Kate's original training was as a general nurse and midwife in the 1980s, where she first became interested in alternative methods of pain relief — for chronic and acute pain and for the pain of labour. In the 1990s she trained in Reflexology, Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Reiki and Qigong. During her acupuncture internship at Nanjing University Hospital she saw eastern and western medicine practised side-by-side, and that integrated approach has shaped her work ever since. Over the past decade she has done post-graduate training with Jeffrey Yuan in Classical Acupuncture, herbal medicine and Qigong. In 2007 she began offering personal-growth and Holotropic Breathwork workshops, and in 2012 she certified as a Holotropic Breathwork facilitator through Grof Transpersonal Training (GTT). In 2021 she joined the team setting up the three-year Grof Legacy Training (GLT) programme and is certified through GLT as a Grof holotropic breathwork facilitator — carrying both lineages forward. Alongside this she has spent more than 15 years working in deep exploration of Celtic Shamanism — training with Caitlín and John Matthews — and now co-teaches "Walkers Between the Worlds" at Danu Lodge with Margot Harrison. Over the past 25 years Kate has created and managed several holistic multidisciplinary healing centres, including Fairgreen Holistic Clinic in Naas, Co. Kildare and Goldenspears Healing Centre in Kilmacanogue, Co. Wicklow. She has worked in women's health for more than 35 years and offers acupuncture, herbalism and reflexology at the Acorn Acupuncture clinics at Danu Lodge, Co. Wexford and in Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow (acorn-acupuncture.net). In 2014 she created the acupuncture department at Sims IVF Clinic in Dublin — still the only Irish fertility centre that openly integrates acupuncture alongside western IVF protocols — and continues her close association with Sims and other fertility centres. In March 2020 she created Danu Lodge to provide retreat and healing for those needing rest, sanctuary and peace.
"
Using all my skills, I am able to work intuitively and assist each person to access their own inner healing wisdom as they sit with me.
— Kate Curtis
A gathering in the garden
Circles form here — for breathwork, shamanic training and quiet retreat — under the wide Wexford sky.
Margot Harrison is an experienced healer and shamanic practitioner working within the traditions of these lands. She lives and has a practice on the border between Sligo and Roscommon in the west of Ireland. She teaches alongside John and Caitlín Matthews on their Hallowquest teaching programme and runs workshops locally and online. She teaches at Danu Lodge with Kate Curtis on the "Walkers Between the World" Foundation course in Traditional & Ancestral Shamanism, and offers online and face-to-face sessions in shamanic healing.
Ceolanna-Elizabeth is a singer, songwriter and composer of Celtic Chants, and a ceremonial drummer. She works in the field of voice-work and sound healing. She is an initiate of Brigid and teaches Celtic/Gaelic mantras known as Gutha. She has been a vision quest and sweat lodge leader for over 30 years, having trained with the fire-dance teacher Emaho from the early 1990s in the USA, and has trained extensively in other modalities including Reiki and Ancestral Medicine healing. She practices Reiki, CranioSacral therapy, therapeutic bodywork and breathwork, and counselling from her Glasgow practice, and offers 2–3 day women's retreats in Scotland and Ireland. For the last 7 years in Italy she has helped lead vision quests and sweat lodges, and at Danu Lodge she leads the ceremonial community sweat lodge in Lakota and Celtic traditions. She offers CranioSacral therapy, counsel and reiki sessions both in person in Glasgow and online.
Grof® Breathwork Facilitator · NLP Mind Coach · Shamanic Practitioner/Counsellor
I began my journey with holotropic breathwork in 2006. I certified with Grof Transpersonal Training in 2016 and facilitated as a member of the support staff team between 2016 and 2019 during Grof Transpersonal Training modules in Slovenia and Spain. I am currently part of the team of trainers and facilitators in the Grof Legacy Training Nordic (www.gltnordic.org) in Denmark and the Netherlands. I also offer Grof breathwork retreats regularly at Danu Lodge alongside Kate. I practice as an NLP Mind Coach and I am a member of the Irish Institute of NLP and International Association of Mind Coaches. I also trained as a Shamanic counsellor and practitioner, and certified as a Transpersonal Therapist at the Shamanism Ireland Transpersonal Institute. I work both online and in person from my home on an organic farm in Connemara, West of Ireland. Drawing on my trainings and experience, I use a combination of modalities to hold the space for people's inner exploration of mind, body and soul. I am a passionate believer in the power of the 'Inner Healer', and the use of holotropic states of consciousness, as a vehicle to connect deeply to our own innate healing wisdom. I am as equally passionate about holding space for people on their healing journey as I am with those who are facing their death.
