About

Peace and blessings! My name is Adrienne A., RMT, ADS. I am the founder and sole practitioner of Heal in the Waters Wellness.

I was born, raised, and still reside on occupied Waawiyaataanong land, also known as Detroit. Simply put, the purpose of my work is to help you tend to your inner waters, increasing our individual capacity to tend to our shared collective waters and build intentional models of reciprocal care with our neighbors, family, and friends. It is our responsibility to care for one another in a world where that care is not guaranteed; however, we cannot engage in reciprocal care when we are unwell and unable to access healthcare due to rising costs. .

My Lineage and Background

My Reiki journey began in 2018, and I am part of the lineage of Reiki Master Teacher Adela Nieves Martinez, from whom I received attunements and training in Reiki Levels 1, 2, and 3. More specifically, I was trained in the Usui Ryoho Reiki system and achieved my Reiki Teacher Certification in 2023. For more in-depth information about my lineage or training, please don’t hesitate to ask.

My wellness experience and training also include certification as an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist (ADS) through the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association. I have been an ADS Practitioner since April 2026.

In addition, my work is also informed by my personal journey as an Aborisha, part of the Afro-Cuban spiritual practice Lucumí, since 2018. Being part of this practice has placed an emphasis on character development, understanding what it means to have a balanced head and heart, and engaging in study that will never end. I am also an ongoing student of the practice of mediumship. I have studied wellness modalities and general energy work since 2014 and will always remain a student as long as I am blessed with the gift of continued life.

Finally, I take pride in my work since 2012 in various community care roles with a wide variety of organizations—email me for more information. In 2015, I received my Bachelor’s in Social Work from Eastern Michigan University, and in 2020, I received my Master’s in Community Development from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Current Work

Reiki, Ear Acudetox (Ear Acupuncture), and Consultations.

My Reiki practice includes in-person sessions for individuals and groups, long-distance sessions, and Reiki Level One and Level Two trainings. Ear Acudetox (ear acupuncture sessions) can be provided to individuals or in group settings of up to 10 people per hour. I am also available for consultations to help groups and organizations strategize ways to build sustainable systems of reciprocal care.

Writings (Newsletter Coming Soon)

I am a writer whose work strives to definine phenomena and our current societal conditions while simultaneously challenging or uplifting the approaches we take to shift those conditions.
My ancestors, spirit guides, elders, theoretical evidence, and strategy, informs every approach I take with my neighbors and loved ones.

What I Strive to Do...

I strive to ensure that those who come to me receive consistent health care, giving them the best chance to address layers of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual trauma. Monetary accessibility, among other factors, helps my community engage consistently in my offerings, and that consistency is what allows the most meaningful progress to take place. It also creates space for us to co-create and implement care plans that are intentionally designed to meet each client’s specific needs throughout their journey with me. By helping you make strides in healing your own inner waters, I hope to gradually expand your capacity to build shared models of care with loved ones that can continue to support you beyond what I offer directly. I also hope to help you sustain that work by continuing to offer my services as needed.

What I Understand...

I understand that communities are seeking wellness modalities at high disproportionate rates and that this reality is exasperated due to several reasons, including but not limited to:

  • Extreme commodification of material needs and wellness practices which limits our collective access and right to thrive. We must shift these conditions together.
  • Holistic depletion of energy necessary to meet material needs.
  • Individualistic prioritization of self-care over communal care, or individualized care not being for the purpose to buid models to sustain us for the long term.

What I Believe...

One. One. I believe together we can create whatever realities we want. Nothing is set in stone. God is change.

Two. I believe accessible wellness, through practices such as mine, is a jumpstart that opens folks’ capacity to have the energy to build, engage in, and sustain models of reciprocal care.

Three. I believe creating and sustaining models of reciprocal care requires consistent energetic replenishment, focus, alignment, grounding, connection with ancestors, and the embodiment of personal and collective power to move through trauma.

Four. I believe reciprocal care is not solely about meeting material and energetic needs, but also about building trust and relationships with one another.

Five. I believe wellness includes quality food, access to land, energetic care, physical, mental, and emotional health, and quality housing, water, clothing, education, transportation, safety, and more. I believe that our work to build models of care should move beyond siloed approaches that see the symptoms of ongoing conditions as separate issues and instead work to get to the root of what causes disparities. This will help end the cyclical harm that brings us to seek healing at disproportionate rates, because healing practices and sessions alone cannot solve our issues.

Six. I believe we should ask ourselves every day, “How do we move toward embracing the notion of taking care of each other within our own neighborhoods, on our respective blocks, with those next door?”

Seven. I believe in you. I believe in me. I believe in us.

My Call to You...

This is a call for practitioners to not only develop, transform, and deepen their analysis through political education but to commit to building reciprocal care models with their communities and within their practices, preferably amongst a collective of neighbors. This is to ensure accessibility & eventually move all of us towards decommodification of our offerings.

This is a call for those who engage with my offerings to speak to a neighbor today. Meet as many as possible. Learn their names, stories, and find ways to consistently take care of each other over time!