I am looking forward to completing my Healing Touch Level 5 certification this October. Yay! It has been quite a journey and a lot of hard work, sweat and tears. A piece of paper doesn’t really tell you all that goes on behind the scenes–so here is my story!

HTP (Healing Touch Practitioner) Level 5 is the completion of a year plus of practice under a mentor’s supervision. There are also seven required books to read and report on, 10 self-care sessions to complete so we take care of ourselves and build a referral network for our clients, 100 documented sessions utilizing our 30+ techniques, and a completed professional notebook that contains a current resume, testimonials, thank you notes and much about who we are in our day to day lives–what makes us tick and gives us joy like our family, music, art, etc.

It has been 14 months now since I completed Healing Touch Level IV. Level lV was a three day retreat/workshop in Boulder. Levels l, ll and lll were weekend trainings completed by the beginning of the year that moved rather quickly once I decided that I would commit myself to complete all the levels. I was interested in knowing that Healing Touch in particular is a twice accredited certification.

Photo credit: Naomi Boggs

Little did I know how long, hard and intense this training would be and unlike any of the other energy classes I had taken to keep me current with information/CEC’s. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork and detail needed to complete the requirements, not to mention the expense of fulfilling the self care reflection piece and the monthly check ins with a mentor. No doubt this has been life changing, and I have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work and benefited by the stretching I have felt this past year. I feel that my personal practice has grown from the attention to details and the blending of the trainings. In short, I feel like my practice is more professional.

My first entry into healing modalities was Reiki, and I credit Reiki for opening the doors for a deep curiosity about how energy works. Reiki is gentle and profound as you work with a lineage of healers and learn how to direct energy but also trust that the energy goes where it is needed. I don’t need to know someone’s story. It is heart centered. On the other hand, Healing Touch which stems from a nurse’s modality, utilizes a lot more form and technique; we also utilize intakes, assign homework, and generally expect to follow clients with their issues and encourage them to take a more active role in their own healing. It is more clinical and also heart centered.

My challenge is that I have trouble sensing, hearing, and knowing what is going on. It used to bum me out but actually; I appreciate that not knowing can keep me in that broader place of not knowing and allowing Spirit to work with me and the client to have their own experience and feel empowered in understanding how energy works within. And after all these years, I still can’t answer that question of how energy therapies work–there are plenty of scientific papers that speak to how various complementary modalities can assist in pain reduction, quicker healing times, magical and mysterious healings–and yet, I have to go by what clients share. But I can tell you that I have seen incredible outcomes, and I don’t have to or really need to know what is happening.

This has been a project of extreme proportion, so when I am able to share my success in staying in the program, you will know why this has been such a big deal!!!

I love my work. The learning never stops, and I will continue to bring my best self to your sessions.