About 15 years ago I went abroad to study in Spain in my last semester of college. What a wonderful experience! I had such fun traveling and meeting no less than 4 lifelong friends. When I returned and graduated, I had the luck of finding a job after a few months of looking and started getting used to adult life. I didn't really know at that time what I wanted to do in life, but I found something that aligned with my interests and it worked out fine. I was off! Adult life...here I come!! But...I was having trouble with my stomach. I was frequently having a lot of sharp stabbing pain that would knock me out and then it would pass with no trace. After being tested a few times for various things and having come back with inconclusive results, my doctor diagnosed me with anxiety...something I thought I could never possibly have. I had good grades, a great GPA upon graduating, and a healthy life in all areas. How could I be anxious? And how could that have been causing my stomach pains? She then suggested I see a shaman and energy healer that lived in the area which I thought was a pretty cool approach.
Well, being open minded and interested in alternative methods of healing, I went to see the shaman. It worked for me...I felt relief, I felt shifts in my body, in my thinking, and in my ability to consciously process what was happening day to day. So, I went back again and again, and continued to benefit from the gentle work that seemed foreign to me then.
After a couple years and a good number of sessions, I was invited to train with this shaman, and so began my training as a healer. Yes, I had definitely suffered from some pretty strong anxiety, yes it was taking a physical toll, and yes, this practice of healing seemed to work really well for me. But I was pretty scared-it was deep and powerful work that was challenging and made me work hard to understand life, myself, my purpose, and consciousness itself. I wondered why such a practice helped me, what it had to do with me, and why I kept feeling relief and gaining ground from healing sessions and practical training.
It took a while, years even, to understand my connections to this modality of healing, and it took years to feel more comfortable with practicing it and embracing it. But, my anxiety subsided and over those years I became able to manage things in life that I never expected to. The grounding, strength and personal growth I experienced while training were profound. The day to day improvement in my perspective and ability to handle difficult situations was remarkable. I grew and grew and somehow realized that that is all this is...life is a continuous process of growth. If you can embrace that you can get ahead of yourself in all the right ways so when things get tough you get grounded. Then you walk, step by step through the day, accepting and embracing whatever may come, though it is not always easy, it becomes more and more clear that it is just a moment to pass through and that if you take a minute to breathe you realize that you are here, you are grateful and you are not afraid because it is just a moment in time.
I recently redecorated, and in doing so I found journals from years past, 2, 4, 7, even 10 years ago relating details of my future plans to create a business in healing, art and consulting. To say it has been a long time coming is an understatement. I have been waiting and wanting for the right time to step into my work as a shaman/healer, artist and consultant full time and I am thrilled that now is the time. I look forward to growing more and tracking my progress here on the blog as I go. Also very much looking forward to working with all the people out there who can benefit from this work who I have not met yet. I welcome you in advance and wish for your best self and healing in advance. It is never too late to start fulfilling your dreams...one by one we can work together to overcome our fears, anxieties, obstacles and energetic blocks to move toward our purpose here in life.
Sending all my love,
Lauren
