I grew up surrounded by herbal medicine. Whenever someone experienced pain or illness, herbs were the first place people turned to. In my village, herbs were used in many aspects of life. Pregnant women were given specific herbal remedies for protection, and after birth, women often took herbal baths to help restore balance to their bodies and hormones. No matter the condition, people believed that herbs carried answers for healing. I witnessed these practices growing up, and I also used them myself.

When I came to the United States, I was introduced to the concept of mental health at the age of fourteen. At that time, mental health care was something completely new to me, and although I was introduced to it, very little support was actually provided. Still, the experience sparked curiosity in me. I began to wonder whether something was missing from the healing practices I grew up with. In my culture, we had Vodou traditions, church, and herbal medicine, but there was very little knowledge or conversation about mental health.

This curiosity led me to pursue education in mental health. While in graduate school, I began integrating my African spiritual beliefs into my own healing process. I combined the Orisha traditions, the herbal baths I learned as a child, and the psychological knowledge I was gaining through my studies. Through this journey, I realized that I could not rely on one form of healing without the other.

To restore balance, I returned to the practices that connected me to myself which are the elements water, earth, air, and fire. After long days, I would go to the park, lie on the ground, and speak to the earth as if it were a living presence. This practice grounded me. When I felt fear or instability, I would walk barefoot on the earth to reconnect with my body. During periods when I was seeing many clients or carrying emotional weight from my work, I would take herbal baths to realign myself with my spirit and restore my energy. When I sensed heaviness in my home after many people had come and gone, I would cleanse the space with herbs to bring back lightness and clarity.

When I needed guidance or clarity in difficult situations, I would return to my roots by sitting with my spiritual family for reflection and direction. Through these experiences, I came to understand that healing does not exist in only one dimension. I realized that true wholeness comes from acknowledging both the spiritual and the physical realms. To be fully awake is to recognize and integrate both.

Because of this understanding, I want to offer others a space where healing and transformation can occur in its full range. My intention is not only to address mental health but also to create sessions where herbal healing, spiritual guidance, and psychological support can exist together in one space—without dismissing or invalidating one another. I believe that when these elements are integrated, people are able to experience a deeper and more complete form of healing.