Hi! I am
Fumiha Tanaka (She/they)
I am here to tender and work with mama earth, the earth who provides us with her unconditional love.
I have been there…
It feels as if I have been in the darkness for many many years until I submerged myself into the world of plants.
They taught me about life and belonging. They reminded me the way to feel good, content, connected, authentic and be in the wholeness, the home.
Yes, I have been there… I have suffered with depression for many years, flare up of eczema and traumas. I have gone to the doctors to doctors, and used mysterious medications that I can’t pronounce external and internal. The symptoms don’t go away, or even it did, it is just a temporary then they sent me to specialists to specialists… Each visits, I felt rushed and had to tell a story within 15 minutes. My mind used to go blank and not know what to ask. Office visits were very intimidating. I have been to dermatologists who don’t listen and don’t look at my skin when my skin is breaking out.
I have been there…
It is so stressful, it is so frustrating, exhausting and it is so scary. Hopelessness and sadness seeps in, sleepless nights with stress and anxiety increases.
At the end of every runaround, I always ended up with holistic practitioners, and energy healers. They are the ones who really listened to me and worked with me. Even it took few months, and took time, they were by me, supported me to go through the challenging time internally and externally. The results are transformative from the core and sustainable.
I am not against modern medicines. I believe that it is time for all the medicines to come together, from new to the traditional, and different lineages to create the balance.
I see “healing” as a lifelong process and part of our work. I do not have mysterious eczema anymore. I can manage my stress and depression better. More than anything, I feel the wholeness, and the feeling of home. There are bumps on the road, but now I have deepened the relationship with plant medicines, energy healing, an other beautiful modalities, I have my own tools to listen to my body and reconnect with spirits and mind. I can access and recall the light I have within myself. When things are extra challenging, I know I can trust my healing abilities with support of plants, spirits, my herbalist (yes, herbalists need herbalists too!), energy healers and other holistic practitioners.
I would like to be one of those, those that can support an individual, and walk together on their path of healing.
Every-body is unique.
I am here to listen to your story, find the way to navigate and be in touch with medicine within you.
Born and raised in Japan, Indonesia, and Singapore, I now reside in Brooklyn, New York, on Lenape land, where the Mespeatches people used to hunt. My experience growing up as a minority away from my ancestral home has allowed me to understand what it feels like to long for home and connection with our ancestors, and brought me to work with trauma and empowerment of myself and others on different levels.
After about 10 years living in New York, I experienced a sudden awakening that shifted my path quickly to dive deep into the world of plant medicine. Compelled, I enrolled in Arbor Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism here in New York, and completed a three year clinical herbalist course.
It was an awakening that led me to commit to serve people on their healing path to live life, not “on” the earth, but “with” the earth, as part of this circle of nature.
I believe strongly that our healing journey leads to the healing of the land we live upon. It is through connecting with our environment—the plants and the elements, such as fire, air, water and earth—that we remember where we belong and find our home within.
In our societies today, we are often disconnected from the medicine we have access to. The air that we breathe is the most accessible medicine we have. The food we eat is what we are. The plants that grow around us are the medicines we need. Pain within our bodies, lets us know when we must change our behavior. Trauma teaches and guides us to be stronger, better beings. The fast pace of modern life has led us to forget to pause and listen to our surroundings and to ourselves.
Being an artist for all my life, and living in foreign countries as a child allowed me to visualize the stories hidden between the lines, and to channel and work with the energy of light and spirits.
Guided by plants, I am now immersed in the vast world of the healing arts. After many years of practicing Reiki(Usui), I now hold Reiki III, and Earth Evolution Reiki, and am also trained in Conscious Breathwork, Biodynamic Breathwork, IET (Integrated Energy Therapy), Medical Intuition and SourcePoint Therapy. I have also been blessed to have been introduced to other healing modalities from different indigenous traditions. It is my joy to weave all these modalities into my herbalism practice.
Much gratitude to all my teachers : Claudia Keel, Richard Mandelbaum, Samuel Perry, Olatokunboh Obasi, Nathaniel Whitmore, Carols and Ana Gonzalez, Aki Hirata Baker, Manu Del Prete, Irma StarSpirit Turtle Woman, Maria Socorro Laya-Smith "Sockie", Siedeh Foxie, Haruka Hikita, Jason DeFilippis, Owyn Ruck, and Damian Mccann.
I am available for consultations in both English and Japanese.
I am forever a student of life, our plant relatives, animals and mother earth.
I am constantly in awe with the teachings of plants and enjoy connecting with their spirit through
my art and writing.
“Fumiha is a sensitive and perceptive herbal practitioner.
She was able to really listen to me in order to understand the problem and offer truly helpful guidance and suggestions. Just her presence alone is healing because she is calm, kind, intelligent, and full of an inner beauty that comes through clearly in her work. Fumiha is professional without feeling clinical or frigid. She is a very clear communicator and thoughtful person.
Thank you for your help in a time when I needed it!.” — Kasia