about my work and training

“Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are.”

Rachel Naomi Remer, MD

my approach

My name is Martina Skenderova, but everyone calls me Mishe. I am an Eastern medicine practitioner and a grief and death doula.

I believe that healing is more than a cure. It is the process of self re-membering and connection to the intrinsic wisdom of the body and the Earth. It is embedded in our worthiness beyond health status, appearance, and productivity. It is the continuous work of love, acceptance, creativity, and belonging.

I've spent years working with patients in a variety of settings from the intensive care unit to the oncology infusion room. Over time, I encountered many people facing the end of their lives, and despite hospice and palliative care options, I began to see the gaps in how we as healthcare professionals were able to support people who face life-limiting illness. My end of life work is meant to support people beyond and in complement to what standard healthcare services offer.

In a society intent on miracle cures, agelessness, body hacks, and shortcuts to bliss, I am extending an invitation to honor body-mind-spirit-Earth that makes space for the reality of grief and death, as well as for vibrant living regardless of whether or not a cure is possible.

My work is informed by animist values that allow space for connecting to Earth, our ancestors, our emotional lives, and the call of the Soul. I value professional collaboration across disciplines, evidence-based practice, and heart-centered holistic care. Drawing on 15 years of experience in healthcare, I approach each person with deep reverence for the sacred in all of us.

Nationally board certified (NCCAOM) and Colorado licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Eastern medicine.

Master of Science in East Asian Medicine

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Integrative Medicine Program for Acupuncturists

Certified End of Life Doula

Certified Provider of Hospice and Palliative Care Acupuncture

Integrated Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate

Compassionate Inquiry: Gabor Mate’s year long training program

Level 1 Brainspotting practitioner

CIIS Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Research Certificate

MAPS MDMA Assisted Therapy Trainee

PRATI Ketamine Assisted Therapy Certificate