This is a transcript of the chat “Careers in Natural Healing” we had among students earlier this year.
RS
Thanks for the tag! I’m not doing home visits because I don’t feel that I am qualified enough yet, but I am well-versed and have been giving “advice” for a long time now, so hopefully I have quite a following
BE (BEarth Institute: Avicenna Institute Staff)
Welcome RS! What have you done to cultivate your following? Other students can learn from you. We will be archiving this chat and leaving it open for students to “come and go” for the next hour so hopefully we get some more participants today. There were quite a few students who said they were planning on attending
RS
I’ve been leading by example, really. I changed my family over to natural and organic and some people have followed. There are a lot of people that don’t take my advice but I am always the first person they call when someone in their home is sick. I wish I could get them to listen to the preventative!
I also started a blog
(No title) We are here to enrich the lives of everyone on the journey of natural living. We have great tips and tricks to share, recipes, information, we are here to enrich the lives of everyone on the journey of natural living. We have great tips and tricks to share, recipes, information, encouragement and more! We would love to hear from you about what you would like to know, or need help researching. We hope to offer valuable information to make…and a Facebook group for local families who are also interested in natural living. It’s a great way to network and I learn as much as I teach in there!
BE
Those are fantastic places to start! It is always good to share with people on an ongoing basis. Then, when you do have a product or service to market you already have your following established. Have you done any local talks at the public library or local groups?
RS
Yes, actually – every year I teach a ‘Living Gluten Free’ class through our Community Ed
BE
That is another really great way to cultivate a following. The community ED classes often don’t pay very much but they are amazing “free advertising” and a way to get your name out there. Also a great way to connect with people and see what their needs and interests are. I’m always very inspired when people ask me questions. What inspires you?
RS
That’s a great point! I had not thought about that.
My family!
Four years ago we were very ‘mainstream’. We were sick. My infant was in and out of the hospital with respiratory illnesses and always sick. Finally in the middle of the night one night I came across a blog and just started reading. That’s when it all began
BE
Do you have any herbal or natural conferences or trade shows that come to your area that you participate in? Do you sell products or are you thinking of selling products in the future?
RS
No to both but I’d love to explore that more!
BE
I love those stories! Very similar to mine, but it happened when I was about 18.
RS
In the blog I linked above, there is a story there about my son who was born blind and he was healed by a naturopath and massage therapist! I wish I had learned that young
RS
I was ill my entire childhood and so tired of being ill! I was in Cairo and discovered herbal healing in the market there. Amazing. I love hearing people’s gateways
BE
Wow! That is an amazing story. I will have to read that. You should share it on the forum on Facebook. It is so inspiring when students share their work and BLOGs and personal stories
RS
I’d love to. It will also help if anyone has a patient with that diagnosis in the future. At the time I thought the guy was crazy but I am so glad I listened to my gut instinct!
BE
I wish that natural healing was something that was taught in schools and taught to everyone. There are so many solutions people miss out on and so many years of suffering people go through when sometimes a solution is so simple or easy or affordable
RS
Absolutely. I also wish it was incorporated into medical school for traditional doctors. I have a friend that is a MD and she is clueless about nutrition and diet. Very sad
BE
I am always so surprised at that. We visit the doctor’s office for diagnoses and tests “here and there” and I always cringe when they tell us what to do.
RS
Agreed. May I ask who I’m chatting with?
BE
They often forget to ask if someone is taking different herbs and they never mention diet and one time a doctor prescribed steroids for my young daughter without any thought as to what the side effects were. He never thought to ask if she had contraindications, which she does. This is (BE).
BE
I really enjoy the chats – they give me a great chance to connect in “real time” with students. Usually we have more students attend but I’ve had chats with one person before and it may have something to do with Super Bowl Sunday. I’m not sure how many people participate in that I think a lot of people spend the day with family today.
RS
We had lots of fun plans today but all we are really doing is watching the massive snow storm hit! The snow is now almost as high as my car tires
BE
You too? Where are you? We are in Iowa and it is STILL snowing. It is so gorgeous, though. I want to go for a walk and take pictures.
RS
Michigan
BE
Here too. Same storm
RS
I’ve heard you all actually have it worse than us. Ours just started today! I’m really enjoying the course material. Once I start reading I almost can’t stop. So far my Husband is not loving the school thing
BE
Yes, sometimes it is hard to balance school, work, play and relationships. I am always re-balancing. On a weekly basis I have to re-evaluate and re-balance. And starting something new is always more intense, too. It balances after a while.
RS
I’m learning a lot. It’s worth it. You should see my plant therapy shopping cart after the Aromatherapy class!
BE
I am glad you are enjoying the material. Yes our storm started last night. It was amazing with all the trees covered in snow and the street lights lighting them up. That makes me think…I am going to post this right now. It would be fun to see different people’s “healing cabinets”. We have a large one and a second one labelled for kids
RS
Yes I love that idea! Although there is colloidal silver in mine! Oops! I was shocked to read that it’s not safe and I have been using it for two years with my kids!
BE
I think the main concern with most things like that is over-use. For a while many people were relying on it daily.
RS
Yes that is scary. The same thing frightens me with Elderberry Syrup. It’s not safe to use daily. A Homeopath advised me a couple of years ago that it was safe to give my kids ionic silver orally and through a nebulizer when they are coughing. Do you think the danger crosses over to ionic silver too?
BE
I think a lot of people don’t think about the fact that over-use of anything is unhealthy. Balance is always the best.
RS
Right.
BE
I’m usually cautious with anything that is altered from its natural state. Since there are so many options in the world that are not altered I usually tend to choose those instead. I have not read many studies on ionic silver. That might be a good place to start. Of course one would need to read studies from both sides.
RS
Right. I like that, staying to things that have not been altered. Thanks for sharing that. I’m so excited to be able to practice. My goal is to finish in 1 year
BE
You are very motivated. I can see that happening. A few students have been able to finish very quickly with the same motivation. What kind of practice are you thinking of?
RS
I’m afraid of Anatomy and the Temperaments. I’m not sure, I think of that often. I am planning to go to the Ann Arbor area where there are a lot of natural healing centers and hopefully be able to join one.
EL
I made it to the chat
BE
Anatomy is very challenging. I find it was easiest to learn when studied in bits and applied to other studies over time. That is why we have integrated it into the different courses like iridology and reflexology and we have presented different views on anatomy. Hi EL!
EL
Hi. I love that the anatomy is broken into pieces throughout the courses! It helps me to learn it–it also gives me motivation to learn do outside research
RS
I really want to work with healing diseases, improving diets and helping parents identify how to heal their children. I’m also hoping to be able to provide testing from Genova Diagnostics. HI EL. I’m a new ND student
EL
Welcome! I am fairly new too–been here since April! I too want to help parents identify how to heal their children
RS
It’s extremely sad to see so many diseased and medicated children
BE
To get warmed up with temperaments you can read some of the beginning stuff here:
https://earthschooling.info/thebearthinstitute/?cat=43
Category Archive for “The Temperaments” | The BEarth Institute » The Temperaments |
EL
It truly is! I work as a psychotherapist and I have many parents always wanting to know alternative ways to help their child alternatively and I figured joining this program was a great place for me to learn information
BE
EL – we were talking earlier about practice and cultivating a following. How have you cultivated clients? And what is your end goal for practice?
RS
That’s great! It will help in so many areas of your practice. My anxiety vanished when I went gluten free! You will be able to suggest things like this!
EL
I have not cultivated a clients. My end goal is still being determined. I have a passion for providing naturopathic therapy as an inclusion to present psychotherapy work. Giving people a full naturopathic treatment plan alongside their mental health treatment. I have not figure out how to make that happen yet, as I am fairly new to it all
RS
That’s powerful
EL
How does one go about cultivating clients? I am always curious at the marketing piece. Thank you RS. RS do you see clients?
BE
Sorry I ducked out for a minute…had to remind my college daughter how to use the ear candles in the cupboard cold season is here…I’ll catch up…
EL
🙂 Welcome back
RS
Not as a professional yet. Before I started school I did a mega ton of independent research so I share my findings with family and friends but no official clients yet.
EL
Awesome! I too am the same way–I share with family and friends at present. They are my guinea pigs. Their stuff helps me get through the homework assignments 😉
RS
Ha-ha yes I have been pouring my family’s medical history into the homework! Ok my kiddos are hungry I’ll check back in a bit. It was nice to talk to both of you;
EL
Nice talking to you!
BE
See you later RS! Nice talking to you! EL – RS shared some things she does at the beginning of the chat –
EL
Wonderful, I will scroll up and see at the beginning of the chat what some of those things were.
BE
Ideas I have used in the past, too. Practicing on family and friends, teaching a class at the local community education center…Running a blog, a Facebook page and I think she also mentioned giving advice to friends.
EL
Good idea–I was thinking of maybe starting like a meetup group specifically for natural healing remedies
BE
Yes – a meet up group is a good place to start. Some other ideas are…
EL
I have been making herbal tinctures for years, but now that I am aware of the material medical–it helps to give people an understanding of dosage and make tinctures comparable to them vs general ailments
BE
Anyway to connect with others is good. Even starting a small newsletter is a good idea. It is good to start gathering e-mails whenever you can. Also attending trade shows and giving out and gathering cards.
EL
Ah, trade shows are a wonderful idea I will have to look for some in the area
BE
Connecting with already established practitioners or local groups is also a GREAT way to get started. In many cases practitioners are happy for the help and support and you can often teach classes together or offer complimentary services. I know a friend locally who shared rent in an office space with some other gals and that helped her business because their clients would come in and see her cards too and they were able to market together
EL
Oh wow that is a really great idea.
BE
Also putting business cards up at local coffee shops and health food stores. Don’t do news advertising. It is not worth the money … but…you can send press releases to local media and get them to feature you for some reason. Anything interesting you are doing is a good excuse to send a press release.
EL
I am a bit timid about the information that I know. I often feel inadequate to prepare classes at this stage. Would you recommend me waiting until I finish the course to start marketing myself or is it more helpful to do it now and apply it along the way?
BE
What other things have you done to connect with others in your community? I love to hear ideas from others. One thing we forget as we are learning is that we always know more than someone else may know. There is always a market for what you know. Your market will grow as you learn more but even now there is a market of people who can benefit from what you know. The best way to establish that is to figure out what you feel comfortable with. Even if it is just cooking with fresh herbs or preparing herbal teas and tinctures. People love cooking classes and love preparing things.
EL
I have not contend with others in the community. I think that is mainly because I don’t trust what I know. I have been told many times by family and friends that I am pretty versed in what I do know and that I should try building a business out of all of it. Thanks for that reminder. Keeping that in mind is a huge way for me to realize that there are things that I do know more than others. I think I just need to start where I am and go from there. I recently had an interview for a mind-body therapist position at The Cancer treatment centers of America…they provide tons of alternative healing –I would be in direct contact with licensed naturopaths and nutritionist, and MD’s, etc.. They all work collaboratively with the therapist to help the cancer patient. This may be a great opportunity to learn and connect in the community
BE
Yes, you should It is very easy to start simple. And as long as you are honest with people you are doing a great service to the community. People worry they don’t know enough but if you are honest with your clients and students and say “I am a student myself but this is what I do know and these are my experiences” then they are learning from you in an honest atmosphere and are aware of what it is you are offering and what you are not offering. That sounds like an amazing opportunity!
EL
Thank you for putting that into mind for me. Reminding them that I am a student myself and this is what I know is something I can see myself saying and being comfortable sharing? It would make for a really great opportunity. What are your thoughts about providing naturopathic consultations online?
BE
When I started my practice many years ago I always told people “I am not a Naturopath or Doctor. But this is what I do know and these are my experiences…” They were happy to learn from what I did know and they liked my stories and experiences and it grew from there. I have been doing online consultations for many years and find it an amazing way to connect with others. There are some factors you miss online, but you also gain some that you may miss “in person”. Skype can help with that.
EL
I think that was my main concern…missing some factors or not being able to pay attention to certain things because of the online piece
BE
You have to learn some new skills about asking questions and reading responses but it becomes second nature over time. I actually prefer it at this time.
EL
Got you! I may need more practice before I go into the online arena.
BE
And, as always, if I feel there is a limitation, I am honest about that. Sometimes people will ask for something I do not feel I can provide and I will let them know. In the beginning there was this eagerness to take any client that wanted to come to me but over time I realized it was better for the client and for I to choose the best fit.
EL
In the course where I learn to do consultations, will it help me to provide help in performing an assessment?
BE
When I first started online I offered free consults for a few months. It was amazing practice!
EL
Oh wow
BE
Yes, the consultation course has some great assessment questions and ideas.
EL
Free online consults are a great place to start and not just taking al clients. I think my main focus is helping people reduce anxiety and depression and find alternative ways to begging to do that within their temperament and type.
BE
Focus is always good. That has helped me in my practice. Free online consults are good because they are low pressure but you still need to have them sign a release form 🙂
EL
I would love to be able to provide natural ways to help a client begin their journey that way and not just psychotherapy. Do you typically have people do electronic signatures or fax/scan you signed documents?
BE
Yes, that is also one of my areas of focus and is such an amazing area. Such a neglected area really – there are so many new drugs out there but so little being done still in the alternative realm and so little progress in the social stigma attached to these illnesses. I let people do whatever is easiest for them. They can print and send by mail, send by e-mail, scan, fax…anything
EL
I definitely agree with you. It is amazing how many are on meds for it. Have you known any psychotherapist to go through the ND program and began implementing it into their present work?
BE
And I think the biggest obstacle for healing with most people suffering with anxiety and depression is that they are not yet recognized as physical illnesses. People (and many doctors and therapists) still either think or say that they are “in your head”. Even the ones that know better can’t seem to get the old language out of their vocabulary. So they do one thing and say another or they say one thing and do another. No, we have not had any psychotherapists yet. Doctors, dentists, massage therapists, teachers…
EL
I would agree with you. I always have my clients focus in on their body as I believe the body holds messages for all “mental” illnesses. I have recently stumbled upon psychoneuroimmunology and realized that it has a great blend of helping people understand how their body and mind create disease. It is great addendum to learning naturopathy. In the way that I am learning it.
BE
It is so good to have many tools in the tool chest for healing. I took some IET (Integrated Energy Therapy) courses many years ago that were amazing. And ReikI is also amazing.
EL
ReikI is wonderful! I do reikI too–I have never heard of IET–I will look into that. How did you decide that this was what you wanted to do as your present career?
BE
I was very ill as a child and a teenager. When I found a solution through an herbalist I was so inspired. I started to share my personal story with others, I started to learn more and then I realized that I absolutely LOVED helping people learn what I had learned. I suffered for 16 years of my life needlessly. To be able to save others suffering when there are simple solutions out there makes me so happy! This is one reason I focus a lot on education, too. Even when clients come to see me I “teach” them rather than tell them what to do. How about you?
EL
Awesome!
BE
Yikes! The time went so fast! I didn’t realize it is 4:00pm already (here). I need to go now but I am going to leave this chat up and also try to set up another time for a continuation of the chat before I take this one down and put it in the archives. I know there were a lot of students who wanted to attend but it didn’t work out so we will do a “Part Two” on this same topic.
EL
I have always wanted to help people. Then for many years, I suffered from panic attacks, headaches, stomach aches, and just high levels of anxiety overall. I wanted to help learn different ways to move through my anxiety. I found a breath work coach who helped me do some deep therapeutic work and he also recommended l-thiamine and other various ways to reduce my anxiety. I then started paying attention to what foods made me feel more anxious and slowly started to eliminate them out of my diet. I feel in love with the blend of therapy and using natural ways to help me heal and now in seeking to share that with people. Woohoo part two! Would be an awesome idea! I think it is a popular subject
BE
I love hearing people’s stories about how they came to this area. And I feel it is very important that one has personal experiences. This enriches their abilities to connect with their clients. Part two will be announced soon. I will talk to you later. Great talking with you today. I am glad you could make it for a bit
EL
I agree with that! Thanks for asking. May I ask one more question?
BE
Yes.
EL
One question I have, this may be comprehensive to the person. How would you help someone trying to release food addictions/cravings?
BE
I am actually working on a program for that now. It is not all laid out and complete but basically, it is very personal to each person. I start by figuring out what their temperament is and finding out the reasons behind their cravings (emotional? Nutritional?) And figuring out what inspires them.
EL
Totally cool! Thanks for your help and answering all of my questions!
BE
I ask myself (and them) – do they need substitutions? Strictness? Diets? Allowance for cheating? Creative solutions? Rewards? What are they already doing in their life that works for them in other areas? And I definitely ask what they have already done and what does not work. And what their triggers are. Thank you for attending! I will chat with you later
EL
Thank you for that! Chat later! Have a wonderful evening!
BE
You too
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