Abhainn Healing Arts
Practices for Connection, Collaboration, Rest, and Resilience
Affordable Conflict Mediation and Somatic Bodywork
Portland, Oregon | Chinook Justice | Whose land?
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About An Abhainn + Muir
An Abhainn means "The River" in Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic). Muir, the practitioner behind An Abhainn, is a student of Gaeilge and has an enduring fascination with recovering and reconnecting to the fragmented and suppressed wisdom held by their ancestors. They are inspired by animism, abolition, working peoples' solidarity, Indigenous liberation, acts of kindness, and anarchism: they seek to find opportunities to ally with collective liberation throughout all of their work.Muir is a facilitator, licensed massage therapist, somatic coach, trained conflict mediator, and embodied movement teacher living and working on occupied land.Muir received their first facilitation training in 2015, at which point they fell in love with the practice and began to view all their work through the lens of the facilitator. Their original bodywork training in 2017 kicked off an ongoing, winding, and at times achingly rocky exploration of somatics, pain, conflict, and trauma. This exploration has led them through a number of wayposts including a grief work mentorship program, extensive training and study in equity-informed conflict mediation, their fair share of painful relational ruptures, and restorative/transformative justice facilitation practices. They also have an active interest in martial arts, animist ritual, ancestral skills, singing, and decolonial land-based (re)connection work. They believe that the overall wellness of humans can only extend as far as the wellness of the land we call home.
Education and Training
Core Education
Trauma-Informed Awareness Oriented Connective Bodywork | The Pacific Center for Awareness and Bodywork
Unfold Yoga Teacher Training | Unfold Portland
Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, with a minor in Indigenous Nations Studies | Portland State University
Equity Informed Basic Mediation Training | Marita DeLeon
Introduction to Politicized Somatics | Thirdspace Somatics
Wilderness EMT Training | NOLS
Additional Trainings
Transformative Justice | Spring up
Grief Mentorship Program | Lawrence Cole
Chi Nei Tsang for the Abdomen | Saumya Comer
The Burning Times Never Ended | Rain Crowe
Trauma Aware Conflict Transformation (TACT) | Rain Crowe
Doula Certification Training | The Sacred Birthing School
Foundations in Rewilding | Rewild Portland
Introduction to Pregnancy Massage | The Pacific Center for Awareness and Bodywork
Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy | Oregon School of Massage
Basic Facilitation Training | New College of Florida
Keening: A Living Tradition | Weaving Remembrance
Professional Memberships
-American Massage Therapy Association
-Yoga Alliance
-National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
-Oregon Mediation Association
Certifications Maintained
-Licensed Massage Therapist Oregon: LMT #24599
-Licensed Emergency Medical Technician Oregon: EMT #211314
-Yoga Alliance RYT 200
-NOLS Wilderness EMT
Lineage
Below is an extremely incomplete list of the folks whose work, teachings, and/or mentorship have supported me in developing my understandings and practice.the ancient live oak in my grandma's front yard, the pond minnows who taught me about transformation and death and grief, the forgotten coast, the homelands of the Apalachee people, my ancestors, beloved animal friends, animals i have killed and eaten, Wilhelm Reich, Shambhavi Sarasvati, joanna macy, D'ana Valenzuela, Dr. Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, Murray Bookchin, Vanessa and Rick, Michele Gamburd, adrienne maree brown, jessi radovich, Sky, Diane Chancy, Rain Crowe, Ahlay, Michael Yellow Bird, Bear, Miss Sivvy, Meenadchi, Irish Grounded Connections, Patricia Hill Collins, Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Deborah A. Miranda, Michael Polon, Conrad, Sade, Ida Rolf, tsongkhapa, queer nature, Brian O'Hairt, Peter Michael Bauer, Barbara Essman, Audrey Smedley, Jeannine Meis, Angela Davis, John Newman, Helen Kesler, the monks of the Bhavana Society, peter gray
bodywork and somatic coaching
If you are experiencing intense and/or acute pain relevant to massage therapy you can
trauma-informed sliding scale bodywork focused on helping you connect more deeply with your body so that you can feel more of yourself at a pace that works for you. good for folks who: want to feel their pelvic floors, want to take a full breath of air, have trouble feeling connected to their bodies and boundaries, have trauma around touch but still crave contact, have chronic pain, or have an old injury that hurts a lot. plan to wear comfortable undergarments and/or loose fitting, comfortable clothing.
General Info
The fundamental goal of this work is to help you come into deeper relationship with your body at a pace that's safe for you: to better know your rhythms, boundaries, and desires. We can use a variety of tools and techniques to accomplish this goal, ranging from mat-based massage work (gentle structural integration, craniosacral, myofascial, somatic, etc -- people who are sensitive to pseudoscience (and yes some of these therapies do contain pseudoscientific elements) please click here for more info) to movement and biomechanics coaching, to somatic exercises and centering practices, to consulting runes or tarot cards. Frankly, during your session, it's up to you how much we dwell in the land of strict evidence-based materialism and how much we extend into the territory of "woo." We can roll with whatever frameworks work for you.The bodywork I practice is gentle but also provides enough depth to meet your body's needs for pressure. It focuses on alleviating chronic and acute pain, reducing stress, mapping boundaries, encouraging mindful awareness of the body, and creating new patterns of movement. My original training is in mindfulness-based structural integration, and my work is also informed by yoga, pain gate theory, trauma-informed care, and many other scientific and wisdom traditions.In each session we start with a centering practice and then see what calls our attention from there.
Cost
I do all of my work on a sliding scale.
.5 Hour: $33-$99
1 Hour: $55-$166
1.5 Hours: $77-$199
2 hours: $111-$222If these prices aren't accessible for you, I'm open to trades on a case-by-case basis. See my page on trades for more info.
Accessibility
Covid
While I do not require masks in my private office, the building I work out of is a health collective that requires masks in the common areas of the building and provides them at the front door. I will ask you about your masking preferences when you book and let you take the lead from there in terms of masking in my office. I am willing to mask for any client who wants or needs this. I keep an air purifier in my office.Physical and Sensory Accessibility
I work out of an office that is low-scent, low-lit, and wheelchair accessible. There may be scents from botanicals and botanical components present on any given day. For seating, I provide armless chairs with a 400lb weight capacity as well as cushions on the floor. I do bodywork off of a futon mat on the floor: if this won't work for your body, contact me and we can find an alternative arrangement.Trauma-Informed Care
I start with a consultation call and extensive intake process for every new client. I'll ask you about your goals, desires, things that can upset you, and how to best support you when you're stressed. My goal is to keep you in touch with your body during our time together and to help you have experiences you can integrate.Other things
As with most things, I'm open to feedback re// accessibility. If you see something important that's missing please let me know!
Structural Integration Ten Series
Please note that due to the commitment level involved in a Structural Integration ten series, I don't offer this service to first-time clients. Book a session of regular somatic bodywork with me first before proceeding with SI.Developed by Dr. Ida Rolf and arising out of the lineage of somatics (or, as I practice it, "The West's" attempt to reckon with its recent centuries of chronic and prolific personal, communal, and cultural disembodiment), Structural Integration at its core seeks to help you come into a closer, more integrated, and more free relationship with your body through contacting all parts of the body via ten series of targeted bodywork.We begin with three foundational sessions focused on the breath, the lower legs, and the capacity for reach. We then move into three deeper core sessions focused on the pelvic floor, the abdomen, the back, and the neck / face / facial orifices. We end with three free form "integration" sessions focused on helping you solidify and metabolize the work that we did throughout your body.The ten series can be used as a chance to explore and celebrate your body, as an opportunity to engage with and move through issues or traumas surrounding touch, or as a time of deep reflection and reorganization of personal energy.Structural Integration has, historically, subscribed to the heavy-handed "no pain, no gain" approach to bodywork. It is also classified as a pseudoscience in part because of its ideas about fascial molding. My approach to Structural Integration emphasizes gentle, deep, slow touch; mapping embodied boundaries; and nervous system regulation.If you are interested in ten series of Structural Integration with me, you can set up a consultation to learn more.
Bodywork FAQs
Are you a mental health therapist / do you offer psychotherapy?
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No to both!
I am not a licensed psychotherapist, and I do not provide psychotherapy to clients. However, I do think that the kind of awareness-oriented somatic bodywork I offer can be very complementary to the work that is done with a skilled psychotherapist (or an elder, spiritual advisor, etc), and vice versa. In fact, I recommend that clients who come to me for bodywork also be in some kind of therapy for extra support. If you are not seeing a psychotherapist but would like to be and want some recommendations feel free to contact me.
Will you massage me with your clothes off and/or perform other sexual services?
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Nope.
The work that happens at An Abhainn is currently non-sexual in nature, for legal and ethical reasons. While it is perfectly normal and natural for many people to experience sexual feelings and physiological reactions during bodywork, acting on these feelings is not acceptable in this context and would be a violation that would result in a severance of our relationship.
Inquiries of a sexual nature will not be considered or responded to, and any potential clients who make such inquiries will be refused service at Abhainn Healing Arts. (Please note that requests to work intentionally with sexual trauma are perfectly fine and would not result in a ban.) Sexual misconduct will not be tolerated in my practice.
Do you take insurance?
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Maybe. I'm working on it. Send me your deets and we can see.
Do you have any openings today?
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Probably not, that's generally not how I work: I have an extensive intake process and sometimes my booking extends out a few weeks. However, you're always welcome to try popping me a text or an email and seeing what happens.
embodied movement
Currently on hiatus. If you're interested in attending a class with me, contact me and I'll be sure to let you know when they start up again~~~
These classes seek to help you connect with yourself so you can connect with others (and maybe even start to blur those lines). To help you calm down, relax, feel your feelings, get in touch with your boundaries, and befriend yourself and your life so that you have the space and integrity needed to be of service to the world.The embodied movement I teach is rooted in disability justice and accessibility: this means that everything we do is opt-in and designed with flexibility in mind so that almost anybody in any body can get something helpful out of the practice.
I also hold a weight-neutral space, meaning that the goal of our work isn't to lose weight, we don't uphold diet culture, and we aim to honor and work with our bodies, not critique and pathologize them.
Resources for learning more:
-Embrace Yoga's Roots- Susana Barkataki
-Your Body, Your Yoga- Bernie Clark
-The Radiance Sutras- adapted and translated by Lorin Roche
-The Bhagavad Gita
-The 8 limbs of yoga
-honor (don't appropriate) yoga summit
-The Reality Sutras- Shambhavi Sarasvati
Resources and Readings
Biomechanics Resources
-Pain Gate Theory
-Better Movement by Todd Hargrove
-Katy Bowman's work on movement nutrition
-Painful Yarns by Lorimer Moseley
-Your Body, Your Yoga by Bernie Clark
-Natural Posture for Pain Free Living- Kathleen Porter
-Lost Posture: Why some Indigenous cultures may not have back pain - Michaeleen DoucleffEmbodiment and Trauma
-About Trauma-Informed Care
-"Embodiment Means Being Torn Apart and Flying Away" - Joshua Schrei
-Decolonizing Trauma Work by Renee Linklater
-The Neurodecolonization Work of Michael Yellow Bird
-The Body Keeps the Score
by Bessel van der Kolk
-Healing Sex and The Politics of Trauma by Staci K. Haines
-Healing Developmental Trauma by Laurence Heller, Aline Lapierre
-Radical Dharma: talking race love and liberation by rev angel Kyodo williams, Lama Rod Owens, Jasmine Syedullah Ph.D
-The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
-Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's legacy of enduring injury and healing_ by Dr. Joy DeGruy
-Embodiment Basics Course from The Embodiment Institute
-Somatic Snacks by TacoCat Wellness
-Insight Meditation Society Retreats (online and in-person)
-Open Dharma Talks and Meditations
-Yoga Nidra and Deep Rest Practices
-Generative Somatics
-Unfold Portland
-Somatic IFS
Basic Needs Resources
-Rose City Resource Guide from StreetrootsOther Resources of Potential Interest (in no particular order)
-a Haudenosaunee thanksgiving prayer
-the village mystery school
-Joanna Macy on world as lover, world as self / the work that reconnects
-kohenet hebrew priestess institute
-queer nature
-people's echo
-irish grounded connections
-Braiding Sweetgrass: indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
-Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World by Tyson Yunkaporta
-Radical Dharma by rev. angel Kyodo williams, Lama Rod Owens, and Jasmine Syedullah
-the work that reconnects
-The Radiance Sutras translated by Lorin Roche.
-Oyology by Minna Salami
-Nordic Animism
-invasion of america
-A Peoples' History of the United States by Howard Zinn
-the construct of resilience: a critical evaluation
-quality land acknowledgements for the portland area
-cession 352, the treaty between the "calapooia" + "confederated bands of willamette valley" and the united states government (you can read more about willamette valley treaties here)
-turtle island
-oregon's indigenous history
- An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States
-Kalapuyan history
-Gendercide in Spanish California
-Vanport
-racist and classist eminent domain seizures in portland
-POC history in Oregon
-race exclusion laws in oregon.
-Unsheltered peoples' demographics in Portland
-spring up
-call on me, not the cops
-"what is transformative justice" from the Barnard Center for Research on Women
-the abolition and disability justice coalition
-mad survival tools: stay mad, stay together
-mad maps for the pandemic
-rethinking mental health: history of the mad movement and alternatives to biomedical approaches
-Laziness Does Not Exist- Devon Price
-Joyful Militancy: Building Thriving Resistance in Toxic Times by Carla Bergman
-inquisitive human classes
-emergent strategy and pleasure activism: the politics of feeling good by adrienne maree brown
-decolonizing nonviolent communication by meenadchi
-animist arts
-bridging complexity collectively: individualism as a system of oppression
-relational uprising
-queer attachment: an anti-oppression toolkit for relational healing
-emergent liberation collective
--Start Here, Start Now by Bhante Gunaratana
Trade with me!
Things are hard out there, folks, and looking to get harder.
Right now we need each other more than ever.
If you think you would benefit from working with me, but the cost is beyond what you can afford right now, we might be able to work out a trade!In particular, I feel open to trading anything that I do for:
-bike mechanic services
-auto parts (as needed)
-groceries and cooked gluten free/pork free meals
-tailoring and sewing services
-baskets and other useful crafts
-spa time
-cool classes (currently interested in crafts like basketry and bow-making, as well as birding, sailing, fishing, plant identification, foraging, and animal tracking / hunting / processing)
-computer and tech support
-carpentry and building support
-free admittance to events / plays / movies
- house sitting services
-bodywork (I’m mostly interested in receiving slower compressive/stretching styles of work like thai, myofascial, craniosacral, and gentle SI)
-herbalist and acupuncture services
-potentially something cool you have access to / know how to do that I haven't thought of yet.Contact me if you wanna trade something, and we'll see what we can work out.
Pain Gate Theory, Evidence-Based Practice, and Pseudoscience
Many of us are aware that the field of massage therapy is rife with pseudoscience: from debunked claims about cerebrospinal fluid blockages in Craniosacral work to ideas about fascial realignment present in Structural Integration, and many more. While I practice work that is consistent with these styles and traditions of manual therapy (some of which come from ancient Indigenous therapeutic traditions, such as craniosacral therapy's origins among the Tsalagi/Cherokee), my usage of these traditions is rooted in recent research and available evidence as much as it is also rooted in tradition and lineage.Pain gate theory" is one of the evidence-based cornerstones of the work that I do. The basic idea is that the "no pain, no gain" approach people often take to massage therapy is actually harmful for chronic pain and tension outcomes in the long run. When you sit through a massage that hurts, you're reinforcing the pain and tension patterns in your body (this pain can still feel good in the moment due to pleasurable neurotransmitters released in response to human touch, due to the experience of surviving the pain itself, etc.). When we work with your body by working together to keep your session as deep as you want, but relaxing and non-painful, you’re actively participating in a neuromuscular reeducation process that allows your body to release and re-pattern its relationship to pain and tension. In fact, ultimately, it’s often the case that we will be able to do deeper work in the long run because we’ve moved at the pace of your body, provided non-nociceptive inputs that can be integrated by your neuromuscular system, and built embodied trust. This, as opposed to fighting your body with massage that produces pain and tension and triggers the release of endorphins and ultimately creates more layers of tension and pain in the long run.For more information on pain gate theory, this video provides a brief but fairly technical overview, and this video provides a longer but more simple overview. I emphasize this because in my years of practice I have found it to be true that many of us have a misconception regarding what pain is and how to manage it, and as a practitioner it is my job first and foremost to do no harm. In this case, doing no harm means informing my clients about the harm that can happen when reinforcing pain patterns over time through massage therapy and working to mitigate that potential within my practice.If you'd like more information about the therapeutic rationale for the way that I work, don't hesitate to reach out.
Trauma-Informed Care
The term “trauma-informed” nods to the understanding that trauma (personal, historic, generational, societal) impacts our relationships with our bodies, our health, our communities, our healthcare providers, our ability to feel safe and calm, and our ability to heal and feel better. The word "trauma" here is referring to any event that one's nervous system experiences as overwhelming: this can be events form childhood or adulthood, things you directly experienced, things you have witnessed others experiencing, etc. People often feel the impacts of trauma through experiences like numbness, anxiety, anger, addiction, physical pain, fatigue, hyper-vigilance, frightening alternate realities, and many other feelings and coping strategies.In all my work, I seek to offer a space where we acknowledge that trauma, in one form or another, is in the room with us. Knowing this, we do our best to work at the pace of felt safety, not pushing past our embodied boundaries. We seek to cultivate a space where we invite ourselves, at our own pace and in our own time, to move toward embodiment and agency and away from chronic numbness, dissociation, and fear. In bodywork sessions, this can look like slowing down and not pushing through embodied boundaries to "do a massage" in the way we might have been taught massage is supposed to look.
Finally, in the spirit of trauma-informed care, I aim hold a space that acknowledges and works to minimize the power dynamic that arises between practitioners and clients in health care settings. In our session, I will seek to hold myself as an advisor and collaborator, not an authority, and I ask that you work to see yourself as the authority on your own body and to take ownership of your session.
Contact
Drop me a message
Newsletter Signup
Message sent to An.Abhainn@pm.meGo raibh maith agat
(Thank You)
Testimonials and Reviews
To see more reviews, check out my google listing and massagebook page
"I really appreciate how they are able to gently coax my mind to the process. It feels more collaborative than other practitioners I've worked with. The pressure and long holds help me tune in with how that piece of me is connected to the rest of me and just breath into it...I've never felt more seen and understood by a practitioner before and it makes a big difference in feeling safe."
- J
"Muir is amazing! i've had multiple sessions with them and leave feeling rested and back to equilibrium each time. Muir is thoughtful, and caring from start to finish. I felt comfortable and held."
-Grace
"Muir is an exceptional bodyworker. I have traded bodywork with them on multiple occasions.....
I recommend Muir to everyone looking for myofascial work as well as anyone who wishes to find a quiet mind from a genuine, caring and intelligent being."
-Sophie
"I had the experience of safety and atunement that is so necessary for me when I receive this type of work. muir has an intuitive sense of what our bodies need to open up and activate their own inherent resources. Thank you!"
-Vinnie
"Muir is amazing! Every aspect of the experience is so thoughtfully curated. I always leave feeling relaxed and back to a state of balance. I haven’t experienced anything like it."
-Anonymous
"Muir is extremely knowledgeable about the body and explained different processes thoroughly. I left the session feeling much more relaxed. They also followed up after with recommendations and different things that might improve the pain that I have. Looking forward to more sessions."
-David
community conflict mediation
If you find yourself in a conflict where you feel stuck, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to proceed, I may be able to offer support. I help people shift from polarized positions to mutual understanding while maintaining awareness of power dynamics, boundaries, desires, capacities, and needs. Ultimately, I want to help people better understand themselves, their relationships, and their communities through the conflicts they experience. My approach arises from the lineages of abolition, restorative/transformative justice, and relationship anarchy (see more in resources and about).
My community rate rests on a sliding scale of $33-$166/hour. Expect a proper mediation process to take ~five hours total for two people (including one hour of admin / planning time for me).
If that price is beyond your reach right now, I also accept trades on a case-by-case basis. See more on that here.If you're interested in working with me, book a free 20-30 minute consultation where we can discuss your situation in more detail. Please note that I do not currently provide court-adjacent mediation services.Additional note: I am not a licensed psychotherapist or social worker and I do not provide family, relationship, or couples' counseling. I offer support with specific conflicts and relational ruptures between friends, family members, partners, neighbors, and anyone else experiencing a conflict within their community. For ongoing issues in relationships, I highly recommend a sober assessment of the viability of the relationship as it currently exists and the support of a skilled long-term provider.
more on my background and approach
I have been through my fair share of conflicts that, from the inside, felt deeply painful and overwhelming. Regardless of how much knowledge and training we may have, when we are entangled in a conflict it can feel difficult to navigate our way through. When sympathetic arousal-- or fight/flight/freeze states-- comes into the picture, our capacity to reflect, connect, and reason becomes increasingly less accessible on a physiological level, often leading to feelings of overwhelm and/or the emergence of patterns and behaviors we might later regret. Sometimes people need help navigating conflicts in a way that preserves their own health and that of their relationships: this is normal, and social technologies have existed to support this need since time immemorial, though many of those have been suppressed or otherwise lost in recent times.My training has been a combination of formal learning and self-study (for more information, see my about page). My approach is collaborative and trauma/equity-informed. It emphasizes deep compassion, strong power analysis, and a healthy dose of pragmatism and realistic expectations. I use trauma-informed somatic and insight practices, conflict resolution interventions, and decolonial anthropological frameworks to help people better understand their context and their conflicts.Conflict is normal, natural, and even (potentially) healthy. When done well, it can open up space for greater intimacy with others, help you learn about your own energetic patterns and growth edges, and clarify your values.
Muireall Brown
Portland, OR | (503) 750-4134 | muireall@protonmail.com
I use trauma-informed somatic and insight practices, conflict resolution interventions, and decolonial anthropological frameworks to help people better understand themselves, their relationships, and their communities.I live and work on the occupied land of the Chinook people, among many others.
(Portland, Oregon)
Whose land are you on? | Landback
Academic Work
Skills Demonstrated
Research Project Development and Implementation | Critical Thinking and Writing | Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis | Anthropological and Indigenous Studies Subject-Specific Knowledge | Competence with Trauma-Informed Frameworks
Degrees and Certifications
University Settings
(In progress) BS in Anthropology, Minor in Indigenous Nations Studies | Portland State University
Explore The Law 2023 Cohort | Portland State University
Practitioner Settings and Community-Based Learning
Licensed Massage Therapist
Unfold 200 hour yoga teacher training | Unfold Portland
Trauma-Informed Awareness Oriented Connective Bodywork | The Pacific Center for Awareness and Bodywork
Coursework
Indigenous Traditional Ecological and Cultural Knowledge (ITECK)
Over the course of my time completing an Indigenous Nations studies minor at PSU, I completed about 100 hours of community-based learning focusing on ITECK. These experiences took the form of attending webinars, helping with campus re-Indigenization projects such as PSU's Oak Savanna, and attending community gardening and planting events rooted in ITECK: for example, The Native Gathering Gardens community work day in Cully and the Wapas nah nee shaku volunteer days.
Selected Class Papers
Midterm Paper for First Foods of the Pacific NorthwestStates of Exception and Threats to Democracy for The Anthropology of ViolenceClose Reading of Edge of the Knife for Horror and IndigeneityLit Summary for Indigenous ScienceFinal Explication Paper for Junior Honors Writing Class
Research and Writing
Preliminary Recommendations for PSU's Department of Emergency Management-- Collaboration with Culture, Vulnerability, and Disaster Resilience Class
Undergraduate Thesis (In Progress)
Professional Experience
Skills Demonstrated
Competence Working with Clients | Handling Confidential Information | Working Independently and in Teams | Application of Academic Skills in Practical Settings | Ethical and Values-Oriented Engagement with Hierarchies and Power Dynamics | Youth Engagement
Trauma-Informed Bodywork and Accessible Yoga
Since their original bodywork training in 2017, Muir has loved helping people with their pain. After a decade of personal yoga practice, they expanded their skillset in 2023 with a 200 hour yoga teacher training. Both ancient wisdom and contemporary science tell us that pain, stress, and trauma are complex and intersecting forces that, when left untended, can wreak havoc on our lives and well-being. However, when given the proper care and attention they can also be powerful sources of personal insight and collective transformation. Muir's goal as a practitioner is to help clients access a growing sense of bodily agency and somatic awareness, while finding relief, empowerment, and resilience around potentially challenging experiences like anxiety, grief, and pain.To learn more and view client testimonials, visit anabhainn.com
Outdoor Skills and Education
Muir has been working as an outdoor educator on and off since they were in high school. Ranging from food security-oriented gardening projects to nature immersion programs, Muir has worked in a variety of contexts with mixed age groups-- they have also taught kids and adults how to swim. In addition to working for themself, Muir has worked for Rewild Portland, Trackers Earth, The Boys and Girls Club of America, and Treehouse Preschool.As an educator, Muir emphasizes personal and group empowerment and non-hierarchy as much as possible, especially when working with kids. They view outdoor education as both a vehicle for increased self-confidence and fulfillment as well as an opportunity to develop compassion and connection to other humans and to the more-than-human world.
Hygiene4All Internship
(In Progress)
As an undergraduate student, Muir worked for Portland, Oregon nonprofit Hygiene4All as a research intern. In addition to conducting qualitative research about cold weather injuries among local unsheltered individuals, Muir also assisted as an on the ground service provider at the hub. This experience required them to utilize their people skills, their experience with trauma-informed care, and their anthropological skillset.
Credit: https://www.h4apdx.org/
Personal Profile
Skills Demonstrated
Emotional Intelligence and "People Skills" | Conflict Resolution | Values-Oriented | Strong Work Ethic | Resourcefulness
Activism and Volunteer Work
Volunteer | Forests for Climate Resilience and Cascadia Forest Defenders
Safety Coordinator | Clown as Protest
Volunteer | Student/Farmworker Alliance
Volunteer | Critical Resistance
Volunteer Street Medic | Portland Action Medics
Additionally, Muir has been involved in a number of projects and efforts in a less formal capacity. For instance, they participated in the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement while living on Kaua'i, assisting locals who wished to reclaim stolen land in the ahupua'a of Wailua; they worked with community members in Sarasota, Florida organizing around police violence; they have worked in numerous community gardens serving all kinds of people.
Mediation Experience
Muir has been volunteering as a peer mediator since 2019. Initially engaging from a place of necessity with low-resource and high-need communities and organizations they were connected to, Muir has spent the past five years deepening their education and cultivating their skill set through hands-on learning. Muir has experience with frameworks and tools like NVC (they particularly appreciate Meenadchi's decolonizing NVC approach), pod mapping, and accountability procesess. Their formal education consists of taking transformative justice classes with Spring Up, but they intend to continue cultivating their practice via more formal training after they finish their undergraduate degree.
Mediation testimonials coming soon.
Travel Experience
Muir has traveled fairly extensively throughout Turtle Island and Hawai'i, as well as a brief stint in Ireland. They are an experienced hitchhiker and have crossed from the Atlantic to the Pacific via hitchhiking more than once. Their favorite part of hitchhiking is the chance to meet people they never would have encountered otherwise: foreign business people, survivalists living off grid, concerned moms, Indigenous wood carvers, and traveling artists are just a few of the folks Muir has encountered on their journeys. Muir is also a member of a number of free trust-based hospitality networks (i.e. trustroots, BeWelcome, and Couchers) where they have hosted guests in their home and been hosted as a guest while traveling.
