Search

Laurel Hernandez definitely had a heroic journey in terms of her path to the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). In 2005, she spent six months on pain meds and in a back brace after a quad accident. What she didn’t realize is that her life was about to take a 180 degree turn. Laurel recalled how her incredible and arduous path all began: “I had back surgery for a fracture that didn’t heal, got a divorce after 25 years, left a great job of 19 years, moved to a new state leaving family and friends behind, went back to school for a career that didn’t suite me, became a caregiver for my parents before they both passed, and I had lived in a ten mile radius of where I was born for the past 50 years!” All of this left her feeling lost and hopeless. Yet deep down, she … Read More

Written by StevieAnne Petitt In 2012, Christa Rimmer was desperately searching for something, but she couldn’t quite grasp what she was missing or searching for. In a state of curiosity and courage, she ventured out on a series of first-time experiences, including a trip to Sedona, diving into the practice of meditation, and sessions with both a psychic and a hypnotherapist for a past-life regression. She felt restless in wanting to know everything and to truly find what resonated with her. She claims that she felt awakened, but lost, for nearly two months following these new events. As she was finishing up her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at ASU, she quickly became disenchanted with the idea of continuing on. Christa jokingly shared that in hindsight, she knew she was onto a new path when she excitedly mistook her curriculum’s Astronomy class for Astrology. Disenchanted with the path she was on … Read More

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 … Read More