SWIHA Blog

Gratitude has always been familiar to me; I’ve been a happy-go-lucky person for most of my life. I’m an optimist by nature! As a longtime student of A Course in Miracles, I consciously choose to be “miracle ready,” which means staying in a state of gratitude and readiness as a daily practice.

It wasn’t until I traveled to India that I understood gratitude on a deep, visceral level. Imagine traveling for more than 30 hours with little sleep, only to arrive at a modest ashram in Mulvu, India. We were assigned to a camp-style dorm room equipped with low metal cots and packed-down futon mattresses. The “shower” was a simple pipe emerging from the wall about two feet off the floor, with a blue plastic bucket beneath a rusty faucet. A dipper cup hung from the bucket’s rim. And yes—there was a small plastic stool on which to crouch while using what was affectionately known as “the bath bucket.” It was clear that warm—let alone hot—showers were not among the amenities.

Every healing journey has a beginning—and for Linda Abramov, that journey truly came into focus at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. As she completes the final class of the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program, Linda reflects on a path shaped by resilience, intuition, entrepreneurship, and a deep desire to help others heal from the inside out.

When life asks you to rebuild, it also gives you the chance to rediscover who you truly are. For Sarah Hanlon, a recent graduate of the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program, her journey has been one of courage, renewal, and transformation.

Before enrolling at SWIHA, Sarah was a dedicated massage therapist and mother living in Massachusetts. She was also in the process of healing from a painful chapter in her life — a toxic relationship she had left behind. “I wanted to help others in ways that I wanted to be helped as I was getting out of a toxic relationship,” she shares. “I wanted to be that hand that helps guide people through the tunnel to the other side of the hurt that allows them to build their lives for themselves.”

When life delivers unexpected challenges, some people lose their way — and others, like Nika Shelton, find their purpose.

Before enrolling in the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), Nika’s life was filled with uncertainty. A traumatic car accident left her in a wheelchair for months, forcing her to fight both physically and mentally to recover.

Supporting someone through their final transition is one of the most sacred and meaningful callings a person can answer. End-of-Life Doulas—sometimes called Death Doulas or Transition Guides—hold space for individuals and families during one of life’s most profound passages. These compassionate caregivers provide emotional, spiritual, and practical support to those nearing the end of life, helping them find peace, dignity, and closure.

If you feel called to this work, it’s important to take time for deep reflection and preparation. Here are five important things to consider before becoming an End-of-Life Doula.

When the Universe calls, sometimes it takes a while before we’re ready to answer. For SWIHA graduate Bethany Radakovich, that call came again and again—until she finally said yes.

“I began my journey last February, after many promptings from the Universe to investigate and enroll,” Bethany shared. “It’s been a very wonderful experience that I dearly wish I had been able and aware to start much, much earlier. It has felt like this is where I was meant to be all along.”

Bethany recently graduated from SWIHA’s Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner Program, a path that gave her new professional direction and brought deep personal healing after a time of loss and uncertainty.

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." — J. Krishnamurti

What does it mean to be the light? “You light up my life!” “Let your light shine!” “You are the light and the salt.” The light illuminates the way and divides the day from the night. It allows us to find our way out of darkness.

So how does one continue to push on and be the light when the world around you gets dark? How do you harness that light and keep showing up when it can be so turbulent to be seen?

I used to think spiritual awakening meant everything was perfectly aligned—like life suddenly made sense. You were happy. At peace. Trouble-free.

I imagined it as this peaceful, blissed-out lifestyle—quiet, centered, maybe even easy. It felt far away, like something meant for people who had it all figured out. The deeply devoted. The naturally calm. The ones who seemed to belong in sacred spaces.

I didn’t think that could be me, yet I craved it. I wanted that kind of peace. I just didn’t know how to get there—or if I even belonged on that path.

After 21 years of active duty in the United States Air Force, Gennie Ruffin retired in 2012 and began a new chapter of her life. “I was living the retired grandparent life,” she shares warmly. Yet even as she embraced the calm rhythm of retirement, a quiet calling stirred within her — one she had felt since childhood.

“I have always been attracted to the metaphysical, spiritual aspects of life,” Gennie reflects. “I’ve always wanted to help heal people without being a doctor.”

Before finding Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), Elliott Warner (they/them) was in a place of deep uncertainty. “In my life before SWIHA, I was facing many challenges,” Elliott recalls. “I was struggling to make sense of my life, and being a professional of any kind seemed impossible.”

It was during a hospital stay—when Elliott was searching online for affordable hypnosis training—that their life took a powerful turn. “Even a single class was around $500,” they share. “This was significantly out of my budget. So, I logged on to the SWIHA website I had encountered years before to look into Yoga training… I found that financial aid was available for my program of study, and it was more than I could have dreamed.”