about anna

Anna DiPilla (she/her) graduated in 2006 from a somatic-based massage therapy program through Health Choices Holistic Institute, located in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Her training included a strong foundation in various techniques such as Ohashiatsu, Neuromuscular Therapy, Polarity Therapy, the Trager Approach, Reflexology, as well as Prenatal and Swedish massage. This expansive education has equipped her with a well-rounded skill set in both Eastern and Western approaches to support her clients' needs effectively.

In her early years of working with clients, Anna noticed distinct shifts in her energy levels after certain sessions. It was during this time that she was introduced to Reiki. In the winter of 2010, she received her first Reiki healing session and had an incredibly profound and deeply spiritual experience that left a lasting impression on her. Inspired by this encounter, Anna began her studies in Reiki, and after successfully graduating from Level 1, she developed an autoimmune disorder that rendered her bedridden for a challenging three months. At the encouragement of her teacher, she completed Level 2 while continuing her journey of healing from the autoimmune disorder. After a year of dedicated practice and personal growth, she felt a strong calling to teach Reiki, ultimately becoming certified as a Reiki Teacher/Practitioner in 2012.

The experience of healing from the autoimmune disorder motivated Anna to expand her understanding of the intricate mind-body connection.

In 2012, she dedicated herself to this purpose by spending a meaningful year apprenticing with Ute Arnold, a talented body psychotherapist based in Bucks County, PA. Ute is the creator of the Unergi Body-Psychotherapy method — a gentle and effective mind-body modality that beautifully integrates various approaches, including the Alexander Technique, Unergi Core-Support Movement, Gestalt Therapy, art therapy, and the revitalizing healing forces of nature. She applied these methods and techniques in her private practice while working both collaboratively and in tandem with psychotherapists and licensed professional counselors. During this time, she developed her own unique body-oriented skill set for working with people who have experienced trauma.

After the birth of her third child in 2013, Anna studied the art of infant massage with Infant Massage International and began facilitating infant massage circles for caregivers in her private practice and in local yoga studios.

Anna has always possessed an innate sensitivity to various energies surrounding her and has encountered experiences that are often beyond simple explanation. These range from visual messages from the other side to an uncanny ability to sense the physical pain of others. In 2016, Anna dedicated a year to studying with a Lutheran pastor trained in Michael Harner’s Core Shamanism methodology who guided her in journeywork, ritual, and ceremony on solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days. Anna blends journeywork with her decades-long practice as a witch, whose personal practice includes working with the energies of the lunar cycles, the significant sabbats, and the healing forces of nature.

In July of 2019, Anna was introduced to shamanic teacher Bekki Shining Bearheart, founder of the Church of Earth Healing, at a four-night fire festival in the Adirondacks. Six weeks later, Anna suffered a life-altering traumatic experience causing her to lose memory of the day of the event and beginning five year long journey to learn to listen to her body’s wisdom in order to put the pieces of her life back together. Under the guidance of her teacher, Anna began to cultivate relationships with her ancestors and spirit allies through regular and consistent practice of the healing art of otherworld journeying, further strengthening her lifelong connection to the spirit world. Following this foundational work, she was invited to step into advanced training, embarking on a rigorous year-long shamanic apprenticeship that coincided with her personal struggles and crisis of healing, ultimately leading her to graduate in 2022. During this time, she also began to dig into her family’s personal story of generational trauma which led her to online studies at the Irish Pagan School and an introduction to Italian folk dance and drumming with Alessandra Belloni, honoring both her maternal Irish ancestry and her paternal southern Italian ancestry.

In March 2020, after dedicating 15 years to the practice and study of yoga, Anna proudly graduated from a year-long 200-hour TraumaWise® Yoga Teacher Training curated by Stephanie Pappas of Devalila Yoga. Stephanie is not only a knowledgeable instructor but also an advanced and dedicated student of both Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (the founder of Trancendental Meditation, the Prison SMART program, and the Art of Living Foundation) and the renowned Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing and one of the leading experts in trauma. Stephanie’s innovative TraumaWise(R) program is deeply rooted in traditional yogic principles, while also incorporating a significant influence from Somatic Experiencing, which together create a holistic approach to healing trauma.

Before moving with her family to Trumansburg, NY in 2021, Anna maintained a thriving private practice where she offered intuitive bodywork and somatic healing, Reiki certification classes, trauma-informed yoga classes, and healing and wellness workshops. As an embodiment guide, Anna has mentored trauma survivors and helped women manage stress & overwhelm through her somatic-based program Embodied Empowerment. She also co-facilitated a monthly women’s circle that ran successfully for three years. Just before the pandemic, Anna taught Reiki and massage for special considerations (prenatal, medically frail, and hospice) at Lansdale School of Business in Bucks County, PA.