Todd Schlapfer

Todd was different than anyone else I have known. You could feel the difference almost instantaneously when in his presence. It was felt - in the way he smiled and greeted me each day when I arrived at work. - in the way he would hold space to explain the complexity of the body. - in the way he interacted with each human who stepped into his office. - in the way he said goodbye to each patient. With a sparkle in his eye and a gentle smile, his whole being said “I see you.” He brought out the best in everyone with his exquisite ability to trust. The level of trust he gave is considered dangerous in our current society and I imagine he paid a price for that radical trust in some areas of his life. But his embodiment of the trust was positively infectious. For me it was transformative. Never had I worked for someone who trusted like that. Trusted in humanity… trusted in me… trusted in the healing power of nature. If the schedule ever had gaps, Todd was not questioning why. He was not peering over my shoulder to make sure I was doing my job right. He was not hustling ideas on how to market his business better. He would instead come out and say the time and space were a gift that allowed him to reach out to patients he had been thinking about. He would come out, grab their charts, and either begin writing an e-mail or calling them directly to say hello. Often he would arrive in the morning and hand me a handwritten list of patients. He would ask me to reach out to each person on the list to check in and see how they were doing. They were patients who had come to him either in a dream or had popped into his mind on the way to work. Often when I called the patients they would be blown away because they had just experienced a difficult life matter and had been thinking about Todd and were needing his guidance. There was so much fluidity in the work of helping Todd’s patients. I loved being in service to and in witness of the intuitive moments; there were countless. Rather than a matrix of systems, it felt like the clinic was a conduit of healing energy and my job keeping the channels open – to help the communication flow. Todd taught me how to ask the right questions, how to distill the information, and ultimately how to see the larger health picture that was unfolding. By doing so, I could better translate the patient’s questions and he/we would then be able to give helpful guidance. When in that flow, the healing work would continue post consult. At the end of every morning (the start of a 2-hour lunch break) I would go into Todd’s office to review patient questions, changes to the schedule, updates etc. Each patient’s question sparked a larger philosophical discussion or in-depth training on how the body and energy systems work. He wanted me to understand the “why” of every response so I could partake in a more in-depth discussion with every patient I was calling back. Usually, I would be so excited about what I was learning during those sit-down discussions that I would go home at the end of the day and research further information on the “why” of what we were doing. Todd was always there inspiring my curiosity about our inner and outer nature. He was a true teacher. After I was initially hired on at the clinic, it didn't take long for me to notice the contrast of our patient's demeanor from arrival to departure. When they walked out of Todd’s office, they carried themselves differently, they communicated differently, they moved through the world differently. There was a sweetness and grace that returned. It’s as if Todd had reorganized their energy body in a way where time itself had changed for them. It is hard for me to imagine this world without Todd in it. His presence made a significant imprint on me as a person, and I now feel a great responsibility to keep the conduit open – to continue the healing work within myself and also in the healing work and service of my life. I will end with this sweet message I captured from a card Todd wrote to a patient many years ago while giving his condolences to their loss of a loved one. I’m not sure if he wrote it or if it was inspired by other writings… but it feels right to share today. HOMAGE TO THIS BODY Homage to this body, this cosmos of cells Spun into a galaxy of blood, bones, muscle, and skin This heart-sun and moon-mind Homage to the spirit that animates us To the shree that enlivens us To the imagining that recreates us Homage to what opens us to the next Homage to this day, to yesterday, the future and its return