SWIHA Blog

At the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), we celebrate the journeys of our students and graduates—each unique, powerful, and transformative. Annmarie Lieto, a recent graduate of the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program, shares her inspiring story of self-discovery, passion, and purpose.

Healing Ourselves

We are all looking for “a quick fix,” and most of the time it doesn’t go as planned. When we seek to master our health, quick fixes rarely work. We can heal if we are willing to dig deep, hold ourselves accountable, and explore!

Humans have evolved and this progression has led us from the caves to creating exquisite communities. We are still hard-wired with primal instinct and this instinct is vital for survival. Now, we are using this same wiring for our current reality, which is working overtime. As humans progress, we no longer need our primal brain to protect us from animal predators, however, it is still in use in the modern era triggered by different stimuli. We still face the predator, yet it may be a car with an inattentive driver or someone running out before you. After severe enough events, there can be everlasting scars left.

Before SWIHA, Shelley had already impacted lives as an intuitive guide and yoga/meditation teacher. Despite her success, she felt something was missing. "I found that in the readings I provided clients, there was a feeling like I was left hanging," she shares. Shelley yearned to create a business rooted in integrity, where she could support clients fully and see them through their personal journeys.

What was your life like before SWIHA? What led you to SWIHA and your particular program of study? Why are you passionate about this modality?

Before SWIHA, my life was marked by a journey of self-discovery and healing, particularly following an extensive series of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. I was on a quest to find out who I truly was and what I was meant to do in life. Despite working in retail, which I found to be unstimulating and unchallenging, I knew I was capable of so much more. My desire to challenge myself and to avoid being stuck in a position that didn’t fulfill my potential led me to seek out a career where I could genuinely help others. A close friend introduced me to SWIHA, and together, we embarked on this journey to acquire hypnotherapy skills to offer as a service in our envisioned New Age store and community garden. My friend, a passionate herbalist and tarot reader, inspired me to explore a path where I could channel my natural leadership abilities and pursue my calling to help others. After leaving a toxic relationship, I knew it was time to follow my passion and become my own boss. So, I enrolled in the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner Diploma program, specializing in Hypnotherapy.

If you have been on your spiritual journey for your whole life or you just started wanting to live a more spiritual life and you want to incorporate the benefits of crystals; you are in the right place! 

You can use the crystals in your spiritual practice in just about every aspect. I know I do and so did our ancestors.  Crystals (rocks, gems, tektites, fossils, minerals) have been a resource in ancient times for many benefits and uses in all cultures. From body and beauty care to community harmony and ritual, to energy work, to meditations, to tools and modalities. Just as our ancestors in ancient times used crystals for their healing benefits, so can you in your spiritual practice.

What was your life like before SWIHA? What led you to SWIHA and to your particular program of study? Why are you passionate about this modality?

Before SWIHA I was working in Western Medicine and always felt something was missing. Something deeper than just "the illness". It was stressful, and in my last five years, my calling to find the answers grew stronger. I was always drawn to Holistic Medicine and was gifted, however, I had a fear of acceptance in the community due to childhood trauma.

"Meditation is not reserved for saints and sages; it is a practice for everyday people seeking peace and clarity in their lives." - Ram Dass

Have you ever felt like meditation is this elusive secret club reserved for the Zen masters of the world? You're not alone. The idea of sitting in silence, attempting to silence the endless chatter of the mind, can feel daunting, if not downright impossible. What if I told you that meditation isn't about achieving perfection or silencing your thoughts completely? What if I told you that you, yes you, can meditate too? Let's dive into this transformative practice together and discover its myriad benefits, debunking myths along the way.

Our dreams hold so much information and healing…if we take the time to listen to them. Listen to them? I barely remember them. How am I supposed to listen to my dreams if I can barely remember my dreams? We remember our dreams by becoming active participants in our dreams.

What was your life like before SWIHA? What led you to SWIHA and to your particular program of study? Why are you passionate about this modality?

Prior to SWIHA, I was a career tattoo artist, a single mother of two, and a laundry list of health issues that were lessening my quality of life until November of 2021. In November of 2021, I suffered a series of seizures while in the shower with multiple falls. I could not walk, talk, eat, or breathe without assistance. 90 days after that fateful evening, I was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called Functional Neurologic Disorder with Extreme Autonomic Systems Dysfunction. In layman’s terms, the right and left hemispheres of my brain were no longer communicating properly, and my brain was no longer communicating with my body. A body designed to be automatic, I would have to learn to operate manually (consciously).

Most of us who work in the healing arts have had an experience of spiritual insight or a spiritual crisis, and we are drawn to assist others in navigating the uncertain and whimsical mystery of the healing journey of awakening to the question, “Who am I really and why am I here?”. Some people have awakened to the healer within them when faced with a health challenge or in the adversity of loss and physical or mental trauma. The awakening of the healer within us all is non-linear in timing, and it is an unfolding that is explored and integrated over and over again, as a practice in life of mindfulness and being in the present moment. There are many pathways to strengthen the connection to the healer within, and comparing ourselves to another on their path, will only be a distraction and prevent progress or a deeper connection to self-awareness.