People often ask about my transition from being a classroom teacher to a holistic therapist. To many, they seem like separate worlds: one focused on knowledge, the other on emotion. But for me, it wasn't a career change, but a deepening of my calling.
The chalkboard became the energy field; lesson plans became soul maps.
My experience as a holistic therapist is intrinsically woven with the threads of my years as an educator.
Both paths, at their core, are about the same thing: guiding a human being to discover and activate their own potential.
Here are 5 fundamental lessons the classroom taught me that are now pillars in my healing practice.
1. Seeing Beyond the Behavior: The Symptom Is a Messenger, Not the Problem.
In the classroom: I remember a child who constantly interrupted. The easy label was "problem child." But by observing more closely, I realized his behavior was a desperate strategy to connect, born from a deep feeling of not being seen at home. He didn't need discipline; he needed to be seen.
In therapy: A client arrives with chronic anxiety. The anxiety isn't the enemy to be defeated. It's the messenger. It's the fire alarm blaring nonstop because there's an emotional "fire" in the basement of the unconscious: a wound of abandonment, an invisible family loyalty, an unprocessed trauma. My job isn't to silence the alarm, but to go down to the basement together with a flashlight to see what's activating it.
In both teaching and healing, the behavior or symptom is just the tip of the iceberg. True transformation happens when we address what lies beneath the surface.
2. Creating a Safe Space Is the Foundation for Everything.
In the classroom: No child can learn algebra if they're afraid to raise their hand and ask a "silly" question. My first rule was always: "This is a safe space. Here, mistakes are opportunities to learn." Creating that emotional safety was more important than any curriculum content.
In therapy: This principle is even more vital. Healing cannot begin without a container of absolute trust, free of judgment. A client needs to know they can bring their shame, their rage, their darkest secrets, and they will be met with compassion and confidentiality. This sacred space is what allows defenses to come down and the soul to dare to show its wounds.
3. Everyone Learns and Heals at Their Own Pace.
In the classroom: Although the educational system imposes a schedule, the reality is that every child has their own internal clock for understanding a concept. Forcing the pace only creates frustration and disconnection. The art of teaching is knowing when to gently push and when to give space.
In therapy: In holistic healing, this is a universal law. You cannot rush the nervous system to release a trauma. You cannot force an insight. The process is organic, sometimes slow, sometimes with sudden quantum leaps. My role is to honor each person's unique rhythm, trusting that their system knows exactly the path and the timing it needs.
4. The Power of the Right Question to Unlock Inner Wisdom.
In the classroom: The best teacher isn't the one with all the answers, but the one who asks the questions that make students think for themselves. A question like "What would happen if...?" is infinitely more powerful than a simple statement.
In therapy: This is perhaps the most potent tool I use. Instead of giving advice, I ask questions that invite self-exploration. Questions like:
- "And where do you feel that sadness in your body?"
- "If that emotion had a voice, what would it say to you?"
- "Who in your family does this situation sound familiar to?"
A good question doesn't seek an answer for me; it seeks to open a door for the client to access their own inner wisdom. The answer is always within them.
5. Healing (and Learning) Is an Act of Co-creation.
In the classroom: I discovered the most magical classes were those where the curriculum became a starting point, and learning emerged from the dynamic interaction between my students and me. It wasn't me teaching them; it was us discovering together.
In therapy: No one can "heal" another person. It's a fallacy. Healing is a self-directed process that emerges from the client's own intelligence. My role as a therapist is to be a guide, a mirror, a travel companion, and the guardian of the safe space. I hold the light while they navigate their inner landscape. We heal together, in a co-creative dance where their courage meets my presence.
Conclusion: Two Paths, One Heart
Looking back, I see that teaching was my soul's training ground. It taught me to listen to the unspoken, to be patient with the process, and to believe unconditionally in the latent potential within every human being.
So, when you choose to begin a therapeutic journey with me, you don't just get my experience as a holistic therapist; you also get the heart of a teacher who knows, without a doubt, that you have everything you need within you to heal, learn, and transform.
If you feel the call to begin your own journey of discovery, I am here to walk beside you.
