SWIHA Blog

As her 50th birthday approached, Sandy Flores knew she wanted to do something special to honor the next stage of her life, now that she and her husband, Bill, had an empty nest. She always dreamed of completing her college degree and thought this would be the perfect time to focus on her and her passions.

As she looked at schools and curriculums, nothing seemed to fit her personality, interests, and goals. That is, until late one night, while looking at schools on the internet, she stumbled upon the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). Just reading the College’s name alone seemed to bring a stir of excitement. Each and every class she scrolled through sounded interesting and life-affirming, which was something she desperately longed for during her mid-life crossroads. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she read that the school offered online classes for distance students. She began to entertain the idea that perhaps finding SWIHA was no coincidence at all. The next morning, Sandy called and spoke with an online advisor and by the end of the week, she was fully enrolled to study Holistic Nutrition and Hypnotherapy. The most exciting affirmation to her decision came when the advisor told her the starting date for her classes – Sandy’s 50th birthday!

Hypnotherapy, often referred to as guided imagery, is a powerful instrument for healing. It works within the subconscious mind of an individual, helping to resolve issues such as chronic anxiety, weight gain, fear and insomnia. It can also help change negative or addictive behaviors.

Bob Chamberlain, a graduate of the 100 hour Certificate of Excellence in Hypnotherapy at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), has an undeniable passion for hypnotherapy and guided imagery. Once Bob completed his 100 hours of training at SWIHA, he immediately took his skills and experience to Banner Estrella Medical Center in Phoenix, along with SWIHA’s Hypnotherapy Program Director Linda Bennett.

In January of 2015, Banner Estrella launched a pilot program called the Guided Imagery Project. This is a volunteer based program in which Bob immediately began volunteering, along with a dozen other graduates from SWIHA’s hypnotherapy program.

Most traditional, or allopathic, doctors and medical centers have not previously used holistic or integrative therapies like hypnotherapy with patients. However, recently the use of more holistic therapies such as hypnotherapy, massage therapy and even yoga have proven beneficial for helping patients.

In 2011, Laura Wilkinson had hit her version of rock bottom, and was desperately in need of some kind of life shift. Having looked into the Life Coaching program offered at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) previously, Laura explains, “After the rug was pulled out from under my feet I knew it was time to do something transformational,” she said. “I had a clean slate and I needed to build a solid foundation. Life Coaching was the perfect place for me to rebuild from.”

Laura enrolled in SWIHA’s online Mind-Body Transformational Psychology program, where she not only studied Life Coaching, she also took courses in Hypnotherapy, Holistic Nutrition, Aromatherapy, and business courses including Writing for Publication.

Once she completed her program (with a 4.0 grade point average!), Laura was ready for the next phase in her life. Inspired by her program, and armed with the knowledge that there were many others in the world just like her, who went through experiences similar to hers, she decided to start a business. Laura’s mission was to help healers who were stuck in their minds, holding themselves back from reaching their full potential.

Laura launched The Wilkinson Effect, an integrative practice that applies Life Coaching, Transformational Hypnotherapy and Holistic Nutrition into customized client sessions.

Six years ago, Lisa Hecke felt lost. More than that, she was frustrated, angry and unhappy. No longer satisfied in her day job, Lisa found herself hunched over her knees, crying, sobbing, and seeking a new path. She recalls asking aloud for help, gasping through tears and heart wrenching sobs.

“Please show me how to be happy again,” she begged the universe. “If I am meant to stay at this job then please show me how to be happy there, but if I am meant to move on then please show me where to go.”

Suddenly, Lisa says, in one breath her entire body relaxed. A sense of calm washed over her, and she was finally able to surrender. This surrendering and asking for change was the first step on Lisa’s journey to career transformation. Almost immediately, Lisa began to see great opportunities open up before her very eyes, in the areas of interest she always wanted to pursue.

One such opportunity was Yoga Teacher Training. The days and times of the training program aligned perfectly with Lisa’s schedule, so she knew she couldn’t pass it up. Even though the cost of the training was a big financial investment for her, Lisa put her deposit down and as if out of nowhere, the rest of the money presented itself.

“Everything was flowing and it was a clear indication that this was the right thing to do,” Lisa shares.

Once her yoga teacher training hours were complete, Lisa began pursuing other interests, such as Aromatherapy. During her yoga teacher training, she learned a little bit about

Aromatherapy, and used essential oils to help soothe her body from all of the new and different physical movement that goes along with teacher training. “The oils helped to soothe my muscles and at times my spirit,” Lisa says. She wanted to learn all about this time honored healing modality, so she enrolled in the 100 hour Certificate of Excellence Aromatherapy program at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). “I saw this as another example of my spirit guiding me toward my interests,” says Lisa.

After 18 years of working in the mortgage industry, Casey Grant was stressed, and sick of feeling stressed. She disliked her job because that’s what it felt like – a job. She didn’t enjoy what she was doing, and wanted to find a way to create a good income doing work she loved. Casey’s lifelong passion for health and nutrition sounded like a way out of the mortgage industry...the question was, how?

Casey began to research schools for nutrition education, and Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) immediately resonated with her. Although she lives in Chandler, Arizona, a town close where the main campus of SWIHA is located, Casey decided to enroll in the SWIHA’s online Holistic Wellness Practitioner program because it was convenient for her busy lifestyle, and allowed her to still be available for her family.

The entrepreneurial attitude and atmosphere of SWIHA is what appealed most to Casey. “SWIHA’s mission is to inspire and support people in opening their own businesses, if that is truly their dream. The college is committed to the success of their graduates,” Casey explains. “All my instructors encouraged me to go after my dreams and goals, and they guided and inspired me from an entrepreneurial point of view.”

The ‘earth’ without art is just ‘eh’ . . .

. . . according to Holistic Wellness Practitioner Heather Krompacky, who works in the town of Talkeetna, Alaska, at the base of North America’s tallest mountain, the magnificent Denali.

Imagine . . .

. . . entering a room for a holistic session with a new practitioner, someone you have never worked with before. There are colorful candles burning, the light is low due to the salt lamps placed strategically around the room. Soft music is playing and a lovely, aromatic fragrance is wafting through the air. You begin your session with your practitioner; maybe you experience hypnotherapy, nutritional coaching, or aromatherapy, all as an aspect of a holistic life coaching session with a competent and caring practitioner. You feel a sense of comfort due to the open and honest space from which the ‘Change Artist Extraordinaire’, as the practitioner is known, works. At the end of the session, you are offered a soul-coaching card, to provide continued insight and affirmation.

Wow! Mind-heart-soul expanding, right!

Yes, the above is a small example of what a session would be like with Heather Krompacky, owner of Sunshine Wellness, a dual business -- part wellness center, part organic health food store. The wellness center is housed above Sunshine Organics, her organic health food store, located at the confluence of three Alaskan rivers, the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna.

Every year, almost half of Americans (45%) make a New Year’s resolution. Of that number, 24% do not succeed in keeping their resolution. What if there was a method that could help us follow through with our New Year’s resolutions and succeed at accomplishing them?

Hypnotherapy is a great tool for clearing away resistance, something that is a common factor when trying to succeed at accomplishing New Year’s resolutions. Linda Bennett, Senior Curriculum Specialist and the Hypnotherapy Program Director for both On Campus and Online Hypnotherapy Programs at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), provides her students and clients with many tools and guided meditations to help “clear away the clutter.”

However, there are some misconceptions about hypnosis that are not true. Many people think that hypnotherapy is similar to what we see on television or in the movies… the facilitator controlling the subject, trying to put them in a trance by swinging a pendulum in front of their eyes. Although that perception makes for a great movie plot and an entertaining stage show, it’s completely untrue says Linda. When someone is in the state of hypnosis they are still completely in control and will only go along

By Jenna Zizzo

Stress is one the biggest issues plaguing most Americans

Today’s fast-paced world can have a multitude of effects on us, ranging from physical effects such as high blood pressure or insomnia, mental or emotional effects such as high levels anxiety, and even spiritual effects, by bringing us further away from whichever spiritual connection we choose to attain. According to a July 2014 article from NPR, in which more than 2,500 adults across the country were surveyed, 49 percent reported to have had a “major stressful event or experience in the past year.”

We need a method for calming our minds,
healing our bodies and freeing our souls