SWIHA Blog

At Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), we celebrate students and graduates who courageously follow their calling into holistic wellness. Recent graduate Tina Lorenzo embodies this journey. With over a decade of experience as a nurse, Tina felt drawn to explore deeper, integrative approaches to healing after navigating her own profound challenges and personal transformation. Her path led her to SWIHA’s Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program with a concentration in Advanced Hypnotherapy, where she discovered new skills and a renewed sense of purpose. Today, Tina is dedicated to helping others nurture their mind, body, and spirit through holistic care, compassion, and empowerment.

Have you ever felt stuck in a situation with no clear way out? The manifestation wheels are turning, yet nothing is happening. Maybe you’ve spent countless hours creating vision boards, visualizing, repeating affirmations, and doing “all the things”—yet, no change. You start to wonder: Am I stuck in a rut? What if I’m the reason my manifestations aren’t unfolding?

The truth is, resistance is what’s blocking your change. When you want something new, you often resist where you are now. It’s easy to keep focusing on what you don’t want. Many people wait until things get so bad that their desire finally outweighs their patience. They become so caught up in wanting to be somewhere else that they create resistance to where they are.

I used to think that being spiritual meant stepping away from everyday life. In my mind, spirituality belonged to people who could spend hours meditating, practice yoga all day, or live somewhere quiet and remote. For a long time, I believed that because I have three kids, a husband, a full-time job, and even a part-time job on the side, I wasn’t doing it “right.”

Do you ever wonder who you really are and what purpose you serve here on earth? This question often troubles me as I seek to find my life’s calling. Clearly, I am female, a wife, a mother, a nana, a friend, a director, a coworker, a student, a business owner, and a healer. Yet truly—who am I?

For most of my life, I have been an empath, able to feel a deep and intuitive sense when something is wrong or out of balance—not only within myself—with others as well. This awareness is what led me to become an Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner.

Life doesn't always go as we hope, plan, or expect, yet how we respond to challenges can transform our entire journey. The world teaches us to resist pain. However, what if there is a powerful way to approach difficulties with compassion?

The first question is often, “Why me?” You question why hardship has chosen you. When challenges crash into your world, instead of playing victim, start being the author of your own resilience story. My journey has taught me that life isn't about erasing scars - it’s about understanding that they are intertwined with our most authentic selves.

From Beauty to Healing

Before enrolling at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), Candice had built a thriving career in esthetics. “I had been in the beauty industry for sixteen years and had owned my own spa for the last seven. I was happy and content in my life,” she shares.

Yet life had other plans. After experiencing three severe car accidents—the last leaving her with a traumatic brain injury and debilitating neck issues—she began questioning whether her future was still in esthetics. “I started to experience economic hardship in my business as well as physical hardship. Mentally, I found myself overwhelmed with life. I was juggling a business, a brain injury, and physical therapy.”

At Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), we honor the courage it takes for our students to turn personal challenges into opportunities for healing, growth, and service. Today, we’re honored to spotlight the journey of Tabitha Newton, a current student in our Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program. Through her story, Tabitha shares how leaving a toxic job became the catalyst for reclaiming her purpose and building a life aligned with peace, passion, and authenticity.

Every student who walks through the doors of Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) carries with them a story—a story of searching, of struggle, of transformation, and of hope. For soon-to-be graduate Lindsay Childers, her path to healing and purpose has been one of resilience, courage, and faith in the calling placed on her heart.

Before Stephanie Allen found Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), her life had taken a painful and unexpected turn. Having recently left a career in law enforcement after surviving an assault, Stephanie was left navigating the emotional aftermath—confused, alone, and unsure of how to move forward. While she had a desire to help others, particularly survivors of sexual assault, she quickly realized that true healing begins from within.

At the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), we often witness students walk through our doors carrying dreams that seem distant, even impossible. Gabriela Milan was once one of those dreamers. Today, she’s a vibrant example of what happens when you follow your heart, trust your calling, and allow healing to begin from within.

Before she became a beacon of healing and transformation, Gabriela was clocking 50-hour workweeks as a server at Olive Garden. Deep down, though, she carried a powerful desire: to become a mental health therapist. Yet something about the traditional route didn’t sit right with her. She craved something more soul-connected—something heart-led.