Enspiriting Healing & Ritual Arts is a community-centered healing practice nurtured by integrative practitioner Alyssa Schimmel. In 2010, due to a complex health issue that baffled the diagnostics of conventional allopathic medicine, her journey with plant medicine began when she received the call to heal from and with plants. At that time she received direct communication from common herb oregano along with instructions for how to brew the tea and use it as a wash for the body. Within weeks, the condition she had experienced that persisted for nearly 9 months, healed completely. The efficacy of the well-matched remedy led her to embark on her 12-year and ongoing in-depth study of anatomy & physiology, ecology, and plant medicine from a variety of traditions including Western eclecticism, indigenous North American medicine, Ashkenazi medicine of her cultural background, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The plants continue to showcase themselves as generous allies teaching dynamic balance, right relationship, and interdependence.

She is a current member of the American Herbalist Guild and has received training in her practice from David Winston, Joe Hollis of plant sanctuary Mountain Gardens, Sky House Herbal Medicine, Wild Ginger Community Herb Center, the Human Path School, and many wisdom-keepers of various folk & spiritual traditions — and of course, from the plants themselves!

As a clinically-trained community herbalist, forager, and medicine maker, Alyssa offers high quality herbal medicine formulation, consultations (coming soon!), plant walks, and immersive community classes that center each person’s ability to become more in-tune with the deeply held wisdom of the body, earth, and the many lineages, traditions and values of plant-wisdom passed through retelling by text, song, and embodied remembrance. Her classes are affirming, practical, and inspiring, and focus on accessibility, affordability, and working with the most readily available and often-overlooked herbs of the northeastern bioregion.

She is grateful to blend together a diverse background of experience as a permaculture designer, urban orchardist, and curriculum designer whose experiences in community organizing and education have included designing therapeutic gardens and medicine-making programs at senior homes, addiction recovery centers, schools, universities, and many community organizations. She has provided workshops at Pennsylvania-based institutions and conferences including Awbury Arboretum, Bartram’s Garden, The Philadelphia Orchard Project, Haverford College, Swarthmore College, The Overbrook School for the Blind, The Field Co-Op School, Kirkbride Center, Village of Arts & Humanities, Wild Foodies, The Good Food Conference, the Pennsylvania Sustainable Agricultural Symposium, and more.

Alyssa is deeply committed to growing the herbs she uses in her practice and sourcing high-quality locally grown and ethically wildcrafted herbs from other growers when necessary. She is honored to hold space for clients and community and can be reached with inquiries or requests for classes or collaborations at alyssa@enspiriting.com