My journey with Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) started as a licensed nurse who was on the verge of burnout. At the time in 2009, I was working full-time and did not have the ability to go part-time. I was looking for a more holistic way to assist people on their healing journey. To assist people in a deeper way towards real healing, to be a part of something I could feel good about within my heart and soul.
Of course, nursing can be a noble profession, and there are very helpful and necessary parts of the medical field, I’m not disputing that. However, for me, I felt overworked and overstressed. I never felt we (the medical team) had everything we needed (including time) to help people in a meaningful way. My second book “Behind the Mask Scrubs and Gloves, One Nurse's Journey” tells much more about this.
Other schools and programs I looked into for holistic health education and training weren't going to work out for me with a full-time working schedule. I somehow found SWIHA and went to a Gifts and Graces event. I then went to a few of their specialty clinics where the students were able to practice these holistic modalities on public clients. From there I talked to an advisor and went to a few of the classes utilizing a complimentary guest pass to see what it’s about and from there enrolled. I worked the overnight shift so I was able to attend some of the evening classes and go straight on to work from there.
My marriage at that time was a toxic one. I felt calm and safe while on campus, which I didn’t feel at home. It was almost as if walking into a spa. However, I wasn’t able to finish my program, due to events in my personal life. I was able to see some classes to completion and hypnotherapy was one of them. I was so intrigued and amazed by hypnotherapy.
Years later, in 2020. I had been out of that marriage for several years, still burned out on nursing, and things were going even more downhill with my nursing career.
I was able to take courses in hypnotherapy and become board-certified. Seeing clients for practice, and eventually for pay over Zoom and the phone which the pandemic and lockdowns helped keep me busy. I was very busy during 2020 and started my business HypnoBreakthrough.
Fast forward to 2022, I wanted to add to how I can serve my hypnotherapy clients. I noticed some clients were happy, and only wanted to do a hypnotherapy session and not have much more talk or discussion. Others were hungry for more. I knew about energy work, Reiki, Coaching, and other holistic modalities. I wanted to have more under my belt, and in my toolbox to offer - so I started looking into more education. I found a few different schools and had a hard time deciding or knowing which would be best.
I then remembered SWIHA. I have always followed SWIHA on social media since back in 2009. I knew the heart and soul of school, from my experience there. I knew KC Miller was genuine, she had always been an inspirational woman. I also knew SWIHA was accredited and not just a “woo woo” type of training center.
It hit me like a ton of bricks, oh yeah - I can take online classes now with SWIHA! I had moved away from AZ in 2012, so to attend I would need to find an online program.
From there I started in April of 2022 in the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) diploma program. I wasn’t sure if I could even do it now being in my mid 50’s and it had been decades since I took any intense programs. Just as the four agreements state, “Always do your best and you will have no regrets” - so that's what I did. I thought if I gave it my best and didn’t make it, I would know that I tried and trust that it wasn’t the right direction for me.
I even paid my tuition in full so that wouldn’t be an added stressor for me. It also gave me some accountability. The focus was not on grades, it was on healing, growing, and evolving for yourself as well as your future clients. Such a great balance of personal growth and professional growth with each class.
Throughout the course, I kept wanting to have a clear vision of how this would all fit in my already established hypnotherapy practice. I was somewhat impatient and eager. The online class community with our classmates through Yellow Dig helped to connect with our fellow students as well.
Where am I now? I have now graduated, and am still in awe of the whole experience. Professionally I have been updating my website and marketing to include these skills I have learned. I had been practicing, mostly with strangers all along to become comfortable. I had slowly been integrating these skills and knowledge into my already established hypnotherapy business. I now have a clear vision, I knew it would come to me despite having some feelings of angst over it. I trusted Spirit, my intuition, and the universe. SWIHA helps to foster this trust. This is a huge takeaway that I would like other students to know. Trust yourself, trust the universe, and your spirit. SWIHA will guide you to a place of clarity and purpose.
