Our Story

In 2019, Helena & Stephen opened Medicinal Massage in a small room in North Bondi, after having met during their Remedial Massage studies.

As time went by they began to dream up a cooperative style of clinic, one where everyone was supported to showcase their individual gifts, and create a lifestyle that supported their unique crafts.

It was important that practitioners were able to create their art in a beautiful space, that prioritised collaboration over competition. In early 2023 Medicinal Collective was born of the idea that “we rise together”.

 No matter whether you are a therapist or client, we rise together.

A lot of the self help field, seems full of the idea that therapists help clients from a somewhat more “enlightened” or higher vantage point. There is a didactic tone to much of what is portrayed. It feels like therapy (of multiple forms) is taught in this way, and much of our world operates in a sort of hierarchical manner.

It became abundantly clear to us when studying and then practising, that the practitioner will always be drawn to clients that mirror what they’re going through or have started to go through personally. And it seemed that through conscious awareness and becoming a compassionate witness, both parties pain (in various forms) were somewhat alchemised in unison. There was a beautiful interdependence to the dance of healing. A mirroring.

And so, we rise together was born of a desire to share our evolution hand in hand, amongst therapists and clients.

We are all trying to embody a state of bliss (whatever that means to each of us personally) and we are all walking many different paths to get there. Celebrating the lessons inherent when certain paths cross, adding fuel to our vessels, pushing us further, seemed like the only logical conclusion. We rise together, when we surrender to our paths and the ones that walk along it with us.

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.”

Pema chodron