Sometimes healing begins not with a plan, rather with survival. For Chasity Updike, her journey to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) arrived during one of the most painful seasons of her life—and became the turning point that helped her reclaim purpose, voice, and self-trust.
Before enrolling at SWIHA, Chasity was navigating overwhelming loss and responsibility. “There was a lot of heavy grief in my life from losing my soulmate shortly before,” she shares. At the same time, she was caring for her father full-time as his health declined. “I was also taking care of my dad 24/7 as he was slowly dying too from an evil heart.”
Living with multiple autoimmune diseases added another layer of exhaustion and despair. “I had given up and was barely making it through the days,” she says. What she needed most was not a career path—instead, a way to heal herself.
The Call That Arrived Right on Time
Chasity’s defining moment came unexpectedly. “A catalog showed up in the mail out of nowhere,” she recalls. “It was a SWIHA catalog, and I did not remember that I had ever asked for it.”
She read it again and again. One program stood out immediately. “The Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner called to me. I knew that this was the answer I had been looking for. This would help me to heal.”
When she reached out to the school, the clarity was instant. “As soon as I called and talked with the school, I was ready. I knew that this was the right path.”
Healing That Transformed Everything
Today, Chasity speaks about her life with a sense of vitality that once felt unreachable. “I have become a person full of life and purpose,” she says. “I continue to use what I have learned in my healing journey.”
Even in the face of continued loss—including the passing of her father and grandmother—she has been able to move through grief with presence and support. The End of Life Doula classes played a profound role during this time.
“I was taking care of my dad right at the same time I was going through these classes,” Chasity shares. “What I was learning was exactly where my dad was at. This changed the course of my dad’s death to a beautiful journey with us three girls right by his side through it all until the end.”
She reflects simply and powerfully: “I am so thankful for those classes.”
Stepping Into Her Gifts and Her Voice
Chasity did not begin the program intending to start a business. Yet along the way, something shifted.
“I have learned that I have many gifts to share with others,” she says. She recently applied for her business name and EIN and is intentionally building her practice at her own pace. “I am starting my own practice, slowly, on my terms.”
Her offerings will include soul coaching, holistic services such as essential oils and flower essences, meditation and mindfulness, toe reading, and royal foot baths—modalities she now uses daily in service to others.
Her vision extends beyond private practice. One of her deepest callings is community-based care. “My goal…is to create a group at my local hospital and nursing home that allows volunteers to sit at the bedsides of the lonely and dying.” For Chasity, presence itself is medicine.
Lessons That Changed Her Life
When asked about the greatest lessons she gained at SWIHA, her answer is clear and embodied.
“To fully live. To be me and not be afraid anymore. To use my voice,” she says. “I was born with gifts I never knew I had. It is my responsibility to share my gifts with others. I have finally realized my path.”
She credits instructors Rachel Astarte, Lori Dye, and Jodi Johnson, and speaks with deep appreciation for the meditation and death doula courses. “I loved every class. I learned so many things in each. I was always so excited to start new classes every five weeks.”
A Message for Future Students
Chasity’s advice for future SWIHA students comes straight from the heart:
“Do it!! It will change your life. Commit to giving your all. Be willing to learn things that will change you—for the better. Open up and accept this journey. It is really a beautiful place to be.”
Reflecting on her long journey with chronic illness and loss, she adds, “My life literally has changed so much. I am able to take care of myself now. I am able to be my own advocate. And at the same time, I am able to offer healing to others.”
A Journey of Courage, Compassion, and Calling
Chasity Updike’s story is a powerful reminder that healing education is not only about learning modalities—it is about becoming whole. Through grief, caregiving, illness, and transformation, she discovered her voice, her gifts, and a path rooted in service and love.
If you feel called to healing work—or are seeking healing for yourself—SWIHA’s Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program offers a supportive, heart-centered foundation. Explore SWIHA’s programs and discover how education can become a catalyst for profound personal and professional transformation.
