20 Jul

Posted at 20:39h in Uncategorized

  If you’re looking for a handy list of rules on how to develop a positive self-image, this isn’t it. But there are plenty available online that tackle that widespread inquiry at a surface level. I find such talk doesn’t dive deep enough to really get to the core of self-image. After all, what does it even mean to have a positive self-image? Should we feel good about ourselves all the time? Is it realistic or even warranted? Who Am I?   Everyone says, just be yourself. Easy, right? Well, who the heck am I because I swear some days I am 73 different...

28 Jun

Posted at 18:25h in Uncategorized

Ever done a quick search on what life balance really means? Probably not! You’re likely too busy trying to offset the implications of imbalance rather than ponder the cultural meaning of the term. Indeed, the world balance is used ad nauseum throughout the wellness community. It’s even used to justify ineffective habits, in the same sense as “everything in moderation.”   If you do happen to search it out online, since you’re probably curious now, you’ll find that almost all results refer to a work-life balance, as though they were separate entities which require our constant negotiation. Indeed “work-life balance” is an...

25 Apr

Posted at 19:42h in Uncategorized

  We all know the story of the man who smoked two packs of cigarettes his entire adult life and lived to the ripe old age of 92. It’s not unlike the story of the woman marathon runner who ate wholesome food, stayed out of bars, and died of a heart attack at age 49. Whether hopelessly optimistic or tragic, life is rarely that simple.   For starters, these stories are anomalies, but they’re used throughout modern-day culture as examples (aka excuses) of why we don’t need to go whole hog into a healthy lifestyle. I could die any day, some say, shouldn’t...

21 Mar

Posted at 16:58h in Uncategorized

    We are living in a time that demands us to act with far more agency in regards to our health and wellbeing than ever before. This isn’t just in light of the pandemic that has swept our illusions of freedom and connectedness out the back door, never to be seen again. A demand for more conscious and compassionate health care has been rising for decades.   According to a 2019 Canadian study, antidepressant recommendations for children between the ages of 1 and 18 increased between 2012 and 2016, with SSRIs the most recommended, and fluoxetine taking the lead. (1). Fluoxetine is the...

28 Feb

Posted at 20:32h in Uncategorized

I had a client come to me for treatments to help relieve her anxiety. She described experiencing feelings of anxiousness that washed over her like a wave, causing her to feel unstable and unable to control her body. They came out of nowhere and caught her completely off guard. She’d recently experienced some challenging events in her personal life, which seemed to coincide with the onset of her anxiety.   “I’ve never experienced anxiety before this,” she explained. “I’ve never been an anxious person. I feel stressed out sometimes, as most people do, but this is different. This makes me panic and...

13 Jan

Posted at 17:04h in Uncategorized

When I first began learning about the chakra system, I was fascinated. As a fitness trainer, I’d learned so much about the physical body and assumed that the core workings of the body had to do with physiology and anatomy. Muscles, connective tissue, joints, and all the structures I could touch and see. Then I “met” Reiki and it opened up a whole new world. I began experimenting with feeling into the human body in a way I’d never experienced before. Through Reiki, I could sense subtle shifts in my own and another’s energy. Sometimes it felt dense, other times light...

15 Nov

Posted at 15:22h in Uncategorized

Perhaps the question posed in this article’s title seems rhetorical. Of course you can detoxify your body! There are a gazillion “detox” diets, green juices, and clay potions that eliminate all sorts of toxins and metabolic waste from the body. Enemas, colemas, active charcoal, sweat lodges, and even frog venom are instrumental in removing accumulated toxins in the liver, parasites in the intestines, fungus in the stomach. If that sounds somewhat tongue-in-cheek––it’s intentional. These types of approaches provide more of a psychological detoxification than one that effectively serves the physical body. If you’re scratching your head, you should be. I...

06 Nov

Posted at 17:54h in Uncategorized

I am honoured and over the moon with gratitude to be recognized by the Reader’s Choice Awards 2020. This year, Journey Within was selected as the winner in Clarington, Durham in three categories: Alternative Medicine / Healing, Holistic Health / Healing, and Massage & Wellness Centre. Thank you!   My gratitude extends to every person who has supported my personal journey and my work in Reiki, Black Pearl Technique, Hypnosis, and Complete Cellular Mind Body Alignment. They include my community, my clients, my readers, and my friends and family. I am blessed to be wrapped in the comfort of your love and...

08 Sep

Posted at 20:37h in Uncategorized

  Reiki is a system of subtle energy healing that uses a series of hand movements, symbols, and distant healing techniques. Reiki energy is drawn from the spiritually-guided universal energy that surrounds us all the time. It’s this energy that is responsible for all life and all healing. A person becomes attuned to this subtle cosmic energy through a Reiki master––one who has practiced, taught, and been attuned to the energy through a particular lineage originating in the Usui Shiki Ryoho system of natural healing.   I know, I know. For many people, this may sound “woowoo” to some. How does a healing...

05 Aug

Posted at 18:08h in Uncategorized

The Fascinating Facts of The New Pain Paradigm   Piercing, throbbing, shooting, aching, dull, cramping, burning––pain produces a variety of sensations, and by the time we reach middle age, most of us have experienced all of them in some part of our body. But this is where pain gets interesting––there’s only one place it actually occurs: in your brain. That time when you were a kid and you fell and scraped your knee? It wasn’t your knee producing the pain, it was your brain. When you burned your hand on a hot stove? Again, that was your brain, not your hand that made...