Deleting the Need to Understand

   Healing Touch has taught me many valuable lessons. One of the most important lessons comes from Dr. Brugh Joy, a contributor to the Healing Touch curriculum. His words of wisdom that I feel is a valuable lesson is to delete the need to understand.

   After taking a Level 1 Healing Touch class, I had a LOT of questions. How does Healing Touch really work on the cellular level? Why do I feel so good after I get a treatment? How have I never heard of this in Nursing School? How can other energy healers see energy and I can't yet?

   Our instructor promptly taught us this valuble lesson. Delete the need to understand. She was completely right. I needed to stop asking questions and trust that what I was doing was helping others. I needed to trust that energy goes where it needs to go and with a strong intention, a treatment will be for the patient's highest good.

   With a technique such as Healing Touch, you can't see energy transferring from the practitioner to a patient. Sometimes it is hard to believe what you can't see. But what I can see is a person's face relax and become peaceful when their face previously showed tension and pain. I can see their breathing slow down and become shallow, where previously they may have been breathing short, ineffective, fast breaths.
 
    In the ICU setting where I work, I can see their vital signs change. Their heart rate slows down. Their blood pressure decreases. Their oxygen levels increase. On the monitor, I can see the changes I was hoping for.

    Deleting the need to understand the "how's" and the "why's" has helped me to be a better practitioner by learning to trust and believe. I've had many scientific minds ask question after question trying to dissect the technique to figure it all out. But the truth is, a scientific mind is not going to understand that which they cannot see.

   I can show that person the relaxation response from the parasympathetic nervous system as an explanation of how Healing Touch works, but there will be another question behind it about energy. I've gotten used to this type of questioning and usually have some great answers in response.

   The people who choose to experience Healing Touch usually don't care how it works. They know it feels amazing, they feel better afterwards, and usually don't need to know exactly how it works, just that it does work! When their curiousity gets the best of them, they take a Level 1 class to learn for themselves. They too will learn to delete the need to understand and will reap all the benefits of learning a relaxing, nurturing energy treatment.

   To learn more about what Healing Touch is, click here.

Why its ok to let some friends go

 

  For as long as I can remember, I maintained friendships far longer than I should have. I believed that once you had been friends with someone for more than a couple of years, spent a vacation or two together, and shared all of your personal intimate secrets with them, you were meant to be friends for life. Friends for life, despite the occasional disagreement or fight. Had I known what I know now, I would have saved myself a few years of betrayal and empty, shallow friendships.

   The truth is: Friendships have expiration dates. Some friendships have a long shelf life and can last as long as you live. Others go sour after a year or so. Each person that comes into our life is there for a reason. That reason may be a lesson to teach us. Perhaps they are meant to be a support system for you in your time of troubles. Sometimes they are an unwavering supply of love when we need it most. A wise friend once told me that our friends can be silver or golden. A silver friend is one you have had in your life as long as you can remember and will always be your friend. Although, your friendship is not as vibrant as you would like. A Golden friend is the one friend who is like a soul sister, shining bright, always there when you need them, and always present in your current life.

    I carried friendships way past their expiration date for many, many years. I had a hard time letting go of what once was. When I realized that I was changing, growing, and evolving, it suddenly dawned on me that my life was taking a turn in the opposite direction of a lot of my friends. It was hard accepting that truth. Opening both eyes and my heart, I really examined the quality of my friendships. It made me think twice about who I let into my life. I realized I had a lot of "party friends". I held on to my "treated me badly on multiple occasions, but we are still friends, friends". Why was I putting my energy into relationships that were past their prime and ready to expire?

    When I started to put all of my energy into discovering my true self, a shift occurred. I realized that I was this amazing, uniquely talented, compassionate, and loving woman and the people I wanted in my life needed to accept, embrace, and honor that. I was finding new spiritual truths and exploring transformational topics. Many of the people in my life didn't understand or accept the path I began to take. For all of those friends who didn't accept me, it was time to let those relationships go. I needed people in my life who wanted my highest good. Friends who loved me for exactly who I am. Once I set my intention to have only true friends in my life, the ones that were not so true easily fell to the wayside.

    Every soul has its own path and purpose. I also had to honor the place those people were at on their own journey even if it didn't align directly with my own. It's ok that those people I once called friends were on a different path. We bumped into each other and became part of each other's lives briefly to help the other learn a lesson and continue on with our journey. It may not be clear at first what that lesson or reason is, but as you grow old, you may discover the answer.

    We are all on our individual journey with people constantly weaving in and out of our lives. There are friendships that belong at different stages of our lives with different versions of who we are for a multitude of reasons. There is no need to harbor ill-will or resentments toward a friendship that has run its course. We can hold that person in our heart and send them love without maintaining a friendship. Many of our friendships will pass, but it's important to honor and find gratitude in the place they held in your life. For the friendships that survive, always show love and gratitude for those souls who walk by your side on this incredible journey we call life.

Why Having a Mentor is Good for You

  In my life, I have had many mentors in different areas of my life.  Their contribution to who I am today cannot be measured.  The significance of our interactions, lessons learned, and wisdom they have imparted on me have helped in my development as a nurse and a healer.

   I can remember my first mentor in high school.  Mrs. Kelly was an older woman who taught a nursing class in our school as well as the drama club coordinator.  She was in one of the first graduating classes from Boston College School of Nursing.  Her quick wit, passion for nursing, and her friendly nature drew me to her.   I took her classes all 4 years of high school.  In my senior year of high school, I was her "Nursing Extern" where my role was to help teach the previous years classes and to act as a mentor to the younger aspiring nurses in the class.   She trusted and believed in me.  I knew from her guidance that I would become an excellent nurse one day.   Her influence was so great, that I chose to attend the same nursing school that she attended.

    As a new graduate ICU nurse, I had older nurses that I looked up to for guidance.  It was important to me to have easy-going experienced nurses I could ask questions to and not feel threatened or god-forbid, stupid.  Even after being a nurse for 11 years, I still feel the need to have a nurse mentor.  The world of medicine is always changing so no matter how much I think I know, there is always more to learn.
 
   As I began taking courses in Healing Touch, I easily identified two amazing nurses and Certified Healing Touch Practitioners that I looked up to as mentors.  When my apprenticeship began after taking Level 4, I chose the first person I thought of who had helped in my development as a healer for the previous 6 months.  Donna is a beautiful soul whose smile radiates love and kindness.  She led a monthly support group where those who have taken Healing Touch classes can come to practice the techniques they've learned, discuss our experiences, and be around like-minded individuals.  It was at these groups that I developed a close friendship with Donna.  When Donna pinned me at my pinning ceremony, I knew that I had chosen a mentor who I not only looked up to, but also loved dearly.  Although I am now myself a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner, I still consider Donna my mentor as someone I can go to with concerns, questions, or to share my experiences.

   My second lovely honorary Healing Touch mentor is my compassionate friend Trish.  I was blessed with working with Trish for a year in the same hospital during my apprenticeship year.  We would frequently discuss Healing Touch, my struggles with working in a stressful work environment, and how to keep doing the work by staying centered and grounded.  I began helping in her Level 1 Healing Touch classes so that I could learn from one of the best.  Each time I am in her class, I learn more about Healing Touch, myself, and how to be a more compassionate ICU nurse.  Our friendship has grown over the past few years that I even consider her a surrogate mother for me.

   I've also found mentors in practitioners that I see to maintain my own health and wellness.   My acupuncturist Justin has become a mentor in so many different ways.  Although we do not practice the same technique, both are energy therapies and complement each other
well.  I look up to him in how he interacts with his clients, how he manages a patient case-load, and how he runs his practice.  I strive in many ways to have a practice just like him where the patient feels comfortable, well-cared for, and in a partnership with their practitioner.  I look forward to our conversations that center around how to better take care of ourselves first so that we can then be there for our patients.  I also learn an incredible amount about Chinese medicine, Qi movement, and nutrition.

   Having mentors in your life is so important to help in your development.  This is true for everyone.  For new mothers, they tend to look toward their mothers, grandmothers, and friends who have already had a baby to guide a young mother on raising a child.  In the business world, a higher up in the company might mentor a young executive on how to achieve success in business.

  When choosing someone as a mentor, it's important to find someone who you trust, feel comfortable going to with questions, and have a strong rapport.   They should be someone you admire.  Their contributions to your personal and professional life will last a lifetime, so make sure their values match closely with your own.

   We are always growing and evolving.  Often times, we need the guidance of those who have been where we are to help us continue to grow in our chosen paths or professions.   By having mentors in our life, we benefit from their support, wisdom, and experiences.  The most surprising benefit from the relationship will most likely be what your mentor receives from you.  As a mentorship is a two-way street, the mentor is blessed with learning from you.  We are all unique with beautiful talents and ideas to share.    I have been asked by a dear friend to be her mentor in Healing Touch.  I am so blessed to be able to share my knowledge and guidance with her as she embarks on her own journey.  I believe with all of the amazing mentors in my life, they have molded me to be exactly who she will need as a mentor.

Have you thought about the inspirational people in your life who have mentored you?  Share your stories below.
 

 

The first time I saw Healing Touch used on my patient

   In 2011, I was working a typical night shift in the ICU where your patient rolls in the door from a procedure right at change of shift. My patient just had an arterial clot removed from his right lower leg during an Interventional Radiology procedure. He was a big guy, weighing close to 300 pounds.

   His right foot was reacting to the sudden rush of new blood returning to his foot and began to spasm uncontrollably.  This condition is called a reperfusion spasm.  He was screaming at the top of his lungs and his foot was starting to turn blue. I rushed back and forth to our Pyxis (medication administration unit) multiple times for pain medications. I had given him 10mg of morphine and 10mg of dilaudid. It was as if I had never even given them to him. 

   After informing the doctor of his condition, we tried ativan for his anxiety and valium for his spasms. Again, no relief. At this point, I had no idea what to do. His wife and sister watched as he writhed in agony and I stood there helpless with no idea how to help him. I decided to go for reinforcements and grab my charge nurse for her opinion.

   Sierra Baker was the charge nurse that night and was always quick to help in any situation. When I told her how much medication I had given him, we both knew that no matter how much we gave, he would not respond. Suddenly she placed her hands over his right lower leg and started to brush her hands around his leg, without actually touching it. My first reaction was "What the hell are you doing??" Within a minute or so of her brushing the air above his leg, his foot started to slowly relax and the spasm disappeared. His coloring returned to his foot! He let out a huge sigh of relief and blurted out "Ahhhh, thank you!"

   His wife, sister, and I looked at each other wild-eyed and shocked. None of us could believe what we just saw. My patient was finally resting comfortably and pain free. Sierra and I left the room to allow him time to spend with his family. I asked her "What on earth were you doing". She told me she had just taken a Level 1 Healing Touch Class a few weeks ago and this technique helps to take away pain. 

   We went back in the room to ask him what he had experienced. He told us that he knew she was moving his energy and could feel the pain releasing. He had received Reiki in the past and knew she was doing energy work similar to Reiki. It dawned on me that I had seen my grandmother do this on many occasions whenever someone had a headache. She would lovingly brush her hands around someone's head and the headache would magically disappear. I had no idea she was doing Energy work.

   Listening to his experience, watching his pain disappear, and realizing I could use this technique in an instant intrigued me. I wanted to learn more. I knew I would take this class. It took another 7 months and a Traumatic Brain Injury to get me there, but I finally took my first Level 1 Healing Touch class. This time, it was my own pain that was floating away.  Read about my dramatic transformation of How a Traumatic Brain Injury turned me into an Energy Healer.

To learn more about Healing Touch, click here

Yoga Love

   For over 2 years now, I have been head-over-barefeet in love with yoga!  I'm sure by now you have heard that a yoga practice is good for your health.  Yoga has countless benefits that includes increased flexibility and strength, relaxation, improves your heart health, decreases stress, and so much more.

   When I first started yoga, I found that I felt more at peace after each class.  I left each class with a "yoga glow".  I was addicted to the feel good state that yoga produced.  I had no idea that by practicing yoga, I was improving my physical body, my emotional state, and deepening my spiritual connection.

   Yoga is based on postures or "asanas" that are either held for many breaths or flowed through with breath to movement.  Each posture assists in opening chakras (energy centers) that are aligned along your spinal column.   The opening of these chakras is what produces the balancing of your mind, body, and spirit.  With your breath, you are moving the flow of energy (also known as Prana or Qi) throughout your body.

   When you are holding different postures, different muscle groups are activated.  This produces an increase in strength, muscle tone, and a lengthening of the muscle fibers.  Many of the postures require you to hold your own body weight in new ways which helps to develop muscle memory.   My balance significantly improved with yoga.  I suddenly could balance my entire body on just my hands in Crow Pose, or balance on one leg while pulling the other one behind me towards my head in Dancers Pose.  I even discovered how to balance on my forearms and head to do a Headstand!

   I use to find that after working out at the gym I would have stiffness in my joints.  Once I began a yoga practice, I stopped experiencing this joint pain.  I improved my joint mobility along with my flexibility.  I used to gauge my flexibility on being able to touch my toes.  I now know that I can touch my toes, wrap my arms behind my legs and bring my entire torso against my legs in a Forward Fold all thanks to yoga.  Back pain that once plagued me on a daily basis, evaporated into thin air as I practiced back strengthening postures.

   Yoga focuses most importantly on the breath.  When you are focusing deeply on your inhale and exhale, your mind is calm and clear.  You are mindfully practicing yoga breath to breath.  You are living in the moment, in the now.   Ugayi breath (yogic breath) has helped to increase my lung capacity.  I found that when I did other forms of aerobic activity, the evolution of my Ugayi breath helped me to get through more strenuous activities without feeling shortness of breath.  Ugayi breath also helped me to be a better Healing Touch Practitioner as I was better able to cultivate universal energy to use during treatments.

   The stress reduction and relaxation that yoga produces is truly an amazing benefit.  Focusing on the here and now during a yoga class, stops you from thinking about all the troubles you have in your life.  Even if the stress relief is for just one hour, thats an hour of well-being your body needs and deserves.  At the end of each yoga class, your body rests flat on the floor in Savasana.  You have 2-5 minutes of quiet, blissful, serenity where your mind can go blank and retreat to a meditative state.  My spiritual connection to something greater than myself has deepened to a level I never knew was possible.

   At the beginning of each yoga class, the instructor will usually ask that you to set an intention.  An intention is a goal, dedication, or purpose that you aim to achieve from your yoga practice.  This can be an intention you set for yourself or for someone else you know.  Depending on how I feel each day, my intentions can differ greatly.  Somedays my intention is to maintain balance.  Balance in my personal life, in my day to day activities, and in my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual state.  Other times, my intention is to spread love, peace, and happiness to those around me and in the world.  Setting an intention for my yoga practice helps me to focus and dedicate my moving meditation to something important in my life.

   I've learned countless lessons during my yoga classes.  The most important is that this is my yoga PRACTICE, not yoga perfect.   It's ok if I can't figure out that arm-balance or inversion.  I can always try again later.  I may fall out of a balancing posture, but that just means I need to honor my body where it is that day.  Non-judgment and acceptance are common themes in a yoga room.   When I am on my mat, I am improving my mind, body and spirit and that's all that matters.  By showing up, I have already accomplished so much that day.

   Yoga has given me so many beautiful benefits, I can't help but dedicate my love to my yoga practice.  Yoga has helped me to become a better person, connect with a community of like-minded, peaceful yogis, and given me the tools to live a healthy, happy life full of gratitude.

  Are you ready to start your yoga practice?

Your Past Does NOT Define You

   Whenever I tell people the story of how I grew up, their response is always, "How are you so normal??"  I grew up in a dysfunctional home.  I was raised primarily by my father while my mother spent the majority of my life in a mental hospital.  She suffered from bipolar disorder with psychotic episodes, alcoholism, and drug addiction.  She was also incredibly violent, which required numerous restraining orders. Visits from the police and frequent suicide attempts became familiar scenes for our family.  Up until the age of 18 however, she was still part of our family, wreaking havoc and tormenting our family under our roof.

   My mother enjoyed her attempts at sabotaging my schooling, repeatedly telling me I "was going to be nothing and be fat and ugly just like her", and attacking me while I slept.  The teenage years that were already difficult enough with getting bullied in high school were ten times more challenging when your home life was chaotic and downright scary.

   As I watched her failures in life, my aspirations to succeed only grew stronger.  When she told me I was going to be "fat and ugly", I joined a gym and learned how to care for my physical body.  When she told me I wouldn't amount to anything, I strived harder in school to get great grades and was granted multiple scholarships to attend Boston College.  I focused so much on my education, I became the Valedictorian of Boston College's School of Nursing.    I never believed the lies that she told me.  I knew I was a smart, beautiful, talented woman who was destined for great things.  Thank god, many wonderful people were in my life to tell me those positive things.

   I never looked at the circumstances of my childhood as a crutch or an excuse as to why I couldn't accomplish my dreams, live a healthy, happy life,  or love another unconditionally.  I don't feel tainted or gipped of a childhood.  Despite the dysfunction, I still felt I had a great childhood with lots of wonderful memories with my 3 siblings.  I refused to let my life be defined by my mothers mental illness and the adversity I faced.

   Often times, young people in this type of situation create dysfunction in their own lives because that is all they know.  They don't know another way to live.  They succumb to drugs, alcohol, depression, criminal activity, and a lack of motivation to succeed in life.    

   So how am I normal?  Easy.  I never let my past define me.  I believed enough in myself to know that I could be and do whatever it was my beautiful heart desired.  I am my own person, creating my own future.  Most importantly, I have the capacity to forgive.  I forgive my mother for being who she was, as I'm sure her behavior and disease stemmed from her own childhood traumas.  She did only what she knew, how to live a dysfunctional life.  The cycle of dysfunction stops here with me.  I strive to be the best person I can be.

   My mother will always be my mother, but I choose not to have her in my life because it is not what is healthiest for me.  As an adult, I can make that decision without guilt or regret.  I choose to have happy, healthy, positive people in my life that help me to be a better person.  I wish her happiness in wherever her life takes her.

   Everyone has a past.  Many people deal with trauma, tragedy, and adversity.  It's how you grow from these events, learn from them, and move forward in your life with a healthy attitude, perspective, and determination.  There is strength in acknowledging the past, and especially acknowledging the lessons learned from your past.  But never let the events of your past hinder your future or prevent you from your dreams.  Your past does not define who you are today.  YOU define who you are today by being the best version of yourself right NOW.

10 Steps to Better Self-Care

   Today's world is fast paced, on the go, and more, more, more. We are contantly lighting the candle at both ends, exhausting ourselves with work, social outings, and family obligations. Too often we forget to take good care of ourselves. The words "Self-Care" are foreign to many busy people out there. Self-Care are the things you do for yourself to help your mind, body, and spirit work harmoniously. Taking care of yourself should always be your priority. Once you burn yourself out, you are no good to the rest of the people in your life. Here are 10 steps to better Self-Care.

1. Listen to Your Body

   This is the number one problem I see with a lot of my clients. Your body is giving you clues on a daily basis and it is up to you to listen to it. If you are tired, then you need to get more sleep. If your bowel movements are erratic, then you need to pay better attention to your nutrition. Have you ever ignored your body for the entire stressful, overwheling week and by the weekend you are sick and can barely get out of bed? Burning yourself out will certainly lead to a weakened immune system and set yourself up for illness and injury. By listening to your body, you can give your body the proper nutrients, relaxation, and rest it needs.

2. Get Adequate Sleep

   This is referring to number 1. If you are yawning all day long and lacking energy to go about your day, your sleep habits may very well be the culprit. You may think that 6 hours of sleep is enough to get you through your day, but on average you should be getting 8-10 hours of sleep. Your work and productivity will flourish during the day if you are well rested and clear headed.
    If your loved one says that you snore or stop breathing when you are sleeping, then you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where you periodically stop breathing during the night. Your body does not get adequate oxygenation. When your oxygen levels drop, your body will wake up in order to take a deep breath to correct itself. This will cause frequent periods of waking up during the night and a very poor night of sleep. This condition can lead to heart and lung disease and requires a visit to your doctor ASAP!

3. Physical Activity
   
   Sitting all day can cause you to gain weight, become depressed, and increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes. When you exercise, your body releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins and serotonin. These chemicals will help you to feel happier, balanced, and less anxious. Exercise can consist of weight lifting, cardio, yoga, hiking, walking, running, or even sex. You also will get stronger muscle tone, a cardiovascular workout, and a decrease chance of heart disease. So get your body moving, it will thank you!

4. Alone time

   We are so used to having every minute of our day planned out, that we rarely take the time to just be alone. Taking time away from friends and family for a night is completely ok and in no way selfish. It's important that you find time to just be you. No one to please, no one to answer to, and no one to entertain. In this alone time, do something that nourishes you. Whether that is taking a long bath, listening to music, or reading a book, do something that is purely just for you. Your significant other and children will appreciate the calm and relaxed version of you in place of the stressed out workaholic.

5. Stop trying to please

   People pleasing can become a huge burden. With your constant drive to make everyone happy, you forget to make yourself happy. It takes you away from what is best for you. Plus, realistically, you can't please everyone, so stop trying to please people at all. Focus on what makes you happy.

6. Be Kind to Yourself

   We are all so hard on ourselves for each mistake we make or forgetful moment. None of us are perfect. So be kind to yourself when you veer off your path. Pick yourself up and do better tomorrow. Forgive yourself for whatever you feel you did wrong. Stressing and worrying constantly about the past is only going to bring more stress and more worry. Be kind to yourself on a daily basis and remember you are human, just like the rest of us.

7. Laugh

   Laughter really is the best medicine. Many times, people get stuck in their uber professional, serious mode. They forget how to have fun and laugh. Even if nothing is funny, just start laughing. It shockingly increases your mood and releases feel-good chemicals. Laugh at yourself once in awhile, it can be very humbling.

8. Pamper Yourself

   This can be getting a massage, a Healing Touch treatment, a facial, or pedicure. Do something that requires someone else to service you. When you feel relaxed, your body has time to reset, rejuvenate, and heal. When you are so used to doing everything for your loved ones, it's nice when someone else is doing something for you. Schedule these sessions at least once a month.

9. Meditate 

   Meditation can be extremely beneficial if done for just 5 minutes a day. Shutting your mind off from outside distraction, noise, and ruminating thoughts will help to calm, relax, and center you. Focus on your breathing. Try and take slow, deliberate inhalations and exhalations. Relax all of the muscles in your body. If you find that you can't stop your mind from wandering, say a simple mantra of 3 words to keep you focused. I like to use, Healing, Happiness, and Love. Meditation is essential for a healthy mind, body, and spirit.

10. Love

   Love yourself and everyone around you unconditionally. The more you love, the more love comes back to you. Love is the core of our existence. So go ahead and spread the love. Your mind, body, and spirit will thank you.

15 Nursing Tips and Tricks

   For the past 11 years, I have been an Intensive Care Unit Nurse in 7 different hospitals around the country. Along the way, I've picked up some life-saving tips and tricks in my nursing practice. And by life-saving, I mostly mean smell-saving, back-saving, and sanity-saving tips and tricks.

   Whenever I impart my wisdom on a newer nurse, I realize that everyone should have a list like this that teaches them what they will not learn in nursing school. If you are a non- nurse, I advise you to put away the food you are eating and prepare yourself for some really gross information. For all you nurses out there, proceed eating....because that's what we do.  Here are the top 15 Nursing Tips and Tricks they didn't teach you in Nursing School.

                                              Code Brown Tips 

Your patient's room smells god awful and you know you have to clean up a LOT of liquid stool.

1. The Toothpaste trick

Place a face mask on a table and squeeze toothpaste along the outer portion of the mask at the brim of the nose. Place another mask on top of that to seal the toothpaste in the middle. A minty fresh smell right at your nose will cover up a good portion of the smell.

2. Suck it all up

The liquid stool is filling up the bed, running down to the feet, and there is at least 500cc of pure liquid. Use your suction cannister and a yankeur and vacuum it all up so you have less stool to clean up. It's all contained in the cannister, which means it has less of a chance of ending up on you!

3. No more cleaning bedpans

The patient asks for a bedpan to finish having his bowel movement. Line the bedpan with a absorbent pad that you can throw away and not have to clean the bedpan. It's ready to go for the next time you need it.

4. Clean commode

That same patient can actually make it to a commode. Put a garbage bag in the commode and there's one less pot you have to clean when they are done.

5. Coffee grounds odor absorber

The stool is actually melena, which smells a thousand times worse than the non-bloody variety. Might as well pour some coffee grounds into a few emesis basins to absorb the smell and take the edge off the raunchiness. Place them around the room on the countertops. Coffee grounds have an awesome odor absorbing ability!

6. Deodorize your tubing

At long last, it's flexi-seal time! Sadly, that tubing still allows the smell to ooze out and into your nostrils. Take a deodorizer/ odor eliminator spray and remove the cap. Pour a small amount of the liquid into the brand new flexi-seal before you use it. Work it through all of the tubing and let it go into the bag. This will definetly help in minimizing the amount of odor that seeps through.

7. Bucket O'Goodness 

Now its time to clean up your smelly patient. Grab a pink bucket and fill it with everything! Soap, Shaving Cream, mouthwash, and shampoo should do the trick. The key here is the shaving cream....it works like a charm.

                                      The patient's who test your patience!

Tonight at work, you have a wild, crazy, confused patient and you need every last trick in your book to maintain your sanity for the night.

8. The Cigarette trick

Your patient is so confused he continues to try and "smoke" his pulse oximeter or screams for a cigarette for hours on end. Cut a straw in half, use a red marker to color the end red, and let him puff away. I'll even rip an alcohol wipe in half to "light" it for them....it kind of sounds like a match being lit. But that fake cigarette will keep them occupied long enough for you to get some charting done!

9. Mask your patient

Well, now your patient starts spitting at you. They are restrained, you are wearing a gown, and standing as far away as you can. What else can you do? Put a mask on your patient so everytime they spit, it sits right there on their own mouth and nose. Talk about teaching them a lesson!

10. The Back Saver

Your patient needs a boost and no one is around to help you. Place their feet directly on the foot rest. Turn the bed upside down and start to shorten the foot of the bed. Hold their knees so they don't bend as the bed shortens. This will push them up to the top of the bed and the most energy you used was pressing the little button to shorten the bed.

11. The Taco

Your little wiggle worm ends up at the bottom of the bed every 15 minutes. Place a pillow under their thighs to start. Then, raise the legs as high as they will go, trendelenburg the bed, and place the head at 30 degrees. They will soon be in the shape of a taco and have less chance of scooting down when their backside is wedged in the curve of the bed.

12. The Burrito

Somehow your patient flipped their body so their head is at the bottom of the bed. They are probably screaming, fighting you, and can't breathe so getting their head up (or intubating them) is a high priority. Take the fitted sheets off the corner of the bed, wrap the patient up like a burrito, and with the help of 5 or 6 of your awesome co-workers lift the patient up off the bed and rotate them back to the right direction. Way easier and faster than trying to grab their kicking limbs and torso.

13. Washcloth trick

Your confused little old lady won't stop picking at everything in her sight. Hand her a stack of washcloths to fold. That will keep her hands busy and away from your lines and tubes. If you are really creative, you can configure the wash cloths to look like a doll with some elastic bands and ask them to look after your doll for you. There's something about laundry that always does the trick with little old ladies.

14. Lullaby sleep

If you have a computer in your patients room, find a relaxing, soundscapes channel on either Youtube or Pandora. Soothing, relaxing music will lull a patient off to sleep if you give it enough time. It helps decrease their anxiety and agitation. Plus, it's a much better sound to listen to than monitors beeping and suction sounds.

15. Healing Touch

You've given the maximum amount of pain medication, the doctor refuses to increase the dosage, and your patient continues to ask for more. If you have taken a Healing Touch class and know how to decrease someone's pain by balancing their energy field, you are in luck! Get to it.  Relaxation techniques like Healing Touch stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to release feel good chemicals like oxytocin and endorphins that help to block pain receptors.  With the use of your hands, you can take away someone's pain!

Of course, some of these tips and tricks are last ditch efforts and used only under specific circumstances.  Always keep your patient's safety, skin, and dignity as a top priority.

What are your best tips and tricks that you want to share with your nursing community?? Share your comments below!

Unconditional Love and Alzheimer's Disease

   My Grandmother, Lillian, developed Alzheimer's Disease in the mid to late 90's. In the beginning, her disease manifested with her telling us the same recipe or monkey joke over and over. She was becoming forgetful. At first, it was slightly comical that Grandma kept forgetting what she had already told us. As her disease progressed, she forgot our names.

   Before Alzheimer's, my Grandmother was the rock of our family. She grew up in the midwest on a farm and met my grandfather as she was fixing airplane engines in the second World War. She could do pretty much anything. She was a huge sportsfan and watched the Red Sox nightly. She could talk sports with the best of them. She was incredibly compassionate and caring as well. She knew how to brush away headaches with her hands. When you were in her presence, you immediately felt calm, relaxed, and loved.

   By 2004, her disease had progressed to the point where she was no longer able to care for herself. My Grandfather, Angelo, tried his hardest to hide the severity of her disease. He knew that if his children knew how sick she was, and how challenging it had become to take care of her, they would surely place her in a nursing home.

   When her Alzheimer's worsened, she started wandering off down the street alone. She began locking my grandfather out of the house because she didn't know who "that man" was anymore. She was so frightened that she began to defend herself at the slightest hint of danger. She was no longer safe and neither was he. She was placed in a nursing home in 2005 at the urging of his children and her physicians. Grandpa was distraught. He had been taking care of her for so long, he was lost without her. He told us that if he could, he would carry her on his back through life. His aging body would no longer let him do that.

   He visits her almost everyday. He has become a regular sight in the nursing home. When her laundry started to go missing, he took it upon himself to start doing all of her laundry. When she refused to eat, he would sit with her and coax her into drinking a glass of milk and cookies. He brings her a napkin and wipes her chin as she drools. Adoringly he will say to her, "Who's my girl, Lil? That's right, you're my sweetheart, you're my beautiful girl". He showers her with kisses and strokes her hand. Often times he brings in a manicure set and nailpolish to do her nails. When he feels like she isn't getting enough attention from the nursing aides, he buys them chocolates and slips them $20 bills. He would do anything for his sweetheart.

    My Grandmother is mostly non-verbal, she is confined to a chair, and does not know her family. She laughs and smiles whenever my grandfather talks to her. A twinkle in her eye let's us know that she still recognizes her loving husband. My Grandfather is devoted to his wife like no man I have ever seen before. He will be 96 years old this year, and has spent the past 9 years doting on his wife in a nursing home. Unconditional, eternal love like this is rarely seen. He tells us frequently that he is just waiting for her to go so that he can go too. He lives for her. His happiness comes when he feeds her milk and cookies and tells her how much he loves her. His love knows no boundaries or limits. Alzheimer's cannot take away his unconditional love. If all men loved the way he did, the world would be a better place. He reminds me of the character, Noah, in the movie "The Notebook".

 "You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. And, my darling, you will always be mine." - Nicholas Sparks, 'The Notebook'

Opening the Heart Chakra in Nature

   A few weeks ago, I was blessed with a relaxing, rejuvenating vacation to Maui, Hawaii. If you have never been there, you are missing out! It is a beautiful, gorgeous, unique island with breath-taking flora and fauna. The West Maui Mountains are green and lush. The Road to Hana is full of waterfalls, lava rock formations, and rolling green hills. The ocean is crystal clear with various shades of blue that highlight the colorful reef and tropical fish below the surface. Everyone is wearing flower lei's around their necks and plumeria blossoms above their ear. When you are in Hawaii, you are one with nature.    

   Throughout the island, I felt my heart chakra spinning wide open signifying a balanced energy field. When the heart chakra is balanced, one feels peaceful, loving, harmonious, happiness, and joy. The Heart Chakra is one of the most important chakras we have as it is the transitional point between our lower three and upper three chakras. Those who live their lives with a sense of compassion, unconditional love for all, and innate harmony are living their life from their Heart Chakra. Read our Healing Nurses blog to learn more about the Heart Chakra.

   Another unique attribute of the Heart Chakra is that it is associated with the color green. Whenever I was looking at the lush green landscape of Maui, I would immediately smile and my heart would fill with joy. I felt connected to the earth in ways I had never felt before.

   At the end of the Road to Hana, there is a gigantic 400 -foot waterfall that awaits you after you walk through a bamboo forest. The bamboo was perfectly, vibrantly green. As I walked through the bamboo forest, my senses were in overdrive. A strong breeze was blowing providing us with a natural wood chime as the bamboo clicked against each other and leaves rustled. The fresh air and smells of the forest were intoxicating. Everywhere I looked, green surrounded me. My Heart Chakra was so radiant and expanded that I felt I was walking through heaven. I realized that being in nature, in this perfect serene rainforest, was providing me with natural healing and balance.

   Through my Healing Touch training, I knew green was the color of the Heart Chakra. I had been in other tropical, beautiful locations before, but this was the first time I had felt my energy expand and my chakras stimulated on such a deep level. I felt other chakras open and expand as well during many more special moments on the island.

   We ventured to the top of Haleakala, Maui's dormant volcano that sits at 10,000 feet. We arrived at 6am, an hour before sunrise to watch the sun rise above the clouds. I was all bundled up, as it is very cold at 10,000 feet, and waited for the magnificent sunrise to occur. I found myself star gazing in awe as I pondered the vastness of the universe. My heart was beaming with gratitude as I recited in my head all of the beautiful things in my life I was grateful for. I even thought to myself, a shooting star would be the icing on the cake right now. A few seconds later, I was greeted by a blazing shooting star as it danced across the sky. My crown chakra (the seventh chakra that sits on top of your head) was spinning vibrantly. The Crown Chakra symbolizes your connection to the universe and your higher power. At this moment, I felt connected to a universal oneness. A second shooting star was another gift from above.

   The sunrise that morning on Haleakala was a spiritually invigorating event. My entire being felt balanced, peaceful, and overjoyed. I was connected in nature and witnessing the beginning of a new day with a magnificent display of color and light. Nature, mother earth, and the universe were all working in harmony to balance my chakras and promote my sense of peace and well-being.

   When you are in nature, pay attention to the subtle (or extreme) changes that occur in different areas of your body and the emotions that arise. Different colors will stimulate its correlating chakra, just as the abundance of green in nature helped to expand my heart chakra. Feel your feet connected to the earth. Envision the energy of the earth traveling up through your feet to your heart chakra. Allow this sensation to fill your heart with the earths unlimited supply of natural healing energy.  Opening your heart chakra in nature will bring you peace, love, harmony, and balance.

Loving my nature walk through the bamboo forest

                                                            Beautiful Green Bamboo
                                      
                                                              Awaiting the sunrise

                                              The sun rising above the clouds at Haleakala

How a Traumatic Brain Injury turned me into an Energy Healer

   One month shy of my 30th birthday, I was living my life in pure chaos. I was working the night shift in a busy Intensive Care Unit in San Diego as a Registered Nurse. I had just spent months studying, not sleeping, for my Critical Care RN exam, which thankfully, I passed. My relationships with my friends were filled with tension and my relationship with my boyfriend was coming to a bitter end. I was running on empty. I was drinking too much and dependent on sleeping medication with my schedule always changing between days and nights.

   The night following my break up with my boyfriend, I just wanted to get a good night of sleep. I took an Ambien to help me fall asleep. However, I made the dreaded mistake that many make when taking such a powerful sleeping medication. I stayed awake. I decided to make a sandwich and get a glass of water, which I accidentally spilt. The next thing I know, I am in my hospital room with a pounding headache and could only see out of one eye. The lights were too bright, my vision was pixelated, and I was pretty sure my head was going to explode.

   The doctor told me that I had suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury and had been unconscious for the past 12 hours. My roommate found me at 7am, unconscious, badly bruised all over my body, and bleeding from my mouth and my nose. It appeared I had slipped in the water I had spilt and hit my head on a hard surface in the kitchen. In a stupor, I proceeded to fall all over my apartment attempting to get help and fell multiple times, hitting my head against hard surfaces at least 5 more times. I had 2 black eyes and 59 bruises on my body.

   The next 6 months, I suffered with unbearable migraines and ice-pick headaches, photophobia (light sensitivity), dizziness, a stutter, aphasia (difficulty getting my words out), extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, and more. I was taking multiple different medications to try and manage my symptoms. The medications barely took the edge off my extreme headaches. I was diagnosed with Post Concussive Syndrome. This is the condition made famous by NFL players who have been promoting concussion awareness. Even as an ICU nurse, I had no idea how debilitating Post Concussive Syndrome could be. My neurologist anticipated it would take over a year to feel like myself, but it was also possible I might never fully recover. I felt like I had no hope, no end in sight to my condition, and no relief from my constant headaches.

   I made a brief attempt at returning to work a few months after my accident. During this time, my coworker Sierra was hoping she could help me with my pain. She had just taken a Healing Touch Level 1 class and thought that this pain technique might help diminish my headaches.

   Healing Touch is a relaxing, nurturing energy therapy that is based on the concept of the body having a biofield. Energy (also known as Chi or Prana) flows through and around our bodies through energy centers called Chakras. When energy along these pathways becomes congested or depleted, the person experiences symptoms such as pain, inflammation, anxiety, stress, etc. The practitioner uses their hands in a heart-centered, intentional way to direct the flow of energy, release the congested energy, and put the energy field back in its original smooth flowing alignment. With the body in perfect harmony, relaxation occurs and the body has the ability to heal itself.

   Each night at work, Sierra and I would go into an empty room during our break and she would practice her Healing Touch techniques on me. I immediately connected with the treatment, felt my headaches diminish, and had more energy afterwards. I would be able to continue my shift in the ICU and have just enough energy to drive home in the morning. The treatment effects would last only a day or so due to my unhealthy lifestyle, which included trying to fight my bodies natural sleep-wake cycle by working the overnight shift.

   On my days off from work, there were times I could barely get out of bed. I had unbearable migraines. My energy level was severely depleted. Despite all of this, I would still try and be a normal 30-year old woman. I would meet a friend for a drink, watch my football team on Sundays, or go out to eat. Each event would cause severe headaches, nausea, dizziness, and the stimulation of all the activity going on around me would cause me to zone out. I would stare off into space as my overloaded brain would shut down as it just couldn’t handle the stimulation. Each attempt at being "normal" would set me back even further.

   7 weeks after returning to work, a visit to the neurologist changed everything. She placed me back on disability for 3 more months against my wishes. She saw how depleted I had become in the past few months. Instead of making progress in my recovery, I was regressing. My multiple medications to control my headaches were at the maximum dosages and I was still constantly in excruciating pain. I was at the end of my rope. I was utterly depressed and lost without my job. My friends were disappearing because I couldn’t keep up with their social lifestyle and my depression was becoming a drag. I didn’t know how much longer I could suffer this way. My thoughts were constantly negative and pessimistic.

   It was at this time that Sierra had urged me to take Healing Touch Level 1 to learn how to heal myself. I laughed, “Heal myself? I can barely get out of bed, how on earth am I going to heal myself?” I decided she was right. I needed to take this class.

   In my 2 -day Healing Touch Level 1 class, I spent the weekend learning about chakras, energy, positive intentions, and about loving yourself. I was able to give and receive multiple treatments all weekend long. I learned how to do a self-chakra connection on myself which helped to open and balance all of my chakras and energy field. Every time I received a treatment, I felt rejuvenated, peaceful, and re-energized. It was eye-opening to see how a positive intention, a loving heart, and the flow of energy through your hands could provide such deep relaxation and pain relief. By Sunday evening, I was glowing! My depression had lifted, I barely had a headache, and I had so much energy! I was happy, hopeful, and suddenly full of life!

   My healing began immediately. It dawned on me that I was sabotaging my recovery from my brain injury by living my life out of balance and refusing to listen to what my body was telling me. I started living my life in perfect harmony, treating myself with twice daily self-chakra connections, repeating positive affirmations, journaling, eating a healthy diet, meditating, and reading anything I could find on Energy Medicine, Holistic Medicine, and Personal/Spiritual Development. I began a yoga practice that helped me to gain strength physically, as well as mentally. I aligned my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being and realized that all along I had the innate ability to heal myself. I exchanged treatments regularly with Sierra, at support groups, and with new friends from each Healing Touch class I took. My symptoms from my brain injury were rapidly disappearing and I felt amazing! I realized that from chaos comes clarity.

   6 months after I took Healing Touch Level 1, I had worked my way up to taking Healing Touch Level 4 and started my 1-year apprenticeship with a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner as my mentor. I had healed completely from my brain injury and felt so blessed to embark on this incredible journey of self-healing. During my apprenticeship, I completed over 100 documented Healing Touch sessions, multiple reading and writing requirements, and began a community project providing Healing Touch to homeless veterans. I used Healing Touch everyday in the hospital with my patients and coworkers. 

   When my apprenticeship was complete, I took Healing Touch Level 5 (the final level of the Healing Touch certificate program) and completed further homework to achieve certification. Receiving my pin as a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner was one of the most special moments in my life. It symbolized the strength, perseverance, and dedication to my healing journey. I became an Energy Healer spreading healing light and love to those I touched. The saying “everything happens for a reason” suddenly made perfect sense to me. My brain injury had become a true blessing in disguise. Finding Healing Touch saved my life.

   Today, I have a Healing Touch Practice, Healing Nurses in San Diego with my best friend Sierra, who had helped me to heal and encouraged me to take my first Healing Touch class. I continue to work in a Surgical ICU and have been busy promoting and teaching other nurses about Healing Touch. My patient’s experience less pain, less anxiety, and a faster recovery from receiving Healing Touch treatments while in the hospital. My dream is to become the Healing Touch Nurse at my hospital so that I can consult daily on patients in severe pain that will benefit the most from this relaxing, nurturing energy therapy. I have spoken in many different settings about my healing journey in hopes of helping others in chronic pain.

   Healing Touch has become my passion in life. Spreading this treatment to all who are looking for optimal health and wellness has become my mission. Healing Touch is being taught throughout the country and is being used widely in hospitals due to the effectiveness of helping patients to heal. To experience a treatment for yourself, visit my website Healing Nurses to schedule a Healing Touch session. To find a class near you and begin your own healing journey visit www.healingtouchinternational.org.

Receiving my Certified Healing Touch Practitioner pin from my mentor Donna Cahill

The Beauty in Synchronicity

   Have you ever went about your day and every encounter you had was so perfectly matched up with what you needed, what you were looking for, and what you had been thinking about, that you felt like the stars were aligning just for you?  These occurrences are called Synchronicity.  Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events that are apparently unrelated, yet are experienced as occurring together in a meaningful manner.

   When I started practicing Healing Touch and living my life in perfect alignment, I started to notice Synchronicity in my daily life more often.  Completely unrelated events would line up to produce astounding and helpful scenarios to improve my personal life, my professional life, and help me to gain a better understanding of whether I was heading in the right direction with my life in general.

   I realized, and read in many books, that there is a much deeper level of interconnectedness of everything in existence.  When you become  aligned with the whole, a universal consciousness, you become a part of that path and purpose.  As a result, spontaneous helpful occurrences, chance encounters, coincidences, and synchronistic events happen much more frequently. You begin to see that the universe really does have a plan mapped out for you.  By following your purpose, passion, and enthusiasms, you create that in which you need to help you create it.

   Here are a few amazing examples of Synchronicity I want to share with you all.  After my pinning ceremony as a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner, my best friend, Sierra, and I  knew we were ready to start our own practice.  Our energy and motivation was just right for this endeavor and we were determined to get our company off the ground.  On the same day that we were to look at a few different locations for our practice, I also had multiple other errands to run.  This included presenting Healing Touch to the Chief Nursing Officer at my hospital and all the directors of patient care, meeting with 2 different holistic health practitioners and viewing their office locations, advertising our business name with the local newspapers, and lastly, going to watch my Red Sox team play in Game 6 of the World Series.

   I had an abundance of time between appointments and decided to get a quick chiropractic adjustment in from my trusted Chiropractor who I had been seeing for the past 7 years.  Watching my beloved Red Sox during the postseason had given me a stiff neck from all the tensing up I had to do during a roller coaster of a World Series.  I told him about all of my exciting news with my new Healing Nurses practice and our search for an office location.  As I was leaving his office, it dawned on him that he had a massage room that was only being used two and a half days a week and why didn't we begin our practice in his office.  Not only did we find our starting off location for our Healing Nurses practice that day with my amazing Chiropractor, who I didn't plan on seeing that day, but the Red Sox also won the World Series that night.  Coincidence?? I think not.

   Another recent event occurred just last week while I was vacationing in Maui, Hawaii.  My friend and I woke up bright and early and went for a walk on Ka'anapali Beach.  We saw a small market setting up with different vendors selling their products.  As we were walking through the market, I heard this beautiful, peaceful, relaxing music.  I felt like I was being brought towards this booth by some magnetic force and the harmony of the music.  When I got to the table, the CD that the man was selling was entitled Healing Touch.  I couldn't believe it.  I told him that I am a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and that I loved the music he was playing.  He said that when he created the CD, it was not meant for Healing Touch specifically, but for massage and Reiki practitioners.  He has since learned all about the practice of Healing Touch as many practitioners have bought his CDs from the name alone.

   At the time though, I did not have enough cash on me to buy it.  I promised him I would be back to purchase his music.  When I came back that afternoon, he had set up his booth fully and now all of his CDs were visible.  I realized that one of my favorite and trusted CDs called "Reiki Offering" was co-written by this same man, Nadama.  I told him how I used his CD often with my clients and that they find his music very relaxing and soothing.  I bought 2 more of his CD's that day and plan on buying more in the future.  He even signed my CD for me! The universe was pointing me in his direction and I followed my intuition knowing this music was meant for me.

   When these Synchronistic events occur, I trust and know that  I am being divinely guided to exactly where I am supposed to be, doing exactly what I am doing.  The universe is unfolding for me, telling me "Warmer, you are getting warmer."  I am on my path and following my heart.  More signs will pop up along the way like street signs pointing me in the right direction.  Its up to me to pay attention to these signs and follow along with an open mind and open heart.  Each sign is a piece of the puzzle that overtime will become whole and make you see that all these little random occurrences actually all belong together to create the beautiful life that is being arranged before your eyes.  That is the beauty in Synchronicity.

My Patients Become My Family

   As a night shift nurse, I always felt that my presence with my patient's during their difficult ICU stay was most beneficial at night. It is at this time that their families go home to get their much needed rest and they are left in a scary, unfamiliar environment.

   There are tubes, catheters, wires, alarms going off, blood pressure cuffs squeezing their arm frequently, bright lights, and an uncomfortable bed. This is not their home, this is their biggest fear. They want their family, their bed, and to feel better.

   I am their night shift nurse, and I am going to be their family for the night. I tell them this right away. I also make sure that my actions, my care, my words, and especially my touch, reflects this statement.

  I listen to their concerns. I let them tell me their story. Sometimes those stories are about meeting their spouse of 50 years. Other times, the stories remind me of those my Grandfather, a proud Air Force veteran, would share. Occasionally, my patient is my age and has never been sick a day in their life. 

  The one thing that all of my patient's have in common is that I become their surrogate family member for the night. I take care of them as if they were my own blood. I show them the same love and compassion my family receives.

   I become a healing presence in whatever way they need. Healing Touch is my way of helping them to relax, sleep more peacefully, relieve anxiety, and diminish their pain levels. My hands transmit that essence of love, family, and healing energy. I have been blessed for the past 11 years as an ICU nurse of having added so many different, unique, special people to my surrogate family by being their night shift nurse.

7 Essential Tips for Wellness

I frequently get asked for suggestions on what I do to maintain my health and wellness.  Although this is not a complete list, I would say that it is the core of my routine.  By following these 7 essential tips on optimal wellness, you can find a balanced physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

1.  Yoga-  Yoga is known to lower stress, decrease anxiety, and promote a greater sense of peace.  All of that is just from a mental perspective.  The physical benefits of yoga include building lean muscle mass, improving flexibility, and gaining strength and endurance.  Yoga can decrease your blood pressure as well as your cholesterol.  Yoga focuses on asanas or postures that open different energy centers in your body- your chakras.  Basically, yoga is amazing.  It is a powerhouse activity that balances your mind, body, and spirit.


2.  Epsom salt baths- After that first yoga class you take, no better way to follow up a detoxifying yoga class than with a detoxifying epsom salt bath. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate.   Some of the countless health benefits of epsom salt include: relaxing the nervous system, curing skin problems, soothing back pain and aching limbs, easing muscle strain, healing cuts, treating cold and congestion, and drawing toxins from the body. One of the simplest ways to ease stress and stress-related problems is to soak in a tub full of hot water with a few cups of Epsom Salt added. It has the beneficial properties that can soothe the body, mind and soul.  Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils and it becomes a heavenly retreat!


3.  Healing Touch-  As a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner, of course I am going to mention Healing Touch.  Healing Touch is a relaxing, nurturing energy therapy where a practitioner uses their hands to release congested energy in the body and biofield around the body.  Healing Touch focuses on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being, so it is a total therapy.  If you have pain, your stressed out, or grieving the loss of a loved one, a Healing Touch treatment will help you through all of these life issues.

All healing is self healing.  We all have this innate ability to heal ourselves.  One way this can be done is through a Self Chakra Connection.  Follow along with the picture and hold each one for about a minute.  Imagine healing energy being sent from your hands directly to the part of the body your are touching.  This technique opens all of the major and minor chakras in the body and will have you feeling your best in no time.     I make sure to do a treatment on myself at least once daily.   Usually it is before a yoga class while I lay on my mat and right before I fall asleep.  I usually fall asleep before I finish all of the pictures...what a great side effect of Healing Touch....a good night's sleep!  To schedule your appointment for Healing Touch, visit my website  www.healingnurses.com.

4.  Nutritional Healing-  Diet and Nutrition play a huge role in your wellness.  You are what you eat....so if you are eating tons of fried, fatty, and processed foods, you are not going to feel very good.  Sticking to foods as close to their original form is the best, so think veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lean chicken or fish.  I personally start my day by drinking a green juice, a mixture of green leafy vegetables and green apple.  By drinking this on an empty stomach, all of the nutrients will go directly into my cells and infuse my body with some goodness.  I also enjoy drinking fruit and veggie smoothies   mixed with greek yogurt for that protein punch.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a glass of wine and some dark chocolate every now and then.  But moderation is key!


5.  Nature-  Have you ever walked along the beach or through the woods on a hike and felt stressed out??  Mother Nature with all of her glory has many calming, soothing effects.  Get outside!  Look around at all the beauty nature holds and appreciate it!  Go hug a tree.  No, really, go hug a tree and see how amazing it feels.  I play a lot of music during my Healing Touch treatments that have nature sounds and many times my client will comment how they felt like they were out in nature and it was so peaceful.  They realize how long it had been since they actually heard the sound of real ocean waves or a bird calling.  Try to spend more time in nature and find a calm, relaxing, peaceful mindset.


6.  Gratitude-  Studies have shown that people who practice gratitude tend to be happier, have fewer physical ailments,  are more optimistic, better able to cope with life stressors, and sleep better.  The University of California: Davis, recently completed a Research Study on Gratitude and its results will have you running to your nearest journal to start writing about what you are grateful for on a daily basis.  Sometimes, I will start naming off things I'm grateful for while I'm driving.  The time goes by so fast!   I feel so calm and at peace when I realize all that I am truly thankful for on a regular basis.


7.  Love-  Perhaps the most important tip for optimal wellness is Love.  I know you all love your family and friends, but the kind of love I am talking about here is Self-love.  Truly loving yourself is one of the most healing things you can do for yourself.  Letting go of negative talk, self-doubt, and resentment for previous mistakes will help you to find that self-love.  You are perfect just the way you are and deserve all the love this world has to offer.  So go ahead, look in the mirror and tell yourself, "I love you."  Your path to wellness is on its way.

What would your 7 Essential tips for Wellness be???  How do you maintain a healthy mind, body, and spirit??  Leave your tips in the comment section and see how many positive changes you can help another person make on their path to optimal health and wellness.

I'll be happy when.....(insert your excuse here)

   Often times I hear my family or friends say to me, "I'll be happy when I have a boyfriend/girlfriend". Or "I'll be happy when I have a better job or more money". Sure, it's great to want more for your life and to have that special someone. But what happens when your happiness is dependent on a future event occurring, that may never occur? Will you ever be happy??

   Eckhart Tolle wrote a wonderful book, "The Power of Now". In his book, he talks about this exact situation and how it is preventing you from living your optimal life full of happiness, love, gratitude, and well-being. If you are always waiting for a million dollars to be happy, how are you going to be happy RIGHT NOW? The mind constantly stressing, hoping, wanting, needing more, more, more is not going to bring you happiness. It's up to you to make a conscious effort to find your happiness within.

   Research has shown that strong emotions can cause changes in the biochemistry of the body and within your cells. Negative thinking, long term unhappiness, sadness, and stress all create dis-ease in the body. This unbalancing effect in your energy field and build up of congested energy over time will become a physical manifestation in your body which translates into an illness or disease. Unhappiness spreads more easily than a physical disease!

   On the opposite side of the spectrum, love, joy, peace, and gratitude are deep states of being that can create balance in your energy field and improve your overall health. It is time to start finding happiness in the life you are living NOW. Whatever the present moment contains, ACCEPT it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Be grateful for all the amazing things you DO have in your life instead of focusing on what you don't have. Start smiling at everything you see! Even things you once perceived as negative. Soon your mind will catch up with your actions, your SMILE, and start to believe that everything in your life is wonderful, beautiful, and amazing.

   Finding happiness within yourself and your current life begins in your heart. LOVE YOURSELF! Believe you are the most amazing, unique creature who was ever created...because you are! Find happiness and joy in everything you see. Look for ways to turn a negative into a positive every time you encounter a roadblock. Over time you will realize that it becomes second nature to look at the world in a positive light. Being happy now will create even more happiness in your future. You will attract all that your heart desires and more by putting all of your energy on the present moment, the NOW. Practice mindfulness, positive thinking, and gratitude to find your happiness. Time to get started, your HAPPINESS begins now!

My Healing Journey

   At the age of 5 years old, I knew my path was already determined for me.  I was going to be a Nurse and make a difference in the world.  I told anyone who would listen who I was going to be when I grew up.  I knew I would be a healing presence, much like  the way my grandmother Lillian was to all who met her.  She was not a nurse, but she cured people with the simple touch of her hands and love in her heart.  She brushed away headaches with a gentle wave of her hands.  I was in awe when I watched her.  I never knew that what she was doing was considered Energy Healing and that one day I would follow in her footsteps.

     My enthusiasm for nursing and aspirations to succeed helped me to graduate at the top of my class as Valedictorian at Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing with a Baccaulareate degree in May of 2003.  This prestigious honor granted me a highly coveted position in a New Graduate ICU training program at Boston Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Center in Boston, Massachusetts.  My career as an Intensive Care Unit Nurse took me to many different hospitals in the next 10 years where I was able to specialize in Oncology, Neurosurgery, Pulmonary, Cardiac, and Surgical Nursing. 

 After experiencing life in San Diego as a Travel Nurse in 2007, I decided to permanently move to San Diego in early 2010 to continue working in the finest city in America.  I loved working with one nurse in particular, who also happened to be Nurse of the Year in the ICU, Sierra Baker.  She was my inspiration for becoming a more holistic nurse.  I watched on a few occasions as she practiced Healing Touch on my patients and knew I needed to learn this wonderful technique to help my patients find pain relief and relaxation during their difficult hospital stay.

           

     A twist of fate happened in April 2011.  Just days after passing the CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse) exam, I woke up one afternoon in a hospital room with no memory of how I arrived there.  I was told I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury and had been unconscious for the past 12 hours.  I spent the new few months fighting horrendous ice-pick headaches and migraines, extreme fatigue, photophobia, and more that accompanied Post Concussive Syndrome.  I attempted returning to work only 3 months after my brain injury and suffered through unbearable headaches while putting on a smile and caring for my ICU patients. It was at this time that Sierra had begun practicing her new techniques from Level 1 Healing Touch on me to diminish my headaches when we were on our break at work.  I was amazed each time she lessened my headache.  When my Post Concussive Syndrome worsened and sent me back on disability, she urged me to take Healing Touch Level 1 so that I could learn how to heal myself.   

           

     Barbara Brennan, a well known author and Energy Healer said “If you wish to become a healer, you can.  Your first challenge is to heal yourself.  Focus on that, then focus on finding ways to help others heal themselves.  This will lead to your development as a healer.  No one can bestow healership upon another.  It is something that grows from the inside.”  In October 2011, I took my first Healing Touch Level 1 class which propelled me into a life of Love and Healing that was more amazing than I could ever imagine.  I realized the same qualities my grandmother possessed as an Energy Healer, were awakened inside of me.  “From chaos comes clarity.”

           

     My healing began immediately.  I started living my life in perfect harmony, treating myself with daily self -chakra connections, repeating positive affirmations, and reading anything I could find on Holistic Medicine.  My headaches quickly faded while my energy grew.   I aligned my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being and realized all along I had the innate ability to heal myself.  I soon began treating friends and family and sharing this wonderful gift of healing energy with miraculous results.  I progressed along the Healing Touch International Certificate Program taking Levels 1-3 quickly, volunteering in the community sharing Healing Touch, and attending Healing Touch support groups.  Sierra and I formed a much stronger bond over our abilities to heal ourselves and others.  Our individual paths brought us together to continue on with our Healing Touch Journey.  My Traumatic Brain Injury became a blessing in disguise as I found my  true calling in life as a nurse and a healer, along with finding balance and wellness.

             

     I became a Healing Touch International Practitioner Apprentice in April 2012 after taking Level 4 Healing Touch together with Anne Day, the former president of Healing Touch International.  I had a one year mentorship, where I completed rigorous training and preparation for my journey to become a practitioner.  My mentor was Donna Cahill, who is the Healing Touch Practitioner at Scripps Mercy Hospital.  In June 2013, I completed the final level of Healing Touch International Certificate Program, Level 5, to become a Healing Touch International Practitioner.  I then completed extra requirements to achieve certification in the summer of 2013 to become a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner.  It has been the most amazing experience to fulfill my dreams and passion in life.             

     “That is the way it works.  Healing starts at home and then holographically threads through the rest of life on the planet.  In healing the self, one heals the planet.  You find faith, truth, and self-love”. 

           

     With 10 years of Intensive Care Unit experience, I am currently a Surgical ICU Nurse at Sharp Grossmont Hospital where I help my patients heal after life-threatening illnesses and injuries.  Healing Touch has become a regular treatment for my patients.  They exhibit less pain, less anxiety, and an overall sense of well-being after they receive a Healing Touch Treatment.   Outside of the hospital, I have begun a Healing Touch practice where I provide my clients with the same relaxation and pain relief that helped to heal myself.  I am also a member of Healing Touch International, American Holistic Nurses Association, and American Association of Critical Care Nurses.  I am the co-ower of Healing Nurses in Mission Valley, San Diego, California.  Check out my page.   www.healingnurses.com