About Patience Harvey

I felt a strong call to the Plant Kingdom at a young age while growing up in North Carolina. I embraced that relationship at age 19 when I began my herbal studies in earnest with a course of studies at the Dominion Herbal College in British Columbia.

As an adult I lived deep in the woods of Eastern Shasta County, California for twenty years. This lifestyle gave me a great opportunity to hone my herbal skills as I home-birthed, homeschooled and raised three children who were all soothed and nourished with different herbs. During these years, I shared this knowledge with my community.

After many years of courses and workshops, I completed an apprenticeship with Amanda McQuade Crawford in an Herbal Clinical setting for six months in 1993. I began to notice that the best herbalists had their massage certificates and would use aromatherapy techniques while practicing those massage skills.

Reluctantly but doggedly, I found a massage school in Redding, California. I fought down my shyness and fear to begin my education with massage. Lo and behold, I had a transformation in my life that changed me deeply: I discovered I had quite a talent for hands-on-healing.

I found and read Dr. Arvigo’s book Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer, then learned of her presence at a Women’s Herbal Conference back east. I grabbed my teenage daughter to make the journey with me, and the rest (as they say) is history!

My herbal background has served me well as a practitioner of  Abdominal Therapy. There are many herbal formulas that Dr. Arvigo has created based on the knowledge she has gleaned from her Central American teachers. Her “Rainforest Remedies” line of herbs is integral to the work of massage. I use these herbs in tincture form with my clients, when appropriate.

I offer my treatments with compassion and understanding in a non-judgmental atmosphere. My clients and I together explore new paths to healing and ways to honor the body in the manner it deserves. My energy is often referred to as “Mama Bear”, and I take great delight in acknowledging it. We all need mothering to some degree, and I can offer that spirit of being mothered to those who need that energy.