For over 30 years I proudly served as a Navy civilian, leading national environmental initiatives for both the Navy and DoD. In 2015, I embarked on my doctorate work in strategic leadership theory in keeping with my interests and expertise. However, after hearing that the US military was in the throes of a suicide epidemic, the focus of my research quickly changed to help address this confounding problem. The purpose of my study was to explore how military veterans healed from the moral wounds of war. I learned much about the human condition as veterans shared intimate accounts of their private pain and anguish, joy and hope with me. All of which found lasting healing through holistic, integrative practices before, in conjunction with, or in lieu of clinical medical treatment.
At the same time, my then adolescent son was becoming mysteriously sick affecting him physiologically and psychologically. I was told he would likely need to be on psychiatric medications for the rest of his life. In 2016, he spent 10 weeks hospitalized in an in-patient eating disorder unit. By 2018, his health deteriorated to the point where he almost died. Then, in March 2018, he was properly diagnosed by a naturopathic doctor with Lyme Disease that had ravaged his digestive and central nervous systems for more than a decade affecting his gut and brain health. Fast forward to today…through courageous determination as guided by holistic healing practices, my son now is a healthy, strong young man.
These two life experiences coalesced to take me on a deeply spiritual journey. I found it uncanny how the stories of trauma, pain and suffering endured by the veterans in my study as well as their individual transformational journeys of healing mirrored the personal experience I was witnessing in real time through my son’s sickness and healing. Collectively they taught me real and lasting healing requires;
- Accepting help. It can’t be done alone!
- Getting to and addressing the root cause of the (mental/emotional/physical) trauma.
- Trusting that the mind, body, and soul will heal with patience, perseverance, and kindness.
- Valuing nutrient dense natural foods as foundational to healing.
It has become my passion and purpose to share what I have learned with others so they too may experience restored health and a renewed sense of wellbeing.