February 26, 2017

Meet Portia Wilson of Deeper Genius Acupuncture & Healing Arts in West Hollywood & Downtown LA

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Portia Wilson.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Portia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Holistic Medicine is something I have been interested in since I was a child. As a kid, whenever I would come down with a cold, it was the weird tasting herbal medicine that I preferred over popular cough syrups. It always baffled the adults in my family.

It was no surprise to anyone when I enrolled in a nearly five-year full-time graduate program to become an acupuncturist. By this point, I had experienced a life-changing internship and personal wellness journey with two acupuncturists in Washington, DC. Through this experience and my time spent in grad school, I realized that this 5,000-year-old medical system continues to have great implications for the world. Traditional Chinese Medicine is something that I’m tremendously grateful to offer.

After finishing graduate school at Emperor’s College of Oriental Medicine in Santa Monica, I decided that I wanted to go into business for myself. It sounds like a big deal, but honestly, it’s your only real choice as an acupuncturist. We’re a young profession here in the states. We’ve only been able to legally practice in the U.S. for about 30 years now. That being said, there aren’t too many places to drop off an application for an acupuncturist.

I opened Deeper Genius Acupuncture & Healing Arts in 2016. Its name came to me over a period of a few weeks. The idea that everyone is a genius in their own right and the etymology of the word itself have long been inspirations. We each have at least one thing about us that is so brilliant and so unique. That thing, I believe is a gift to the world. The stressors of our fast paced society, unresolved trauma, questionable food choices, and sedentary lifestyles amongst other things– create imbalances that cause pain, illness, and obscure our personal genius. Collectively, we’re stressed, anxious, sick to the stomach and often times so far removed from a sense of balance that wellness is an abstract concept. Being tapped into the present and what you can give to the world is a bizarre notion for a lot of us. My goal at Deeper Genius is so slow down the mind and reintegrate people back into their bodies. It’s in this space that people can enter a state of relaxation, allow the body to heal itself, and essentially tap further into their purpose. This is the work that I get to do!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This question elicited an actual LOL. It’s been smooth in a number of ways. Namely, the smoothness has been in trusting that acupuncture and this level of healing work are my life’s passions. It’s easy to tough out the rough patches when you are doing something you love. It also helps to have an incredibly supportive partner in my wife, Alma. The rough patches I’ve experienced are fairly typical of an entrepreneur. I have my days where I’m on top of the world and then the next afternoon I’m cross-eyed over scheduling, organizing, and running a one-woman show. My greatest struggle has been training my very right-brained mind to lean on my left-brain a bit more.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Deeper Genius Acupuncture & Healing Arts story. Tell us more about the business.
Deeper Genius Acupuncture & Healing Arts is an acupuncture practice rooted in the wisdom of the Traditional Chinese Medical system (TCM). Being trained in a full medical system, acupuncturists are equipped with the ability to treat a wide variety of conditions. My typical patient visits are for back pain, stress, anxiety, painful periods, menopausal issues, gut health, and health maintenance. The thing that brings me most pride is the feedback I get from patients who feel like they’ve truly been heard by a healthcare provider. Suddenly, all of their small seemingly odd and disconnected symptoms make sense to someone. As an acupuncturist, I get to listen to people explain their bodily experiences and craft a specific wellness plan to restore internal balance for them. This type of patient autonomy is crucial to achieving optimal wellness.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t really believe in luck. I believe in the power of being intentional with my moments, days, feelings, and thoughts. Being intentional creates a level of inner awareness that guides me in the necessary direction. My inner compass is strong and hasn’t let me down yet. I suppose that could look like luck from an observer’s standpoint.

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