What makes Herst Wellness unique?
Herst Wellness is the only coaching, acupuncture, and yoga practice in San Francisco to offer personalized programs that address the mind and body simultaneously, thus, creating profound, lasting transformational change. When mind and body are treated together, the changes our clients experience are deep, profound, and lasting.
What is Mind-Body-Life coaching?
Mind-Body life coaching is a merging of life coaching, acupuncture, yoga and mindfulness meditation. Life coaching uncovers our life purpose and the authentic self. Body-centered therapies, like acupuncture and dietary and herbal medicine support the body, either in a return to health or bring about greater states of vitality than what we are currently experiencing. Practices, including yoga and mindfulness meditation, help us develop the skills we need to embody what it is that we aspire to in life. This unique merging creates transformative change on multiple levels of being. It includes but is not limited to the body.
Most change methods disembody. In other words, they divide the mind and body into two sections. For the mind we usually seek a therapist or psychiatrist. For the body we go to our medical doctors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractors. At Herst Wellness, the mind and body are not divided. It is my sense that in order for transformation to occur, mind and body need to be integrated. Through a blending of these varied modalities, my clients experience profound changes mind, body, and life altering changes that bring them back to a greater sense of wholeness, health, and vitality.
The combination of all these modalities are for people who are ready to make a change in their lives. They tend to come in feeling stuck in their health, work, or relationships and want to live life with more vitality and passion but are not sure how. They are also people who see themselves on a path of personal discovery. Many have already tried traditional psychotherapy, received a lot of benefit from it, but are curious about what’s next. They want more meaning in their lives and want to chart a new life based on who they really are. Some want to learn how to make authentic choices. Others want to develop skills to overcome procrastination, to set goals and build a better future. Some even want to learn how to gracefully manage an unknown future.
Through mind-body-life coaching they learn to discover who they authentically are and what they’re passionate about. The insights they discover through coaching become embodied and realized through yoga and meditation. Acupuncture and herbal therapy support their health as they create the change they seek. The combination of all of these transformational modalities catapults my clients into a life of meaning, connection, and vitality.
Why is it so important to work with body and mind at the same time?
When coaching, acupuncture, and yoga are integrated, we create a bridge between the mind and body. In other words, we take insight and wisdom gained in coaching and integrate it into our bodies through acupuncture and yoga. Likewise, when we are struggling with chronic illness, anxiety or depression, by treating mind and body together, we have the potential to create profound breakthroughs in health and vitality. The benefit of incorporating body-centered therapies with life coaching is that they act as bridges for one another, addressing different aspects of the transformation process of healing.
Examples of how I work: Jean, Sadie, and Sarah
Jean
Jean came to coaching in order to find out “what the flame inside [was] saying,” to “carve out a new direction in life.” She was also looking for skills to quiet the mind, so that she could handle her stress, have fun and relax a little bit more. She recognized that most of her decisions were based on the fear of being poor and destitute even though she knew that her actual life did not match her fears. She wanted to figure out a way to let go of this gripping fear.
Jean didn’t want to do acupuncture or herbal medicine, but was really into the idea of incorporating yoga and meditation with life coaching. We worked together for four months. Two of those months she received coaching weekly and each day she maintained a yoga and meditation practice designed specifically for her. In addition, out of our coaching sessions she was given various readings from books or articles we had written. Sometimes she was asked to have a conversation with her husband or someone she was out of touch with. Other times she was asked to contemplate what it was that she was reading or discovering in the coaching sessions.
Within two months, she discovered that she could “let go.” Essentially she had found a place inside of herself where she could deeply relax, so when the going got tough and she would normally be stressed out, she was able to go with the flow more. The anxiety that normally had her not only mentally, but physically as well no longer had her. In addition, she now feels capable not only to make choices in life that inspire her, but she feels compelled to live from a place of inspiration. That fear of being destitute, while not gone altogether, no longer has the same power over her. And now she’s thinking about a career change, something more in line with her values.
Sadie
Sadie is a young woman who was undergoing a lot of bodily discomfort including fatigue, depression, anxiety, abdominal pain, and digestive problems when she came to Herst Wellness. Before coming to Herst wellness she’d been trying to approach all of her problems nutritionally. She also sought out medical attention with a variety of conventional and complimentary care physicians, but somehow treatment always fell short.
She originally came for just acupuncture, but chose to give coaching a try, too. Through our coaching she was able to uncover an aspect of why her healing was so touch and go. She was suffering in her relationships with men and couldn’t quite figure out why all the other areas of her life functioned so well but this one didn’t.
Through coaching, Sadie was able to get perspective on what was taking place in her relationship, why it was falling short of her expectations, and what it is that she valued in terms of love. She discovered that she’d been selling herself short by choosing partners who were unavailable. Through coaching, Sadie, discovered her personal values. She’s still hoping to meet Mr. Right, but she’s no longer waiting around for Mr. Wrong. The most interesting part, however, is the symptoms that she was previously chasing around have diminished immensely. It should be noted that while she sought mind-body-life coaching, she was also getting weekly acupuncture treatments and herbal support. The course of treatment was four months with weekly acupuncture and coaching.
Sarah
Sarah was miserable going to work. She was also incredibly anxious as she watched the news about her native country, which was in political tumult. She felt defective sitting in an office in San Francisco behind a desk while people were risking their lives for a cause greater than themselves, a cause that she felt drawn to herself. In addition, her menstrual cycle has become incredibly irregular and she’d been experiencing bloating and abdominal discomfort. She originally sought acupuncture to quell some of the anxiety and regulate her menstruation. It didn’t take long for the herbal medicine and acupuncture to regulate her menstruation. After several treatments, however, we discovered that no matter how much medicine she took in or how much acupuncture she received, she was still not particular satisfied with her work or where her life is going.
She began incorporating yoga into her daily life and noticed how much calmer and centered she felt. She started to feel incredibly empowered and excited by life again. She was an artist and rediscovered what it is about art that excites her and enlivens her. Through coaching, she left her desk job. She is currently in her native country trying to discover how she can support change. Now she feels incredibly connected to her life and her mission in life.
How is this Mind-Body-Life Coaching different from therapy?
This is a common question. Generally speaking, therapists are trained to work with major mental illnesses. Not all, but most psychotherapists are trained to view the client from the perspective of a medical model. Thus, they often diagnose and treat diseases. Mind-Body-Life Coaching, on the other hand, is designed for people who are not struggling with mental illness, and instead are seeking more fulfillment and meaning in their lives and health. I am not trained to diagnose or treat mental illness. My job is not to fix you. Instead, I support you in your process of personal achievement, transformation, or self actualization.
In addition, the focus of therapy tends to be on the experiences of the past that have brought you to present moment. The focus is primarily on developing insight into what it is that brought you to this present moment. The focus of coaching is primarily on the evolution and manifestation of our potential; therefore, the focus, instead of being past oriented, is on the present moment and the future you are living into. A future worth living into has a magnetic quality that informs the present moment in a powerful way. In other words, when we have something to look forward to, something that we aspire to, something that will fulfill us, it informs our present moment in a powerful way.
The Life Purpose Exploration
Life Purpose Exploration is a 2-hr session in which we uncover a clear sense of who you are when you are living authentically. The authentic self is the one that rises above the influences of others, current responsibilities and old limited views. It is who we genuinely are but sometimes gets stuck having to adapt and accommodate to appease others. Knowing the authentic self frees you to think and live outside your current box, past old stories and into the territory of abundant possibility. You will leave with a life purpose statement, an outline of your top values, and a visceral sense of what it feels like to make choices that honor who you authentically are. This session lasts for 120 minutes. For costs, please call (415)686-4411.
Mind-Body-Life Coaching Discovery:
During the Mind-Body-Life Coaching Discovery Session, we design how we will work together so that the coaching relationship is customized to specifically meet your needs. During Discovery we discuss the strategies that will make our relationship as effective as possible for you, the client; addressing the question, “How do you want to be coached?” We will also go through exercises to clarify your values and put you in touch with your innate wisdom. This session lasts for 120 minutes. For costs, please call (415)686-4411.
Acupuncture, Herbal and Dietary Intake:
The Acupuncture, herbal, and dietary intake session culminates in a diagnosis, treatment plan, and a report of findings. This report explains the diagnosis and plan and also offers useful suggestions on how you can reinstate balance and harmony in your mind and body, including dietary, nutritional, and lifestyle recommendations. During this session, we will review the complaints that you’d like addresses. We also review your past medical history, and various other complaints you are experiencing. Finally, we will assess the state of your life force through various traditional techniques, including pulse taking and observing the tongue. If time permits, you will also have an acupuncture treatment. This session lasts for 120 minutes. For costs, please call (415)686-4411. For costs, please call (415)686-4411.
Yoga Therapy Discovery Session:
During the Yoga Therapy Discovery Session is two hours and includes a health history, diet and lifestyle, physical and emotional complaints, and an overview of all the major body systems. In addition, you will perform some very basic movements, so that I can get a sense of how your body moves. The Intake session will culminate in a Report of Findings, which is a report that covers both the diagnosis and treatment plan. Included in the treatment plan will be dietary and lifestyle modifications in addition to a yoga therapy program specific to your needs. For costs, please call (415)686-4411.
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