Dr. Porter has personally experienced the power of the mind and emotions in healing. At the age of 25, she suffered a major back injury after years of being a ballet dancer. “The doctors wanted to perform spinal fusion surgery, but I flat out refused,” she said.

“For several years I tried many alternative approaches, including Trager therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, and others. They helped to temporarily relieve the pain, but didn’t solve the underlying problem.

“I finally did have back surgery but was able to avoid the spinal fusion – instead, things fell into place for me to take part in a clinical trial for an artificial disc replacement. During my recovery period, I attended the Chopra Center’s Creating Health program (now called Perfect Health), and it was a life-changing experience. While my spinal structure had been fixed, I realized that the healing that I really needed was at a deep emotional level. I finally began to tune in to my own needs and listen to what made me happy.

“Returning to my fellowship training in child neurology, I continued to ask myself three important questions I learned during my Chopra Center experience: Who am I? What do I want? How can I help and how can I serve? Ultimately I realized that despite my intense interest in that particular field of medicine and passion for working with children, I was not fulfilling my soul. I knew that in the end, I wouldn’t be serving myself or my patients if I continued in that specialty.

“As I listened to myself, I knew I wanted to practice medicine in a way that would support the patient and not the health industry. I’d felt limited in some of the settings I’d worked in, often being unable to offer an alternative treatment I knew could probably help, simply because my patients couldn’t afford it and insurance wouldn’t cover it.

“At the Chopra Center, the physicians, educators, and therapists have the freedom to support patients in their needs. Also, those who come here are making a commitment to themselves, so I can partner with them in creating health. I love to teach people who are open to listening and making changes to work for their own healing. It’s truly a holistic approach. We’re not just substituting an herb for a pill, but are looking at the roots of disease so that healing can take place at the deepest level.”