Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Najah Abdus-Salaam. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Najah, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
I’ve always been a spirited child at heart. I’ve always loved nature, animals, and helping and caring for others. So when it came to career paths, of course, I chose to go into marketing and advertising(!!). After working in NYC at the largest outdoor advertising agency at the time, I knew this was not the work for me. I was surrounded by ad execs and managers who only cared about landing their next biggest client – all in pursuing the almighty dollar. And I am so thankful for this experience. Because it not only made me physically ill (I was constantly suffering from colds, flu, and the like), but it made my soul sad. I knew then that it would eventually be my end if I stayed here.
Around the same time, I began traveling to San Diego and falling more and more in love with it with every visit. I would cry when I left and even slip into a depression after each trip. After the 5th time visiting San Diego, I decided to make the move. It was here that I decided to go back to school to become an Acupuncturist, and I was so delighted with my choice! I needed to help people – that became so very clear to me. And at the same time, I could see a vision of myself doing much more than acupuncture. I saw myself leading workshops and talks to large groups of people. This vision left me with a sense that I was supposed to be doing more than acupuncture, but this would be the point that I jumped into the field of helping others.
Working as an acupuncturist in San Diego since 2013 has had its challenges. It has never been a straight upward trajectory in my practice. I was delighted when a handful of my supervisors at the clinic I did my internships and externships recommended me to an outstanding physician, Dr. Bob Uslander. Dr. Bob brought me into his integrative concierge practice, where I was the acupuncturist treating his patients, mostly terminally ill and elderly. This work was some of the most beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking work I have done, where we as a team have successfully extended the quality and quantity of life for many of our patients.
As an Acupuncturist, Yoga Instructor, Classical Feng Shui Practitioner, and Massage Therapist, I wore many hats – especially in the beginning. At times it was great! Especially when my roommate and best friend Cheryl (and occasionally my friend Heather Fenwick would step in) and I would put on healing concerts where we would pair up with different sound healers in the area and do acupuncture while they played. We did close to 30 events throughout Southern California and even New York and Mexico. We always loved doing these events, but we stopped doing these events when Cheryl moved across the globe. I was heartbroken that I had lost my best friend – it just wasn’t the same without her.
After Cheryl left, I just stuck to my acupuncture practice, with a short break to help my husband at the time with his food truck business. And now, in hindsight, that little voice was always in the back of my mind -that acupuncture was just my starting point, although I didn’t know where I was going. At times, I didn’t know how I would continue to sustain myself while doing this work. There were many moments when I thought I had made a mistake entering the healing arts field. I even decided to take a break from treating patients – I filed for divorce and had taken a job with a management position at an insurance company.
But as they say, some of the greatest triumphs come from the most profound moments of despair. Then Covid came.
Since up until this point, most of my concierge patient base had been the elderly and terminally ill. So overnight, I lost all of the patients I had been treating due to the restrictions, and the patients did not feel comfortable with doing in-home visits. This was a scary moment for me. Especially since the manager position that I was just offered and accepted, was rescinded due to Covid (!!), I didn’t know what I was going to do. But thankfully, I snapped out of it rather quickly.
I had to change the way I was seeing this challenging moment. So I decided to see this as a moment where I could dive deep and find other ways to look at healing and helping others. It was then that I received an email from the national acupuncture board about obtaining continuing education units, which is a part of maintaining my license. Out of a list of courses that were not exciting me – there it was! A course about using crystals and gemstones on a particular set of acupuncture meridians. I was thrilled! I had never seen anything like this offered in California, and since I was newly nationally certified, this course appeared on my radar, and boy did I scoop it up!
I forgot to mention earlier that I have always had an affinity for crystals and gemstones. While in Grad school, I would make jewelry, using crystals and gemstones as a hobby. I made a necklace for my old mentor for her birthday. She couldn’t stop talking about it. She spread the word, and I started making commissioned pieces for different ailments, like uterine prolapse and thyroid resection. I have always had a deep love for crystals and gemstones, although I didn’t know precisely how to work with them. According to The Book of Stones by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian, I would make the jewelry, which I loved. But I knew there was more that I wanted to explore with crystals and gemstones, but I didn’t know how. That was until I found this course.
That course (and subsequent courses) changed my life! Following in the ancient Daoist tradition, which predates East Asain Medicine, I dove into these teachings from Sarah Thomas, who received her knowledge from Jeffrey C. Yuen, 88th Generation Daoist Priest of the Jade Purity Lineage. After taking almost all of her courses, I can now say this was the most significant defining moment in my professional career. I was able to learn about the crystals and gemstones while healing myself with them simultaneously. This course allowed me to heal deeply from past traumas and fall back deeply in love with what I do. And now, with the added element of working with crystals with my patients, I can address the spirit and soul level, while the needles address the physical level.
Since working with crystals and gemstones, I have ultimately come into my spiritual nature, where I work with Spirit in my work every day (which wasn’t the case before). I have also learned how to make gem elixirs learned to navigate the unseen realm of spirit in my Intuitive Healing Sessions, which are done at a distance.
Crystals and gemstones have led me back to the event space, where I am currently offering Crystal Hologram Activations in San Diego with a dear friend, sound healer, and Reiki practitioner, Lindsey Roach, activate each participant into a voyage of profound self-discovery and healing. We are now hosting them monthly at Yoga One in Mission Hills.
Since the courses landed in my lap, my life has completely changed. My practice has changed, how I relate to myself has changed, and how I relate to others has shifted too, in the most beautiful way. The missing link looked at me a long time to find. I am now offering healing in the way of Crystal Hologram Activations done at different venues in San Diego and in Los Angeles.
Najah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Najah’s love for Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine began twelve years ago with her first Acupuncture treatment. It was so profoundly powerful that she decided right then and there to become a healer. Najah graduated with my BS in Marketing and Advertising from Kean University in New Jersey and after working in this field for a number of years and not feeling fulfilled, she attended Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego where she graduated with her Masters in Traditional Oriental Medicine – now the Pacific College of Health and Sciences. During her clinical work in externships at San Diego’s Senior Center at St. Lutheran Church, and the San Diego Cancer Research Institute in Encinitas, her passion to help the elderly population and those affected with terminal illnesses grew immensely. It has taught her to be a compassionate, gentle healer that has the ability to hold a safe space for her patients.
With the addition of becoming a Daoist Stone Medicine Pracititioner, Najah has expanded her acupuncture practice to include this ancient medicine of the Jade Purity Lineage to help her patients heal not only on the physical level, but on the level of the soul. Using the ancient knowledge obtained from these ancient teachings, she now includes crystals and gemstones in every treatment. This is what sets her apart from other practitioners. All illness has its roots in the level of the soul, where traumas, programs, and the like are stored in the messenger RNA of the cells. Only healing that touches the soul can help to reverse these limiting belief patterns.
Her website and projects are listed below
www.virtualsouljourney.com
www.acupunctureinhome.com
Gem Elixir Apothecary on Etsy
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
Yes, I absolutely would. It hasn’t been an easy road, but the benefit definitely outweighs any risks.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I could say my entire professional career as an acupuncturist has been a testament to my resilience. As an acupuncturist in San Diego, we are literally a dime a dozen. So finding ways to stand out amongst the crowd was not always easy, especially as a new practitioner. There were many times where I considered taking a job as an acupuncturist in a hospital or other clinic space where I would be employed (craving security), and taking insurance which would also give me a feeling of more security. I am so happy that I stuck to the course and kept going, even though all odds seemed against me at times. Practicing the way that I do now allows me the ultimate flexibility and freedom I was craving – having an office space as an independent contractor, doing house calls for those who can’t make it into my office, hosting various events and retreats, selling products in my online store and at events, and doing subtle energy distance work online.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.acupunctureinhome,com
- Instagram: @the_crystal_shaman_naj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/najalique
- Linkedin: @najah abdus-salaam
- Twitter: @najah_salaam
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClUNs3sU-KZ8e_cfyxVYCvw/featured
Image Credits
Hank Arends