Here is one way I would share who I am…
I am an explorer of consciousness and lover of Nature. I am an advocate for the plant world and use herbs as medicine. I am deeply involved in community health as a practitioner and educator, and I constantly question the status quo of the technologically-based, corporate health care system. I see the multifaceted connections between humans and their environment and can step back to view the bigger picture, while at the same time look deeply into the microscopic landscape of health and illness.
I grew up a shy and sensitive boy and was more comfortable sitting back and observing people than engaging with them. I could tell how people felt, and what they thought, without words being spoken. This sensitivity has been a gift, as well as a curse at times.
The only class in high school that struck me as interesting was psychology. I went to college as a psych major, only to come to realize that statistics and rat studies were not what I got into it for. So, I switched to “health appraisal and enhancement”, which is where those who wanted to learn about health went, without having to be a pre-med student. (Mostly athletes that were going to be gym teachers and teach a health class. And yes, I was an athlete and thought I might want to be a sport psychologist.)
I soon realized that the western model of health and disease that separates the mind and body did not resonate with me, and left college to study Traditional Chinese Medicine. I was captivated with its foundations in body/mind healing, as well as its understanding of the influences in our surrounding environment that can lead to wellness or disorder. This wholistic modality of healing also included our spirit and resonated with my Taoist and Buddhist beliefs at the time. I completed a master’s degree in acupuncture and herbal medicine in 2002, then opened a health care clinic and started my practice.
I came to love working with plants and began growing and wild-harvesting for food and medicine. I studied primitive skills, wilderness survival, and permaculture. I lived in a yurt and began homesteading in Vermont, while building a home, family, and gardens.
I met my mentor Stephen Buhner in 2003 and apprenticed with him until his death in 2022. He taught me how to be with plants in a sacred way, and imparted in me to be the most integral authentic self I am. I would not be here today, doing what I do, without him. I would not be helping those with Lyme disease and providing the herbs to so many, nor would I have written a book on invasive plants without him dropping the idea and encouraging me to do so.
All along the way, I spent time backpacking to wild and remote places and completed numerous silent mediation retreats. I sat in sweat lodges in the Mexican desert and the mountains of Vermont and connected with myself through ayahuasca ceremonies in the Costa Rican jungle. I have done multiple vision quests, fasted for extended periods of time, and have done psychedelic based therapy. I also learned about myself through chronic debilitating illness, and have too experienced loss and grief in relationships. All of this has opened and shaped who I am.
This life has propelled me to work in the healing arts and to serve others. I can see what is not shown, hear what is not spoken, and feel deeply with an empathetic heart. For nearly 25 years, I have had particular interest in working with folks who are suffering from chronic illness and experiencing mental and emotional difficulties, along with those wanting to release trauma and needing support through transitions in life. I also specialize in the treatment of Lyme disease, which has all of these components. Every person I work with teaches me a little more about myself and the world we live in.
Thank you for being part of my journey.
Timothy Lee Scott 