THE HERO’S JOURNEY: A nod to Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung and Carol Pearson

THE HERO’S JOURNEY: A nod to Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung and Carol Pearson

by | Energetics, Psycho-Spiritual

Early in Natural Comfort’s story, we presented seminars on tools for transformation.  One of the topics of interest was the idea of the Hero’s Journey and how everyone has the possibility of transformation when they undertake their personal journey.  As you read this, you’ll no doubt recall stories such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and many others.  What is interesting is that there is always one person who embarks upon a “sacred mission” or “quest” in an effort to save the group. Upon closer inspection, it is also a personal transformation for that person, should they succeed.  The knowledge, skills and experiences they gather create the transformational gift of Wisdom for themselves.

Here is the excerpt from one of our seminars, entitled The Hero’s Journey

The ideas of quest, journey and retreat take root in the search for paradise.  The Hero’s Journey is a metaphor that infuses every magickal path and ties closely in with the ideas of retreat and self-sequester.  Joseph Campbell is credited with identifying the common threads winding throughout the world mythology and tradition as well as linking these under a common idea called the “monomyth”.

Campbell’s theories incorporate a great deal of what Carl Jung’s work is on the human psyche and collective unconsciousness – the idea that we are all born with ”memories” of a shared past, and that these memories may surface with powerful results.  The collective unconsciousness is a belief that we are all linked across time by a cosmic thread of shared human experience and that we’re all born intuitively understanding these shared experiences.  This explains why myths, rituals and shared stories resonate so deeply within us – they help us tap into the deep magick, a sense of something much older than ourselves.

Campbell also relied on Jung’s work with mythical archetypes:  the recurrent appearances of mother, warrior, Goddess, sage, fool and other characters found in the stories.  In the hero’s eyes, all roads lead to home – a place that feels like paradise, given the perils of the road behind.

Archetypes reside as energy within the Unconscious psychological life of all people everywhere; they exist both inside and outside the individual human soul.  They live in us, but even more importantly, we live in them.  We can, therefore, find them by going inward (to our own dreams, fantasies, etc.) or by going outward (to myth, legend, art, literature, religion, constellations, animals). Thus archetypes provide images of the hero within and beyond ourselves.

The Hero’s Journey has 3 stages:

  • The Preparation (aka The Departure)              EGO
  • The Journey (aka The Initiation)                      SOUL
  • The Return                                                            SELF

The EGO is the “container” for our life, creates boundaries and mediates our relationship with the world; it helps us learn to fit into the world as we know it and to act to change that world to better meet our needs
The SOUL is the Unconscious which connects us with the transpersonal; it is the repository of human potential
The SELF signifies achievement of a sense of genuine identity; when the Self is born, we know who we are, the disjointed parts of our psyche come together and we experience wholeness and integrity.

In Carol Pearson’s model, the Twelve Archetypes of the Journey include:
Stage One:         The Innocent;  The Orphan;  The Warrior;  The Caregiver
Stage Two:         The Seeker;  The Lover;  The Destroyer;  The Creator
Stage Three:      The Ruler;  The Magician;  The Sage;  The Fool

Stage One:  The Preparation These first four archetypes help us prepare for the journey.  From these four guides we learn:

  • To survive in the world as it is
  • To develop Ego strength
  • To be productive citizens and good people with high moral character

The developed Ego helps us meet our needs and balance our needs with the needs of others and in that way contributes to the survival and development of the individual, family, community nation and the species. Establishing a healthy Ego is the prerequisite for taking the Journey safely.

Stage Two: The Journey These next four archetypes help us on the journey itself, as we encounter our souls and become real.  The Essence of Life is Mystery.  Soul is also known as the Collective Unconscious, from which all archetypes emerge.  We now can become:

  • Connected with the Eternal
  • Provided with a sense of meaning and value in our lives

We move to a concern with Soul when we feel the need to know the meaning of life or of our own lives. Or, when we feel a yearning for some connection with the cosmos. Or, we contemplate our own mortality.

Stage Three:  The Return
The last four archetypes mediate the return to the kingdom.  They help us learn:

  • To express our true selves
  • To transform our lives

These final archetypes take us beyond heroism into Freedom and Joy – IF we bring the learning into consciousness. The Return is the entry point into a whole new way of living and being – moving us out of “life is a struggle” and into that of “abundance”.

Wherever you are on your life journey, know that the learning and experiences are for your highest good. Everyone’s journey is different, as we are all on different paths.  But ultimately, we are all searching for Home.  For Paradise.  For our True Selves.

Every Kind of People

Every Kind of People

by | Energetics, Life Reflections

With all these titles, categories and labels we are told to use these days, I can’t help wonder how does this make us stronger and unified as people?  Seems there is a label for every type of racial, gender, religious, political, socio-economic group. And by constantly focusing on what makes us different, we are forgetting to acknowledge and respect what makes us similar.

Difference without Tolerance brews intolerance and keeps us separated from each other.  Difference without Respect keeps us militant and distant.  Difference without Understanding creates non-acceptance.  Difference without Compassion keeps us divided, not united.

Those who have conducted group therapy sessions understand that group cohesion will go through several stages.  It is the group leader’s role to allow the group members to go through these stages in a safe, controlled manner. And although it can get heated at times, the understanding of how to resolve differences is paramount to the successful outcomes for both the group and its members.

Initially, group members come together in a type of “meet and greet” situation where everyone has time to hear what others are about and why they have come to the group.  Mostly supportive of each other, group members listen, offer support and give kindly advice to each other.  But eventually, the honeymoon comes to an end and the storm begins. 

Movemen­t into this next phase of group development has members start to acknowledge their differences with each other and challenge each other. Depending upon the level of psychological / emotional wounding someone has had in their lifetime, this can be traumatizing if not handled properly.  Fragmenting of the group into Us vs Them, Colour vs Non-colour, Religion vs Non-religion, Abuser vs Abused and many other dichotomies can leave members with a sense of not belonging, being misunderstood or simply feeling not important enough to bother with. For the group to maintain a sense of unity, it must learn to handle differences with and between people in a healthy, wholesome manner.  Yes – to acknowledge and accept differences while maintaining a sense of unity can co-exist!

As we come to understand our reactions and responses to differences, we have opportunity to balance within ourselves conflicting or confusing thoughts, needs, emotions and memories. We begin to learn to live gracefully within the chaos of life.  And so the group storm passes and begins to learn tolerance, acceptance, grace, gratitude, respect and honest, heart-felt connection with others. And within themselves.

From this position, group members learn how to replace unhealthy and unhelpful boundaries, emotions, thoughts and actions with those that encourage health, happiness, connection with others and positive self-esteem and self-worth.  The past is the past – it does not have to define and rule our present and future. At this point, group members acknowledge how valuable the experience of personal growth and connection has been with the group.  They now can understand that the strength of the group comes from the new-found abilities to tolerate, understand, respect and care about themselves and each other with all the similarities and differences brought together.  It is a rich tapestry of Life unfolding every day for us to enjoy.

This process is possible when all group members participate and do the work.  If they are stuck and refuse to move forward, then the group divides and weakens. This will reinforce all the differences and never afford an opportunity for self-exploration and growth towards a cohesive collective of PEOPLE.  The group and its members never truly realize self-actualized personal power and the opportunity to experience “greater together than apart”. 

Many folks talk about healing the wounds of the past.  Yet more often, these same folks project their anger, hurt, low self-worth and betrayal onto others rather than do the inner work that will free them from this pain.  They are stuck in this reality of feeling different and separate from others – how can things really change or improve?  And so, the differences outweigh the similarities.

So, what are some similarities amongst all people?

We all:

  • Bleed the same blood
  • Cry the same tears
  • Laugh the same way
  • Express joy through our eyes, songs and dances

We all want:

  • Someone to love us and someone we can love unconditionally
  • Health, happiness and success for our children
  • A sense of safety and security
  • A sense of purpose in our lives
  • Work that is meaningful
  • Hope and faith in the world and its people

Maybe it is time to start focusing on the similarities rather than the differences amongst us.  What would the world look like if we were to start referring to everyone as “PEOPLE” instead of these labels and categories that are widening the gaps between us?  As the late Robert Palmer once sang, “It takes every kind of people, to make the world go round.”  It’s something to ponder; it’s something to try.

The Colours of Life

The Colours of Life

by | Energetics, Psycho-Spiritual

As summer goes into full swing, we are surrounded by the amazing colour palate of Nature.  We can see it everywhere – no matter if one lives in the big city or the remote villages of the world. Colour surrounds us, cradles us and extends through us.  Colour is a frequency – it is a property of Light.  Take a light, shine it through a prism and voila – a rainbow of colours will appear.  What was once a beam of white light is now split into its major component colours.  Colours are different because they are different wave lengths or frequencies. And if we were to look closely at these major component parts, we would see yet more shades of these colours. Why?  Because there are different wave lengths present in Light.

Everyone is affected by colour, often more than they realize. Colour is tied to all aspects of our life, especially to its visual aspects. No one is truly neutral when it comes to colours – there are some colours we really like, some we are not too sure about and some we simply cannot stand!  What is important to realize is that we are responding to the wave length or frequency being given out by that colour.  To understand what that wave length is about will help us to learn what will help us balance, revitalize or calm ourselves.  Colour is a concentration of a certain light frequency / wave length. It can stimulate or depress, be constructive or destructive, repel or attract.

Every colour, every frequency of light has its own characteristics and so have the capability of affecting the different energies of the human essence. Each colour has its own unique effects and can be used for healing, balancing and stimulating deeper levels of consciousness. Higher frequency colours can affect the higher frequencies of the brain. Lower frequency colours can affect the systems and energies of the physical body.

Let’s look at a general table of colours and influences on our well-being, as described by Ted Andrews, a holistic practitioner and author.

PHYSICAL
Restful = Green, Light Blue
Revitalizing = Orange
Stimulating = Red

EMOTIONAL
Restful =  Sky Blue, Turquoise
Revitalizing = Peach
Stimulating = Orange

MENTAL
Restful = Indigo
Revitalizing = Emerald Green
Stimulating =  Yellow 

SPIRITUAL
Restful = Blue
Revitalizing = Gold
Stimulating = Violet, Purple

To use colour as a vibrational healing modality, one must become more colour sensitive and knowledgeable. Learning more about the frequencies of light as colour and their effects upon the human energy field helps understand one’s attraction or rejection to colour and how this can influence health and healing.  Each person has their own relationship with colour and its effects upon them. But how does one develop a deeper understanding of this relationship?

There are several exercises and tools that can help explore this relationship.  But it’s summer time – who wants to be “working and studying” while summer beckons us to come and play?  Fortunately, Ted Andrews suggests a fabulous way to explore the relationship AND have fun!  In his book, The Healer’s Manual, he explains how to “Play with Colours”.  It goes like this:

“Play with Colours.  In essence, this means start exploring all the various shades of colour.  Go to a store and buy a 64-pack of Crayola Crayons.  Most people grew up with these colours … Or if you prefer there are inexpensive packs of coloured pencils and markers now available.

Play with them. Draw with them. Buy a colouring book and colour with them. Don’t hold to the natural colours of objects. For example, if there are animals, make them whatever colour you desire – even multiple colours. As you do, pay attention to how you feel as you colour.  Which colours do you like the best?  Doodle with them.  Buy a paint-by-number set but don’t follow the numbers.  Paint each section the colours you desire, no matter how out of the ordinary. Have FUN with the process. Colours awaken a newfound sense of joy. You will be surprised how easy it is to slip into the colouring mode and lose track of time.”    (p.111) 

To continue developing your sensitivity and relationship to colours, Ted Andrews also suggests “Creating a Colour Wheel”.

“Take a sheet of paper and draw a large circle in the centre.  Then divide that circle into as many sections (at least 12) as you wish. Colour each section a different colour. … Do not colour them in any particular order.  You will find as you go along that you can easily recognize which colours seem to go better together. You are simply becoming more colour aware.

Because this exercise employs so many colours, it also has other wonderful benefits. It will balance out your system and relax you. It restores balance to the chakras and to the subtle energy flows of the body, mind and spirit. Make other smaller wheels and combine just two or three colours.  Pay attention to how they make you feel. Pay attention to your body, your emotions and your mental states before, during and after.  You will be surprised at the effects.”    (p.111-112)

There are many books on the meanings of colours, psychology of colour, the frequencies of colours and so on.  To get you started, here are a few quick descriptions that you might find helpful to increase your understanding.  Again, these notes were taken from Ted Andrews’ book, The Healer’s Manual.

WHITE:  Purification, purity, amplification
White contains the entire light spectrum.  All systems of the body respond to it.  Strengthens, cleanses and purifies the entire energy system.

BLACK:  Protection, grounding, strengthening
Black also contains the entire light spectrum. Grounding and calming for very sensitive people. If used too much, it can cause or aggravate depression or depressive moods. Best to use with another colour – white is most balancing to use with it.

RED:  Strengthening of life force, will and sexuality; stimulating
Stimulates overall energy levels of metabolism, blood conditions, lower extremities, physical energy. Base chakra. Too much red can over-stimulate and aggravate some conditions (eg. High blood pressure). Green can balance red.

ORANGE:  Activation, construction, optimism/joy, energy reserves.
Muscular system, elimination system, emotional aggravation and causes of physical problems. Joy, wisdom and creativity. Sacral chakra. Too much orange can affect the nerves. Green-blues can balance orange.

YELLOW:  Mental activity, intellectual power and ability, awakening.
Left-hemisphere brain activity, digestive system, adrenal activity. Helps awaken an enthusiasm for life. Solar plexus chakra. Too much can create or indicate anxiety or mental tension. Blue colours balance yellow.

GREEN:  Balance, growth, calming
Circulatory system, Autonomic nervous system, increase sensitivity and compassion. Restful to overtaxed mental conditions. Awakens greater hope, faith and peace. Heart chakra. Not to be used in tumorous or malignant conditions as it promotes growth.  Balances itself.

BLUE:  Peace, faith, aspiration, creative expression, inspiration
Cooling to the body systems. Respiratory system, eyes, ears nose, throat, venous conditions. Quieting to our energies. Antiseptic effect. Universally healing colour for children.  Throat chakra. Orange and red-orange help balance blue.

INDIGO:  Integration, purification, altered states of consciousness, intuition
Endocrine and reproductive systems, infection, most conditions of the head and face. Strengthens immune system and lymph system. Detoxifies body. Dynamic healing colour on both physical and spiritual levels. Third-eye Chakra. Too much can cause depression and a sense of separateness from others. Soft orange can balance indigo.

VIOLET:  Purification, transmutation, practical spirituality
Skeletal and nervous systems, some venous conditions, tumorous/cancerous conditions. Antiseptic and purifying. Balances physical and spiritual energies. Inspiration and humility. True violet is 50% red and 50% blue – the balance of the physical and spiritual. Crown chakra.

AQUA (Turquoise and other light blue-greens):  Multi-purpose healing
Respiratory system, metabolism, skin conditions, acute pain. Cooling to the system. Balances and strengthens all systems of the body. Purifying.

BROWN:  Grounding and stabilizing
Stabilizing over-excited states. Calms and grounds emotions and extreme mental conditions. Helps awaken common sense and discrimination. Brings one back down to earth.

GOLD:  Strengthening and amplifying
Immune system, cardiac conditions.  Amplifies other colours without overexciting the system. Helps awaken a person’s own healing abilities to help the body to restore homeostasis (balance). Can awaken renewed enthusiasm.

PINK:  Soothing
Skin conditions, inflammations, immune system. Soothing on all levels. Soothes anger and feelings of neglect. Awakens compassion, love, purity. Comforts the emotional energies. Used in meditation to discern greater truths.

PURPLE:  Intense purification
Detoxifying the body. Stimulate venous activity. Calm headaches. Red-purple range helps balance polarities of the body.  Blue-purple range helps to shrink and to cool, easing inflammation.

SILVER:  Amplification and intuitive clarification
Discernment of the cause of disease. Amplifies effects of other colours. Stimulating and balancing to the feminine energies and especially the Yin meridians.

May you enjoy your exploration of colour. Find ways to have fun AND explore your relationship with colour.  You’ll be amazed!

The Mind-Body Connection

The Mind-Body Connection

by | Energetics, Psycho-Spiritual

While packing up the Centre, I came across a flip-chart with posters from a seminar given many years ago here.  As I read it over, I had to smile; some things never change, and here was proof! This seminar could have been delivered during the covid lockdowns or more recently due to stress over rising inflation.  Yet the effects upon humans remain the same.  Let me explain ….

The seminar explained, in general terms, how the mind-brain-body connection worked. And by understanding this process, it helps to better understand how our responses and reactions to life are influenced.

Here are the main players in the game:

THE MIND
  •  Non-physical in nature 
  • Where thoughts, feelings, instincts and imagination exist
  • Positive thoughts = Positive Mind = Positive Experience
  • Sometimes called the Unconscious Mind 
  • Jungian theorists say the Collective Consciousness resides here
THE BRAIN
  • Both physical and chemical in nature
  • Physical structures (eg. brain tissue, neurons)
  • Chemical structures (eg. neurotransmitters, hormones)
  • Brain processes AND feels what the Mind puts out
  • Limbic system connects many parts of the brain and is responsible for bringing forth memories, emotions, primal urges, creativity
  • Brain has two main branches: Central Nervous System (CNS) and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which process AND feel what the Mind puts out
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS)
  • Consists of the Brain itself and the Spinal Cord
  • CNS takes the thoughts and feelings from the Mind and PROCESSES them – makes them Conscious; analyses them
  • CNS decides to react or hold on to these thoughts and feelings; can store these for many years – and sometimes bury them away from consciousness to be dealt with at another time, or not at all
  • Can be under or over stimulated
  • Under-stimulated is coma state; no functioning is called death
  • Over-stimulated is panic level anxiety; if left unchecked, can lead to physical / emotional exhaustion and death
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
  • Has two branches: Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS)
  • Sympathetic NS is where our Fight, Flight or Fright reactions begin; the proverbial Adrenaline Rush
  • Parasympathetic NS is where our Relaxation and Calmness begin; the proverbial Vacation Mode
  • The ANS takes all thoughts and feelings from the Mind and FEELS them – in our body and its functions
  • So, where the Mind goes, the Body follows

HORMONES

  • Both the CNS and ANS influence release of hormones based upon the processing and feeling of what the Mind has put out
  • The Endocrine system is that which produces and regulates the release of hormones in the body to create physical and emotional effects
  • Connection between the Brain and the Endocrine system is possible because of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands which are situated in the physical Brain but function as keys to the Endocrine system and its functions (ie. neuroendocrine)
  • Once the Brain has processed what the Mind has put out, the hypothalamus and pituitary glands go to work to tell the Endocrine system to release or inhibit the hormones
  • There are some exceptions to this process – some hormones are regulated in a different manner than this.

So just what does this Mind ~ Brain ~ Endocrine ~ Body actually mean in real life?  Basically, your Mind can be filled with all sorts of thoughts, feelings, memories urges and creative ideas.  Getting your Brain to pick up on these things requires taking quiet time so you can hear/see/feel/intuit what is coming your way. A busy Brain hasn’t got the time or interest in being still in the moment, so the Mind cannot find a way to connect. For example, take the Monkey Mind ….

People with “Monkey Mind” are those who are so busy thinking in their heads, distractible, impatient and restless that the real Mind has no way to come through.  This state of being increases the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) so that the Fight, Flight, Fright response takes over. Adrenaline pumps through the body, placing it on Alert and Alarm. Heart pumps faster, blood pressure goes up, digestion can get tricky, bowel issues might start up and sleep is not as good as you’d like. This heightened state of arousal is sustainable for the short term, but if this is how someone functions for weeks or months (or years), then the body will wear down.  Physical illness is likely, as is emotional exhaustion. People weren’t designed to be “on-call” 24/7.

Now take a look at what happens when we allow a moment for quiet time.  Imagine walking on a beach or in a forest or just sitting in a lovely garden. Phones turned off, no music or work noises around.  In this place, you will find yourself starting to relax, breathing more deeply and slowly and starting to notice what is all around you. As you let yourself be soothed by the surroundings, you may discover that you begin to have thoughts, sensations, feelings that have alluded you lately.  Maybe you figure out a solution to a problem that has been plaguing you.  Maybe you retrace your steps and remember where you put those important documents that you’ve been searching for all week.  Maybe you remember an old friend or family member that you wish you could see again.  The Mind has had all these things to send you, but until this quiet moment, it had no way to get your attention and “download” to you. This is a time when the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS) is in charge.  Lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, deep breathing, growling stomach able to digest food and healthy bowel function to move it through.  Sleep is restorative which helps us to be more resilient during the day.

No time for a break?  How about stealing a few minutes to yourself and just imagine the walk or the garden or wherever your Happy Place is? A short cleansing/calming visualization done during your morning shower or evening bath can feel wonderful.  Even a 10-minute nap any time of day will help to reset the Stress Meter a wee bit and help with the Mind’s “download”.

There is a lot of potential and power in allowing the Mind its say.  Anything you can do to help yourself be receptive to your Mind and its knowledge will be beneficial to your Brain and Body.  Try it for a week and feel it for yourself.

Here’s The Story

Here’s The Story

by | Life Reflections, Psycho-Spiritual

It was February 1995.  The Friday found me leave a nursing faculty meeting to attend a weekend workshop on Healing Touch energy healing. By the end of the weekend, I felt inspired to become a holistic therapist. But how was I to quit my “day job” for something so unconventional? Upon returning home that Sunday, I asked my husband, Mel, what he thought I should do.  His wise counsel was, “Follow your Heart.”  So, on Monday, I tendered my resignation from the College! And that’s how this whole adventure called Natural Comfort started.

My aromatherapy business was small but slowly grew into a larger affair.  In 2005, with help from family and friends, I started the Natural Comfort Wellness Centre.  Going from a one-person aromatherapy business to full-time office staff, a retail store and several consulting holistic therapists was a huge leap – but a very exciting one. I must acknowledge the steady support and expertise that Beverley Hawkins offered in those early years- computer literate, business savvy and so organized! She was there from the beginning to help with setting up and running the Centre. Those of you who were around for those first few years know that we had some very interesting guest speakers, courses and events, a large retail store and a choice of many different therapists offering their health and healing talents. There were some challenges met along the way, but all offered great life and business lessons. As I’ve often said, “It’s all information – how we choose to look at it and use it is always up to us.”  And so, after five years at the first location, we began the search for another suitable place to hang our shingle.

As the Universe would have it, our local Hospice was moving from its office space in the Tsawwassen Medical Building to its newly built location in Ladner. In Spring 2010, I signed the lease and began our move. Not only was this location ideal, but we met a most unique person who just happened to be the landlord!  You can tell when someone is really there for you. Greg definitely has been there for both me and the Centre through it all.  For the first three years, the other therapists and I offered courses, holistic services, practice groups and ran the retail store together at this new location.

Another pivot.  In 2013, I decided to downsize and return to private practice.  Grateful for their help and understanding, the other therapists helped me to downsize the Centre so I could manage it by myself. I was able to split the space, which also made it easier for me.  But who knew that just a few months later, the chiropractors would need a space for their practice, as their location had been destroyed in a devastating fire?  And so, it was – Tsawwassen Chiropractic and Natural Comfort became neighbours!  And have been ever since.

These past nine years have found me expanding my private practice and improving my holistic offerings.  I’ve always hoped to offer a place of Comfort, Peace and Possibilities to everyone who entered the Centre, and for the most part, I think I have achieved this.  Although I’m not ready to hang up my therapist hat just yet, I realize that it is time to make another adjustment in how I offer my services.

And so, the newest change begins!  Natural Comfort Wellness Centre now becomes Natural Comfort Wellness. Later this month, Natural Comfort Wellness will offer as many services, seminars and meditations as it can using the Zoom on-line platform.  Some services will be unavailable as a Zoom offering (haven’t figured out how to do massages through a computer screen!). Some services will be available using Zoom or the phone. Seminars, consultations and meditations are already held on Zoom. All will be offered with the same heart-centered care that has always been the guiding principle at Natural Comfort.

In closing, I am grateful to everyone who has entered the Centre these past 17 years and offered their friendship, expertise, time, stories, tears, laughter, smiles, songs, humour, prayers, healing energy and hugs. I started this healing journey as a nursing student in 1974 and an aromatherapist in 1995.  Who knew that 48 years after stepping onto a nursing unit, I’d still love what I do and who I work with?  The location is changing – but not the love I have for this work and for my clients and colleagues.

My heartfelt thanks go to the following people who have worked with me at the Centre.  You made this a great place to work! Lots of memories – lots of laughs – lots of love!

2005 – 2010:
Office staff: Wendy Marshall, Barbara Bell, Charlene Boswick
Therapists: Beverley Hawkins, Janet Walsh, Cheryl Larden, Judith Schweers, Donna Guillemin,
Ruth Stubens, Shirley Maurice, Doug Markert, Julia McKinley, Kim Jew

2010 – 2013:
Therapists: Beverley Hawkins, Cheryl Larden, Donna Guillemin, Ruth Stubens, Shirley Maurice,
Doug Markert

2013 – 2022:  Pat as a solo act at the Centre!

2022 – who knows?:  The physical Centre closes and Pat goes virtual with Zoom

And through it all, my husband Mel has been my biggest fan and supporter!  Without him, none of this would have been possible. He has believed in me and this work every step of the way. I am forever grateful to him!

Now ….  Time to Zoom!