Consulting Client Tip #2: Are They Ready to Heal?

One reason I only consult with registered clients is that it shows me they are ready to heal. If I am giving advice to random people online or to relatives or friends who mention a bad habit (and I jump in with advice) the person may not really be ready to heal and my words may either make it worse, make the person more resistant to change or be wasted, at best. On the other hand, when a person makes a decision to take time and money from their life to make a change (see a healer) this is a good indication that they are ready to heal. Most people I know take their money and time seriously. Even if you are just asking for a small payment or a half hour of their time this can also indicate that they are ready. However - beware of people who send quick e-mails or want to ask you advice "in passing".

We are notoriously stubborn as humans and are often not ready to heal. One student turned in an assignment this week where she talks about how a friend had to go to the emergency room for strep and got so very ill. She mentioned that this event scared her friend into changing her life. She also expressed regret that she had not been able to help this friend at the beginning of her illness before it became to bad.

However, illness and fear are not always a bad thing. Even when I am ill I think about this. Illness can be a teacher or a messenger. It can be a sign for us to stop what we are doing and change our life before it is too late. Sometimes I actually thank my body for being ill.

There is also a wisdom in letting people make their own mistakes. In this person's case, it was probably a good thing she became so ill and nobody could help her because now she is going to make life changes and she is ready. If the student had tried to help her before she got to ill, she would have gotten better and not been motivated to change her life. Sometimes illness can be a gift.

So remember when you are healing...make sure the person is ready to be healed. I am not suggesting you leave someone with a broken arm at the side of the road of course! I am simply saying that the results on your client will be much better if they are ready to be healed first.

Note: This message does not apply to children, of course.

Student Question: What do I do on an assginment if I don't have clients?

This should really come under the heading of student dialogue since I took this from a test and I answered it in my feedback. However, I feel it will be more useful to students if I file it in "student questions". This student has brought up some good points and has come up with her own good solutions. However, some students may be asking themselves these same questions now and not be able to come up with solutions. I hope this can help those students. This is our dialogue"

Student: This is my submission for lesson 201-4. This one was not easy since I don't have 'clients', so I interviewed relatives for the class lesson.

This is what you are supposed to do. Some students use clients because they have them, but the assignment is to use friends or family that you know. So this is correct.

Nobody was sick at the time, so I interviewed them about 'past' illnesses for which they were treated by medical doctors - way late in the illness because they didn't have insurance.

This is also perfect! When I ask students to evaluate I want them to show that they understand the material and not that they have the sickest friends or family or the best clinic. If needed, I can even send you some “pretend clients”. However, I do find that it makes it more “real” and you learn more if you work with people who are close to you in some way.

This is an excerpt from a student assignment this week. She did a WONDERFUL job with all of her clients. This is just a short sample of what she wrote about one of them. I added some additional information and thought I would share it with the group as well because the book I am recommending is well worth reading and reminders about keeping things simple are always good - even for me. I think as healers we want so badly to provide our clients with some herb or food or diet that will help that we can often forget to tell them about the basics. Before I give any client advice or a program I make sure first that they are sleeping enough, eating right, drinking enough water, not taking harmful substances (too much coffee, cigarettes, etc...) and getting exercise. For without these basic things most people will experience some level of illness and natural healing will not be as effective. Natural healing can help people accomlish these things better (like herbs to help you sleep or herbs to give you more energy to exercise, etc...) and herbs can help...but real healing will not happen without the basics in place.

Student Work:."..But I did tell her that maybe a ginger pack for her kidneys would help and some castor oil packs for that spine… She said that everything I told her fit and she was impressed with how accurate they eyes showed her problems………oh one more note, she is tired a lot………..not normal tired, like really tired, but I told her if those kidneys are stressed, those adrenals are as well and when she sees improvement there, she should get a boost of energy as well."

My Feedback :Yes, anyone with kidney issues is going to be really tired. At the very least she should drink a lot more water. Especially with nursing she is going to be so dehydrated. Dehydration is a problem for so many people and they don’t realize it because it is usually not an emergency situation. You can read all about that in “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water” – an amazing book!

Student Excerpts: Iridology

One of the questions on the iridology quiz is "Compare iridology to something else and describe it in your own words"

Janet provided a wonderful comparison:

"Iridology could be compared to an inspector inspecting a house for structural damage or potential hazards. "

Student Dialogues - Aromatherapy and Numbness

Student Work: Aromatherapy for numb fingers: An oil would be good to rub on the hand, fingers and wrist. It cold be carried with him and used as needed. I would use Roman Chamomile (muscle pain), Coriander (circulation), Lemon (CNS stimulant) and Pine (circulation). With the ability to keep it with him at all times, he could use it as needed.

My Feedback: A salve might be better than an oil – if one uses an oil they might be less likely to use it because it would just be “too oily” and take a while to absorb into the skin. My son does not like oils for this reason so we make him salves or add oils to base salves or creams already available on the market. You can make a nice simple salve by melting 1 TBS. of beeswax (grated) into 5 TBS. of oil and then adding some essential oils to it right before it starts to solidify.

Student Dialogues - Aromatherapy and Arthritis

Student Suggestions: Arthritis: I would use Blue Chamomile (anti-inflammatory, arthritis), Juniper (arthritis), Lavender (analgesic) and Rosemary (arthritis, muscle pain).
This is easy to use. I would make into a massage oil and apply to the area. This could be carried easily with the client at all times. It will be easy to use and apply and keep with a person. My client gets upset when the pain starts and has trouble in thinking of what they need, so to have it already prepared for her and easy to use will cut down on that.

My Feedback: When I lived in the Middle East I met many women who were told (by their mother or some wise woman) that they should drink chamomile tea for arthritis. All of these women healed themselves on just one cup of chamomile a day. You might try, adding a cup of chamomile tea to this program. Additionally, I would recommend using something gentle on a daily basis (like the lavender and chamomile) but make ANOTHER mixture with the juniper and rosemary for days when the pain is worse. Those are strong oils and would be too strong for you to use on a daily basis.

Student Dialogues - Aromatherapy and Grief

These are some of my feedback notes to a student that turned in the test for the aromatherapy unit. As always, I post these with the idea that all students can learn from each other:

Student answer: (An aromatherapy mixture for grief) Since there is grief and guilt, which is a disappointmentI would make a blend of the following: Rose (disappointment, grief, sadness and shock), Jasmine (disappointment, grief, sadness), and Rosewood (sadness).
I would use these oils because of the ease of administration. As well, they will quickly go to the limbic system, effecting the emotions. I would use this blend as a spray that the client could either spray in the air when needed or wear as a perfume.

My Feedback: This sounds perfect – oils are so good for grief because they surround the body with their healing properties and they work on a strong emotional level too, with scent memory. Rose is perfect for this situation. Jasmine would be a great addition. The rosewood is good too, however, perhaps not necessary. You might want to try it with just the first two before you add more. I tend to stick with one or two and THEN go to three. I don’t like going beyond three ingredients. I like to focus instead on really getting to know each herb to the depth of its being. I think a lot of formulas on the market today use many many herbs because they are only looking at one aspect of the herb’s personality. An herb has a deep personality much like a person – layers and layers of it. Some of them hidden until you know them well. So I recommend using one herb or oil for a while and really getting to know it. Not just what is in the books – but an intuitive knowledge as well.