Great Graduates from SWIHA, SWINA & SOY

Written by StevieAnn Petitt

Mary Abeyta is a living, walking example of the SWIHA’s motto – To serve as an instrument, not an ego, in the peace and healing of others.

Mary Abeyta’s life story has been nothing shy of miracles, each step building upon the next. As we sat together for this interview, her demeanor was both joyous and peaceful. We began with the simplest of questions, each providing proof that her entire life, even up to this very moment, has been Spirit-driven. In fact, Mary’s overall message to others is to acknowledge that although we each possess unique gifts that we all eagerly wish to share, our main point of focus ought to be our relationship with the Source that gifted us.

This statement opened up nearly an hour of dialogue; Mary’s phenomenal journey started with a calling to study Theology. After seeing an ad for a Theology program, within one week’s time she received confirmation from three other people who had seen the same ad – each totally unaware of the other, and even living in different time zones. All of the messengers suggested Mary should apply to the Theology program. With just a tad bit of initial resistance, Mary intuitively knew she’d be selected for this life-changing program.

Adrian Ealy is a multitalented and equally meticulous practitioner who’s calling and current practice as an energetic bodyworker complements his strong background in Kung Fu and fitness. His approach to his own thriving health, as well as those he serves, integrates mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.   Thanks to a series of events, conversations and a strong sense of discernment on his part, Adrian’s journey is now very much in alignment with his purposeful calling.

Just before his studies began, Adrian worked for a corporate company, and began noticing signs of stress and strain on his body. His knowledge in fitness led him to pursue yoga as an additional means of healing physical discomfort, especially because the roots of Kung Fu stem directly from yoga.  Adrian chose to enroll in Yoga Teacher Training at Spirit of Yoga offered through Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) solely for the purpose enhancing his own personal practice.

Actively doing the work required in the Yoga Teacher Training program, Adrian was gifted a certificate to receive a massage.  He willing took advantage of the opportunity to receive as massage as he was still experiencing job-related discomfort.

As her 50th birthday approached, Sandy Flores knew she wanted to do something special to honor the next stage of her life, now that she and her husband, Bill, had an empty nest. She always dreamed of completing her college degree and thought this would be the perfect time to focus on her and her passions.

As she looked at schools and curriculums, nothing seemed to fit her personality, interests, and goals. That is, until late one night, while looking at schools on the internet, she stumbled upon the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). Just reading the College’s name alone seemed to bring a stir of excitement. Each and every class she scrolled through sounded interesting and life-affirming, which was something she desperately longed for during her mid-life crossroads. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she read that the school offered online classes for distance students. She began to entertain the idea that perhaps finding SWIHA was no coincidence at all. The next morning, Sandy called and spoke with an online advisor and by the end of the week, she was fully enrolled to study Holistic Nutrition and Hypnotherapy. The most exciting affirmation to her decision came when the advisor told her the starting date for her classes – Sandy’s 50th birthday!

William Mauzerall’s transformational journey from military service to massage therapist is an inspirational testimony of accepting and leaning into life’s opportunities. William, an honored military veteran, completed three years of services to our country and found himself at a crossroads after completing his military career. Having been fortunate to have the GI Bill assist with funding his educational dreams, William asked for guidance from his brother on the educational direction in which he should travel. William, a strategic thinker with an openness to consider many educational endeavors pursued the Massage Therapy program at SWIHA (Southwest Institute of Healing Art) for a few reasons: He would earn an associate’s degree from an accredited institution, he could enjoy the climate of the Southwest and it was a program that gave him man options to choose from in developing his gifts. William describes a peace and serenity in making his decision to pursue massage therapy through SWIHA -- he knew in his soul it was the right direction for him. In looking back on this decision, William now can see his footsteps to SWIHA transformed his life far deeper than a massage program.

As William began his program, he quickly found the coursework academically challenging. He embraced the notion that if the program did not challenge him, it would not change him. Through coaching and mentoring from his teachers, he learned the key difference between being a good massage therapist and great massage therapist is the ability to view the body as a whole instead of the sum of its parts. Through the life cycle of his program, beginning with the anatomy class, William learned the basics by breaking down the body to its simplest elements: molecules, cells, tissues and systems. As awareness and exploration continued through his coursework, William learned it is impossible to touch a body without understanding the impact on the whole body at every level.

As awareness and exploration continued through his coursework, William learned it is impossible to touch a body without understanding the impact on the whole body at every level.

Kristen Burkhardt-Hanson had always been a troubled soul; she spent most of her life addicted to substances, alcohol, and making poor life decisions. She worked equally as long in the spa and salon industry and was over-worked, under-paid, and stressed out. She was longing for a different kind of life that gave her a sense of meaning and purpose.

Leif Hanson always felt alone and disconnected from the world. On the outside he appeared to be happy and easy-going, however, on the inside he was miserable and lacked confidence. At times he found it difficult to make friends and maintain a social life. He liked his job as a software engineer but he longed to have purpose and live life in an exciting and meaningful way; he just didn’t know what that looked like yet.

After both of their divorces, Leif and Kristen met online. After dating for a few years Leif moved Kristen to Arizona with her two daughters for a chance at a new life. They both became sober in 2010, and while they had the best intentions to have a fabulous marriage, they quickly discovered their behavior and attitudes from their previous marriages and experiences were beginning to seep in.

Tamira Burns says she got “The Call” around age seven, in the form of a profound angel encounter that many might label as “crazy”, or the imaginings of a creative, gifted child.

“My heart felt like it would explode from the love I felt! The angel opened my path before me and advised me to follow my father, as he was a true child of God,” Tamira says of her angel encounter.

Tamira’s father was what she describes as a “secular humanist and a naturalist, who loved the earth and cared for all the creatures upon it with a profound love.” Her father felt that “god” was an ego construct of humanity to control the masses, and that churches were no more than a place to be reprogrammed, which confused Tamira as a child, as she did not understand the very personal relationship her father had with what he called “spirit” until she was much older.

Her mother was an excommunicated Catholic, abandoned by the church and stuck in a “spiritual orphanhood.” As a child, Tamira’s family did not attend church, and did not have a bible in the house. Her home was filled with books on nature and culture, anthropological journals and magazines such as the Smithsonian, Omni, and National Geographic.

Hypnotherapy, often referred to as guided imagery, is a powerful instrument for healing. It works within the subconscious mind of an individual, helping to resolve issues such as chronic anxiety, weight gain, fear and insomnia. It can also help change negative or addictive behaviors.

Bob Chamberlain, a graduate of the 100 hour Certificate of Excellence in Hypnotherapy

at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), has an undeniable passion for hypnotherapy and guided imagery. Once Bob completed his 100 hours of training at SWIHA, he immediately took his skills and experience to Banner Estrella Medical Center in Phoenix, along with SWIHA’s Hypnotherapy Program Director Linda Bennett.

In January of 2015, Banner Estrella launched a pilot program called the Guided Imagery Project. This is a volunteer based program in which Bob immediately began volunteering, along with a dozen other graduates from SWIHA’s hypnotherapy program.

Most traditional, or allopathic, doctors and medical centers have not previously used holistic or integrative therapies like hypnotherapy with patients. However, recently the use of more holistic therapies such as hypnotherapy, massage therapy and even yoga have proven beneficial for helping patients.

The recent awareness around ingredients in foods and products has practically caused a worldwide phenomenon. Conscious consumers everywhere are beginning to pay attention to what they are putting in and on their bodies. However, Lisa Kaiser has been reading product labels and looking at food ingredients long before it was making headlines. This attention to labels and ingredients was what inspired Lisa to create her skincare business, The Good Stuff, over 15 years ago with her daughter.
Lisa came to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) years after launching her business with the intent to expand on her expertise. She enrolled in the online Associates of Mind-Body Transformational Psychology program, and was intrigued by the Urban Farming courses, due to her interest in reading labels and using ingredients that nature provided.

“The fact that Urban Farming was incorporated, along with the holistic nutrition classes, brought what I believe full circle,” Lisa explained.

Like many students who attend SWIHA (Southwest Institute of Healing Arts), Elizabeth Brotherson came to the school looking for an alternative career path. She was hoping to supplement her income as a preschool teacher by earning a living doing something she was passionate about. Elizabeth had always been drawn to energy work and had a natural intuition for knowing when someone might need help or healing, so when she found SWIHA, she knew it was the perfect fit for her.

“SWIHA embraces the total embodiment of the healing arts, encouraging you to use your natural abilities, while giving you the tools to take it that extra step to make you a successful therapist,” she explains regarding what attracted her to SWIHA.

Elizabeth, or Beth, as she often goes by, enrolled in SWIHA’s Professional Massage Practitioner 750 hour program, and immediately began her journey to becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist. She says after starting her first myotherapy class she was hooked! She went on to take every myotherapy class SWIHA offered, as well as deep tissue, massage, trigger point courses, and sports massage, in addition to core courses such as anatomy and reflexology.

Published Author. Massage Therapist. Teacher. Spiritual Coach. Aromatherapist. Clinical Nurse. Holistic Entrepreneur. These are just some of the many titles Marci Cagen can put on her resume. A graduate of SWIHA’s Massage Therapy program, Marci’s interest in massage therapy and holistic health stemmed from her years of experience as a clinical nurse, and grew into a business that extends beyond one or two holistic modalities.

“I originally enrolled at SWIHA while I was working as a clinical nurse at Phoenix Children’s Hospital so I could learn some alternative therapies that would support the patients I worked with,” Marci explains. “They were in so much pain, and I wanted to be able to offer healing modalities that would complement the medications they were prescribed, alleviating associated side effects, while offering support to the mind, body, spirit and emotions.” Marci’s interest in reflexology guided her to massage therapy, and multiple other healing modalities followed. Once she completed her massage therapy program, Marci felt she needed to leave her nursing career to “answer the call of my soul.” During her time studying at SWIHA, she learned how to embrace her spiritual healing gifts, and upon graduating, Marci began to create a life of helping others tap into their spiritual gifts.