A Bit of Background
Artistic by nature, I went to the High School of Art and Design with the goal of a career in the art field. I look back now and see how two forms of drawing we were taught have helped to create the practitioner I am today. One was called gesture drawing, in which you were given a few seconds to draw the model's pose and catch the essence of it. The other was contour drawing, its opposite, in which you had to draw the details of the model without looking at your paper. You had to use your eyes to see all the contours of the figure and match your hand to the speed of your eyes. This process made you learn to almost "feel" the details with your eyes. To be a successful homeopath, two skills are essential: the ability to perceive the essence of someone's issue or state, and the ability to grasp the fine details that make their symptoms unique to them.
My high school teachers taught me to think outside the box and championed self-expression. As a practitioner, my goal for my clients is for them to be free of perceived limitations. I believe that this is essential for a joyous life, because constriction ultimately limits our health on all levels.
When I was seventeen I began to study meditation, and at twenty years old a foreshadow of my future career in energy work appeared in the form of a strong desire to do laying on of hands -- something not talked about at that time. Because I didn't know where to go to actualize that desire, I let it go and continued to pursue my career as a graphic artist.
I remember always questioning the reason for my existence -- reading books that explored the idea of God and spirituality -- but at that time I got no answer. Like most of us when we need to pay rent, the bigger questions get put on the back burner. Days became years, years passed and I married and had children.
We all have turning points. At some point during those years, my love for the perfection of the human form gave way to wonder at the perfection of the functions of the human body. I began to feel a calling to be a midwife, and took the first step by getting a nursing degree from Columbia University. I immediately became a labor and delivery nurse, with the ultimate goal of becoming a midwife, but fate had other plans. Instead, I became a generalist and learned about many aspects of nursing, all of which serve me well now in my full family practice.
As time went by I became exposed to the awesome healing capabilities of Homeopathy, and decided to become a homeopath, having the honor of becoming one of the country's first board-certified homeopaths. I also helped found the New York State Homeopathic Association. To this day, Homeopathy's ability to heal mental, emotional and physical issues never ceases to amaze me.
We often can't believe that our most painful challenges in life will turn out to be our biggest blessings. For me, the most painful challenge of my life was when a loved one was hit by a car. In the process of caring for her I experienced the power of intention, as I felt every part of me relentlessly willingly her back to life with my love. I would tell people afterwards "I can't explain it, but my love was a verb." Despite almost complete recovery, a medical accident later took her away. The pain was devastating. I could never have told you then that the question about my existence was starting to get an answer. It took me years to see that the birth of my holistic healing practice came from that experience. Her passing gave me the ability, from a place of experience, to help people who have experienced loss. I've realized since then that the ultimate challenge in each one of our lives is to transform our pain into blessing.
Soon after this I was given an opportunity to study Healing Touch, an energy healing method then being taught only to nurses. My desire to study hands on healing was finally being fulfilled. I was coming full circle. Since then I have become a Reiki master and Esoteric Healing practitioner, and have experienced deep pleasure at having my innate talent partner with knowledge, and the satisfaction that comes from honing one's skills through the years.
As time went by, the fast-paced nature of Western medicine and its often cavalier treatment of people conflicted with my desire to spend unhurried time with my patients. So, in addition to my nursing position at the clinic where I was working, I created an independent after-hours practice on site using Homeopathy and energy work to treat adult HIV and AIDS patients. My after-hours practice soon evolved into including patients of all ages with all types of issues. The desire to devote myself to my clients led me to leave the nursing field. The universe apparently approved of my decision, because my practice grew wonderfully through word of mouth, and I was experiencing the joy of helping people in very profound ways.
I care deeply about people and was always told I was a natural psychotherapist, but I never pursued this because no psychotherapy model ever spoke to me of spirituality, something dear and essential to my life -- until I discovered Psychosynthesis. When I found it, I felt I was home. Adding Interactive Guided Imagery work, counseling, coaching and Emotional Freedom Technique to my palette of healing therapies, I enriched my skills so that now I can help people regardless of the issues they face.
Complacency is the death of growth. I continue to hone my skills and challenge myself to be the best practitioner I can be. Led by my clients' needs, I teach them, inspire them, champion them, and lovingly help them keep accountable to their vision of being the most healthy and vital people they can be in all areas of their lives. I am continuously blessed to be able to hear countless clients tell me of how their lives have improved as a result of our work together.
I no longer have any doubt that I have found my path, and now know with absolute certainty why I am here. In my practice I get to see people blossom all the time. I love my clients and look forward to getting up each day to do our sessions.
I believe everyone has the right to find their path and live it. Only by living our vision can we truly find our joy and be the blessing to the world that each of us was born to be.
