About Dr. Donigan
I am a licensed physician, board certified in Internal Medicine and a NARM Master Practitioner. I practiced Primary Care for over ten years and have helped patients face realities of life and death. I’ve always approached my work holistically and relationally. I consider the therapeutic relationship to be an integral part of the healing process. My continued medical education has taken me down many paths including Functional and Integrative Medicine as well as Psychedelic Plant Medicine and Trauma-Informed Care. My original interest in healthcare has remained my passion – the mind-body connection. As a physician interested in root causes, I find the role of neuro-regulation (the process by which our nervous system alters our physiology in response to our experiences) to be a powerful and often overlooked determinant of health and wellbeing. Most therapies that endeavor to impact neuro-regulation aim to change behavior. While behavior is important, focusing on behavior alone often falls short of deep and lasting change. NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) addresses the source of behavior (our state of being) to increase one’s capacity for balance and wellbeing. My work blends applied knowledge of physiology and psychology with philosophical and spiritual practices. While healthcare continues to fragment treatments into silos of sub-specialization, I enjoy bridging disciplines and translating complex concepts into relatable information.
PHILOSOPHY
The heart of my practice is to deepen your appreciation for what it means to be human. Understanding the intelligence of your body, you can learn to use your felt experience constructively, giving rise to greater agency and self-compassion. I act as a mirror, supporting your exploration into places you cannot see alone. I am your travel companion, with resources, knowledge, skill and experience to help you navigate your journey.
To heal means to become whole. To be human is to be vulnerable. Illness and injury are not moral failures, but inevitable parts of being human. The trauma of life, also known as heartbreak, is a universal cause of disconnection from self and others. It is in safe relationships that we reconnect and heal.
To doctor means to teach. The breadth of my training and experience allow me a vast perspective on the many options available to you. I’m grateful for my western medical education and know there are many paths to wholeness. I integrate and apply my knowledge with intuition and innovation. I enjoy translating complex concepts into relatable information with creativity and humor.
I take seriously the privilege and responsibility of doctoring. To do no harm means I am a perpetual student of evolving science and medical discourse. I believe you deserve dignity, honesty and kindness. You cannot be reduced to a symptom, result, diagnosis, weight, age, gene, or belief. You are miraculous in your complexity, resilience and potential
My doctoring is an expression of who I am. How I “show up” - my conscious participation in our shared space –affects your healing process and matters to our realizing a more humane world. I aspire to live meaningfully amidst the beauty and tragedy of life. Everyday, I practice curiosity and compassion.
A Brief History of Education and Experience
Areas of Focus
Somatic Psychotherapy
Helping patients increase capacity for self-agency, self-regulation, connection, insight, intimacy, awareness, presence, compassion, self-activation, separation and individuation.
Preparation and Integration of psychedelic, mystical, transpersonal experience
Application of NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) for resolution of developmental and complex trauma.
Mind-Body Medicine
Application of Internal Medicine through the lens autonomic neuro-regulation, with particular interest in functional and somatization syndromes.
Trauma-Informed Medicine
Helping patients with trauma engage in healthcare.
Certification and Licensure
August 2011 to present - American Board of Internal Medicine, Board Certified
October 2019 to present - New York Medical License
Jun 2011 to present - Illinois Medical License
Jun 2023 to present - NARM Master Practitioner Certificate
February 2014 - present - American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine, Diplomat
Education and Training
July 2008 - June 2011
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago IL
Internal Medicine Residency
Aug 2004 - May 2008
Midwestern University - Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Doctor of Osteopathy
Aug 1996 - Dec 2001
University of Michigan – Flint, MI
Bachelors of Science, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Minor in Chemistry
Employment
Nov 2020 - present - Kristen Donigan, DO, PLLC
In-person in Woodstock, New York, virtual to Illinois
Somatic Psychotherapy
Internal Medicine
July 2017 - July 2020 - The Raby Institute for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern
Chicago Illinois
Internal Medicine
Functional and Integrative Medicine
Nov 2013 - June 2017 - Whole Health Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Internal Medicine
Functional and Integrative Medicine
Aug 2011 - Oct 2013 - Edward Medical Group
Naperville, Illinois
Internal Medicine
Presentations and Group Facilitations
Oct 2022 - Presentation
The University of Wisconsin, Madison
2nd Annual Psychedelic Symposium
Wholeness: A Mind Body Approach: From Primary Care to Somatic Psychology
Oct 2018 - Retreat Co-Facilitation
The Christine Center, Wisconsin
Letting the Light In
Apr 2020 - present - Group Facilitation
Monthly Zoom Meeting
Practicing Embodiment and Authentic Connection: Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation in Challenging Times
Continuing Medical Education
Jan 2024 - present - NARM Level 4 Post Masters Training, NARM Training Institute
Feb 2024 - Ethical Psychedelic Care, The Synthesis Institute
May 2023 - Intermediate Workshop 1 on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy: Use of Touch, Transpersonal Principals, Transference, Experiential, Polaris Insight Center
March 2023 - Introduction to Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, Polaris Insight Center
Feb 2022 - Nov 2022 - NARM Level 3 Masters Training, NARM Training Institute
Jan 2021 - Sept 2021 - NARM Level 2 Therapist Training, NARM Training Institute
March 2021 - Assessment and Education of Patients with Neuro Circuit Disorders, Mind Body Center of Ascension Providence Hospital
Feb 2021 - Clinical Applications of Polyvagal Theory in Trauma Treatment: Integrating the Science of Safety, Trust, Self-Regulation and Attachment, Polyvagal Institute with PESI
Aug 2021 - Oct 2021 - Psychedelic Crisis and Harm Reduction, Psychedelic Practitioner Training, ONCA Foundation
Aug 2021 - Oct 2021 - Ethics and Care, Psychedelic Practitioner Training, ONCA Foundation
Jan 2021 - Solving Chronic Pain Summit, The Open Center
Jun 2020 - Dec 2020 - NARM Informed Professional Training, NARM Training Institute
May 2016 - Oct 2016 - Mind-Body Medicine, Physician Experience and Teacher Training, Whole Health Medicine Institute
July 2017 - Hormone Advanced Practice Module, Institute for Functional Medicine
Nov 2015 - GI Advanced Practice Module, Institute for Functional Medicine
Feb 2015 - Cardiometabolic Advanced Practice Module, Institute for Functional Medicine
Nov 2014 - Energy Advanced Practice Module, Institute for Functional Medicine
Sept 2014 - Mastering Brain Chemistry, Walsh Research Institute
July 2013 - Detox Advanced Practice Module, Institute for Functional Medicine
Sept 2012 - Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice, Institute for Functional Medicine
Personal Interest
Plant Medicine and Ceremony
Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, Cultivation of Wisdom, Sense-making, Circling
Bridging disciplines and wisdom traditions
Countering ideologic capture of healthcare
Learn more about the NeuroAffective Relational Model, NARM, a somatic psychotherapy specifically designed for developmental and complex trauma at the NARM Training Institute.
NARM® TRAINING INSTITUTE IS NEITHER A REGULATORY NOR LICENSING ORGANIZATION AND THEREFORE NOT SANCTIONED TO CERTIFY, LICENSE, OR OTHERWISE BESTOW THE LEGAL AUTHORIZATION TO PRACTICE AS A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. A NARM® [THERAPIST/PRACTITIONER] IS A PERSON THAT HAS COMPLETED THE NARM® PRACTITIONER TRAINING.