Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist

You Have A Resource!

As a Licensed Massage Therapist, I have wonderful, beyond average clientele but they are sometimes puzzled by the balance of my work as a Wholistic Healing Facilitator. Some people understand a bit of my work, especially if we have worked together but other times, I can tell by the look on the face and the questions asked that people may be at a loss. Let’s face it, I am an uncommon resource, that may be useful for you, so please let me share.

A Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist, who exactly is that? Let me try to define for you; a Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist works, with clients, one on one, to help them gain the knowledge they need to accomplish their health goals. We are healing educators (which is why I refer to myself as a Teacher of Good Things), primarily of plant medicine and all the vastness our Creator has provided within the world of herbs and oils for our well-being. Our efforts to educate will often include other modes of health and healing as they are applicable, for example nutrition, stress management and lifestyle choices, frequency/energy balancing and of course, for me, hands on bodywork! As a Believer, the goal of my work is to see people gain the wisdom, knowledge and ability to live lives of abundant health and wellbeing, as our LORD desires.

A Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist will have an advanced education and skill level to offer their clients. This can take much time and expense and usually includes various venues of learning. Studying under an established and accomplished herbalist or aromatherapist, watching, listening, practicing, and perfecting. Partaking in course work within a more formal setting, including in person classroom and distance learning, labs, practicums, etc. A Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist is never finished learning and will always be advancing themselves, taking opportunity of every possible learning avenue that presents itself (in my case, over thirty years of learning). This assures you, as you work with them, that you are tapping into the deepest pool of accurate information while avoiding fads and dangerous, casual health information and practices.

A Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist is not a medical practitioner. In other words, we do not practice medicine, being defined as the allopathic model in that we never diagnose, treat patients or prescribe drugs. Many of us have established relationships with practitioners of allopathic medicine and work together with them for the benefit of our clients. We are primarily focused on homeostasis (the correct balance of body, mind and heart). Our aim is to provide you with the tools and knowledge you may need to allow healing to happen. Given these things, we humans are amazingly designed to re-balance and go forward in total wellness.

A Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist will be very complete and detailed in their work, you will spend many hours working with us, one on one, as we gain an understanding of your exact needs and guide you along your path. This usually begins with a very detailed intake form where you will give as complete picture of yourself as possible, to include your physical history as well as your family’s, your present health condition, to the best of your knowledge, to include any information you have been provided by the medical community that you have worked with. You will be asked to answer questions that may seem to have nothing to do with your health needs but provide your Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist details that will prove very helpful such as, ‘do you prefer cold or hot drinks?’, just for an example. You will often be asked to keep a complete health diary for a period of time, usually one to two weeks. This might include your exact diet, sleeping patterns, social interactions, fluid intake, herbs, medications and any other supplements that you are using. We are trying to get a picture of your exact constitution. Are you hot or cold, damp or dry, is your tissues stagnant or constricted, excited or lacking, are you in sympathetic or parasympathetic mode and so much more.

While the amount of effort asked of the client may seem steep, it is a big key to the success you will have while working with your Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist. This is where our work often takes a departure from other forms of health care, we are not in a hurry and we will not be seeing 35 other folks in the same day. Natural Healthcare is a science as well as an art and every single client is a unique individual with a very specific and unique picture, even small differences from one another can make a big difference in the course of action necessary. Natural health is not a one size fits all. While one herb or essential oil may have a hundred or more applications, each person needs their own perfectly fitted care to achieve homeostasis.

Your Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist is a professional, your partner and confidant on this journey. We will sit with you and listen for as long as it takes to understand what your needs are. We will take all of this information back to our desks and spend multiple hours learning from what you have shared. Once we have a grasp of your situation, we will begin to apply our knowledge of herbal medicine and essential oils to your unique needs. Something to note here; working in person is always ideal but with all the options for distance meetings, via technology, you can work with a Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist anywhere!

This is where the real benefit of a Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist comes into play, you see, with all the minute details about yourself, there are equally as many about the herbs and oils that might fit your picture. A skilled practitioner will be able to discern which ones fit you best. In addition, there may be specific ways to apply those herbs and oils into your life which will maximize their benefit to you. Some will be compatible with drugs you may already be taking but others may present a real danger. These are details you need to know! There is just a vast number of considerations to be looked at and your skilled Herbalist/Aromatherapist will know just how to do that. Very, very rarely will a ‘one herb, oil or formula for everyone’ answer be where we land.

At this point a detailed, protocol will be presented to you. Your Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist will go over it in great detail making sure you understand everything shared. Because building back health is a lengthy and consecutive process, there could be many additional meetings required. Most often a complete protocol is not embarked on right from the beginning but rather steps that build on all previous work, should be taken, which is more successful. Evaluation and adjustments can be made as needed, again considering all the uniqueness of your situation.

I hope I have been able to present a good picture of what it looks like to work with a Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist. I find my work in this capacity to be deeply satisfying because I can see the blessings of the Lord for both myself and my clients as I work to bring back health and vitality to my clients. As a Clinical Herbalist/Aromatherapist, my life’s work is to bring that full picture to all my clients.

If you are ready to embark on true, deep healing and wellness, let's talk and see if my work will be a good fit for you. Appointments can be made by phone or text at 308-249-1364 or by e-mail at Karri@gracefullhealingarts.com