Angela Gabriel

Angela Gabriel, MS, MS, L.Ac., SEP, is a Licensed Acupuncturist and certified Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner at the GWCIM. She holds dual Master's degrees in Biochemistry and Oriental Medicine and has been in clinical practice for over two decades. Her work sits at the intersection of Chinese Medicine, nervous system science, and trauma-informed bodywork — offering patients a genuinely integrated path to healing that addresses both the physical and emotional roots of their conditions.

Angela didn't set out to become an acupuncturist. She was a biology scientist in Moscow when she first tried acupuncture and Qigong — and it stopped her in her tracks. That personal experience opened something up, and she followed it all the way to a second Master's degree in Oriental Medicine and an entirely new direction in her life.

Somatic Experiencing® came later, but from the same curiosity. The more she worked with patients, the more she noticed how much the body was holding — and how much was left unaddressed when you only treated the surface. What drew her to SE™ was that it brought her back to her scientific roots — the physiology of the nervous system, the biology of stress and survival responses. It was a different language for something she recognized, and it fit naturally into everything she was already doing.

Angela joined the GWCIM in 2010, bringing a background that draws from both Western biomedicine and Eastern healing traditions. Over the years, she has built a practice that is clinically grounded but never rigid — each session is shaped by what the patient in front of her actually needs.

Her acupuncture style is rooted in Japanese-style techniques, including the Nagano-Matsumoto approach, with a focus on gentle, nearly painless needling. It tends to be a good fit for patients who are sensitive or have had uncomfortable experiences with acupuncture in the past. Depending on what is called for, she may also bring in cupping, moxibustion, herbal therapy, or lifestyle guidance.

For patients navigating trauma, chronic stress, or physical symptoms with a stress-related component, Angela weaves Somatic Experiencing® into her work — sometimes alongside acupuncture, and sometimes on its own. This body-centered, bottom-up approach helps patients work through what the nervous system has been holding, and supports healing on both the physical and emotional levels. Her training in BASE (Relational Bodywork and Somatic Education) adds another layer of depth to this work.

Beyond her clinical practice, Angela has taught mindfulness and bodywork at various workshops and programs — including to GWU medical students — and has been part of the integrative medicine program at Bread for the City in Washington, D.C.

Outside the clinic, Angela comes home to her husband, Dr. Misha Kogan, their two teenage sons, and two dogs — Noodlz and Shabu. She has been a student of the Diamond Approach for many years and finds herself drawn to the Sufi poets, especially Rumi and Hafiz. Dance, hiking, kayaking, cooking, and time in nature are how she stays grounded. She is an advanced Spanish student with a love of travel, and has a soft spot for the artist Andy Goldsworthy — someone who finds beauty in what is temporary. That sensibility, in its own way, shows up in how she cares for her patients.