Meet Hannah Fries of Friespirit Healing Arts in Larchmont

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Fries.

Hannah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
To a considerable extent, I’ve arrived where I am today simply by way of the natural progression of my life. From the time I was a child, I was enthralled with having magical powers and believed deep down that magic was alive in the universe. I’ve been labeled “sensitive” for as long as I can remember and was the recipient of awards such as “heart of gold” in grade school. I often notice injustices and heartache (alongside beauty and goodness) where others do not, and am compelled by a deep desire to serve the greater good.

From a young age, I was exposed to and affected by the struggle of severe illness within my family. As I witnessed my beloved father suffer for years as a patient in the clutch of the dominant medical paradigm, I felt overwhelmed by a voice within that believed in another way. I was distraught by the limits of the “healthcare” system around me, sensing that something potent was missing in the typical patient-doctor relationship and that the very foundation of the establishment was unstable. Later, in my own personal healing journey, when the status quo proved ineffective (or, worse, iatrogenic), I was drawn to many “alternative” forms of medicine and healing. In the face of uncertainty, frustration, grief, anxiety, and pain, I found solace, strength, joy, and healing in nature, spiritual practices such as yoga, meditation and breathwork, intentional embodiment practices, acupuncture/herbal medicine, intuitive and holistic nutrition, various bodywork modalities, and somatic psychotherapy.

I completed my undergraduate education at UCLA, where I delighted in studying Cultural Anthropology, with an emphasis in Psychological and Environmental Anthropology. Between undergrad and grad school, I immersed myself in the worlds of Permaculture, sustainability, meditation, yoga, psychospiritual inquiry, and authentic relating. My fascination with the inherent healing potential of plants and nature (humans included), paired with a deep desire to have something tangible and transformational to offer others, alongside an unquenchable thirst for multicultural insights and new lenses through which to view the world, led me to pursue a career in Chinese Medicine. I received my Master’s in Traditional Oriental Medicine from Emperor’s College in Santa Monica, while simultaneously completing a 3-year intensive training to become a certified Integrative Body Psychotherapy (IBP) Allied Professional. I began my private practice in 2017 in Los Angeles, as part of the Elemental Family Center for the Healing Arts, with my mom, a somatic psychotherapist (MFT) and my older sister, also an acupuncturist. I have since built a sister practice, under the name Friespirit Healing Arts, in Santa Barbara, and continue to see patients in both locations.

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?
Like any good adventure, this journey has been a bit messy; ripe with uncertainty and risk, primed for discovery and growth, and ultimately more meaningful because of the bumps in the road. The path I’ve forged has been a winding, illuminating, and unconventional one.

After a grueling four years of grad school (imagine going to med school while simultaneously learning to see the world through an entirely foreign cultural lens and doing some deep personal healing along the way – a privilege and a gift, yes, AND also crazy exhausting on every level) and preparing for the CA state board exam to attain my license, I felt like I needed another four years just to recover from the marathon. My excitement and passion to help others revived me, and five months later I was in business. Speaking of business, I had NO idea how to run one. Working with people and the medicine came naturally, unlike the marketing, bookkeeping, legal structures, and self-promotion. So, the following year I enrolled in a local women’s business course, which taught me the basics, and I’ve continued to learn through trial and error since.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Friespirit Healing Arts story. Tell us more about the business.
My mission in my work is to help people to discover and heal the underlying roots of their health concerns, using an individualized and holistic approach that views symptoms as the body’s generous attempt to communicate imbalance and the need for change on one or more levels. In contrast to the mainstream medical model that many are accustomed to, I treat whole people, not the disease they present with, and I take my time connecting with patients so that I can learn a patient’s story, cultivate trust and understanding, and give adequate time for effective treatment.

My offerings include various modalities of Chinese Medicine (acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine, moxa, etc.), psychospiritual embodiment coaching, and lifestyle/nutrition counseling. While I treat a diverse range of conditions, I focus primarily on women’s health (especially in regards to cycle regulation, fertility, and menopause), immune system regulation, and psycho-emotional health (stress/anxiety, emotional overwhelm, addiction, trauma).

I also offer home visits, and facilitate various collaborative workshops on occasion, including a psycho-spiritual based workshop called Embracing Your Demons, My newest offering in light of current world circumstances is outdoor treatments (in client’s yard or my own).

I pride myself on creating a safe and potent space in which my patients can reveal and reactivate their innate healing potential and personal power. I welcome anyone into my practice who is willing and curious to explore the connections between their physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual health, and to utilize this understanding in their healing journey to cultivate vitality, freedom, empowerment, and purpose.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I suppose that depends on one’s definition of luck. I think it’s safe to say that we are all finally becoming more aware of the insidious and systemic structures that benefit some at the expense of others (i.e., racism, sexism, classism), and I recognize that my privilege as a middle-class white woman in America might easily and dangerously be confused with “luck” if I’m not careful. That said, I feel immensely fortunate to have been born into a loving, open-minded, and supportive family, with the (relative) freedom to take the path of my own choosing and access to the resources that make it possible.

And I suppose I don’t really believe in “bad luck”. I am not immune to deep sorrow and overwhelming struggle; I am human after all. Yet, I have learned to know the “failures” and the “demons” as opportunities and insights; to see the ache as a gift and the wound as medicine ripe with potentiality.

Pricing:

• 90 Minute New Patient Consultation/Protocol Design & Acupuncture Treatment: $240*
• 60 Minute Follow Up Acupuncture/Chinese Medicine: $132*
• 45 Minute Cupping + Ear Seed Treatment: $96*
• Embracing Your Shadows: Guided Journeying (6 virtual sessions: three 90 min sessions/mo for 2 months + follow-ups): $888
• *Home visits include an additional fee of $100; limited sliding scale available for those in need

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.friespirit.com/
• Phone: (323) 538-1569
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friespirit/

Image Credit:
Laura Penner (personal photo in field of flowers), Mattie Brickman (headshot of me in floral dress)

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