Christina Kraft: A Doctor Learns To Heal
A Path to Integrative Medicine This is a story of loss, recovery and finding a new path forward. After years of education and work, Christina Kraft had established a successful dental practice. But her perfect plans for the perfect career were thwarted as nerve pain, bony structures and tissue inflammation meant that she could no longer continue in her beloved dentistry practice. This is what she was meant to do! How could she leave her practice? Where would she go? How would she earn a living? There was no business model for this and even less guidance on a professional level. Who was she if not a doctor? While she mulled over her future, Christina got a job the Miraval Resort in Arizona, teaching yoga and running hikes into the Sonoran mountains. Healing her own mind, body and spirit opened the door to her next step. She enrolled in Andrew Weil’s Center for Integrative Medicine where the curriculum included traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, Ayurveda, mind/body medicine, the role of mindfulness and spirituality and nutrition. It was a curriculum for medical professionals seeking to make a difference. “So my plan was to lean into what I love. And what came next started to emerge.” In an environment that resonated with her own mind/body/spirit experiences, Christina found a path forward. She is now starting a concierge business in integrative health where she can combine her experiences and wisdom in helping others. She reflects: “I’m a healer. I’m a health coach.” And so this phase of her journey is coming full circle, in a new business, with a new orientation, where she continues on a path towards true health. Follow Bump on: