Spiritual Healing

Historically, the spiritual healing arts encompass innumerable domains, techniques, belief systems, cultures, ages, symbols, tools, and practices. Historians, archeologists, and anthropologists have documented spiritual healing in every culture, no matter the age. Frequently, individuals are set apart specifically to care for the medical and spiritual needs of their communities. These roles may be intertwined or separated; the practitioners called priests, priestesses, medicine men or women, witch doctors, shamans (the word shaman comes from Siberia and means “one who knows” or “one who sees in the dark” – ie, the hidden realities), gurus, faith healers, herbalists, folk healers, sages, seers, prophets, mediums, mystics, or, simply, healers. The list of names is endless, their understanding of the physical world and its dangers always evolving, but their mission has remained the same through eternity – to walk between worlds and shepherd their people safely through a hazardous place.

When Jesus began his ministry 2,000 years ago, he donned this age-old mantle. The scriptures are filled with stories of him restoring people to wholeness – the blind, the lame, lepers, those possessed by demons, a hemorrhaging woman, and Lazarus, to name a few. All were cured using basic physical substances such as mud and spit, or simply through His word or touch. Human history is filled with these types of stories and yet, sadly, the narratives of worldwide persecution and destruction of those doing the healing, like Jesus, run right alongside. Modern colonialism, and its collision with the period of Enlightenments’ focus on reason and intellectualism in place of received wisdom, was particularly brutal in trying to eradicate these old ways, especially in the worlds indigenous populations.

While the western medical research of the late 19th and 20th centuries brought us antibiotics, ether, and other breakthroughs, it also divided the body into smaller and smaller parts, leading doctors to specialize. If we could keep all the pieces in working order, the thinking went, then the whole would follow, as if we were a fine-tuned machine. Medicine was reduced to the level of auto-mechanic; our Divine nature relegated to the back seat, an after-thought, if it was thought of at all. These changes eroded our understanding of humans as mysterious and multi-faceted beings. Anything outside of the norm was referred to as alternative medicine and derided by the established medical community.

In the United States, this trend began reversing a few decades ago. As our medical providers remember they are treating a whole person (and their loved ones), these time-honored disciplines are making a comeback. Recent scientific research continues to validate their effectiveness, solidifying their value and acceptance in our culture. We can see this change clearly in the metamorphosis of the term alternative to complementary medicine.

Natural, holistic, and spiritual healing practitioners, though forced underground or into the shadows, were never altogether destroyed. In the Christian tradition, for example, continuing Jesus’ healing edict through intercessory prayer, the laying on of hands, healing masses, and anointing the sick with oil (known as last rites in the Roman Catholic church) has endured centuries. The native peoples can again openly observe their cultural traditions and customs, and though many rightfully protect these from outsiders, others, such as Toltec descendent don Miguel Ruiz, to whom I trace my own shamanic training, have openly shared their ancestral wisdom throughout the world. Healing techniques and disciplines such as Reiki (Japan), Ayurvedic medicine and Yoga (India), and Traditional Chinese Medicine have emigrated from their origins in the east and spread into broader, accepted usage in the United States. None can be completely separated from the spiritual threads that formed them in their native lands.

The most basic attribute of a spiritual healing session with me is the creation of a safe, sacred space where both my client and I can open and maintain a connection to the Divine. There is no overt religious or spiritual belief or practice underlying the session; rather we remain free to accept and experience whatever comes through.

If you are a new client, I will ask you to fill out a health history intake form. We will go over that together; generally, I get a good sense of what you’re hoping for, but we always set an intention for the session before starting. After that, you will either lie down on my massage table or get settled for a distance session. I will make sure you are comfortable, then create boundaries around our working space, and begin, always following my intuition.

Clients can have myriad experiences during a session including, but not limited to:

• Altered states of consciousness
• Feelings of deep peace and relaxation
• Seeing or hearing colors, voices, or messages
• Feeling the presence of ancestors, guides, Spirits, Saints, or other Beings, or receiving messages from them
• Being called to do ritual, remove blockages, or take any other appropriate action dictated in the moment
• Re-experiencing memories, or remembering things you’ve forgotten
• Journeying through time
• Understanding family patterns or inherited traits
• Acting in the energetic space to change the physical – repairing a broken heart from an old romance to heal a current heart condition, for example

Through the use of time, space, and a different perspective, the benefits of a spiritual healing session are endless.

Do I have to practice a particular religion or believe a certain way to have a session?
No. You and your own belief system guide our sessions together. I am simply creating and holding space, journeying alongside you, and listening for instructions from Spirit on how to help you achieve your stated intentions and goals.

What if nothing happens, or I don’t feel anything?
So far, in my practice, this has never happened. If it ever does, we will address it at that time, and find a way forward together.

How did you become a spiritual healer?
First, I do not consider myself a healer. You are doing your own healing; I am merely supporting and guiding you. However, from the time I was a child I have been able to sense information on many levels, especially through my hands. Massage school and continuing education in different bodywork techniques, chaplain training, my deep connection to Christ and commensurate spiritual practices, and my shamanic apprenticeship with dona Meghan Gilroy have all combined to deepen this innate sensitivity and intuitiveness.