SWIHA Blog

By 2014, Angelica Belmar was happy in many areas of her life. Her family, kids, and husband made her feel proud of them. She was grateful and humble for all she had in her life, however her only frustration was that she didn’t have a career, and that feeling was strong in her heart. She knew that she wanted to study, yet she didn’t know what she wanted to study. “My entire life, I have been inclined towards kindness, gentleness, compassion, and diplomacy. I like to help others. The holistic field sounded very fascinating to me, so I started researching it, and I found Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA).” She enrolled and graduated with an Associates degree of Occupational Studies in Mind Body Transformational Psychology specializing in Hypnotherapy, Holistic Nutrition, and Life Coaching. Within the program she also studied Aromatherapy, Flower Essences, Prayer Therapy, Ayurveda Introduction, Energy Anatomy, Psychology of Addictions, Developmental Psychology, Ethical Consciousness.  She calls SWIHA one of the best schools in the world because it is a school that gives holistic education, and therefore they care for each one of their students. She experienced their support during her program, and now that she is graduated, she feels that her success is important for them. “I’m so grateful.”

Cora Love was actually led to the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). She was seeking, very diligently, an affordable program that covered multiple modalities. “Another effort I was following was being thwarted at every turn. Then, I saw SWIHA, which offered  everything I was interested in, accepted financial aid, and was able to get me enrolled within days to start my two-year program, on-time, January 19, 2015.”

Cora went on to graduate from the Mind-Body Transformational Psychology program, with a concentration in Spirituality and a specialty in Hypnotherapy. “One of the most valuable things SWIHA taught me was that my spiritual gifts are real; they can be enhanced with study and practice, and I am more powerful than even I originally thought. I also learned that what most of us think we know and believe, we really, really don’t. Long-held beliefs can be shattered with a sentence, or an image.”

The story behind Tammy Coin getting to the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) is a long one. When she enrolled at SWIHA, she wasn't really sure of her direction. She arrived with a Masters in Human Relations Counseling and since her own life journey was connected to holistic practices, she opted to enroll in the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner diploma program, rather than a degree program.  At the time of my enrollment in September 2014, she had several life issues taking place, and she was about to leave town for the birth of her first grandchild. Since she did not have a specific direction in mind, she opted for the Holistic Nutrition program and the Polarity program.  A few months in, she went through her required 20-hour Life Coaching weekend.  ”I KNEW it was for me, yet I wasn't sure how I was going to work in Life Coaching because my schedule was already full.  Shortly after that, I completed my required 20 hours in Hypnotherapy.  As much as I was enjoying Polarity, I KNEW that Life Coaching & Hypnotherapy complimented my Masters degree and was absolutely the right choice for me.” By this time, she had completed Polarity 1, Polarity Reflexology, & Cranial Unwinding.  She is so grateful for that knowledge, yet she knew where she was being led.  By the time she graduated, she had completed 120 hours of Life Coaching, Hypnotherapy 101 (on-campus) and Hypnotherapy 201 and Hypnotherapy 301 online. “ I guess in the technical sense, I have been coaching for about one year.  In the literal sense, I have been coaching my entire life. ”  

Karin Gunderson was a harpist with Hospice for eleven years, and people continually shared things with her that they had never shared with anyone else. In Karin's own words (see picture):

I wanted to be able to empower people to live their best life with the time they had left.

Karin has been a life coach for three years, and she feels she attracts those who feel "stuck" in their lives— whether by grief, limiting beliefs, or trauma — when they have a deep desire to move forward in their lives, these types of experiences can be properly managed.  “I specialize in helping people remove stuck emotions and grow spiritually.” Karin’s passion for this work is continually fueled by her client’s satisfaction and excitement, as they witness their own growth.

The sudden death of Janet Ellis’ only sister in 1998 brought her to her knees and was the catalyst that ultimately brought her to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). “When I am emerging from a crisis, my usual response is to embark on some learning journey. In December 2006, I was completing what I thought would be my last semester at ASU.  I had earned a bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development and a minor in Psychology and Gender Studies. I then decided that I wanted to apply to their Marriage & Family Therapy program,” said Janet.

Lauren Doyle has been life coaching for over a year now; allow me to share her reflection, “Both my own experiences with self-work, as well as finding myself as a mentor and guide to friends and family, has led me to life coaching. I found that throughout my different careers and jobs, I was often sought out for my knowledge and advice. I finally decided that there was a gap and the need that I could fill.” When Lauren coaches her clients, she utilizes the Rewriting the Story worksheet the most. She finds that this tool allows clients to reflect and rewrite, not only past experiences, also to stop the train of automatic negative thoughts (or ANTs) that can so easily take over, freeing clients to move on and write the future they really want.

In 2010, Gisele Marasca was at major turning point in her life. “I had to close my graphic design and publishing company (mostly due to the 2008 economic crisis) and file for bankruptcy. I lost my home in the process and had to practically start from scratch.” She got a temporary job at the U.S. Census Bureau, and went through a phase where she was feeling lost and confused about her next steps. “At a certain point, I realized that I needed to reinvent myself.” During her years as a graphic designer and publisher, she worked on the side as an energy healer. “I felt that the challenges I had gone through were a sign from the Universe that it was time to change my course, and find my true path. I decided that my 'on the side' work was going to become my main career and life path.”

It was at this point that she began researching schools all over the country for a degree in energy healing and other holistic practices. “I was attracted by the AOS degree in Holistic Health Care that SWIHA offered. I was also intrigued by the fact that its very rich curriculum included hypnotherapy and life coaching.” The fact that SWIHA offered online programs and is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education sealed the deal for her!

From a young age, Stephanie M. Bjarnson already admired life coaches. A counselor taught her self-hypnosis techniques, which she then used to bring herself out of a severe depression during her youth. Her hometown wasn’t the most accepting of her approach to holistic healing, as she shared with me.

Stephanie feels that this fear is due to the mainstream medical establishment that pushes pills, therapy, and rehab on to people, rather than promoting self-love, meditation, and holistic methods of healing. Stephanie sums up healing and wellness succinctly, saying, “It all starts with the self - that is where we truly evolve.”

Though the fields of life coaching and hypnosis may differ in their approach to healing, these were the two areas that Stephanie desired to learn about the most, dating back to her highly beneficial childhood experiences with them. It comes as no surprise that Stephanie eventually enrolled in the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner ONLINE program, where she specialized in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Life Coaching.

Cherie Lee grew up in Galveston Island, Texas with four siblings, three brothers and a sister. She was raised a Catholic and attended church every Sunday. She always believed in angels, God, Jesus, and Mother Mary, and loved to learn about Catholic traditions, prayers, and songs of worship. However, she was not sure if she really believed in the devil or a hell with fire. As I grew up, I tried to please my parents and do the right thing, although I had my moments of rebellion. “I was a good kid, growing up in a very dysfunctional family with an alcoholic step-dad who abused my eldest brother and me on a regular basis. My entire family was negative in nature, and I became the peacekeeper of the family. I became a person who always tried to help others, yet was full of my own negativity; I suffered from anxiety and depression at times. However I always had faith in God, and this is what pulled me through every terrible incident growing up.”

Worrying about money can be a tremendous stressor in one’s life. Scientific studies have shown that extreme stress can adversely affect our mental health and can decrease the function of our immune system. Because mind and body function together, worrying about money may cause physical and emotional symptoms. You might feel helpless or depressed. Possibly you experience headaches, digestive problems, or frequent infections. You may feel anxious, irritable, and have difficulty sleeping.