Open Circle Acupuncture and Healing is thrilled to announce that their team is growing, as they welcome acupunturist Ariel Stimson. Ariel recently moved to Massachusetts from Portland, Oregon and brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in both acupuncture & herbology.
Ariel is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in the state of Massachusetts, as well as being board certified with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). She received her Master’s degree in Oriental Medicine from the Oregon School of Oriental Medicine in Portland, Oregon.
Ariel has been interested in plants, science and caring for others for as long as she can remember. After growing up in Bedford, MA she went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and spent her first two years pre-med majoring in Psychology with a Neuroscience concentration. She realized that she wanted to offer a more holistic and patient-centered approach and decided to switch tracks and built her own major, combining Clinical Western Herbalism, Sustainable Food & Farming and Social Justice. She spent her final semester studying abroad in India, in a program focused on spiritual sustainability where she first volunteered on an organic farm, studied yoga, and was introduced to sound healing.
After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science, Ariel worked on a handful of small organic farms, recognizing firsthand the value of eating fresh organic foods and syncing our bodies with the seasons. While doing so, she continued her studies of Western Herbalism with Katja Swift and Ryan Midura, completing a nine month apprenticeship course at the Commonwealth School of Herbal Medicine (now CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism) in Brookline, MA. When an old knee injury resurfaced while farming, she decided it was time to switch tracks again to re-focus on healing and wellness. It was the desire to deepen her herbal knowledge which drew her to studying Chinese Medicine, and moved cross country to Portland, Oregon to attend the top school in the country at the time. She spent three years working first as a work-study student, then as a supervisor, at the herbal medicinary at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM), formulating raw bulk and granule Chinese Herbal Formulas and selling patents to patients at the school’s clinic. She also practiced at the Hooper Detox Center in Portland, offering community style ear acupuncture to patients in withdrawal. After graduating from OCOM, she moved back to Massachusetts to be close to family.
Ariel has practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) style acupuncture, Japanese acupuncture, Tuina and Shiatsu massage and has explored the realm of sound healing with patients, using a banjo during treatment sessions. Her areas of focus include emotional/mental/spiritual health and wellbeing, including addiction and trauma support, orthopedics and pain relief, neurological health and elder care. She loves offering gentle compassionate care and holding space for others to allow for deep healing. In her free time, Ariel loves being in the woods with her dog Monkey, nerding out over plant and mushroom identification, and mountain biking. She also enjoys practicing qi gong, yoga, playing music, snowboarding and spending time with friends and family.