David A. Kaminker, LAc, MSOM
David is a Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc) and holds a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM). He is also a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DOM) in the State of New Mexico. He has a full-time clinical practice, in which he integrates Japanese acupuncture of the Ki Shin Po tradition, Chinese acupuncture in the style of Dr. Richard Tan and Master Tung, Chinese herbal medicine, and Visionary Craniosacral Work®. David is certified as a NARM Informed Professional, having completed the Level One Professional Training in NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) for healing complex trauma.
Specializing in pain relief and somatic inquiry, David embraces a trauma-informed approach to healing, with the intention of restoring self-agency, cultivating safety, and establishing consent within the therapeutic environment.
David found his passion in the healing arts at the age of eighteen, when he began studying yoga, massage, and herbal medicine. At the Heartwood Institute in Garberville, California, he became certified as a Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP), completing a twelve-month, full-time program in Swedish, deep-tissue, and connective-tissue massage, as well as craniosacral therapy, Zen shiatsu, and nutrition. David received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he focused on music, literature, and Eastern philosophy.
A graduate of the four-year, full-time program at Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, David studied Chinese and Japanese acupuncture, moxibustion, tui na, nutrition, and Chinese herbal medicine. He also completed a clinical externship at Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in Harbin, China. David is certified by the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), as a Diplomat of Oriental Medicine (DiplOM). He served as an assistant teacher at Southwest Acupuncture College, for classes in Japanese Acupuncture, Acupuncture Needling Techniques, Advanced Acupuncture Needling Techniques, and Point Location.
Since 2003, David has been practicing craniosacral work, and he has been studying with Hugh Milne since 2006. As a graduate of the Milne Institute, he is certified in Visionary Craniosacral Work®. Integral to his ongoing teacher training, David served as an assistant teacher for every class that Hugh Milne taught in the United States for eight years.
David teaches classes in Visionary Craniosacral Work® as part of the core curriculum for the Milne Institute: C1-C6, C1-C6 Advanced Content Classes, Pediatric Craniosacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, and The Brain: Healing Trauma.
He offers courses in Ashland, Oregon; Graz, Austria; and Hamburg, Germany.
David endeavors to deliver the spirit and material of Hugh Milne’s teaching as accurately as possible, while maintaining his own special flavor, harmonizing clinical experience, vulnerability, humor, and kindness. His heart's desire is to impart within every student the inspiration to deepen their presence, touch, perception, and voice, in their work and in their lives.
Agency, safety, and consent are the essential foundations of David’s approach to teaching. He is committed to creating a learning environment that supports diversity and fosters inclusion.
David has an insatiable passion to understand the human body/mind/spirit. He continually strives to deepen his knowledge and enhance his skills, to become an even more effective practitioner and teacher. He is a musician and a devoted practitioner of meditation.
David lives in Ashland, Oregon, with his inspiring wife, Rachel, and his precious daughter, Sophia Naia.