Bio

I am Robert Hale, while still on the road, osteopath, acupuncturist, herbalist, author, nature lover, thinker, searcher, learner, poet, walker, musical beginner, drinker of Khayyam’s wine, and some kind of healer.

My interest in and love for all things natural goes way back to when I was a child exploring the local countryside and its woods, ponds and brooks. I have been studying the natural world more seriously since my days as an undergraduate student at Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University), where I took a degree course in the two fields of Biology and Food Science and Nutrition.

After graduating I wanted to work abroad, so I took a teaching position in Italy. There I studied met my father-in-law, a highly respected acupuncturist in the Venice region, who inspired me to study acupuncture, and who would become a lasting influence in my professional life. I obtained my Diploma in Acupuncture from the Scuola Italiana di Agopuntura e Discipline Complementari in 1990. It was at my father-in-law’s suggestion that I then returned to the UK to study osteopathy, obtaining my Diploma in 1993 from the Oxford School of Osteopathy (later absorbed into the School of Health Sciences at Oxford Brookes University). I returned to Oxford Brookes six years later to upgrade my Diploma to a university degree. After working in Italy for several years, I moved to Spain in 1998.

During many years of practice the importance of the mind in influencing both health and responses to treatment became increasingly evident to me, so I decided to study for a Masters degree in Psychopathology and Health, which I achieved in 2013. My practice is in Santa Eulària des Riu, on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Ibiza, where I live with my wife Clouds Woman, and spend my down-time walking its hills, shoreline and cliffs, kayaking, swimming, writing, and playing my Irish bouzouki (an instrument of the mandolin family). I have two grown-up children of whom I am extremely proud.

Qualifications and Professional Membership

I have professional qualifications in Osteopathy, Herbal Medicine, Naturopathy and Acupuncture. I am a member of the Registro de Osteópatas de España (Register of Osteopaths of Spain – membership number 139), the Sociedad Española de Fitoterapia (Spanish Society of Phytotherapy – membership number 671) and the Asociación de Acupuntores de España (Association of Acupuncturists of Spain – membership number 07603). To view my qualifications, see here.

My areas of special expertise

  • Spinal, skeletal, muscle and nerve pain.
  • Chronic pain.
  • Neurology.
  • The relationship between the mind and physical health, especially the role of stress.

What can I offer as a practitioner?

  • Long experience. I have been in practice since 1994.
  • Wide-ranging knowledge. In addition to my main modalities (osteopathy, acupuncture), I have good groundings in musculoskeletal medicine, general medicine (though please note, I am not a medical practitioner), herbal medicine, naturopathy and health psychology.
  • A thorough, logical, problem-solving approach.
  • A holistic mindset. I am particularly concerned with overall, long-term health, which depends on a variety of physical, environmental and psychosocial influences.
  • Dedication. All my patients receive as much thought and care as is necessary to helping their problem.