About
“I help people suffering from anxiety, digestive problems and issues related to fear and procrastination, and I guide them through a process designed to rebalance and realign their body-mind system so they can feel more peaceful and at ease within just a few weeks!
My process helps those who are unsatisfied with the traditional and often drawn-out processes involved with talk therapy or Western medicine, and are looking for something that is quicker, easier and goes much deeper into the mind-body system.”
~ Michael Hetherington (The Taoist Tapper)
Bachelor of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Graduate Certificate in Education & Career Counselling
Graduate Diploma in Counselling
Trauma-Informed in Chinese Medicine, Counselling and EFT
Clinical Applications of Emotional Freedom Techniques
Brown Belt in Taekwondo
500hr Certified Yoga Instructor
Hello, I’m Michael!
Most people describe me as calming, knowledgeable and playful.
Values: Nature, Simplicity, Self-Cultivation, Contentment, Joy, Longevity
I’ve been a therapist & teacher within the complementary medicine field for almost 20 years, with a special interest in Chinese medicine, Oriental philosophy, psychology and yogic science.
I also love animals, books, jazz on Sundays, dancing in the kitchen and martial arts.
The long story is…
Born in the country town of Wagga Wagga and raised in Brisbane, Australia, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, my upbringing was influenced by my mother, a caring and warm nurse, and my father, a hard-working computer technician and project manager with a great sense of humour.
As a teenager, I lost interest in school and found myself drawn to 90s techno dance music parties on the weekends.
The 90’s techno dance music scene completely changed my life and “switched me on” to subjects like spirituality, yoga and meditation.
At 19, I decided to travel and embarked on a journey that lasted two years across Australia and New Zealand. I picked fruit for money, met people from all over the world and attended numerous 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreats led by S.N. Goenka.
A year later, I got a job teaching English in China without any qualifications, experience or training.
Fortunately, I ended up on a high salary, teaching English classes part-time. In my spare time, I visited Taoist & Buddhist temples and studied beginner Chinese.
This trip lasted one year and it took me through many different provinces and cities throughout China.
Upon returning to Brisbane, I discovered and fell in love with Oki-Do Yoga, a Japanese yoga system developed by Zen Buddhist monk, Dr Masahiro Oki.
Studying under Peter Masters (1959-2023) and Megan White, I learned the significance and power of community, the "Hara" (the center point below the belly button), and how to laugh for absolutely no reason.
Oki Do Yoga continues to have a profound impact on my life.
As someone who had always struggled with lower back pain, headaches, anxiety, and recreational drug use, I found that my issues began to fade as I delved deeper into my yoga practice.
After teaching English in China, I returned to Australia to study massage and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and other related disciplines.
My studies led me to earn a Bachelor's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, a Diploma in Chinese Remedial Massage and a 500-hour yoga teacher certification. I also studied extra subjects such as applied kinesiology and energy medicine.
After a life-changing experience in 2008, while studying applied kinesiology and Dr David Hawkins' work, I dedicated my life to the therapeutic healing arts, focusing on yoga, EFT, the "letting go" technique and TCM.
In the years that followed, I led numerous workshops at festivals, worked as a clinical acupuncturist, taught meditation and yoga courses, and authored over three books.
I also lectured on Oriental medicine at the Institute of Applied Sciences (AIAS) in Brisbane, teaching subjects such as Chinese philosophy, Chinese medicine, Oriental massage, and meridian anatomy.
In 2017, I was invited to be a guest speaker at The Omega Institute in New York, alongside Donna Eden, Dr David Feinstein and Dr Sue Morter.
In 2015, I decided to make travel and global networking more of a priority, so I left Australia and embraced the "digital nomad" lifestyle. This adventure took me to places such as Bali, Thailand, China, the US, England, Mexico, Germany and Portugal.
It allowed me to meet many amazing entrepreneurs, visionaries, business people, therapists, doctors, healers, yogis and martial arts masters from all over the world.
In 2023, I married my wonderful partner in Thailand, where we have decided to settle down longer-term.
We now live in Chiang Mai, Thailand with two cats.
Through the teachings of many, I have found that simplicity, consistency & light-heartedness are the keys to a happy & healthy life.
My approach to therapy and healing is not only about feeling good, it’s also about becoming free.
If you are ready to learn how to finally let go of all that anger, worry, pain and fear that’s interfering with your life, book a call today.
Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree of Health Science, 2012 (Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Postgraduate Certificate in Education & Guidance Counselling, 2021
Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling, 2022
Advanced Diploma in Acupuncture, 2009
Diploma in Chinese Remedial Massage (Tui-Na), 2005
Taekwondo Brown Belt (Black Belt in training)
500hr Level 2 Yoga Teacher Training Certificate, 2009
EFT Level 1 + 2 and Trainer, 2017
Laughter Yoga Leader Certification, 2017
Nunchaku Weapon Green Belt
Extra Studies & Trainings:
1000+ Hours of Sitting Meditation Practice
50+ Days in Noble Silence
1 Month Kung Fu Training at Tienmeng Academy in China
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Training with Dr Russ Harris
Various Medical Qi Gong Forms + White Tiger 5 Element Qi Gong
4 Years of Capoeira Martial Arts Training
Taoist Sexual Energy Practices with Master Mantak Chia
15+ Years of Yoga Practice (Hatha, Vinyasa, Oki-Do, Yin & Yang, Meditation)
7 Years of Experience Teaching Yoga Classes (Australia mainly)
Auricular (Ear) Acupuncture - The NADA Protocol Led by Dr Michael Smith
Structural Alignment & Bowen Therapy
Applied Kinesiology Studies (Touch for Health & Applied Physiology)
Emotional Freedom Techniques (E.F.T.) Level 2 & Energy Psychology
Clinical EFT Applications with Dr Peta Stapleton
Buddhist Arts & Asian Psychology Studies at Kansai Gaidai University, Japan
Modalities & Workshops Taught:
Introduction to Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine
Introduction to the 5 Element Theory in Chinese Medicine
What is Taoism?
Chinese Cupping Therapy
Chinese Moxibustion for Beginners (Heat Therapy)
The Cranial Relaxation Technique
Introduction to Medical Qi Gong
Introduction to The Letting Go Technique (Also known as “The Sedona Method”)
Introduction to Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (A.C.T.)
EFT Level 1 & 2 Practitioner Level Training (Emotional Freedom Techniques)
EFT Through the Chakras
Chinese Massage (Tui-Na) Level 1
How to Approach Depression Using Chinese Medicine Principles
Conscious Writing Workshop
Introduction to Meditation (Without the Fluff)
Industry Associations:
Association of Comprehensive Energy Psychology
International Institute for Complementary Therapists
National Qi Gong Association
Yoga Alliance Association
Meditation Association of Australia
Want Michael for a Public Talk or Collaboration?
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