For many students, the path to healing work is not a straight line—it is a remembering. For Larese Dockery, her journey to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) unfolded through timing, alignment, and a deep inner knowing that eventually could not be ignored.
“Before SWIHA, I was finding my way in the healing field—looking for direction and focus,” Larese shares. “I was naturally gifted, however, not truly grounded or certain of my path.”
Although she began the enrollment process years ago, it wasn’t until just over a year ago that everything aligned. “I always knew I’d become a student here; it was really about timing and alignment.” When the moment arrived, she stepped fully into the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program, a decision that would anchor her gifts and help her clarify her purpose.
Larese chose the Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program because it offered something she deeply valued: breadth with intention.
“I chose my program because it offered a wide range of healing modalities and tools at a foundational level, which was perfect for me while I was narrowing down my focus.”
This exploration led her naturally toward hypnotherapy, a modality that resonated with both her curiosity and her spirituality. “I’ve always been fascinated with how the mind works and why we do what we do. To me, understanding consciousness is understanding our relationship with God.”
When asked if there was a defining moment in her journey, Larese doesn’t hesitate.
“When I started learning more about myself, it opened the gate to helping others, and to helping myself, too. I knew then that I was on the right path—it just felt right.”
Through her studies, she began uncovering parts of herself that had long been waiting to be seen. “The curriculum is very enlightening and easy to follow,” she says. “I’ve uncovered pieces of myself that I didn’t know existed before attending.”
Today, Larese is in a season of intentional creation—polishing her offerings, rebranding her voice, and allowing her work to emerge organically.
“I am currently building a new healing business that feels aligned with my spirit and my lineage,” she explains. “This season of my life has felt like a return to myself, back to my gifts, and back to the wisdom that has been carried in my bloodline long before I ever named it.”
Her work now centers around three core pathways:
Group Community Work
Larese facilitates intimate community spaces—WhatsApp circles, lake gatherings, and group fasts—that function as modern-day healing circles. “People come in to be seen, to release, to reflect, and to reconnect with themselves. Community becomes medicine when the space is held with intention.”
Subconscious Reprogramming for Ancestral Lineage Healing
“This is where my heart is,” she shares. Larese helps clients identify emotional patterns and beliefs passed through their lineage. “Much of this work feels guided, almost as if the ancestors are sitting with us, helping us break what they could not.”
Integrative Hypnotherapy
For Larese, hypnotherapy is both spiritual and grounded. “It helps clients access the deeper subconscious layers where memory, survival patterns, and ancestral imprints are held. Healing happens in a very honest and gentle way.”
She credits SWIHA with giving structure to what once came instinctively. “The training gave me language for the work I was already doing. It helped me understand my gifts in a grounded way so I can use them responsibly, ethically, and with clarity.”
One of the most impactful lessons Larese gained at SWIHA was learning how to truly hold space.
“Understanding the subconscious mind and the nervous system showed me how powerful presence and clarity really are.”
She also credits her instructors for shaping her experience, especially Sherry Gilbert, whose hypnotherapy classes left a lasting impression, and Gisele Marasca, whose HE-201 course stood out as a favorite.
Larese offers heartfelt advice to those considering the journey:
“Trust the process and trust yourself. This journey will reveal parts of you that you did not know were waiting to be seen. Do not rush through the work. Let the lessons move through you and shape you.”
As Larese Dockery continues to step into her role as a healer, guide, and space-holder, her story is a powerful reminder that healing is not about becoming someone new—it’s about remembering who you’ve always been.
Interested in beginning your own healing journey?
Explore SWIHA’s Integrative Healing Arts programs and discover how structured education can help you ground your gifts, clarify your path, and serve others with confidence and integrity.