If anyone had said to me years ago that my life would be the way it is today…I would never have believed it.
We all have a story, don't we? Here's a chunk of mine. Not all the gory details but it's deliberately MUCH longer than a brief 'about me' paragraph, in the hope that some element of it will resonate with some part of your own story, whatever situation you are in at the moment, and offer a bit of hope, inspiration or simply connection.
Throughout my teens, twenties and some of my thirties, I battled with chronic illness. I still did a pretty good job of cramming in plenty of fun and laughter, had a lot of love and friendship around me and, in 1999, I somehow graduated with an M.A. in Hispanic Studies, from Glasgow University. Daily life was a struggle though. For years I kept trying new jobs, paid and voluntary, but could never sustain them as I was in too much pain and often couldn't walk or use my hands, due to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I ended up on and off of disability benefits, in and out of hospital and on lots of toxic medications. I had knee and wrist operations and eventually extensive multiple surgeries for Crohn’s Disease, after a life-threatening deterioration in my condition almost killed me. Western medicine saved my life and patched me up each time I got too ill. In the midst of it, I still often felt grateful for love, friendship and for the many instances of compassionate care from hospital staff.
However, there were plenty of horrendous times too and I needed to get to the root of the imbalances in my body if I wanted to truly get out of this frustrating and depressing cycle. I knew there had to be something more, that all of this had to be happening for a reason. I'd always been intuitive and open-minded about 'mind-body-spirit stuff', albeit on a mostly unconscious level. However, during periods of extreme pain and illness, desperate to escape my physical body, I would find myself unintentionally accessing deep meditative and dream states where I would find a bit of respite. Sometimes I would have spontaneous out of body experiences, literally fleeing my physical body to avoid the excruciating sensations. I think this is what led me to start looking inwards for answers at a time when the external world had none. I did some soul searching, adding holistic methods into my life, starting with Reiki and healing crystals, to complement any medical care I was receiving. This played a key part in improving my ability to cope and look for the gifts within my situation, no matter how difficult it felt at times. I gave myself regular self-treatments and began giving Reiki treatments to friends and family as well. Being able to help others, to feel useful in some way, lifted my spirits and gave me the strength to keep going.
In 2007, a period of voluntary work for the brilliant WIN Project in Govan, an unexpected act of great kindness from some dear friends, and some new medication that was helping, led me to take the leap again and I started working for the Rape Crisis Centre in Glasgow. It was eye-opening, inspiring and learning about feminism completely transformed my views on what it means to be a woman. I started to feel like I had a purpose again. Initially I was in the centre’s office on a placement through a disability employment project called GCiL, then I became the Information Worker, working all round Glasgow raising awareness about the wider issues surrounding gender-based violence. I was still in pain and still struggled physically at times, but felt myself coming back to life. Then I got the chance to offer regular Reiki sessions to the women who came for support at the centre. This opportunity, and hearing from many of the women that they were feeling more peaceful and empowered after the sessions, made me realise I wanted to do more work like this.
Then, after coming off of arthritis medication in order to have a minor gum operation at Park Practice, I noticed that the active symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis seemed to have greatly lessened after the dental surgery and, under the supervision of my doctors, I didn’t go back on the medication. Arthritis and Crohn’s still painfully affected my daily life and I had to be very careful to balance rest and activity, but it felt incredible to at least manage my symptoms without relying on injections or pills. At the time, even that felt amazing.
By 2009, I felt ready to progress to Reiki Master/Teacher level so that I could teach others to use this wonderful energy for themselves. This, amongst other blessings along the way, eventually led to me becoming a self-employed Reiki Practitioner and Teacher (Read about my Reiki lineage and teaching style here). In 2010 my son was born and then in 2011 my second 'baby' ,Chakrafit, came to life. I initially provided Reiki treatments & training and crystal therapy, in Glasgow’s The Hidden Lane. Dreams were coming true (I ended up back in The Hidden Lane a few years later and have only recently ended my latest stint in the lane. It's a wee home from home for Chakrafit!).
A sudden flare up of Crohn’s Disease and some arthritis symptoms during a majorly stressful period in 2012 threatened to derail the dream. The Gastroenterologist said that I would have to go on medication again, for life this time, as things were not looking good from my tests and scans. I was crushed. It felt like I'd come so far and the thought of being plunged back into the old cycle again was a wake up call to me. This led me to finally acknowledge and release various childhood traumas, while participating in a course called The Shaman’s Path, at Lendrick Lodge in Oct 2012. I received a Power Retrieval from Shamanic Teacher Stephen Mulhearn during that course and, miraculously, from that moment to this, without medication, I have had no active symptoms of Crohn’s Disease or arthritis and I feel healthier in mind, body and spirit than I have since I was a child. There is no doubt in my mind that the lasting change I have experienced, on all levels, is ultimately thanks to reclaiming my power through Shamanism, Stephen and Lendrick Lodge (Click here to check out the amazing courses he and his wife Victoria offer at Lendrick. Also, Stephen's film Transcending The Storm). Deep gratitude, a love for this empowering practice and a burning desire to share it with others, led me to train extensively with Stephen in shamanic healing techniques (as well as breathwork training with Spiritual Master and founder of Sundoor, the amazing Peggy Dylan, who brings through the energy of indian saint, Swami Keshavadas). My shamanic training is also complemented by teachings from Greg ‘Woody’ Gruber (who was chief of the fire at the largest Lakota Sundance in the world) as well as one-to-one teachings and initiations during my time in Peru, from Don Toribio, an indigenous Q'ero Shaman.
It's important to mention that healing doesn't always mean a physical 'cure' of some kind. If someone has a permanent physical impairment, for example, it doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't living a happy life or that there is something 'wrong' with them. Although physical healing can often occur, it is just as important, if not more important, to achieve healing on mental, emotional and spiritual levels. It's also a collaborative effort. The most long lasting results are definitely achieved when you're up for participating in your own healing/recovery, surrendering to the process and willing/committed to continue working on yourself after your sessions.
Now, settled back in Glasgow for the last few years, after having had adventures in Costa Rica, Peru and running holistic retreats in the mountains of Tenerife, I continue to feel strong and healthy as I continue into my forties. I'm counting my blessings; truly grateful to be able to help and support others whilst doing what I love. Of course, there are still ups and downs in life and I've faced major challenges and transitions through the course of this process, but that's just part of the journey and I'd be wary of any teacher/practitioner who acts like they never have any challenges in life! However, compared to before, it's like daylight instead of night and any ongoing or unexpected bumps in the road feel a lot easier to navigate these days, with all the tools I've been given. I'm just one of many people these days who are increasingly feeling called to follow a shamanic path or simply using holistic methods to enhance their lives. However, I do know from the results I've experienced in my own life and the results I've seen in other people's lives that these practices work so well (are brilliant alongside standard medical treatments and therapies) and they are needed more than ever in these times.
We all have a story, don't we? Here's a chunk of mine. Not all the gory details but it's deliberately MUCH longer than a brief 'about me' paragraph, in the hope that some element of it will resonate with some part of your own story, whatever situation you are in at the moment, and offer a bit of hope, inspiration or simply connection.
Throughout my teens, twenties and some of my thirties, I battled with chronic illness. I still did a pretty good job of cramming in plenty of fun and laughter, had a lot of love and friendship around me and, in 1999, I somehow graduated with an M.A. in Hispanic Studies, from Glasgow University. Daily life was a struggle though. For years I kept trying new jobs, paid and voluntary, but could never sustain them as I was in too much pain and often couldn't walk or use my hands, due to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I ended up on and off of disability benefits, in and out of hospital and on lots of toxic medications. I had knee and wrist operations and eventually extensive multiple surgeries for Crohn’s Disease, after a life-threatening deterioration in my condition almost killed me. Western medicine saved my life and patched me up each time I got too ill. In the midst of it, I still often felt grateful for love, friendship and for the many instances of compassionate care from hospital staff.
However, there were plenty of horrendous times too and I needed to get to the root of the imbalances in my body if I wanted to truly get out of this frustrating and depressing cycle. I knew there had to be something more, that all of this had to be happening for a reason. I'd always been intuitive and open-minded about 'mind-body-spirit stuff', albeit on a mostly unconscious level. However, during periods of extreme pain and illness, desperate to escape my physical body, I would find myself unintentionally accessing deep meditative and dream states where I would find a bit of respite. Sometimes I would have spontaneous out of body experiences, literally fleeing my physical body to avoid the excruciating sensations. I think this is what led me to start looking inwards for answers at a time when the external world had none. I did some soul searching, adding holistic methods into my life, starting with Reiki and healing crystals, to complement any medical care I was receiving. This played a key part in improving my ability to cope and look for the gifts within my situation, no matter how difficult it felt at times. I gave myself regular self-treatments and began giving Reiki treatments to friends and family as well. Being able to help others, to feel useful in some way, lifted my spirits and gave me the strength to keep going.
In 2007, a period of voluntary work for the brilliant WIN Project in Govan, an unexpected act of great kindness from some dear friends, and some new medication that was helping, led me to take the leap again and I started working for the Rape Crisis Centre in Glasgow. It was eye-opening, inspiring and learning about feminism completely transformed my views on what it means to be a woman. I started to feel like I had a purpose again. Initially I was in the centre’s office on a placement through a disability employment project called GCiL, then I became the Information Worker, working all round Glasgow raising awareness about the wider issues surrounding gender-based violence. I was still in pain and still struggled physically at times, but felt myself coming back to life. Then I got the chance to offer regular Reiki sessions to the women who came for support at the centre. This opportunity, and hearing from many of the women that they were feeling more peaceful and empowered after the sessions, made me realise I wanted to do more work like this.
Then, after coming off of arthritis medication in order to have a minor gum operation at Park Practice, I noticed that the active symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis seemed to have greatly lessened after the dental surgery and, under the supervision of my doctors, I didn’t go back on the medication. Arthritis and Crohn’s still painfully affected my daily life and I had to be very careful to balance rest and activity, but it felt incredible to at least manage my symptoms without relying on injections or pills. At the time, even that felt amazing.
By 2009, I felt ready to progress to Reiki Master/Teacher level so that I could teach others to use this wonderful energy for themselves. This, amongst other blessings along the way, eventually led to me becoming a self-employed Reiki Practitioner and Teacher (Read about my Reiki lineage and teaching style here). In 2010 my son was born and then in 2011 my second 'baby' ,Chakrafit, came to life. I initially provided Reiki treatments & training and crystal therapy, in Glasgow’s The Hidden Lane. Dreams were coming true (I ended up back in The Hidden Lane a few years later and have only recently ended my latest stint in the lane. It's a wee home from home for Chakrafit!).
A sudden flare up of Crohn’s Disease and some arthritis symptoms during a majorly stressful period in 2012 threatened to derail the dream. The Gastroenterologist said that I would have to go on medication again, for life this time, as things were not looking good from my tests and scans. I was crushed. It felt like I'd come so far and the thought of being plunged back into the old cycle again was a wake up call to me. This led me to finally acknowledge and release various childhood traumas, while participating in a course called The Shaman’s Path, at Lendrick Lodge in Oct 2012. I received a Power Retrieval from Shamanic Teacher Stephen Mulhearn during that course and, miraculously, from that moment to this, without medication, I have had no active symptoms of Crohn’s Disease or arthritis and I feel healthier in mind, body and spirit than I have since I was a child. There is no doubt in my mind that the lasting change I have experienced, on all levels, is ultimately thanks to reclaiming my power through Shamanism, Stephen and Lendrick Lodge (Click here to check out the amazing courses he and his wife Victoria offer at Lendrick. Also, Stephen's film Transcending The Storm). Deep gratitude, a love for this empowering practice and a burning desire to share it with others, led me to train extensively with Stephen in shamanic healing techniques (as well as breathwork training with Spiritual Master and founder of Sundoor, the amazing Peggy Dylan, who brings through the energy of indian saint, Swami Keshavadas). My shamanic training is also complemented by teachings from Greg ‘Woody’ Gruber (who was chief of the fire at the largest Lakota Sundance in the world) as well as one-to-one teachings and initiations during my time in Peru, from Don Toribio, an indigenous Q'ero Shaman.
It's important to mention that healing doesn't always mean a physical 'cure' of some kind. If someone has a permanent physical impairment, for example, it doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't living a happy life or that there is something 'wrong' with them. Although physical healing can often occur, it is just as important, if not more important, to achieve healing on mental, emotional and spiritual levels. It's also a collaborative effort. The most long lasting results are definitely achieved when you're up for participating in your own healing/recovery, surrendering to the process and willing/committed to continue working on yourself after your sessions.
Now, settled back in Glasgow for the last few years, after having had adventures in Costa Rica, Peru and running holistic retreats in the mountains of Tenerife, I continue to feel strong and healthy as I continue into my forties. I'm counting my blessings; truly grateful to be able to help and support others whilst doing what I love. Of course, there are still ups and downs in life and I've faced major challenges and transitions through the course of this process, but that's just part of the journey and I'd be wary of any teacher/practitioner who acts like they never have any challenges in life! However, compared to before, it's like daylight instead of night and any ongoing or unexpected bumps in the road feel a lot easier to navigate these days, with all the tools I've been given. I'm just one of many people these days who are increasingly feeling called to follow a shamanic path or simply using holistic methods to enhance their lives. However, I do know from the results I've experienced in my own life and the results I've seen in other people's lives that these practices work so well (are brilliant alongside standard medical treatments and therapies) and they are needed more than ever in these times.