Healing Practice
Hello. My name is Kyoko Kato.
I am Japanese, a healing practitioner.
I practice Acupuncture,
Classical Chineses Medicine, and Ancestral healing.
Healing is really like peeling the onion skin one by one to clear and heal wounded parts of our being. When one thing becomes untangled, whether that is a perspective, a stagnation of qi, or a pain in the body, it flushes out old stories and creates space for new things to happen. This tiny shift awakes different perspectives within us, and much healthier relationships and stories can occur from here.
My Path?
Soon, I attended the school of Classic Chinese Medicine at NUNM, mainly for being in touch with old Japanese culture. I knew the ancient Chinese culture and Japanese culture are deeply interwoven.. I was right about that, and I found that I deeply resonated with this medicine too. I stay inspired by the healing capacity of acupuncture treatments and the alchemy of elements. I also met my spiritual teacher Liv Mokai at almost the same time. I have been exploring my own spirituality with her community, and I received training for shamanic healing practices such as ancestral healing and ritual facilitations.
A communal altar
for our ancestors
China trip with my cohorts.
Picnic with one of my mentors.
After a ceremony in Japan.
An altar for Mt. Fuji
My frist drum!
Moving Forward
With the consistent healing practice, I feel safer and more at home with myself. At the same time, my love for my ancestors & Japanese culture keeps healing and growing. My hometown is still a mining town, but I love it. Japan is so far away, but I feel the connection. The world looks very different. Obviously, I became a big fan of healing, and I found that I have been walking on my path as a healing practitioner for quite some time without really knowing. This is how I get here, and I am excited about what comes next.
My Story
Where Do I Belong?
I grew up in a small mining town surrounded by mountains in Japan. When I was an elementary school student, the sound of the dynamite was a sign of lunch break. The town felt depressing, and the mountain looked very sad at the time.I always thought “This town is not my place. I don’t belong here.” As soon as I graduated from high school, I left my hometown and moved from city to city in my 20s. I even left my county and immigrated to the US at age 30. I was looking for a place where I could truly feel home.
Life in the US
Generally speaking, I love moving. It always lets me shed the old and bring the new to my life. But this time, 3-4 years after my immigration to the US, I got severely homesick. The change was more than refreshing and shedding. I was overwhelmed by the foreignness, and I craved Japanese culture. It was confusing to me. I thought I left Japan because it was foreign to me. And then, I found that I felt foreign in the US too. I realized that I felt foreign to myself no matter where I was. I cried for years to accept this reality.
Awakening can Happen Any Moment
My first, so called, awakening happened around this time. After having an extremely difficult day, I woke up in the middle of the night and talked to the moon. I told the moon that I wanted to go home. The moon was full, but I felt so empty after crying very hard that day. And then the very next day, I re-connected with the Dao. I was surrounded by this incredible amount of love. It was a blink of a moment, yet it felt infinite. I felt fully accepted for the first time. I felt I became one with the universe, and I wanted to stay in this timeless time forever.
Life Is so Precious
Simultaneously and paradoxically, I learned the preciousness of being a human, and the value of our life here on the Earth so deeply. My passion for living my life somehow got ignited. I decided to learn about myself even though I felt foreign to me. I realized that I didn’t have to stay foreign to myself. I have the right to make myself feel home.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCES
Education
Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from National University of Natural Medicine, Portland Oregon 2016-2021
Teachings
Co-taught Five elements online class at Warp and Weft Collective 2023-2024
Held ear points and selfcare classes in Portland OR 2023
Held a Five elements chanting class for Earth’s Amulet school 2023
Co-taught Five elements online class at Homecoming Elemental Earth School 2022
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Licensed acupuncturist in Hawaii and Washington 2023 – present
Licensed in National Board Certified Acupuncturist (NCCOAM) 2022 – present
Completed Acupuncture in Hospice training with Gwen LaVette 2020-2021
Completed Traditional mentorship training in Chinese herbalism with Brian McMahon 2020-2021
Completed Traditional mentorship training in Japanese acupuncture with Bob Quinn 2019-2020
Completed Wisdom of Master Nagano Foundational Acupuncture Training Program with Tsuyoshi Shimamura 2018-2019
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Other modalities
Certificated Jikiden Reiki practitioner (Shoden /Okuden) 2020 and 2022
Certificated Shamanic Practitioner from Earth's Amulet Heart Centered Shamanic Healing School Program 2020 – 2021
Completed Foundations of Qigong training with Stephen Schleipfer 2019-2020
Completed Earth's Amulet Ceremony and Ritual Facilitator training with Liv Mokai Wheeler 2019
Continuum Education
​Completed Dr. Bear Style Non insertion needling technique training with Tamori Iwashina 2023
Completed Transmuting entities with the cosmic dragons of the one in Stone Medicine with Sarah Thomas 2024
Work with Kyoko
My private healing practice is called “Tokiwa Healing Practice.”
Tokiwa (tow-key-wa), 'eternity' in old Japanese, has been my family trade name since the 1800s!
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If you are interested in working with me, feel free to contact via contact@tokiwa.us
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