linear path I was on to become a medical doctor was about to take a turn. Rather than medical school, I enrolled in a postgraduate degree in Holistic Science where I was immersed in traditional and Indigenous knowledge systems, complexity theory and systems thinking, and the practice of intuition, spirit-dialogue and art-making as guides for scientific inquiry.
Upon graduating, I was called to put this knowledge into practice as a holistic medical practitioner who honoured the wholeness and sacredness of healing, the power of plants and creativity in healing, and the recognition of one's innate resources to heal themselves. This led me to the study and practice of naturopathic medicine.