The Story Behind Between the Bridges Healing Center
“First there is the material body; second the spiritual being; third a being of mind which is far superior to all vital motions and material forms, whose duty is to widely manage this great engine of life.” — Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, founder of Osteopathy
The legacy of Between the Bridges Healing Center began with a vision: to treat the body and spirit alongside the mind. That philosophy is rooted in the ideals of osteopathic medicine. But the inspiration behind the name began with a deeply personal story — a woman who suffered for years with schizophrenia, and a little girl who grew up to become a fierce advocate for mental health patients and their families.
Millie’s Journey — A Story of Surviving Traditional Disease Care
Growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s was tumultuous for Tina Kotulski, daughter of a schizophrenic mother. Born in 1941, Mildred Ann Stafford Smiley — known as Millie — came from a long line of cultured, educated women. She began showing signs of severe depression, extreme lethargy, and bizarre behavior at just 16 years old.
Her mother took her to a doctor who diagnosed Millie with hypothyroidism and prescribed Synthroid, then a new hormone replacement medication. As Millie gained weight due to her symptoms, she was prescribed Dexedrine — a diet pill that led to addiction. The side effects were countered with a prescription for Valium. Millie’s depression did not improve. Instead, she began a 25-year harrowing journey through Illinois’ mental health system — cold, sterile psychiatric hospitals and state homes where physicians provided care rather than a cure. Rather than a healthy lifestyle and diet, Millie was simply given more pills, many with side effects far more evident than any benefits.
Millie’s course of traditional disease management created havoc both psychologically and physiologically — and her situation dramatically shaped Tina’s life. Tina was forced to survive largely on her own, attending school while caring for a mother who was sometimes violent and physically abusive. Tina’s story is beautifully told in her book, Saving Mille: A Daughter’s Story of Surviving her Mother’s Schizophrenia.
Needing a Bridge for Good Health Solutions
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of Millie’s medical journey was that a series of psychiatrists each failed to connect the pieces of her life — her physical health, her history, her story. One physician who cared for Millie for 15 years treated her episodes as isolated incidents. She was eventually moved to a state-funded mental hospital following a failed suicide attempt.
One day, when Tina was a little girl, Millie surprised her with a miniature train set. After staring at the tracks scattered across the floor, Millie declared she desperately needed to find a bridge to connect them. She never brought one home — her manic state had taken over. But that search for a bridge became a powerful metaphor for Millie’s entire life: a search for a health solution that connected her scattered episodes into a coherent story, and a comprehensive treatment course that could fortify her body and soul together.
Years later, Tina became the wife of Dr. Jeffrey Kotulski, an osteopathic physician practicing in Mankato, Minnesota. When a troubling call arrived from the Illinois group home where Millie was staying — she was on 12 different medications, her kidney function severely compromised, her blood sodium dangerously low — Tina and Dr. Jeff took immediate action. They moved Millie into their home in Madelia, surrounded by their four children. A comprehensive functional and orthomolecular medicine program at Between the Bridges Healing Center replaced the medications she had been prescribed in Illinois.
Osteopathic Medicine: Respecting the Body, Mind, and Soul
Dr. Jeff’s orthomolecular medicine approach aimed to maintain Millie’s optimal health through nutritional supplementation — correcting deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that Millie had severely lacked for decades. For any person suffering from mental illness, physical health is often completely overlooked within a traditional disease management framework. The same is true for nearly any illness, disease, or condition.
With the philosophy of osteopathic medicine guiding his approach, Dr. Jeff also employed Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment — a technique rooted in the work of Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, and proven effective at the renowned Still Hildreth Sanatorium (SHS) in Macon, Missouri, from 1914 to 1968. Studies from Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Sciences confirmed that patients at this osteopathic facility recovered from mental illness at significantly higher rates than those in traditional mental health hospitals.
Orthomolecular Medicine for Mental Health and Schizophrenia
Orthomolecular medicine for mental illness — including schizophrenia — aims to restore the optimum environment of the body by correcting biochemical imbalances using substances natural to the body: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, trace elements, and essential fatty acids. This approach lies at the heart of the integrative healthcare we provide at Between the Bridges Healing Center.
Through consistency in treatment, orthomolecular medicine, osteopathic manipulation, and the loving support of the Kotulski family, Millie experienced a transformation. She was able to play with her grandchildren, enjoy life, and live her final years in health and happiness rather than in a medicated stupor. From the time Millie moved in with the Kotulskis in 2005, she lived with optimum physical health until her passing on December 6, 2017.
Between the Bridges Healing Center is dedicated to the memory of Millie, who inspired Tina and Jeff Kotulski to find the bridge that would connect traditional disease management with osteopathic and integrative therapies — and to help patients across Mankato, MN and beyond finally reach their own bridge to better health.
About the Author
Tina Kotulski, a writer and mental health care advocate, won first place from the Midwest Independent Publishers Association for Saving Mille: A Daughter’s Story of Surviving her Mother’s Schizophrenia. She also received an Honorable Mention from the Eric Hoffer Book Award and a Trophy Award from the NNAAMI (National Network of Adult and Adolescent Children who have a Mentally Ill Parent). With her mother Mildred Smiley, she received a 2006 Award of Excellence in Consumer and Family Support from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.
Tina is a nationally recognized speaker at healthcare conferences, seminars, and community organizations. She lives in southern Minnesota with her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Kotulski, and their four children. Together, they own and operate Between the Bridges Healing Center in Mankato, MN — a family health clinic committed to bridging the best of regenerative and integrative medicine. To learn more or schedule a consultation, call (507) 388-7488 or visit our appointment request page.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Legacy of Between the Bridges Healing Center
What inspired the founding of Between the Bridges Healing Center?
Between the Bridges Healing Center was inspired by Tina Kotulski’s deeply personal experience with her mother, Mildred “Millie” Smiley, who suffered for decades under a traditional disease management approach to schizophrenia. The “bridge” in our name symbolizes the connection between conventional medicine and the integrative, osteopathic, and orthomolecular therapies that ultimately gave Millie — and continue to give our patients — a better quality of life.
What is orthomolecular medicine and how is it used at Between the Bridges Healing Center?
Orthomolecular medicine corrects biochemical imbalances in the body using naturally occurring substances — vitamins, minerals, amino acids, trace elements, and essential fatty acids. At Between the Bridges Healing Center, Dr. Jeffrey Kotulski uses this approach as part of a comprehensive functional medicine protocol to address mental health, chronic illness, and a wide range of other conditions.
What is osteopathic medicine?
Osteopathic medicine is a whole-person approach to healthcare that respects the interrelationship of body, mind, and spirit. Dr. Jeffrey Kotulski is a board-certified doctor of osteopathy who uses osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), along with integrative therapies, to treat patients in Mankato, MN and the surrounding areas.
How does Between the Bridges differ from a traditional medical practice?
Unlike conventional practices that focus on symptom management, Between the Bridges Healing Center takes a root-cause approach. We address the full picture of a patient’s health — including nutrition, lifestyle, mental health, and physical well-being — through personalized programs that may include detoxification, nutritional therapy, regenerative procedures, and osteopathic manipulation.
Is Between the Bridges Healing Center appropriate for mental health conditions?
Yes. Between the Bridges Healing Center has deep roots in mental health advocacy and treatment, informed by the story of Millie Smiley and the philosophy of osteopathic medicine. We use integrative and orthomolecular approaches to support patients dealing with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other mental health conditions. Our EXOMIND™ therapy and integrative services may provide meaningful relief.
Where is Between the Bridges Healing Center located?
Between the Bridges Healing Center is located at 45 Teton Lane in Mankato, MN 56001. We serve patients from Mankato, Minneapolis, Rochester, Saint Cloud, New Ulm, St. Peter, and communities across southern Minnesota. Call (507) 388-7488 to schedule a consultation.
How can I learn more about the story behind Between the Bridges?
You can read Tina Kotulski’s award-winning book, Saving Mille: A Daughter’s Story of Surviving her Mother’s Schizophrenia, for a detailed account of the story that inspired our healing center. You are also welcome to call (507) 388-7488 or visit us at Between the Bridges Healing Center in Mankato, MN to speak with our team directly.