Within this episode, Alaine Duncan discusses the role of Integrative Medicine in treating burnout and compassion fatigue. She discusses how she has combined Eastern and Western philosophies to treat physical symptoms of stress and trauma within the body. Her approach to treating the body, and helping to support the parasympathetic nervous system is critical for helping us understand how the nervous system impacts the people around us (i.e. family, patients, and clients).
Alaine Duncan
Alaine Duncan is a Licensed Acupuncturist and certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. She graduated from Maryland University of Integrative Health’s program with a Master’s Degree in Acupuncture and she’s completed Somatic Experiencing Practitioner training. Her research background includes serving on studies assessing the impact of integrative medicine on compassion fatigue in military caregivers; the use of acupuncture for the treatment of combat-related traumatic stress, the treatment of chronic headaches in current conflict Veterans with traumatic brain injuries and for Gulf War Veterans Illness. She was a Founding Director of Crossings Healing & Wellness in Silver Spring, MD and was a charter member of the Integrative Health & Wellness program at the DC Veterans Administration Medical Center, serving as a contractor there from 2007-2017. She is the founder of Integrative Healing, LLC with a mission to integrate the wisdom of Chinese Medicine with the study of neurobiology and traumatic stress in both the classroom and the treatment room. She is an adjunct faculty member at Maryland University of Integrative Health. Her book, The Tao of Trauma, is an East-meets-West exploration of traumatic stress; it provides the basis for continuing education classes she offers for acupuncturists and mental health providers on best practices for the treatment of traumatic stress.
Key Terms: acupuncture, integrative medicine, five elements theory, somatic experience, polyvagul theory, trauma, stress
