By 2014, Angelica Belmar was happy in many areas of her life. Her family, kids, and husband made her feel proud of them. She was grateful and humble for all she had in her life, however her only frustration was that she didn’t have a career, and that feeling was strong in her heart. She knew that she wanted to study, yet she didn’t know what she wanted to study. “My entire life, I have been inclined towards kindness, gentleness, compassion, and diplomacy. I like to help others. The holistic field sounded very fascinating to me, so I started researching it, and I found Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA).” She enrolled and graduated with an Associates degree of Occupational Studies in Mind Body Transformational Psychology specializing in Hypnotherapy, Holistic Nutrition, and Life Coaching. Within the program she also studied Aromatherapy, Flower Essences, Prayer Therapy, Ayurveda Introduction, Energy Anatomy, Psychology of Addictions, Developmental Psychology, Ethical Consciousness. She calls SWIHA one of the best schools in the world because it is a school that gives holistic education, and therefore they care for each one of their students. She experienced their support during her program, and now that she is graduated, she feels that her success is important for them. “I’m so grateful.”
Some of the most valuable lessons Angelica learned at SWIHA were how to be present, to not be judgmental, and to stay neutral for her clients. Some profound insight she learned:
“Before I learned that, I didn’t have any idea that my advice or my opinion, no matter how well intended, eloquent, intuitive, or experienced-based it can be, doesn’t help the other person, because I’m denying the other’s person’s ability to find his or her own answers inside and that can even interfere with his or her healing.”
We all possess an inner wisdom. As a coach I learned to help clients to find their own answers through a process of asking questions and listening the client’s words with compassion and neutrality, with curiosity and undivided attention, and without expectations. When I follow this process the answers always come from the client’s heart, and that is amazing.”
Hypnotherapy is Angelica’s passion because it is a simple modality that helps in many different areas of a person’s life. That keeps her motivated to learn about many other topics and prepare herself for helping her clients. “For example, I’m currently reading the book Healthy at Every Size, which is a book that encourages respect and compassion for the body no matter its size, and scientifically explain why an approach that is not based in counting calories works better than dieting. Learning about this topic helps me to construct better hypnotherapy scripts for controlling weight. I’m currently taking a course in Positive Psychology, which helps me to understand the science behind the positivism and optimism. It raises questions like, ‘Why it is beneficial to cultivate positive emotions more than negative emotions?’ Is it true that positive people are healthier and live longer than negative people and why is that?’ Knowing that positive emotions have an effect in the ‘now’, as well as in the long term, is valuable information for me to share with my clients. My passion is to keep learning different topics so I’m prepared to better serve my clients.”
Holistic Women Wisdom is the name of Angelica’s future business. She is planning go to Massage School very soon, and after that, she would love to establish a Holistic Center, which will include Hypnotherapy, Holistic Nutrition, Aromatherapy, and Massage Therapy. “In the meantime, I am working on giving free hypnotherapy sessions in Spanish for women who might want to try my Hypnotherapy Control Weight Plan and don’t have the monetary resources to pay for hypnotherapy sessions. My goal is to introduce the benefits of hypnosis and at the same time developing my own cases stories, which in turn will give me more confidence in my abilities to work with future clients.”
Everything about being a wellness practitioner is inspiring to Angelica. She feels that wellness practitioners are in high demand today because our society is getting sick and many people are not happy as they should be. “I’m glad I can help them in finding natural solutions whether as a complement to their medical treatments or as a preventative method for keeping radiant health. I also feel that traditional medicine can be cold and impersonal. Most holistic practitioners are completely present for their client’s needs, so they never feel alone. That is inspiring to me. My goal is to provide a clean and nonjudgmental environment in which my clients might feel respected and validated. Kindness and compassion are key in my professional relationships.”
Angelica’s message to other new SWIHA grads who hope to follow in her footsteps:
“You will find wonderful people, wonderful classmates, and wonderful teachers during your journey at SWIHA, so make sure you take note of their contact information since the very first day, because when you graduate, you will miss them so much.”
Since going to school at SWIHA Angelica is happy to share, “I don’t feel the frustration of not having my education completed anymore. I don’t feel now that time is passing and I am not doing something bigger with my life. On the contrary, I feel proud of myself because I’m a proof that it is never too late to come back to school and gain a degree. I feel motivated to continuing my education now in the Holistic field and I know that I will be a great student. My future is now.”
Angelica wanted to share this last bit of advice:
“The active ingredients of holistic healing modalities are self-love and self-compassion. That’s why they are effective.”
Keep in touch with Angelica:
Facebook: Angelica Belmar
English: Holistic Women Wisdom
Spanish: Angelica Belmar
Angelica lives in Mount Shasta, California and gives her free sessions in Spanish online via Skype or Messenger. To contact her with any questions regarding her Hypnotherapy Control Weight Plan, email her at angelicabelmar@hotmail.com.
