Today we’d like to introduce you to Kymberlie Landgraf
Kymberlie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
From the time I was very young I knew that I had a unique gift. I was highly sensitive and perceptive as a child, sensing shifts in peoples’ energy and mood easily. I became that friend people would go to for an empathetic ear or help processing big feelings or life events. My parents were from Chicago, they raised my three siblings and I as ex pat “corporate brats” in Taipei, Taiwan for most of my childhood. Even though my parents were American and I attended Taipei American School, I was immersed in Chinese culture. I walked past parks with groups of people doing Tai Qi in the mornings on my way to the bus stop. I zoomed through the city chauffeured by betel nut fueled taxi drivers past ornate temples with trails of incense floating into the air, devotees in prayer in front of massive gilded icons. Scenes like these became the daily background of my life. I loved growing up in Southeast Asia and would come to have a deep respect for the art, culture, and traditions of my surroundings. I especially loved folk art, which I have always seen as a heart centered expression of both whimsy and devotion. The influences of my upbringing in Asia would create the tapestry rooting my heart in love for humanity.
One experience I had as a child would open my eyes to life changing awareness. On a camping trip with my youth group one of the girls became very ill. Her mother drove out to the campsite, but instead of whisking her back home, she requested some time in the bunk room with her daughter. I asked if I could stay and she agreed, as long as I was still and quiet. I observed in awe as she seemed to go into a trance, her hands floating gently above her feverish daughters’ body. That was the first time I had ever witnessed energy work in real time. I was astonished that my friends’ fever broke and she was quite well by the next day. That evening would have a lasting impact on the course of my adult life.
After graduating from high school in Taiwan, I moved here to Austin to study art history and Spanish at U.T. It was an exciting time to be at the university, where Linda Schele was a professor working with her team on decoding the Mayan hieroglyphs and making historical discoveries. Always a lover of art and culture, I ate it up! I had studied in Spain for a few semesters and my Spanish was strong. I could not have known at that time how my language ability would weave into my livelihood.
When I graduated from U.T. In 92’ I began studying esoteric healing arts from different cultures and spiritual traditions. I loved Sufi esoteric anatomy and physiology, Chinese Medicine, metaphysics, and different types of both hands on and distance energy work. I became a Reiki Master, in the Usui lineage, and began seeing patients out of my home. I was also working in the folk art scene and started an import wholesale company with my close friend. For years she and I drove all over Mexico in a van sourcing hand made crafts, home decorative accessories, and the amazing artists who could create the beautiful items that we would wholesale to gift boutiques and catalogues all over the country. It was hard work and great fun.
Often vendors would room together in hotel rooms to offset expenses. On one of those trips in L.A. I was doing energy work on a colleague and felt a blockage in her abdomen. I didn’t think much about it, but when she got home she got checked out by her doctor and was told she had a tumor in her intestine that was causing serious health problems. It was undeniable to me that the sensitivity I had as a child was growing stronger. After 7 years with my company, I left everything in the capable hands of my business partner and went back to school for my masters degree in Oriental Medicine. It was a hard decision to leave the business that I had poured so much of my heart and soul into, but I was ready to get serious about my healership. I thought I wanted to be a psychotherapist initially. I loved deep diving into the mind and was intrigued by how I could trigger tremendous emotional release through body work. It turns out Oriental Medicine is definitely where I belonged because I didn’t have the patience at that time for the often lengthy processes of psychological methods. My patients seemed to experience expedited healing, both physically and emotionally, through energy work. I was keenly aware of the impact that mindset and emotional patterns have on physical health. I liked how working through the body accelerated the release of long compacted emotions which could then be processed by leaving the tissues they had so uncomfortably inhabited.
Once I was licensed as a practitioner of Oriental Medicine, I hung my shingle as an acupuncturist and herbalist in Austin. I had begun taking meditation instruction levels at the Shambhala Center and would later have the honor of studying briefly at Deer Park Monastery with Thick Nhat Han. I became interested in addiction recovery and lead the Austin chapter of Dharma Punx for a while where I met my then partner. The similarity between the Buddhist principles I studied and practiced and the 12 steps of AA was deeply compelling. I became a huge advocate for present moment awareness, radical acceptance, compassionate inquiry, and the incredible power of meditation to balance brain chemistry.
My private practice slowly grew alongside my family and once my first child was ready for day school I began working at the Academy of Oriental Medicine (AOMA) supervising interns at student clinics. I worked at Seton McCarthy and Topfer clinics, as well as Peoples’ Community Clinic and AOMA onsite clinics. It was such a rewarding experience being more immersed in a Western medical setting where I could guide students through the treatment of much more serious health conditions than we would see at the clinics on campus. My language ability was a great asset in those clinic settings, giving the Spanish speaking patients access to holistic medicine by translating their intakes for the interns. We were treating chronic and acute issues like diabetes, heart disease, shingles, neurological disorders, side effects of cancer treatments, GI issues, fertility, musculoskeletal issues, psycho emotional issues…you name it, we saw it. During that time my second child was born and I began studying Perennial Wisdom, the concept that there is a core shared wisdom that flows through all faith traditions that links all of humanity. I attended Mystic Heart Wisdom School through the Seton Cove for Spirituality at the Oblate Monastery in San Antonio. This learning would bring huge shifts in my understanding of the universal nature of suffering and the oneness of humanity.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being an entrepreneur was nothing new to me. Being a sole proprietor of a cash based small medical practice came with some steep learning curves. As a true believer of the Law of Attraction, I knew that energy would flow where attention goes, so I stayed the course and pushed through the growing pains. Raising two children while running a business and keeping up with my aging mother was a lot to juggle. The Pandemic would be the ultimate test for my clinic. People were so afraid, coming in for treatment was risky for many people and business was slow. I shifted my focus to caring for my family and making some big moves. I had the good fortune of relocating into my home in Barton Hills just a few months into the pandemic. I got right to work building a new clinic, up to Covid specifications, onsite. My children stayed inside doing schoolwork online while I treated patients, changing clothes and wiping down surfaces between each session. Navigating that scary time was a lesson in resilience, pacing, neuroplasticity, the long term effect of sustained states of fear on the body, and nervous system regulation. The dance between the mind and the heart, the spirit and the body, will forever compel me to help people be curious about the ways we can help our bodies navigate adversity using holistic modalities to create optimal health, balance, and even beauty.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Crimson Lotus Healing Arts?
My “big sky mind” sees my patients through a prism of lenses; the Perennial Wisdom lens, the Oriental Medicine lense, the artists lens, the Buddhist lens, the collective consciousness lens, the human lens. This makes me a well rounded practitioner. I’m intrigued by the role that the mind has in influencing our physical experience. For example how I can relieve phantom pain in an amputees leg that no longer exists? Those neural pathways are hard wired for life. They respond beautifully to meridian therapy like acupuncture. It’s a wondrous thing to bring balance and restore function to a body in disrepair by manipulating specific energy points on channels. I love empowering my patients to understand that they don’t have to acquiesce to their health problems, they can take action and have agency in their own health journey. It’s cosmic and poetic seeing my patients have major breakthroughs , leaving their work with me with a better understanding of the dynamics behind their health issues and their own role in preventative maintenance. Helping people restore their health, balance, peace, and youthful vitality is my mission.
My practice is a general medicine family type clinic. I treat all ages, races, and gender expressions with equal focused care. I use several modalities, mostly acupuncture, Advanced Allergy Therapeutics (AAT), Chinese herbal medicine, and energy work.
AAT is a natural, non-invasive protocol I use to clear allergic type sensitivities in the body, a sort of biohacking method, AAT is useful for just about anything imaginable, from seasonal pollen allergies to hormonal issues, emotional imbalances, food sensitivity, dermatological problems, GI difficulties, and so much more. AAT combined with acupuncture accelerates healing like nothing I’ve ever seen, adding herbs supports the comprehensive work for lasting effects.
I definitely have a favorite specialty in my practice, cosmetic acupuncture! Acupuncture facelift is a wonderfully effective all natural approach to cosmetic issues, all while working with what your Mama gave you. It’s a safe alternative to invasive medical procedures for people who prefer a holistic path to beauty. The added benefits beyond the tightened jawline, diminished under eye circles and bags, softened wrinkles, and lustrous smooth skin include improved immunity, full constitutional strengthening, and improved overall health. After a series of 12 weekly sessions, results are maintained by monthly refresher treatments. I have also used this protocol effectively in the treatment of sinus issues, thyroid problems, and even depression. It lifts more than the face, it lifts the spirits! I get such satisfaction when people come for beauty enhancement and end up feeling healthy, less stressed, sleeping better, strong, and upbeat through the process.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me, the definition of success is living in alignment with my personal values by providing excellent care for acute and chronic health issues from a place of empathy and integrity. I know that natural holistic modalities offer the missing piece to the Western healthcare system. I believe that lifting up my patients through personalized preventative modalities actually raises the vibration of the entire community. What sets me apart from other practitioners is my willingness to stay curious and meet people exactly where they are on their unique path to balance. I take great satisfaction in showing people that their personal wellness can be a dynamic and exciting process leading to incredible self empowerment. If I can help even one person understand the effect that very simple daily choices have on their physical and mental health, I will have achieved my purpose. Very often people will tell me that they’ve tried everything to no avail and I’m their last hope. I remind them that they’ve only been on one side of the equation! Integrative medicine is the wave of the future! People are ready for natural alternatives to supplement, or in some cases replace, Western medical treatments. I’m excited to ride the wave of that paradigm shift!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crimsonlotusacupuncture.com/contact-us-book-now/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimsonlotushealingarts?igsh=YWZtMXlzZ2kwbmpk&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063640490387
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/crimson-lotus-healing-arts-kymberlie-landgraf-lac-austin?osq=Crimson+lotus+healing+arts
