My “spark” happened in Missoula, Montana, after fleeing from the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11 in New York City. I was working as a soil scientist for the Forest Service when a friend invited me to a Native American sweat lodge ceremony on the banks of the Blackfoot River.
At the time, Tai Chi and botany were a big part of my life, so I was aware of the inherent energy—Qi—that flows through everything and connects us to the Creator. These experiences guided my soul’s journey toward Natural Medicine, calling me toward a life rooted in healing, balance, and connection.
Friends asked if I had tried acupuncture, given my background in Eastern Arts, Taoism, and botany from Fort Lewis College. Many of them had a true relationship with Mother Earth—growing food as farmers and medicine as herbalists. That path eventually led me to become a licensed acupuncturist and to found Mountain Medicine Acupuncture in Durango, where my work is shaped by traditional wisdom, integrative collaboration, and community care.
Today, I continue to practice and build alongside others in Durango’s integrative healing arts community, grounded in natural living and spiritual embodiment, and guided by the same listening—to land, to people, and to the unseen—that first began beside the Blackfoot River.
~Tyler~
