Education, Experience, Orientation as a practitioner, and Testimonials.
I am a 1983 graduate (BA) of The Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA), where I engaged interdisciplinary studies in experiential education, social psychology, philosophy, natural sciences, and cultural anthropology. Additionally, I had a work-study position as an athletic trainer, working with student athletes and their injuries — primarily with the men’s and women’s soccer teams.
My interest in the healing arts began with something very personal, in that I had fractured my spine as a teenager due to an accident which required major orthopedic surgery and a hospital stay of two weeks. I came out of that experience still with chronic back pain, from a very invasive surgery involving much tissue dissection and bone grafts, and consequent pain. Over some years this suffering catalyzed an interest in exploring alternatives to conventional western medicine, which then led eventually to a serious interest in becoming a practitioner of “alternative” medicine as my life’s work, the study and practice of which has been a very interesting, engaging, and challenging path now spanning 37 years of licensed practice.
My initial training began with Joyce Hawkes, Ph.D.(Biophysics) in 1986, in Seattle, which was an exploration of healing traditions in Eastern and Western cultures. She called her work “Cell-Level Healing” (See the books, Cell Level Healing; and Resonace, by Joyce Hawkes) and my last training with her was in 2015. This foundation, of which a modern term would be, “energy medicine” (and it could be argued that both acupuncture and biodynamic osteopathy, discussed below, are also forms of “energy medicine”), while it doesn’t reflect the entirety of my approach, remains influential to me in a number of ways, not the least being the simple appreciation that humans have relied on each other for help with their suffering for as long as humanity has existed. All forms of medicine/healing have deep historical and cultural roots.
In 1988 after further study in anatomy and physiology, and passing the Washington state board exams, I was licensed in Washington to practice as an LMT, and then maintained a private practice in Seattle for the next ten years doing bodywork, which also included several years of practice at two Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine clinics, primarily providing post orthopedic surgery rehabilitation treatment. My own experience with receiving orthopedic spinal surgery (and years later, knee surgery) has given me rapport with others who have had it as well.
My ongoing education during that particular era began with trainings in Structural Integration from several perspectives; Hanna Somatics (which is similar to Feldenkrais); and also trainings in various traditional Osteopathic techniques such as myofascial release, muscle-energy technique, strain-counterstrain, and craniosacral therapy.
I began learning craniosacral treatment in 1991 in Seattle with a 50-hour basic course taught by Michael Lipelt DDS (who was trained by Viola Frymann DO at the Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation). I also studied craniosacral work in 1992 with Dani Riggs in Bellingham, WA, who included perspectives from depth psychology, and in 1993 studied craniosacral treatment in Seattle with Bruno Ducoux, DO (a French osteopath, trained at the European School of Osteopathy); and then later in 1997 and 1998 I also studied craniosacral treatment through basic courses with the Upledger Institute and the Milne Institute, as well as at the Canadian College of Osteopathy in 2013/14.
Personal instruction and ongoing mentoring from several osteopathic physicians (primarily Dr. Paul Lee, DO) in actual clinical settings began in 2001 and have continued to the present time.
Most if not all courses are focused on learning techniques, and did not really teach me to how to actually think osteopathically, which in my opinion really can’t be learned in a classroom setting such as weekend-type group courses/trainings where the participant watches techniques demonstrated by the instructor and then the participants practice the techniques on their classmates — for me, that came later during osteopathic clinical preceptorships and with mentoring by DO’s, involving hand to hand training and supervision in their clinics with real patients with real problems, and ironically, through myself receiving/experiencing and reflecting on many treatments over the years from very experienced traditional osteopathic physicians.
During this time I also developed an interest in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Living in Seattle where there were two schools and a third on the way was convenient.
To that end, in 1994 I returned to The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington to focus study on pre-med subjects (physical and organic chemistry, microbiology, histology, and biochemistry), as well as studying shiatsu (a Japanese form of bodywork that involves attending to blockages in the channels/meridians just as acupuncture does) with Yasuo Mori in Seattle, all in preparation to attend the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine (SIOM), from which I graduated in 1998 from their 4000-hour clinically oriented program, earning a Masters degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAcOM). This school is now renamed the Seattle Institute of East-Asian Medicine, and awards the doctorate degree for that same program.
I chose to study at SIOM because of my already established interest in osteopathy, as this new school was co-founded and directed by Dan Bensky, DO., a very skilled traditional osteopathic physician who came to osteopathy after studying acupuncture/Chinese medicine in Macau, and whose own practice integrated traditional osteopathy and acupuncture. I was treated by him one time before becoming a student, and was so impressed that I felt compelled to study with him. So, Dr Bensky was my inspiration for the eventual combining of acupuncture and traditional osteopathy, which has become my orientation as well. It was from him as one of my teachers at SIOM where I was first introduced to using osteopathic palpation/sensing methods to not only assess objectively where in someone’s body the area (s) they were struggling the most — which is not always the same location of pain or the area that a patient complains about — but to also very importantly guide where and how one might use acupuncture (as opposed to ‘cookbook’ point prescriptions), and also importantly, to have a clear way of understanding if the acupuncture treatment was being successful or not in stimulating a healing response from the patient by way of assessing their body’s actual response to the treatment, utilizing palpation and sensing. This is a critical thing, because despite what it looks like, acupuncture is not just ‘sticking needles in people’ — one uses the needles to get a response from the body, and whatever that response is determines the success of the actual treatment — so to be able to assess and monitor things about that response is really important.
In terms of learning acupuncture and herbal medicine I was very fortunate to attend a school where the educational emphasis was on experiential learning through clinical preceptorships with experienced practitioners from many viewpoints and parts of the world. 2000 hours of the 4000-hour program was devoted to actual clinical preceptorships — so, not only did I train with several doctors from China (as one might expect when studying acupuncture and herbal medicine), but also several from Japan, as well as physicians from England, Germany, Australia and the U.S., all who reflected their own unique approaches. As students, we were encouraged to take these exposures to different viewpoints and approaches to acupuncture and herbal medicine and discover what kinds of models/approaches interested us the most, as springboard for further independent study in the future.
After graduation from SIOM I decided that the next step in my path of being a practitioner would be a deep immersion into learning more about traditional Osteopathy — as well as continuing to explore through my own clinic how the addition of acupuncture to osteopathic treatment might enhance both approaches. I use the term “traditional” osteopathy to mean osteopathy as it was originally conceived, taught, and practiced. A traditional osteopath is one who thinks osteopathically, and diagnoses and treats with their hands. This really is a rare thing anymore.
So, learning two different but actually very similar and complementary ways of thinking about health and disease — one from the East and one from the West — and joining/fusing them into one integrated therapeutic approach became my overarching aim, which continues to this day.
In 1998 I moved to Moab, Utah, and began a private practice here. I have made regular trips to Seattle over the years to continue study with Dan Bensky, DO with trainings relating to using osteopathic palpation/sensing to guide acupuncture treatment (at courses now called, “Engaging Vitality”). Ongoing professional development since then has also included courses through the Barral Institute (visceral “listening” skills and visceral manipulation); a year of study of manual osteopathy at the Canadian College of Osteopathy (founded/directed by Philippe Druelle, DO); and two years of study of traditional and biodynamic osteopathy with Steven Weiss, DO.
However, the most significant learning opportunity I have had in all that time was an ongoing private clinical preceptorship/mentorship with Paul Lee, DO beginning in 2001 that originally spanned seven years and included nearly 2000 hours observing and assisting him with treatment of patients at his osteopathic clinic in Durango, CO., which also included two years of bi-monthly visits to a pediatric clinic in Durango to treat babies and children with osteopathic manipulation — mostly those who had been injured during the birth process. As well, several other traditional osteopathic physicians have generously allowed me to observe and assist them treating patients in their clinics over the years, most notably, Maria Coffman, DO; Larry Bader DO; and Robert Trafeli, DO.
This quote explains this traditional way of learning well:
“Since its inception, Osteopathy has been passed on through the oral tradition, rather than the written word. True students of Osteopathy, still to this day, must learn Osteopathy in the same way that their elders did; by sitting in offices of more experienced Osteopathic physicians and by watching and participating in clinical treatments over many years.” – James Jealous, DO
While continuing to explore the integration of acupuncture and traditional osteopathy, a particular focus for me over the last 19 years has been learning and practicing what is called the Biodynamic model of osteopathy. This very unique approach to diagnosis and treatment seeks to understand and support the intention of the inherent life forces that pervade nature, that both create and sustain/maintain and repair/heal all life — in this case, at work in a human life, including the metabolic activities collectively known in biological science as homeostasis. An appreciation of how the body grows and develops embryologically from a single cell to an adult, as well as naturally self-regulates/maintains and self-heals/repairs itself throughout life via these inherent biodynamic/life forces is fundamental to that. Some of that study and practice in my case is exploring how acupuncture might skillfully augment (or not) this particular approach, which differs from a typical osteopathic treatment utilizing manipulation — this means developing skill in practicing the biodynamic approach purely on its own sometimes, and sometimes utilizing the addition of acupuncture in various ways (including a non-puncturing style of acupuncture utilizing teishin ‘needles’ which is primarily a Japanese approach) to see how the body responds to that — usually very well! In any case, no matter what, learning how to not disturb nature at work is a big deal with treatment of this kind.
I was introduced to the Biodynamic model/approach of Osteopathy through my time with Paul Lee DO mentioned above, beginning in 2001 (who studied biodynamic osteopathy with James Jealous DO); and also studied further with Charles Ridley in California in 2006; and with Steven Weiss DO from 2007-2009 in Santa Fe NM; then also in 2013 in New Hampshire, at a Biobasics course with teaching faculty for James Jealous DO with his Biodynamics of Osteopathy program.
However, the most profound teaching in this realm for me has been through direct perception of and contact with the natural biodynamic forces of life — of creation, self-regulation/maintenance, and self-healing/repair, the invisible creative and sustaining forces of nature that are interfaced with in treatment of this type. In East-Asian medicine, this life force is simply referred to as “qi” (pronounced “chee”) and is translated as the vital life-force energy, the energy of life.
So, one could say that this Biodynamic model of osteopathy is exactly what acupuncture is all about also, and has been for thousands of years, i.e., understanding the intention of and skillfully supporting the invisible, pervading, creative and sustaining life forces of nature . Here you can see how both osteopathy and acupuncture are thinking alike.
Along these lines, osteopath Robert Fulford DO, who was versed in Chinese medical science explained this very well in English:
“The human body is composed of complex interflowing streams of moving energy. When these energy streams become blocked or constricted we lose the physical, emotional, and mental fluidity potentially available to us. If the blockage lasts long enough, the result is pain, discomfort, illness, and distress.”
“The mysterious Vital Force could be spoken of as the Universal Power, or Intelligence. … Everything sick is out of the rhythm of the Mysterious Vital Force…”
Our body is made to self-regulate and self-heal, but physical trauma (i.e., injuries new and old, including surgeries), illnesses and diseases, and mental/emotional stress and/or shock can cause restrictions in the body in various ways that will impinge on the free flow of vitality/qi/life force as well as blood and lymph fluids and the state of the living, elastic protoplasmic fluid matrix, all of which are key to the body’s ability to self-regulate and self-heal, which then leads to a host of symptomatic issues, such as chronic pain and/or other structural and functional issues such as disease — in a word: suffering.
Successful treatment begins with understanding and addressing cause rather than just addressing symptoms (which is the focus of conventional medical treatment approaches utilizing drugs and surgery), and skillfully interfacing with and enlisting the Intelligence and Wisdom of the natural, inherent biodynamic forces that create and sustain all of Nature including our human lives. Importantly, and in contrast to the way modern Western bio-medicine is practiced, this way of supporting Health and engendering healing is both gentle/non-invasive and potent.
I mentioned above that one of the most significant ways I have learned over the last 30+ years is from receiving hundreds of osteopathic treatments from experienced traditionally oriented, “ten-fingered” DO’s — i.e. those who think osteopathically and who diagnose and treat with their hands rather than treating symptoms with drugs and surgery — who rely on engaging nature’s Intelligence and Wisdom and power/potency to help their patients. Therefore I have deep gratitude to those doctors who have not only helped me resolve my own chronic pain and additional physical traumas I have accumulated from an active lifestyle and maintain health through the years, but have also helped me understand how osteopathy is practiced in a clinical setting. I can’t imagine how I would have learned to help others in need without this very important kind of experiential learning that just cannot be learned in weekend workshops. This gratitude also applies to those DO’s who continue to serve as mentors for me, as being mentored by those more experienced is a very important part of my growth and development as a practitioner.
Testimonials
“Will is among the few practitioners of any background from whom I receive treatment. As an osteopathic physician and former dancer, I am very selective with my care. Will is able to listen carefully, assess, and provide manual or acupuncture treatment within the scope of a client’s health.” – Maria Coffman, D.O.
“As a doctor of osteopathy I am keenly aware of the fact that a patient is more than a constellation of symptoms used to guide a health practitioner down an algorithm to eventually arrive at a nearly one-size-fits-all diagnosis and treatment. To truly help a patient a practitioner must consider the many aspects, facets and ins and outs of being human. In order to do this they must have a broad, open-minded understanding of life. Further, they must go beyond just employing this understanding as a means to help a patient — they must put it into practice in their daily lives. I have found such a practitioner in Will. He has been treating me for for five years now and the experience has been phenomenal and transformational. Thank you, Will!” – Rosann Volmert, D.O.
” I have been accustomed to distance treatments for many years, receiving and offering several forms of healing modalities. Will has been my “go to” for a variety of healings. Will has a wide background of skills as a practitioner whose work is influenced by East-Asian medicine, traditional osteopathy, and other energetic approaches. Theses skills offered by distance as I relaxed at home have helped support me in recovering from an acute head injury and broken ribs from a bicycle accident, and over the years from chronic headaches, assorted injuries, and even an infection related to dental surgery. Will keeps the health of the individual trusting that the body desires to heal. Distance sessions can feel similar to an in-person session too. I recall the sensation in an extremity that felt like acupuncture — warming and fascia shifting. When we compared notes later it was confirmed that ” energetic acupuncture needles” had been placed in points of that extremity.” – “Grateful Client” (remote treatment for Osteopathic Physician)
“My back pain has been way better!” (Client 2.5 weeks after remote treatment)
“Thank you so much for the excellent treatment. My entire being seems to have been affected. Very powerful experience.” Client
“I wanted to tell you that my neck has turned the corner. I almost don’t even think about it! Thanks for your wonderful healing work, I so appreciate it!” Client
“I think I’ve turned a corner!! My feet are so much better and my energy level is climbing.” Client
“Oh gosh, I meant to send you a thank you for the (remote/distance) session — it worked!!!” Client
“I am feeling better. This morning, I rode my bike for the first time in weeks. Thanks so much. Less pain and stiffness and more range of motion. Grateful.” (Osteopathic Physician, D.O.)
“My posture and gait are greatly improved. My pain/discomfort level is waaay down, Muchas Gracias!!” Client
Will Cooper 