MEET MATT
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Are you under your life, not above it? Are you suffering from chronic health issues or emotional turbulence that keep you from finding a stable footing in life – to bring about your vision of the life you want to create? You’ve come to the right place, Matt’s been through it all, let him share his story of success with you…
So who is this Matt person, anyways?
Matt Walton (R.TCMP, R.Ac) has been making maps to health since he first learned the word ‘depression’. Even then, he had a voice in the back of his mind recognize the value in recording his steps, paths, and relentless pursuits of what really worked towards deep and lasting happiness. This inner voice knew with such certainty that life was meant to be lived to its fullest and that failure in the journey to peace & contentment simply wasn’t an option.
Trusting that this process was a blessing in disguise, as all our wounds are, Matt knew his experiences and skills were meant to be shared with others, so that others don’t have to spend so long in the dark- spending years looking for the path before even beginning to walk it. It didn’t take long for Matt to realize that ‘disease’, like health, is wholistic; that his mental and emotional well-being depended on his physical and vice-versa. And so he awakened to his Spiral Journey, learning that there is no silver bullet, and ‘every little bit helps’ became his mantra. Every step he has taken since another tool in his toolbox towards helping others to whole health & well-being.
Early Life…
It was Matt’s early life that certainly shaped who he is. Matt was an extremely imaginative (over-imaginative may be more appropriate here, but he doesn’t believe in that idea) youth who spent most of his years outdoors with friends, both people and nature. He is the ‘big brother’ of his beloved sister Julia, the youngest of his 3 siblings. Julia lives with Down’s Syndrome and has been one of the greatest teachers in his life, teaching him endless tolerance, understanding and innocence, qualities Matt tries to embody each and every day.
Matt’s awakening to spirituality began unusually early. Growing up in very rural Ontario, Matt was never far from nature, and indeed from an extremely young age began noticing patterns, whispers, and special encounters with the animals in his Ontario – and literal – backyard. This lead naturally to extensively (perhaps obsessively) exploring Paganism & Indigenous spirituality in early highschool.
Through a series of powerful insights this then naturally lead to an equally deep and transformative exploration of meditation, Kundalini tantra practices, Buddhism, as well as Jungian depth psychology in his later highschool years.
A Journey to Wholism…
After his first move from home, from a tiny village to downtown Toronto, Matt’s journey into wholistic medicine truly began. He worked with two Tibetan Amchis (Tibetan doctors) for several years, experiencing the power of Tibetan Medicine, where his Amchis could tell what he had eaten the previous week- by simply feeling his pulse.
During this phase of life, Matt attended numerous Tibetan “Empowerment” ceremonies (his most significant being Green Tara, White Tara and two Medicine Buddha rituals). Actively involved in the Shambhala community of Toronto (specifically the teachings of Pema Chodron), Matt received Level IV Warrior Training, as well as numerous other retreat trainings offered by the community. Matt also participated in the Kalachakra Initiation, the highest Tibetan Empowerment, offered by the Dalai Lama himself in 2004.
His deep respect for traditional/native cultures then took him to the jungles and ruins of Central America, where for almost half a year he bicycled across the landscapes of Yucatan, Belize & Guatemala. His intention: to extract fact from fiction from the pre-2012 “Mayanism” fad, by learning from the Mayan’s themselves. This journey awoke him to the power of indigenous plant medicines, while also witnessing the destruction of rainforests & indigenous communities, specifically in Guatemala, due to Canadian mining companies.
His passion to preserve these traditions and environments lead him to working as a social justice and environmental activist, teaching him the mechanics of privilege and anti-oppression, as well as alternative economic and education models & subcultures. Matt worked both professionally and volunteer as a community organizer for numerous activist & cultural collectives, while simultaneously working in health food stores and supplement departments – until his lightening-bolt decision to start his TCM training in 2009.
As you can see, Matt applies his endless search for the roots to health from the issues of society as a whole to the wholeness of your being.
Continuing the Tradition…
Matt possesses an intense passion for preserving, reigniting, and translating the world’s traditional medicines in a time when this wisdom is has been nearly forgotten by modern people. The profound wholistic worldview of our ancestors is medicine in and of itself, a medicine that is desperately needed in our increasingly fragmented and isolated world.
These ancient medicinal systems truly embody wholism and have refined these incredibly successful techniques and philosophies century after century. It is here where Matt finds his work, continuing this timeless tradition. With insight and humour he advances traditional healthcare while remaining passionately rooted in scientific verification & research; inspiring, guiding, empowering and restoring deep health to his incredible clients.
Experience…
From communicating with the whispered teachings of nature herself, to learning from the cultures that preserved these teachings; from deeply understanding the systems of our beautifully complex biology and psychology, to applying his natural skills in treating and healing his clients – Matt Walton integrates wholism – believing it to be the basic common sense, the absolute foundation of deep health…
Matt is an insured and licensed member of the College of TCM Practitioners & Acupuncturists, the regulating body of Ontario, Canada, and holds a Diploma of Acupuncture (R.Ac) and an Advanced Practitioner’s Diploma of Eastern Medicine (R.TCMP) from the Institute of Traditional Medicine. His training includes advanced Eastern Herbalism & Wholistic Clinical Nutrition, Counselling, Qi Gong, and Bodywork applied to areas such as Pediatrics, Cancer Care, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dermatology, Infectious Disease and Traumatology.
He has also received intensive training by renowned practitioners such as herbalist extraordinaire Dr. Jake Paul Fratkin, winner of the U.S. acupuncturist of the year and teacher of the year (U.S.); ‘Healing with Whole Foods‘ author Paul Pitchford, considered by many to be the ‘bible’ of modern & traditional integrated nutrition; Lorie Eve Dechar, author of Five Spirits and developer of Alchemical Acupuncture for psychological & spiritual healing; and Kenneth Cohen, North America’s leading Qi Gong master & researcher. Matt is a highly trained 4th level Gokuikaiden Reiki Master in the Gendai Tradition since 2004, and is deeply researched in advanced modern nutrition and the mental-emotional health field where he finds his greatest passions.
Matt is currently writing his thesis on the underappreciated power of Chinese Medicine in treating mental-emotional health conditions, wholistically.
Despite his formal training, Matt roots his experience – not in his extensive education – but by tapping our often forgotten ability to intuitively perceive the natures of our inner and outer worlds, from the physical, emotional, to environmental… believing that by deeply honouring & listening to what life presents us in all its forms, we learn the deep keys to restoring harmony on all levels…
Within ourselves, and to our outer natural world.
Matt is your guide towards living your life to its brightest potentials, healing the smallest aches, to the deepest pains. Matt’s clients leave with a sense of peace and purpose… what he calls an ‘Inspired Life’.
☯
