Victor Terrazas has been a Licensed Massage Therapist for twenty years, and spent much of that career as a program director for a Massage Therapy school. While he enjoyed facilitating the health and healing of others, a few years ago he was called toward change.
“I started noticing that I was feeling extremely stressed,” Victor tells us, “I had very low energy and motivation. I was also feeling extremely irritated most of the time and walking the line between negativity and anger. I started becoming more and more aware of this, and I started thinking that I needed to make a change from my day job as a massage school director. I didn't know what or how to do it. Although I had my clinic operating with a team of therapists, I had many attachments to the ‘director’ title.”
After researching many programs, Victor found Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and enrolled in the Mindfulness and Guided Imagery and Life Coaching programs online, and is currently enrolled in the online Holistic Nutrition program as well. “Having worked with career colleges since 2001, I find that SWIHA got it right,” he says.
Victor took the plunge, left his longtime day job, and fully invested himself in his education: “This was more for me. I needed something to help me get through this change. It was the best thing I could have done at the time. I learned that my attachments to my day job, the title, the salary were rooted in fears of’ ‘not having’ stability and security as well as other things related to my past and upbringing. When this began to become clear, I knew I was on the right path. Everything started changing slowly but surely. Now, I am in a much better place. I love my business, and incorporating mindful sessions and life coaching sessions with my clients.”
“Dr. Beisden was an amazing teacher during my Guided Imagery program. He is extremely qualified, prepared and knowledgeable in the field,” explains Victor, “His ability to help guide students through their journey is amazing. Anyone that has him as a teacher will experience beneficial change!”
Victor elaborates: “I have a much better relationship with myself. I can set boundaries that I didn't have in the past, I have better relationships with my family and friends. Last but not least, my relationship with my wife has strengthened in ways that I cannot even describe. The programs at SWIHA not only get people en route to a new career; they help people dive deep and make changes that are extremely necessary to for a balanced professional and personal life. This is so important in the fields that we are part of.”
In addition to profound personal change, Victor’s education also provided a shift in mindset surrounding business and success: “One of the greatest lessons I learned while at SWIHA was that approaching life and business without judgement, for self or others, can clear the path for other important lessons and paths to success. Meeting myself where I am, as well as meeting others where they are also came from no judgement. I also find that having attachments to job titles can be extremely dangerous, and SWIHA helped me understand and implement that in my life. There are so many lessons available for all students, if they are willing and ready to do the work.”
“I have owned a business for the last eighteen years. Now, I am no longer ‘afraid’ of the shifts that happen with businesses. I take the shifts with stride, and approach them with mindful manifestations. All businesses require clients and customers to stay afloat; I find that now I look at my business from the standpoint that the right clients will come. I've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears to making the business what it is today, and I now approach it with beginner's eyes, a desire to continue to learn and support the team of therapists that work with me. We offer massage therapy services, infrared sauna and now mindful meditation sessions and life coaching sessions, both one on one and in group sessions.”
Victor encourages everyone to consider expanding their toolbox with additional skill sets, saying: “No matter how much learning, training or experience you may bring with you, surrender to the moment as a student and approach everything with a beginner's mind.“
He adds: “I am extremely happy to be a part of SWIHA and actually manifest during my meditations that I may one day teach there!”
