I was raised in a densely populated, heavily paved (grass was a novelty) industrial part of New Jersey, a few blocks from the Hudson River. In that setting I was drawn to healing the many stray cats and dogs in our neighborhood. While I may have helped them, they gave me the greatest possible gift: through them I began to recognize my kinship with nature and my relationships with “unseen guides.”
My survival skills initially relied on my own sense of invisibility, to be present in all ways, but not to be a visible force in the flow around me. I learned to rely on the unseen guides that are present for all of us, call them source, intuition, or God-by whatever name.
My father was half Cherokee, raised at a time and in a place where the values of being Native American were being suppressed with little of substance to replace those spiritual and cultural traditions. As a result, he did not talk much about anything, let alone things of a spiritual nature. Still, I inherited a sense of awe and appreciation both for nature and for spiritual relationships.
Nursing school
At 17, I was the first person in my family to graduate from high school. I was accepted in the nursing program at the University of Michigan. Arriving in Ann Arbor was like landing on a different planet, my life experiences were so different from my fellow students.
I did well in the nursing program and appreciated the depth of the knowledge that was available to me. Over time, however, I came to realize that the program’s focus on clinical, allopathic, medicine was too narrow and unfulfilling for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate this form of medical practice, it was simply that it wasn’t enough. I know early on that I needed to incorporate environmental and spiritual aspects in my practice that were lacking in the nursing program.
Native American traditions
Then I was introduced to a Cherokee shaman, Harley Swift Deer, the founder of the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society (DTMMS), a program that in many ways is a modern day representative of an ancient lineage of sacred knowledge of universal laws, ceremonial alchemy, healing techniques, alignment and communication with the elements of nature, magic, controlled dreaming, spiritual awakening and determination. Without the need to adopt these practices directly, I learned the breadth and possibility of alternative teaching to complement clinical health care. I studied under Harley Swift Deer for several years and continue to refer to the materials published through DTMMS.
Therapeutic massage
I realized that I wanted to work to help people heal, through personal connection, and with modalities that may take more time than the medical model I was learning. I left the nursing program and first trained as a therapeutic masseuse. This was my first step to incorporate what I learned in the nursing program into a mode that brought me closer to my clients and their needs.
Biokinesiology
Then became a certified biokinesiologist studying under John Barton, the founder of the Biokinesiology Institute. At core, and at the risk of considerable oversimplification, where my nursing taught me to diagnose dietary needs, for example, biokinesiology taught me how to better understand and resolve the barriers which were inhibiting the body from absorbing the needed nutrients. While I don’t use these tools in the same way as much today, the process of learning muscle testing, for example, caused me to understand and manage how my own biases and spirit can influence perceived results, and how to compensate for this interference.
Hypnosis
I have always been fascinated by the potential of hypnosis. As a youth, I read about the origins of hypnosis by Franz Anton Mesmer. Then a bit later in my career, I undertook more seriously the study of hypnosis for smoking cessation as well as for medical and dental care.
Other studies and modalities
Along the way I added training in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) (with Gary Craig), an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress, Pranic Healing (with Choa Kok Sui), Reiki, foot reflexology, acupressure, nutrition, homeopathy, in-depth Ho’oponopono (with Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona) and Lightbody (with Tashira Tachi-Ren).
It’s all about energy
I don’t know if it sounds airy-fairy or just intuitively obvious, but it became more and more apparent that the common element in everything I studied is that health is a function of personal energy, both flow and movement. I was learning modalities that could influence energy to improve physical, mental and spiritual health. Today, I draw upon a wide range of disciplines and modalities to craft the right path for my clients.
Ultimately, my GIFT is the ability to see each person wholly for who they truly are, in their fullness, and to help them see it also.
With that as a foundation, my GOAL is to support you from wherever you are (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) to achieve your goals, and to do it in a way that allows you to experience a truly Joyful Journey.
Helping people achieve their unique visions of personal success for over 30 years.
Contact me. We can collaborate by phone, online or in person. Let’s see if we are a fit.
Copyright © 2020 Ariana Joy Arlen, All rights reserved
