The Brain Witch
Enchanted Legacy Wellness & Recovery
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Psychiatric care for people who still feel fragmented, overwhelmed, or unseen after years of trying to hold it together.

Aline Bales, DNP, PMHNP-BC · Doctor of Nursing Practice · Board Certified

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I specialize in complex trauma, dissociation, neurodivergence, and nervous-system-based healing. My work combines psychiatry, psychotherapy, parts work, trauma reprocessing, and integrative care so we can treat the whole system, not just isolated symptoms.

✦ Now Accepting New Patients In ✦
CaliforniaFloridaTexasWashingtonNew YorkOregon
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✦ Who I Am ✦

Hi, I’m Aline Bales

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I do not treat symptoms in isolation. I work with the internal architecture underneath them: the nervous system patterns, protective parts, trauma responses, medical contributors, and lived experiences that shape how a person survives.

My approach is for people who have been told they are too complex, or who have done years of therapy, medication trials, and self-work but still feel fragmented, exhausted, or stuck in survival mode. That does not mean you failed treatment. It often means the treatment was not looking at the whole system.

I bring clinical rigor, lived experience, and a direct but deeply attuned presence to this work. My patients often tell me they finally feel seen, that something inside them gets quiet, and that they can begin to imagine a life that is not organized around survival.

About Me →

✦ Who I Help ✦

Areas of Focus

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You may look fine from the outside. You hold it together at work, show up for other people, and have probably done years of therapy, medication trials, or both. And yet something still feels fragmented, exhausted, or stuck. That gap between how you appear and how you actually feel is not a personal failing. It is often what happens when trauma, neurodivergence, dissociation, and other co-occurring conditions are treated separately rather than as parts of one connected system.

Performing the “Okayness”
Exhausted from the labor of holding it together, terrified that slowing down means falling apart?
Intellectually Aware, Physically Stuck
You understand your trauma in your head, but your body is still screaming in anxiety or silent in shutdown?
Fragmented
Feeling like different “parts” of you are at war — one trying to work, another trying to hide, another simply trying to survive?

If you’ve been told you’re “too complex,” it’s likely because you’ve been treated in pieces. I don’t treat symptoms in isolation. I work with your entire internal ecology.

Contact the Office

Trauma is a glass ceiling.

✦ How We Work ✦

Tools for the Internal System

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Standard psychiatry treats symptoms in isolation. I treat the architecture of your experience.

✦ Integrative Psychiatry
Medical insight to support your biology so you have the resilience to do the deep work, tailored to your nervous system and lived experience.
✦ Somatic & Nervous System-Informed
If you’re stuck in hypervigilance or shutdown, your body is using an old template for safety. We help it find a new one through direct communication with the autonomic system.
✦ Ego State Therapy · Parts Work
Fragmented parts stop fighting and start communicating. We upgrade their jobs so they become loyal to your system rather than your past.
✦ EMDR and Reprocessing
Trauma creates “train wrecks” in your memory. EMDR scrubs those old templates so the past stops hijacking your present.
✦ Clinical Hypnosis
A safe, quiet way to access deeper layers of the system. Integration and healing without the usual intensity or resistance.
✦ Psychedelic-Assisted Care
Once the groundwork is laid, psychedelic medicine creates space to see over the glass ceiling. Always paired with preparation and integration. Learn more →
View All Services →
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Get in Touch

Reach out to the office with questions about services, fees, or availability.

Contact the Office
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The Brain Witch
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Welcome, I’m Aline Bales

DNP · PMHNP-BC · Integrative Trauma Specialist · The Brain Witch

Aline Bales, DNP, PMHNP-BC

Long before this became my clinical specialty, people seemed to recognize that I could sit with difficult emotional material without turning away from it. Even in high school, friends, classmates, and people I barely knew would come to me with the parts of their lives they did not feel safe saying out loud anywhere else.

Later, in the Army, I learned how to hold boundaries, stay steady under pressure, and lead when things were complex, emotional, and uncertain. Somewhere along the way, through my own complex trauma, my own healing, and my own parts work, I realized this was never just a career path. It was the shape my life had been moving toward all along.

Your brain is my special interest.

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I became a psychiatric nurse practitioner because I kept seeing what the standard model was missing. Treating addiction without addressing the trauma underneath it leads to relapse. Treating trauma while ignoring co-occurring ADHD, autism, or a fragmented internal system leaves people without the full picture they need to heal. The system has a long history of treating people in pieces, and the pieces rarely talk to each other. In my practice, they do.

When I began my own EMDR training, I realized how central dissociation was to the full picture of complex trauma. That recognition led me deeper into ego state therapy, parts work, and somatic approaches, and eventually into the complete framework I now call the Balefire Protocol. My doctoral dissertation examined the concurrent treatment of alcohol use disorder and trauma reprocessing, and found statistically significant improvements in patients' internal sense of safety alongside meaningful decreases in craving intensity and frequency. That research confirmed what I had already come to believe clinically: integrated, trauma-informed care is not a preference. It is a requirement.

My patients tell me they have never felt so seen. They tell me I am the only provider who made them believe that a different life was actually possible. They describe a moment when something in them finally got quiet, when the internal noise settled and something steadier took its place. I am intense, and I will not pretend otherwise. What I can tell you is that I create real change, and I will meet every part of your system with the same curiosity, steadiness, and respect, because that is how healing actually happens.

If you have felt rushed, minimized, or managed in other settings, my intention is for this work to feel different: slower, more attuned, and organized around helping you build a life that feels authentically yours.
ESTNA
ESTNA Certified
Ego State Therapy North America
Certified EST Therapist · 03/2026
IPI
IPI Certified
Integrative Psychiatry Institute
Psychedelic-Assisted Clinical Provider · 01/2026
American Society
of Clinical Hypnosis
ASCH
Certified in
Clinical Hypnosis
ASCH Certified
American Society of Clinical Hypnosis
Certified in Clinical Hypnosis · 03/2026

✦ Credentials & Certifications ✦

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Education

  • Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) · Psychiatric Mental Health, University of San Francisco, 2023
    Dissertation: Trauma-Informed Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder: Improving Long-Term Recovery
  • Bachelor of Science in Registered Nursing (BSN), Excelsior College, 2011

Licensure & Board Certification

  • ANCC PMHNP-BC · Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
  • CA State APRN · Psychiatric/Mental Health NP · NP Group Setting Without Standard Procedures (BPC 2837.103) · NP 104 in process
  • FL State APRN · TX State APRN · WA State APRN · NY APRN
  • DEA Registered Provider · Multi-state

Certifications

  • ESTNA Certified EST Therapist · Ego State Therapy North America · 03/2026
  • ASCH Certified in Clinical Hypnosis · American Society of Clinical Hypnosis · 03/2026
  • IPI Certified Psychedelic-Assisted Clinical Provider · Integrative Psychiatry Institute · 01/2026
  • EMDR Basic Training · 08/2021
  • Mentalization-Based Therapy trained
  • Somatic and Nervous System-Informed Psychotherapy
  • Advanced training in Ketamine and Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy
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Ready to Begin?

Not rushed. Not minimized. Not managed. Seen, supported, and guided toward a life that feels authentically yours.

Contact the Office
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The Brain Witch
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Healing at the Level
of the Nervous System

Healing is not only about reducing symptoms. It is about understanding what those symptoms are trying to communicate, and helping the different parts of the system stop fighting long enough to work together.

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✦ Diagnoses & Conditions I Treat ✦

  • Complex trauma and PTSD, including developmental and relational trauma
  • Dissociative disorders across the spectrum, including OSDD and DID
  • Neurodivergence, including ADHD and autism, especially when complicated by trauma
  • Dual-diagnosis presentations involving trauma and substance use disorders
  • Trauma-related anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and identity disturbance
  • Chronic shame, abandonment wounds, and attachment-related distress

✦ Treatment Modalities ✦

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✦ Integrative Psychiatry
Medication management is approached thoughtfully, with attention to when medication is helpful, when it may not be, and how it can support trauma healing rather than override the nervous system.
✦ Somatic & Nervous System-Informed
We begin by helping your nervous system recognize safety through somatic awareness, autonomic regulation, and direct body-based communication.
✦ Ego State Therapy & Parts Work
Parts are engaged through negotiation, curiosity, and reorientation to the present moment, allowing the internal system to settle and begin working together rather than against itself.
✦ EMDR and Reprocessing
Integrated into treatment to help reprocess traumatic memories and resolve chronic triggers. It is often combined with ego state work when dissociation is part of the clinical picture.
✦ Clinical Hypnosis
Used when appropriate to access deeper layers of the internal system. It supports ego state work, trauma processing, and internal regulation in a way that often feels quieter and less effortful than other approaches.
✦ Mentalization-Based Therapy
Mentalization-Based Therapy is useful for abandonment wounds, relational trauma, and borderline traits, and particularly helpful for autistic individuals who are building capacity to understand and navigate the mental states of others.
✦ Ketamine-Assisted · KAP
Introduced later in the healing process when the nervous system is stable and the therapeutic relationship is established. Full page →
✦ Psilocybin Journey & Integration
Available for established patients who have completed sufficient stabilization and are ready for immersive psychedelic-assisted work. Learn more →

✦ Appointment Types & Fees ✦

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Intake and Follow-Up

90 minutes
Intake Appointment
Comprehensive initial evaluation including psychiatric assessment, trauma history, nervous system orientation, and collaborative treatment planning.
$450
75 minutes
Follow-Up Appointment
Psychotherapy, medication management, trauma processing, parts work, EMDR, and integration depending on your treatment plan.
$375

Medication Management

45 minutes
Medication Management
For more complex medication reviews requiring additional clinical time, history review, or treatment adjustment discussion.
$275
30 minutes
Medication Check-In
Focused appointments for medication review, adjustments, and ongoing psychiatric monitoring when therapy is not the primary focus.
$250
All sessions are telehealth. Payment is due at time of service. A superbill can be provided upon request for potential out-of-network reimbursement. This practice does not bill insurance directly.
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Ready to Begin?

If you’re ready to take the next step, reach out to the office.

Contact the Office
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Enchanted Forest Portal
The Brain Witch
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A Doorway Through
the Glass Ceiling

Ketamine · KAP · Psilocybin Journeys · Provider Partnerships

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When the groundwork is in place, psychedelic medicine creates enough distance from the trauma to let you finally see over it, and begin to live on the other side.

Ketamine Integration

✦ Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy ✦

More than a treatment. A turning point.

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Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy can be a powerful part of trauma treatment when the timing, preparation, and integration are handled carefully. I do not treat ketamine as a standalone intervention or a quick emotional reset. I use it as one possible tool within a larger trauma-informed treatment plan.

For some patients, ketamine can create enough distance from old survival patterns to make deeper therapeutic work more accessible. That opening matters, but the preparation before the session and the integration afterward are what help the experience become lasting change.

KAP should not be rushed. We first assess nervous system stability, dissociation, medical history, psychiatric safety, substance use risk, internal resources, and the support available after the session. Not every patient is a candidate for this work, and readiness is something we determine together over time.

✦ The Four Phases of KAP ✦

I
✦ Preparation ✦
We build the internal container. Safety mapping, nervous system stabilization, and parts-informed readiness. You don’t enter the experience without a foundation under you.
II
✦ Intention Setting ✦
We identify what the system is ready to meet. Intentions are not goals. They are an orientation, a direction the internal system agrees to move toward.
III
✦ The Journey ✦
Ketamine is administered as an oral troche in a carefully held therapeutic environment. I remain present and attuned throughout as the ego softens and new perspectives emerge.
IV
✦ Integration ✦
We translate what surfaced into lasting nervous system change. Integration is where the insights stop being a memory and start becoming a lived reality.

✦ KAP Session Fees ✦

Approximately 3 hours
KAP Dosing Session · Oral Troche
Full ketamine session with continuous therapeutic presence. Preparation, intention setting, and integration sessions are scheduled separately.
$550
75 minutes
Preparation, Intention Setting, or Integration
Each phase is its own dedicated session. Integration is recommended within 48 to 72 hours post-journey.
$375 per session
Who this is for: KAP is not a starting point. It is introduced when the therapeutic relationship and internal stabilization are already in place. Available to established patients in California, Texas, Florida, Washington, New York, and Oregon.
IPI
IPI Certified
Integrative Psychiatry Institute
Psychedelic-Assisted Clinical Provider · 01/2026
ESTNA
ESTNA Certified
Ego State Therapy North America
Certified EST Therapist · 03/2026
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✦ For Providers & Therapists ✦

Collaborative KAP
Provider Partnerships

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If you are a therapist or provider whose client is ready for ketamine-assisted work, I accept referrals and take that client on directly for the duration of the KAP series. Your client becomes my patient for the KAP work. You remain their primary provider and the therapeutic relationship you’ve built with them stays intact.

✦ The Referral
A brief provider consultation call happens first so I understand the clinical picture, what work has already been done, and whether the client is a good fit at this stage.
✦ Preparation & Intention Setting
Because I am building a new clinical relationship with the client from the start, the preparation and intention setting phases typically require more sessions than with an established patient.
✦ During the KAP Series
I hold all four phases with the client directly. The client’s sessions with you may continue in parallel or pause. Either way, I keep you informed.
✦ After the Series
Once the KAP work and integration are complete, the client returns to you as their primary provider. I coordinate the handback directly and am available to consult as needed.
For providers: A brief provider consultation call is required before any collaborative KAP series begins.
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Psilocybin Integration

✦ Psilocybin Journey Work ✦

The deepest opening
requires the steadiest ground.

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For established patients who have completed sufficient stabilization and parts work, psilocybin journey work offers a different kind of opening than ketamine. One that tends to reach further into the symbolic, the relational, and the deeply somatic. This is not a shortcut. It is a doorway available only when the internal system is ready to receive what it reveals.

Psilocybin-assisted work is approached within a legal and ethically grounded framework, held with the same four-phase structure as KAP: Preparation, Intention Setting, The Journey, and Integration. Details regarding session logistics, location, and facilitation are discussed directly and confidentially with established patients.

This work is informed by training and ongoing connection with Canopy Collective — a relationally-oriented, ethically-grounded community whose values and approach have shaped the foundation of psychedelic-assisted care within this practice.

✦ Canopy Collective ✦
canopycollectiveretreats.com
My psychedelic practice is grounded in training and connection with Canopy Collective — an ethically-oriented, relationally-centered community whose values align deeply with the Balefire framework. I am honored to name them as part of the foundation of this practice, and to hold open the possibility of future collaboration in individual or group offerings as this work continues to evolve.
I
✦ Preparation ✦
Clinical sessions with Aline to build the internal container. Parts-informed readiness assessment and nervous system stabilization.
II
✦ Intention Setting ✦
A dedicated session to orient the internal system toward the experience. Not goals, but direction. What is the system ready to meet?
III
✦ The Journey ✦
Session logistics, location, and facilitation details are discussed directly with established patients who have completed readiness work.
IV
✦ Integration ✦
Return sessions with Aline to anchor, map, and translate what emerged, ensuring the experience moves from insight into lived, embodied change.
Journey session
Psilocybin Journey Session
Session logistics, location, and facilitation details are discussed directly. Facilitation fees are separate from clinical sessions with Aline.
Inquire for Pricing
75 minutes each
Preparation, Intention Setting, and Integration
Clinical sessions with Aline across all four phases.
$375 per session
Eligibility: Available only to established Enchanted Legacy patients who have completed sufficient stabilization within the Balefire Protocol. Psilocybin-assisted work is conducted within a legal framework. All logistical details are discussed privately as part of the preparation process.

✦ Frequently Asked Questions ✦

KAP & Psychedelic Care

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Is ketamine therapy right for everyone?
No. Ketamine is not appropriate for every patient or every stage of healing. We first assess medical history, psychiatric stability, dissociation, substance use risk, current medications, and whether the nervous system has enough support for this kind of work. Readiness is determined carefully and collaboratively over time.
Is KAP the same as just taking ketamine?
No. KAP includes preparation, intentional dosing support, and integration. The medicine may open a window, but the therapy helps the system make meaning of what happens inside that window. Without thorough preparation and integration, the experience is far less likely to translate into lasting change.
Why do we focus so much on preparation?
Preparation helps the nervous system feel oriented before entering an altered state. We work on safety, intention, parts readiness, containment, and post-session support so the experience is less likely to overwhelm the system and more likely to open something useful.
What happens after a ketamine session?
Integration is where we help the experience become usable. We explore what surfaced, how the body responded, what parts were activated, and what needs to be carried forward into daily life. Integration sessions are not optional. They are where the work lands.
Do I have to be an existing patient to do KAP?
For KAP with me directly, yes. I introduce ketamine-assisted work only after we have established a therapeutic relationship and your nervous system has sufficient stabilization. Therapists may also refer established clients for a collaborative KAP series, which begins with a provider consultation call.
Does insurance cover KAP?
This practice does not bill insurance directly. A superbill can be provided for potential out-of-network reimbursement. The ketamine medication itself is typically not covered by insurance.
I am a therapist. Can I refer a client for KAP?
Yes. I accept collaborative referrals from therapists whose clients are ready for ketamine-assisted work. A brief provider consultation call happens first so I understand the clinical picture. Your client becomes my patient for the KAP series, and we coordinate throughout so the work moves in the same direction.
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Let’s Talk First

Psychedelic-assisted care is not right for everyone. Reach out to discuss whether this work is a fit.

Contact the Office
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Provider Consultation Inquiry
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The Brain Witch
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Enchanted Legacy
Offerings

Workbooks · Apparel · Tools for the Internal System

✦ The Balefire Protocol ✦

Client Workbook

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The Balefire Protocol Client Workbook
✦ Balefire Protocol · Companion Workbook
The Balefire Protocol Client Workbook
A container for nervous system repair, parts integration, and soul-led transformation. Organized around three phases: Stabilization, Mapping and Processing, and Integration.

Inside: The Sword and The Flame framework, autonomic ladder mapping, ego state exercises, somatic check-ins, the Conference Room technique, and integration prompts for each phase.
✦ Now Available for Pre-Order ✦
Pre-Order Now

✦ Apparel ✦

Wear the Work

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The Brain Witch T-Shirt
The Brain Witch
Black T-Shirt
$25.00
+ $5.00 shipping
M · LG · XL
Buy Now
Intuition T-Shirt
«INTUITION»
Black T-Shirt · Back: “Trauma is a Glass Ceiling”
$30.00
+ $5.00 shipping
M · LG · XL
Buy Now
Trauma Is A Glass Ceiling Jersey
Trauma Is A Glass Ceiling
Black Jersey
$35.00
+ $5.00 shipping
M · LG · XL
Buy Now
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Questions?

Contact the office for workbook orders, bulk inquiries, or shipping questions.

Contact Us
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The Brain Witch
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Get in Touch

Enchanted Legacy Wellness & Recovery

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Questions about services, fees, or availability? Use the form below.

Please note: Do not include protected health information or clinical details in this form. This form is for general inquiries only. Submission does not establish a patient-provider relationship.

Response times vary. Submission does not establish a patient-provider relationship.

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Or reach out directly

aline@enchantedlegacy.org
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Licensed in California · Florida · Texas · Washington · New York · Oregon

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The Brain Witch
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Notice of Privacy Practices

Enchanted Legacy Wellness and Recovery · A Professional Registered Nursing Corporation

Effective Date: April 16, 2026

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THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Enchanted Legacy Wellness and Recovery, A Professional Registered Nursing Corporation is required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI) and to provide you with notice of our legal duties and privacy practices.

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Treatment
We may use and disclose your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your healthcare and related services.
Payment
This Practice is self-pay and does not bill insurance directly. A superbill may be provided upon request.
Required by Law
We may use or disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
Serious Threat to Health or Safety
We may use or disclose your PHI when necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or the health or safety of another person.
Psychotherapy Notes
Psychotherapy notes are held to a higher standard of protection under HIPAA and will not be used or disclosed without your specific written authorization except in very limited circumstances required by law.
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Your Rights: You have the right to access your PHI, request amendments, request restrictions, receive confidential communications, and be notified of any breach. To exercise your rights or file a complaint, contact: aline@enchantedlegacy.org — or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights at www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints.
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Questions?

Contact the office with any questions about your privacy rights.

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The Brain Witch
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Privacy Policy

Enchanted Legacy Wellness and Recovery · A Professional Registered Nursing Corporation

Effective Date: April 16, 2026

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This Privacy Policy describes how Enchanted Legacy Wellness and Recovery, A Professional Registered Nursing Corporation collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website. This Policy applies to information collected through the Site only and does not govern the collection and use of protected health information (PHI), which is addressed in our separate Notice of Privacy Practices.

We do not sell personal information. Information voluntarily submitted via the contact form is used solely to respond to your inquiry. For questions, contact: aline@enchantedlegacy.org — or see our Notice of Privacy Practices.
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Questions?

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