Heartflow Healing is the Private practice of

Laura Salvatore, LAc.

About Me

I am committed to easing suffering in this world, one human at a time.

I am a licensed acupuncturist and medicine woman dedicated to easing suffering through attuned presence and therapeutic touch. Finding the intersection where disharmony in spirit, mind or emotions manifest physically is my passion. I help those in distress release patterns that are no longer serving them, and guide them back to embodied states of harmonious flow and health.

I have felt a life-long calling to be a healer. Growing up, I took much inspiration from my grandfather, a devoted physician until age eighty-nine. His passion for his life’s work guided me to follow in his footsteps. However, my heart quite literally led me on an alternative path.

At nineteen years old, I began experiencing severe chest pain and other heart related symptoms. When allopathic medicine failed to diagnose and treat me, I sought out natural medicine for the first time in my life. Through comprehensive, holistic care, I discovered that I was physically manifesting symptoms from my first emotional heart break. This surprising discovery led to the life-altering recognition of my own wholeness; I viscerally understood that mind, body, emotions, and spirit are not separate from one another, they are in fact intimately intertwined and hold equal importance for our well-being. All of me was heart-sick and all of me needed to heal.

It is through my own healing journey that I came to study massage therapy and classical East Asian medicine. I have learned how to listen to and follow the wisdom of the body through over a decade of experience offering therapeutic touch. My more recent studies of acupuncture and somatic therapies have deepened my intuitive gifts for working with the more subtle energies of the body and spirit. This supports me in teaching humans how to reconnect with themselves and their innate healing potential.

I believe in treating the whole person, and strive to do so gently, lovingly, and compassionately.

The Work I do

The medicine that I offer is relational, intuitive, heart-centered and gentle.

I believe in the self-healing power that all humans possess and trust that your body knows best how to heal itself.

I listen deeply to the stories that you vulnerably share as well as the unspoken stories held in the tissues of your body.

I am present, using my heart and my hands to attune to the innate intelligence of your body. I aim to unwind patterns of disease and disconnection as they arise.

I am a sacred witness to your healing journey, facilitating a safe space in which you are invited to reconnect with and embody your most authentic, whole, and healthful self.

I use a trauma-informed approach and pull from various healing modalities to encourage the release of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual suffering.

“Laura is an especially intuitive healer. She possess a unique ability to allow people to feel comfortable and deeply cared for. She is committed to hearing, treating and understanding the whole person. Laura’s attentive demeanor and caring touch provide a safe environment and creates a true feeling of natural healing.”
— LN

what to expect

No two treatments are the same.

My work is deeply intuitive, hands-on, and tailored to your unique needs. I combine therapeutic touch, gentle acupuncture and moxibustion, craniosacral therapy, somatic regulation practices and intuitive energy medicine in my sessions. I flow with whatever arises on the treatment table in the moment.

I spend the entire time face-to-face with you, never leaving the room (unless specifically asked to do so).

I do not rush. It is of the utmost importance to me that you feel heard, seen and compassionately held during our work together. I abide by the principle that “less-is-more,” so my treatments tend to be slow, subtle, and gentle. My patients often reflect their surprise in how powerful and profound such gentle treatments can be.

I practice trauma-informed care and am careful to tend to your sense of safety in every session.

I value genuine connection, consent, and collaboration in our work together so that you feel empowered to make choices that feel aligned for you.

Interested in working together?

Background

    • Oregon Medical Board Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc)

    • California Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc)

    • Certified Acupuncturist by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)

    • Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath Certified Practitioner, 2024

    • Certified Provider of Classical Chinese Herbal Formulation with Heiner Fruehauf, PhD, LAc, 2024

    • Certified Shiatsu Massage Practitioner with Harry King, LAc, via the National University of Natural Medicine, 2021

    • Certified Level II Traditional Reiki Practitioner by Usui Shiki Ryoho, 2015

    • Certified Massage Practitioner (CMP) by the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), 2012

    In Progress:

    • Craniosacral Therapy (CST) via the Carol Gray Center for CST Studies

    • NeuroAffective Touch Practitioner with the NeuroAffective Touch Institute

    • Master of Science in Oriental Medicine, Highest Honors, 2021 - National University of Natural Medicine, Portland, OR

    • Bachelor of Science Kinesiology, magna cum laude, 2015 - San Diego State University, San Diego, CA

  • Acupuncture & East Asian Medicine

    • Ongoing mentorship with Bob Quinn, DAOM, LAc in Japanese style acupuncture, moxibustion, and East Asian bodywork, 2021 - present

    • Essentials of Kiiko Matsumoto Acupuncture, 2024

    • Teishin: Takahiro-Style Technique with Funamizu Takahiro, LAc, 2024

    • Classical Strategies for Effective Herbal Formulation: A Master Class with Heiner Fruehauf, PhD, LAc, 2023-2024

    • Immersion in the World of Japanese Moxibustion, 2022

    • Engaging Vitality Fundamental Course Series, 2022

    • Acupuncture and Medical Cannabis, 2022

    • Koshi Balancing with Jeffrey Dann, PhD and Bob Quinn, DAOM, LAc, 2020

    • Teishin for Pain Management with Iwashina Anryu Sensei, LAc, 2019

    • Shonihari: Japanese Pediatric Acupuncture with Takayuki Kuwahara, LAc, 2017

    • Chinese herbal and Qigong focused studies with Heiner Fruehauf, PhD, LAc in Sichuan Province, China, 2017

    Craniosacral Therapy & Gentle Bodywork

    • Sotai: An International Immersion of Styles, 2023

    • Craniosacral Therapy Training with Carol Gray LMT, CST, RPYT, 2018-2022

    • Myofascial Release Therapy with Moving Mountain Institute, 2017

    • Craniosacral Therapy Training with Karen Thomas, CMT, 2012

    Trauma-Informed Care and Somatic Regulation

    • The Resilient Heart: Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath Course, 2024

    • Trauma-Informed Care: Healing with Relational Medicine with Kate Busby, LAc, SEP, 2024

    • Year-long mentorship w/ Tracy Andrews, LAc in trauma-informed care and somatic regulation practices, 2023

    • NeuroAffective Touch Foundational Training with NeuroAffective Touch Institute, 2023

    • Supporting Emotional Release with Carol Gray LMT, CST, RPYT, 2022

    • Somatic Dialogue and PNW Plant Medicine with Kathryn Kloos ND, LMT and Scott Kloos, 2021

    Intuitive Energy Healing

    • Ongoing mentorship with Teressena Bakens in intuitive energy healing, 2021- present

    • Negotiating Altered States of Sacred Consciousness with Deborah Frances, ND, 2023

    • Deemed an Official Disciple of the Jinjing Gong lineage of Qigong, 2022

    • Integrative Energetic Anatomy and Manipulations with Regis Blin, LAc and Sylvie Martin LAc, 2019

    • Acupoint Harmonics w/ Charles Lev, LAc, 2019

    • Gemstone Energy Medicine, 2018

    End of Life & Hospice Care

    • 4 month intern rotation in Hospice care, 2021

    • Medical Qigong for the Dying w/ Stephen Schleipfer, 2020

    • Hospice Mentorship for Acupuncturists with Gwen LoVetere, LAc and Susan Wilmoth, LAc, 2019