Before discovering Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), Marleigh Brown had already embarked on a deep personal healing journey—yet something was missing. She had gained insights and clarity on her own, however, she found herself craving structure, community, and a deeper sense of direction. “I knew I wanted to create space for others to feel safe, seen, and supported in their own healing journeys,” she reflects. That longing led her to SWIHA’s Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner (IHAP) program, with specializations in Advanced Professional Hypnotherapy and Life Coaching.
Marleigh was drawn to integrative healing because of its holistic approach—honoring the mind, body, spirit, and energy as interconnected parts of the whole. “We carry so much more than what’s on the surface,” she says. Hypnotherapy became a powerful modality for her, helping clients access their subconscious minds with gentle yet profound results. “It’s not about fixing anyone,” she explains. “It’s about creating space for remembering, reconnecting, and returning to what already lives within them.”
Life coaching became a natural companion to her hypnotherapy work. It offered her tools to walk alongside others with presence and intention, holding space with curiosity and compassion. “Asking the right questions can open up so much clarity,” she shares. “These tools have transformed not only my clients’ lives, it has transformed my own as well.”
For Marleigh, the affirmation that she was on the right path didn’t arrive in a dramatic breakthrough—it came in small, soul-affirming moments. After finishing a session with a practice client, she felt a quiet clarity settle in. “It wasn’t about getting it perfect,” she remembers. “It was about how natural it felt to hold space, to listen, and to trust what was coming through. I was just showing up as myself, and that was enough.”
Since completing her training at SWIHA, Marleigh’s life has shifted dramatically. “Before, I felt like I was floating,” she shares. “I wanted to do something meaningful, yet I wasn’t sure how to fully trust myself.” Through her studies, she began learning how to offer herself the same compassion and presence she offers her clients—how to create internal safety, use her voice, and show up more honestly and wholeheartedly. “SWIHA didn’t fix everything,” she notes, “it gave me the tools and support I needed to become a more authentic version of myself.”
Now, Marleigh channels her training into her business, Iluminar, a soul-centered practice offering a range of integrative services. Her offerings include hypnotherapy, guided imagery, personalized meditations, and intention-setting sessions. She also provides support for preparation and integration, helping clients turn their insights into lasting transformation. “My work is about guiding people back home to themselves,” she says.
Living in Mexico and contemplating a return to Arizona, Marleigh continues to explore her own healing and growth while deepening her practice. “Each day feels like a new layer unfolding, filled with lessons in presence, connection, and trust in the unknown.”
Marleigh credits her SWIHA experience—and especially her teachers—for helping her grow into the practitioner she is today. Sherry Gilbert, who taught hypnotherapy and advanced hypnotherapy, and Sherry Fragosa, her subtle body and chakra teacher, created spaces that were “gentle, grounded, and intentional.” Elmas Vincent, her Life Coaching instructor, also left a lasting impression through his energy, depth, and realness.
Reflecting on her journey, Marleigh offers this advice to future SWIHA students: “Trust the unfolding. Be curious, ask questions, and let yourself be transformed by the experience. You don’t have to know exactly where it will lead. And most importantly, be gentle with yourself along the way.”
Her work, rooted in both personal experience and professional training, is all about creating safe, sacred spaces for others to explore their inner worlds. “I know what it feels like to be searching for clarity, for meaning, for connection,” she shares. “I’m not here to fix anyone—I’m here to reflect what’s already whole within them.”
Are you called to create sacred space and guide others through transformation?
Explore SWIHA’s Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program and discover your own path to healing and purpose.
