SWIHA Blog

Before Beth Stratton discovered Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), she was on a quest for purpose. With a business degree and entrepreneurial experience behind her, life took an unexpected turn when she had to close her business. Feeling lost and uncertain, she enrolled in an accelerated nursing program—driven by her deep desire to help others—yet her plans shifted again when she became pregnant. Life, as it often does, paused one dream to make space for another. Beth devoted the next several years to raising her children and embracing the journey of full-time motherhood.

For two decades, Sarah Bundy worked as a dental assistant—committed to the job, yet deeply aware that something was missing. Each day, she felt the toll of showing up to a career that no longer resonated with her. The stress followed her home, impacting her children and dimming the joy in her daily life. Beneath the surface, Sarah knew she was meant for something more—something aligned with healing, growth, and the soul’s deeper purpose.

What if the path to your most aligned, empowered, and meaningful career could begin right where you are… from your living room, a local coffee shop, or even a quiet corner of nature?

At Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), our Online Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner Diploma is designed to do just that: to help you heal yourself first, and then support others on their healing journeys, all while building a career rooted in purpose, flexibility, and deep fulfillment.

At some point in life, many of us feel a deep inner calling—a whisper that says, “There’s more for you out there.” For Paulette Brown, a retired police officer with a lifelong passion for helping others, that call came with a desire for a new beginning. She knew she wanted to live a more meaningful life, one aligned with spiritual purpose and healing service. That calling led her straight to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), where she enrolled in the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program with the dream of becoming a Spiritual Life Coach.

Have you ever stopped to consider how our thoughts, behaviors, and patterns of thinking impact our well-being and day-to-day lives? Does our mindset jeopardize our future, the way we view ourselves and others, or even the way we feel? What aspects of our past impact the way we think? Can we simply change the way we think to change our reality? Let’s take a closer look.

Have you ever felt a quiet nudge from within… an inner knowing that you’re here for something more?

In 2025, more people than ever are answering that nudge. They’re waking up to the truth that fulfillment doesn’t just come from financial success or status. It comes from alignment. From purpose. From spiritual connection.

The Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program at SWIHA offers an online option for those who are passionate about healing and empowering others through spiritual practices, energy work, and holistic modalities. Within this program, students have the opportunity to choose one of three transformative paths: Advanced Professional Hypnotherapy & Life Coaching, Spiritual Coach & Healing Botanicals & Earth Ceremonies, and Spiritual Coach & End of Life Doula. Each of these paths provides students with valuable tools to build a meaningful business that aligns with their unique passions. Let’s explore these modalities and how they can be applied to a thriving business after graduation.

Before discovering Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), Katie Carl was already practicing as a massage therapist—doing meaningful work, yet sensing there was something deeper calling to her. She felt the limitations of focusing solely on the physical body and knew true healing required more than just technique; it needed heart, intuition, and a space where the emotional and spiritual could be held just as tenderly as the physical. Drawn to SWIHA’s soul-honoring, holistic approach, Katie found not only a school - she found a sacred catalyst for transformation. What began as a desire to deepen her Massage practice became a powerful journey of purpose, authenticity, and the creation of a healing space where softness meets shadow. Her story is one of courage, clarity, and calling—read on to see how Katie is redefining what it means to be a healer.

When Adriana Mosqueda walked into the hypnotherapy clinic at SWIHA, she was a mother navigating the uncertainty of a paused nursing career, feeling lost in the aftermath of the pandemic. What she didn’t know was that her first hypnotherapy session would unlock a floodgate of healing, purpose, and transformation. That moment sparked a journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening that ultimately led her to the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts—and to a calling that now allows her to help others release their own inner blocks. From client to now graduate of the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner Diploma Program, Adriana’s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes, the path we didn’t plan leads us exactly where we’re meant to be.

Meet Shannon Hogan, a proud graduate of the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). Once feeling lost and disconnected, Shannon found her true calling through holistic healing and the power of integrative wellness. A single transformative session with a client confirmed she was on the right path—and she hasn’t looked back since. Now ordained and running her own healing practice, Shannon blends Reiki, sound therapy, and aromatherapy to help others find balance, purpose, and peace. Her journey is one of passion, growth, and the profound impact of following your heart.