In today’s post, Mystic Mag‘s Katarina Todorovic we’ll be delving into the fascinating world of Dr. Pauline Torrey-Magret, a highly accomplished Diplomat of Oriental Medicine and Integrative Acupuncture Medicine. With years of experience and a deep passion for holistic healing, Dr. Torrey-Magret has made significant contributions to the field of integrative medicine. In this article, we’ll explore her background, expertise, and unique approach to patient care.
When did you discover your interest in acupuncture?
When I moved to California as a young adult, I studied holistic health including modalities like Tai Qi and Qi Kung, nutrition, Eastern philosophy, and somatic psychology. Coming from a very classic European background, all these studies were new approaches to understanding the body and mind. I ended up doing community outreach for several years assisting a successful practitioner and witnessed during that time the power of that medicine. I discovered the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and experienced its benefits. I learned that it restores healthy digestion, improves blood strength and immunity, supports fertility, restores calmness, and more.
My personal story took me on a journey dealing with fertility issues. Acupuncture and herbal medicine combined with nutrition and functional medicine, cupping, infrared heat, and the hand of a skilled doctor really shifted my body and not only helped me become pregnant but most importantly successfully supported me all the way to a natural delivery of a healthy and strong baby. At the time I wanted to learn the craft but was not ready to go through the gruesome Master’s degree and Doctorate programs. So, I kept studying other healing art modalities like spiritual psychology, meditation, nutrition, functional medicine, and craniosacral therapy until I decided to tackle the rigorous academic programs. I graduated from ACTCM at the California Institute of Integral Studies with a Doctorate in Chinese and Acupuncture medicine.
I’ve found the sentence “With over 10,000 hours invested in various human somatic education, Pauline has a remarkable understanding of how life shapes us” very interesting. Can you explain that in more detail?
Through years of education, observing the human soul, exploring human stories and their conditions, and facilitating by touching one person at a time, I have grown to a level of understanding of how life shapes us and how it impacts our inner self. Each person has a very unique human experience. It is through the journey of discovering these stories and integrating TCM, educated touch, and spiritual and transpersonal psychology that I have gained a deeper perception of the human soul.
I successfully guided patients to the path of recovery of their self, allowing them to gain knowledge and understanding of the root cause of their current conditions. This is a fundamental aspect of Oriental medicine as once you are familiar with what is creating your conditions it is easier to take the journey toward recovery. It is so enlightening and motivating to see patients being able to get out of their medications (with the supervision of their prescribers), get out of depression and anxiety, address their traumas, and restore their faith in living a life without debilitating symptoms or being able to become pregnant just to give a few examples. I really love what I do!
Compared to when you started, do you notice a change in your clients and/or a growth of mental illnesses? What changed the most in your two decades of experience?
What has changed the most perhaps is the understanding people have now about the modalities that I practice. Thirty years ago, people’s perception of bodywork, massage therapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, meditation practice, and psychology modalities such as spiritual psychology and transpersonal psychology was very marginal and not yet appreciated for their noble qualities. The World Health Organisation regroups these professions under the umbrella of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).
The rigid Western medicine model was still imposing its strong authority as if they knew it all. Today, most patients have an integrated approach to attending to their health. It is easier today to access information about this medicine and read about the stories that people share about the success of their journey. There is also a process of going back to ancestral knowledge, especially in the domain of herbs, but also at the somatic level. We need both, the Western and the Eastern. It is through the integrative practice of both of these spectrums that optimal health can be cultivated.
One of the blog posts is titled “How to integrate Chinese medicine into your cancer recovery”. What other serious conditions can be integrated into the treatments we already have in the Western world?
When someone expresses a chronic disorder or a serious auto-immune disease like cancer or MS or Parkinson’s disease, for example, the patient has lost their internal equilibrium a very long time ago. When the expression of these debilitating diseases arises, oftentimes people respond out of fear and choose the treatment suggested by the practice of Western Medicine.
Some protocols work better than others. TCM offers support in restoring the balance of the vital organs, it can also offer an amazing state of calmness and centeredness by offering acupuncture treatments and herbal medicine that soothe the central nervous system and offer a sacred space to process the often violent but necessary treatment from the West. Again, it’s the integration of both medicines that offers an optimal outcome. One of the most challenging things, when one is not well, is the choice of treatments to follow in order to regain health and balance. It’s a great subject to speak about and there is much more to be said about that.
Your post about anxiety also caught my attention. Can you share with our audience the solution you presented? What teas are the most powerful and suited for modern illnesses/conditions?
Anxiety is a societal symptom of a deeper desire, a longing to be whole. It literally means fear of the future. In other words, anxiety is when one loses ground, breath, and rhythm. In order to find the root cause of this symptom, which often comes with many others, it’s important to have a full picture of the context of the person’s life, where they are in their developmental process, their lifestyle, their beliefs, their gut health and the choices they made. Oftentimes, it’s about bringing consciousness to a state of being that needs a little insight.
As far as herbal medicine support, the Chinese pharmacopeia offers an extraordinary selection of excellent herbal remedies that can be tailored to each individual based on their physiology. It’s important not to self-medicate as these herbs are potent and must be prescribed according to the medication the patient may be taking in order to avoid medical interaction.
Please share a message with our audience in these challenging times.
Times have always been challenging, from antiquity to today, the world we live in invites the overcome of challenges to every single person. I do believe in the power of community and the abundance of resources available to us. When guided and supported by our peers, our friends, and our loved ones, we can figure it all out. It’s all about how we connect with our inner self in relationship to the outer world. I think one of the keys to challenging times is to find joy in what we do. When our spirits are well nourished, our lives are thriving and challenges dissolve.
