SWIHA Blog

Southwest Institute of Healing Arts found its humble beginning as a Massage Therapy school wanting to do things a little differently. Our dream has grown, our campus has expanded, and Massage Therapy is still one of the amazing programs we offer. Over the years, we have graduated hundreds of well-rounded, talented healers that are thriving as stand-outs in this booming industry.

A recent survey of massage therapists revealed that 88% report being satisfied in their career. Considering that the average job satisfaction rate among Americans is 51%, today we are going to analyze the many reasons why massage therapists LOVE what they do!

Just as necessity is the mother of invention, uncertainty can be the catalyst for entrepreneurship. A study conducted in 2009 by the Ewing Marion Kauffman foundation revealed that a staggering 57% of Fortune 500 companies were founded during periods of economic hardship. Out of the 2008 downturn, we saw companies like Uber, Pinterest and Groupon form, flourish and become regularly-used services.

“The best time to be an entrepreneur is when everyone is running for the exits,” Eric Reis, author of the best-selling book The Lean Startup, said in a recent interview with CNBC.

At Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, we dedicate ourselves daily to our mission of inspiring individuals to discover their gifts and graces and support them as they share their talents with the world in a loving and profitable way. It was this idea that resonated with SWIHA graduate, Melissa Richardson:  “I didn't want to work for anyone else,” she says, “I wanted to make my own way and chart my own course. I had my own ideas of how I wanted to participate and give to the world.”

Melissa is a licensed Massage Therapist in Buffalo, New York. She loves what she does and one day realized that, while she was making a difference for her clients, she felt she was only helping them temporarily and in a physical way.

Stories have been used in every culture, every language, to connect us to a larger self and universal truths. Whether they are myths, songs, paintings, or traditions, storytelling helps form a common goal, honor sacrifices, and pass down knowledge. They also have the ability to transport us to another time, place, or body and allow us to empathize with an experience we’ve never had.

There are two pretty amazing women who are leaving quite a legacy by capturing the stories of hundreds of women of all ages in a series of books. Living Brave...Finishing Strong is the fourth book of the Living Brave series by Dr. Hilda Villaverde and Mary Beth Stern.

As a massage therapist, you are consistently educating yourself on new techniques and modalities to better serve your clients. After all, you have been called to be a healer and improve the lives of others! You’re already aware of the transformative effect that bodywork has, and today we’ll look at some reason you may want to consider adding Hypnotherapy to your skill set to truly integrate mind-body-soul wellness.

“I've had a few starts and stops over the years,” says Amanda Dodd, a graduate of the Mind Body Wellness and Integrative Healing Arts programs, “what I really want is to be of service in a profound and healing way for others because it salves my soul. It's giving something that I haven't received in my own life.”

Amanda has been a holistic practitioner with many modalities for over a decade, practicing Reiki, Angel Card Readings and Mediumship. However, she always struggled to really launch herself out into the world with confidence.

Their world felt uneasy.  The normal pace and cadence of their lives were replaced with furtive looks and anguished disbelief mixed with panicked wonderment.   Everything seemed to have changed in an instant without warning, and now, there was no telling when it would return to the familiar and constant.    Does this description sound like your world today?

This is the description of the City of Jerusalem during the Week of Passover when Jesus the Christ was presented as the Passover Lamb.  Those who were Christ-followers were shaking their heads in disbelief wondering, “Was this same man who performed miracles right before our eyes who now, seemingly unrecognizable, is standing before us as in complete vulnerability?”

Dear Greater SWIHA Community,

As the new reality of social distancing, stay-at-home edicts, and increased pessimism has overtaken the media, we have become more committed than ever to stay energetically close and virtually connected.

Here’s what we are doing:

What do we do after experiencing a tragedy? How do we come back from a major setback? Is there hope after living a life of self-destruction and despair? Is it possible to heal and move forward in a positive direction after our deepest hurts? By taking the initiative to make positive changes, to let go, and to say ‘yes’ to transformation and growth, we can connect with our truest self, and spare ourselves even more suffering.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an activist group that researches and advocates for reducing toxic chemicals and drinking water pollutants as well as corporate accountability for releasing such things into the environment. Each year, they review testing from the U.S Department of Agriculture regarding pesticide residue and release two lists: “The Clean Fifteen” and “The Dirty Dozen”. This year's ranking of pesticide contamination takes into account 47 varieties of fruits and vegetables based on 43,000 plus data points.