Hypnotherapist, Coach
Author, Creator of Meditations and Bedtime Stories
Author, Creator of Meditations and Bedtime Stories
My life purpose is to help you use your unconscious mind to relax, heal and transform. I want to help you remember this resource, especially during those times of mystery when you feel like you have no clue what the next minute will bring.
These guided meditations are written to give you strength, especially when you feel vulnerable and confused. That is when being reminded of what you may have temporarily "forgotten" is especially important.
During difficult times in my life, guided imagery helped me relax, sleep, gain a new perspective and visualize wellness and peace.
I share this excerpt from one of my meditations "Morning Infusion: Come Rise Up" as it captures some of my own process of healing and awakening.
These guided meditations are written to give you strength, especially when you feel vulnerable and confused. That is when being reminded of what you may have temporarily "forgotten" is especially important.
During difficult times in my life, guided imagery helped me relax, sleep, gain a new perspective and visualize wellness and peace.
I share this excerpt from one of my meditations "Morning Infusion: Come Rise Up" as it captures some of my own process of healing and awakening.
"Like a newborn fawn I am finding my feet.
I rise up again, gradually opening my close eyelids to the brightness of the sun.
The cave in which I have cocooned myself has felt safe.
It has encircled me like the protective shell of a fragile egg.
And here in this vulnerable place, hope has felt absent and pain has been the dark coat that is just too heavy to
continue to wear.
Today I open to a renewal and ask myself, 'What brought me back to the magic that stirs inside, to all those inner resources that fill my soul?'
I rise up again, simple pleasures reawakening my senses all throughout the day.
The looping thoughts may come and go but the wise being sits here observing patiently, calling us to come back home. Come back home and come sit in the lap of this compassionate presence who reconnects us with the creative
flow that awaits us.
We just have to remember to reconnect, to plug into this eternal force.
We have what we need to do this, one moment at a time. Come rise up again!"
I rise up again, gradually opening my close eyelids to the brightness of the sun.
The cave in which I have cocooned myself has felt safe.
It has encircled me like the protective shell of a fragile egg.
And here in this vulnerable place, hope has felt absent and pain has been the dark coat that is just too heavy to
continue to wear.
Today I open to a renewal and ask myself, 'What brought me back to the magic that stirs inside, to all those inner resources that fill my soul?'
I rise up again, simple pleasures reawakening my senses all throughout the day.
The looping thoughts may come and go but the wise being sits here observing patiently, calling us to come back home. Come back home and come sit in the lap of this compassionate presence who reconnects us with the creative
flow that awaits us.
We just have to remember to reconnect, to plug into this eternal force.
We have what we need to do this, one moment at a time. Come rise up again!"
More bio information....
My love for guided meditation and hypnotherapy began in 1994 and it has inspired and supported me ever since. All the creative influences in my childhood contributed to my eventual path of writing and recording guided meditations as well as my joy in facilitating SoulCollage® and women's groups.
I attended North Park University in Chicago and in 1980, I graduated with an MSW from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. I have lived in North Carolina for most of my adult life; except for 2004-2012 when I worked in an integrative healing practice in Minnesota.
My own life challenges of dealing with loss and illness have given me great insight into how I support my clients on their path. Opening to creative soul exploration and creating a healing relationship with the inner child has helped me transform my life. This is the path that inspires both my work with clients and the writing of my meditations.
My clients continue to bless me and inspire me. They are mentors to me because of their courage, determination and willingness to be vulnerable as they explore the depths of the healing process.
I have now published three books:
A Guide for Writing and Recording Guided Imagery Meditations: 70 Healing Scripts Included"
Meditative Bedtime Stories
Who Are You Santa Lucia?
I am a clinical member of:
The Wellness Institute's Heart Centered Hypnotherapy and Imagery International
In addition, I am a trained SoulCollage® facilitator.
Over the past 35 years I have incorporated hypnotherapy, guided imagery, and somatic healing in my clinical work with clients. One of the foundational tools for me has been creating imagery recordings to help my clients reinforce the tools they were learning during our sessions. I grew to love writing and recording scripts.
From this passion for creatively guiding my clients on a journey, I have now written and recorded over 150 guided meditations and bedtime stories, and created thousands of customized audios. My recordings are now available on several meditation streaming apps.
These are the settings in which I have worked:
Counselor at a residential treatment center for children in Cromwell CT
Director of a volunteer organization for older adults
Therapist at The Oncology Clinic of Raleigh Internal Medicine
Social Worker for Duke Hospice and Chapel Hill Home Health
Hypnotherapist at Iatria Wellness Spa in Raleigh.
Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist at two Integrative Holistic Centers:
Bridges to Health in Durham NC and Partners in Healing of Minnetonka MN.
I began a private practice in 1996 and have continued this practice to the present.
My advanced training in guided imagery, somatic healing and hypnotherapy is through:
The Institute of Health Psychology, National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine, Wellness Institute's Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy, and the Academy of Guided Imagery.
My approach also incorporates the use of mindfulness practices in creating greater clarity and the ability to experience the gift of truly living in the present.
Some of my teachers have included:
Belleruth Naparstek ACSW, Emmett Miller MD, James Spira PhD., Steve Gilligan PhD, Peter Levine PhD, Bessel van der Kolk, MD. I have also trained as a life coach with Kathleen Brehony PhD through the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine.
I was born in Spokane Washington and grew up in Chicago; the daughter of a minister and youngest of four sisters. I loved music, poetry, images and photography. I belonged to a choric choir and there connected with the power of the spoken word as art. I listened to and recorded music on my dad's old reel to reel tape player and savored spending time with him as he processed photos in his dark room. I also loved cutting out magazine images and quotes and creating little books.
My mother and sisters served as very powerful mentors around creativity and feminine power.
I love being a mother, wife and grandmother. I love the ocean and the rivers, riding my bike, swimming, listening to music, SoulCollage®, writing and recording guided meditations. I love living in North Carolina and the beautiful nature that surrounds me. In my "Third Act" of life, I hope to continue bringing the light of awareness into my own life and the life of others.
I love being a mother, wife and grandmother. I love the ocean and the rivers, riding my bike, swimming, listening to music, SoulCollage®, writing and recording guided meditations. I love living in North Carolina and the beautiful nature that surrounds me. In my "Third Act" of life, I hope to continue bringing the light of awareness into my own life and the life of others.
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Here I am at the family cabin wrapped in a 62 year old handmade quilt that comforted our family throughout the years.
This quilt not only symbolizes comfort, warmth and nurturing; but also the patchwork of experiences that we all bring to the beauty and uniqueness of our lives. I like to use this phrase in some of my meditation scripts: "feeling comforted like a cozy warm blanket on a cool day". So I offer this image to remind you of what makes you unique and what helps you reconnect with nurturing warmth. Warm Blessings...Namaste! |
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