Traveler Between Worlds by Jo Patti Munisteri
At first a defense against a tumultuous childhood, Jo Patti Munisteri’s ability to mentally distance herself from the world around her soon proved to be an incredible opportunity. With time, she was able to turn toward practices that would allow her to lean into that ability to treat her mind, body and spirit — from Traditional Chinese Medicine, to acupuncture, to medicinal plants, to spiritual and physical healing.
Seeking wisdom, lessons and skills to hone her consciousness and work towards healing, Munisteri travels across the world. Years of dedication culminated in her involvement with the Native American Sun Dance ceremony, the eye-opening VETS program in Mexico that showed her the possibilities of plant and animal healing, rigorous martial arts training in China to heal after an injury, and her adventures in teaching, military assignments, healing practices, imprisonment, dance, and more education. Munisteri seems to have done it all.
Throughout Traveler Between Worlds, Munisteri paints a portrait with her words of each location that becomes her home, describing the people she connects with, the places she is housed, the cultural and political factors, and the ways in which she is propelled along her own path toward healing, even in the face of unfathomable hardship and loss.
We got a chance to speak with the author herself about some of the most notable travels, and what she hopes readers learn from her own experiences.
Q: What inspired you to write your life story?
A: There are a number of people whose lives, sacrifices and wisdom need to be remembered. I write from first-hand experience about my time with them.
Q: What first drew you to such a nomadic life? Did you always know that your future career would take you all around the world?
A: I grew up moving and adapting; we moved 13 times before I was eleven. I interacted with different people from different cultures throughout my childhood, and I knew I wanted to work internationally, but I never envisioned how many diverse countries I would eventually end up working in over the years.
Q: Traveler Between Worlds is described as a companion to your first non-fiction book, Traveling Off the X. Could you elaborate on that connection?
A: My first non-fiction book only covered up to 2016, and I had to leave out some of my travels or it would have been too long. I also had to wait until some of my experiences were further in the past. I had someone look over them in Traveler Between Worlds to be certain I didn’t violate any of my non-disclosure agreements, as I had a number of NDAs from past assignments. Together, these books fit like puzzle pieces of my life and work. However, I wrote each chapter so they could also be understood separately.
Q: Along with traveling to countries in the midst of peace, you’ve also been sent to locations embroiled in conflict. How do you manage such challenging assignments?
A: I’ve been part of, and exposed to conflict situations, in varying degrees most of my life. When I was 20, I was dropped behind the Iron Curtain. I worked on Kibbutzim in Israel in my early 20s just after the Yom Kippur War. I am known for doing well under pressure and making quick decisions even under fire. I was trained in Human Terrain/Human Domain systems by the US Army in a special program. I also learned from different people in the countries I lived and worked in, who had endured wars, conflicts for decades. I am also a person of faith.
Q: Is there a country you haven’t been to yet that you’re hoping to travel to?
A: I would like to visit Mongolia and Bhutan. I’ve been invited by colleagues to Kyrgyzstan, and hope to visit there soon.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your book?
A: The different healing modalities I’ve been fortunate to experience, which many people do not know are available as alternatives to Western medicine, I share in my books. I also include personal strategies for resilience, and my struggles to remain healthy in body, mind and spirit in spite of terrible events and challenges. I hope these will give people inspiration to continue no matter how difficult life becomes at times.
I also hope people understand more about conflicts from an on-the-ground-level view in many parts of the world. Certainly, I would like people to know more about unsung strong and brave people (including women) in conflict zones — not just in war zones — but those who fight for the truth.
About Jo Patti Munisteri:
Intrepid Explorer of inner and outer worlds, Jo is an educator, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner, was a Sundancer, a certified combat analyst, a student of martial arts, and an avid hiker, dancer and swimmer.
Jo is a mother of a son and a daughter — Denali and Sequoia Schmidt, and former wife of the late USAF PJ, mountain guide and climber Martin W. Schmidt.
Jo’s non-fiction, technical writing and research is published in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Pakistan, Russia, India and Iraq (in English). Jo publishes her poetry and creative fiction under Jo Patti.
She is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Massey University, and has her diploma from New Zealand School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. In addition, Jo has a Third Class Radio Engineering License (NYC) and completed more than 20 Professional Development courses in a number of countries.
