Darren Brooks, LAc, has been practicing Chinese medicine since 1990 and bodywork since 1988. Darren refers to his own gentle healing style as “lava lamp work,” which integrates the classical healing and wisdom teachings of different traditions, as well as a number of different bodywork styles such as: Craniosacral Therapy, myofascial release, Structural Integration, Aston-Patterning, Feldenkrais, Trager work, pediatric Tui Na, Sotai, Shiatsu and more. He also studied healing and meditation from both Western and Eastern esoteric traditions.

Darren practiced for years in Chicago, Illinois, and then in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before coming to Portland 2012. In Portland, Darren continues to treat clients by making house calls, working part-time at various clinics, and at NUNM where, as a Chinese medicine clinical supervisor and substitute supervisor, he enjoys sharing his experience.

Darren’s clinical work with patients is also uniquely shaped by his background in the martial arts, starting in 1974 with Judo, and then progressing to Tae Kwon Do, and Shotokan Karate. He taught Karate for several years before moving toward the more internal arts, such as Wing Chun Gong Fu, Taiji Chuan and Aikido. Currently, Darren is an assistant instructor at a local Aikido school and holds private classes in Taiji Chuan and Daoist philosophy.

Traditional martial arts training is quite in harmony with the practice of the healing arts. Classical martial arts training teaches conflict resolution, a deeper understanding of body mechanics and the physics of motion, space and time, and the development of a sense of connection – all important elements in the practice of the healing arts. The secret of traditional martial arts is how aligned they are philosophically and physically with healing and spiritual growth.