> About me
I wasn't always a very nice person.
In fact, not long ago, the word people typically used to describe me was, "surly." I was reactive, judgmental, and often very angry.
Years of pervasive stress had built up inside me, contributing to a baseline state of chronic tension and a general dissatisfaction with life, (something I found ironic, since I had all those things that supposedly lead to happiness — a good job, a nice house, a loving family, etc.)
That progressed into chronic depression, which eventually morphed into chronic pain, and nothing I tried seemed to help. I sought relief in a variety of ways. Yoga. Meditation. Medication. Stimulation. Finally I met and became a client of Dr. Steven Teagarden, and that's really when things in my life began to change for the better.
Working with Steven brought more than simply relief from pain. Receiving the work he had developed — Emergence Care— seemed to foster a sense of peace and wellbeing that influenced all aspects of my life. As I released stored tension in my body, my ability to cope with stress increased. As I perceived life from a more relaxed state, I opened my awareness to unconscious patterns I'd been repeating my entire life. As my emotional and physical armor dissipated, I could see more clearly a connection to my higher Self, my purpose, and other people in my world.
Feeling this change in myself led me to realize that learning to help others in this way was the next step on my path. I was trained by Dr. Teagarden and became an Emergence Care Practitioner in 2011, and began practicing the work professionally shortly thereafter.
From there, a whole world of new opportunities opened up for me. Having let go of my fear-based resistance to following my lifelong passion for music, I began to explore the relationship between sound, music and healing. I starting experimenting with harmonic instruments such as Crystal Singing Bowls, as well as re-discovering the power of my own voice to heal myself and others.
My work with Sound & Song deepened as I studied elements of Voice Movement Therapy and Embodied Shamanic Voice work with Christa Ray; Circle Singing (a tribal, community-building singing practice) with the master of the form, Bobby McFerrin; and the deep-healing methods of vocal improvisation with the amazing vocalist and teacher, Rhiannon.
Along the way I also discovered the powerful Neurosculpting® meditation practice developed by Lisa Wimberger, and became a Certified Neurosculpting® Facilitator in 2014. I also studied the NLP-based practices of Core Transformation and The Wholeness Work, developed by Tamara and Connirae Andreas.
With this tool kit of powerful, interrelated practices, my mission now is to help others regain their ability to heal themselves — physically, emotionally and spiritually — from the inside out. And the bonus for me is that these practices help me continue along my own healing path.
So... am I always a perfectly nice person now? Of course not. But I can honestly say that I always know I have a choice. And the vast majority of the time I'm able to choose for peace, happiness, love and forgiveness. This is the gift I hope to share with you.