The Way of the Natural Therapist

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THE WAY OF

THE NATURAL THERAPIST



THE WAY OF THE

NATURAL THERAPIST

Inspirational personal stories

to guide modern-day healers

LEISA MILLAR

JAMES KETUB GOLDING



Published in Australia in 2010

By Leisa Millar and James Ketub Golding

Newmarket QLD 4051

www.thewayothenaturaltherapist.com

Copyright © 2010 Leisa Millar and James Ketub Golding

All rights reserved. No part o this publication may be reproduced, stored

in a retrieval system or transmitted in any orm by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior

written permission o the publishers and copyright holders.

Leisa Millar, 1971-

James Ketub Golding, 1978-

The Way o the Natural Therapist:

Inspirational personal stories to guide modern-day healers

ISBN 978-0-646-53443-5

Alternative health and medicine

Disclaimer: All the inormation, techniques, skills and concepts contained

within this publication are o the nature o general comment only, and

are not in any way recommended as individual advice. The content isnot intended to be a substitute or consultation with health care or other

proessionals. I expert assistance is needed, the services o a competent

proessional should be sought. The contributors (and their companies),

authors, editors and publishers shall not be liable or any loss, injury or

damage allegedly arising rom any inormation or suggestion in this book.

1st Edition

Cover design by Benjamin Portas

Edited and typeset by Women’s Publishing Network

Printed by Grin Press



Ten percent o the proceeds rom the sale o this book

are donated to The Gawler Foundation—

a not-or-proft organisation

promoting an integrative medicine approach

to health, healing and wellness.



vii

CONTENTS

FOREWORD xi

The Gawler Foundation

INTRODUCTION 1

Leap o Faith

Leisa Millar and James Ketub Golding

1 The Circle Meets the Square 11

Greg Williams

2 Tree Time 19

Chandrika Gibson

3 Walking a Path with Heart 25

Christos Dorje Walker

4 Letting the Path Choose You 35

Eileen Jeboult

5 The Art o Living 41

Jost Sauer



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THE WAY OF THE NATURAL THERAPIST

6 Service to One, Service to All 47

Eileen Hall

7 Less Is More and More Is Less 53

Allan Mourad

8 Contribute Fully to Lie 63

Rosemary Arnott

9 Fortitude o Spirit 69

Guy Bennett

10 Serving rom a Selfess Heart 73

Dawn Charlton

11 Repeated to Innity 77

Chris Neill

12 Following the Call o My Heart 81

Siegried Gutbrod

13 Healer, Heal Thysel 87

Jacqueline Gardam

14 Living or the Love o It 91

Rob Stevenson

15 Jumping in the Deep End 99

Anthony Gray

16 A Jigsaw Puzzle with No Edges 105

Sandy Braiuka

17 In Humility We Serve 111

Paul Movsessian



ix

CONTENTS

18 Living in Balance 117

Falu Eyre

19 Being You Is Enough 123

Brett Franke

20 Practice Follows Passion 125

Barbara Brewster

21 Healing in Every Moment 133

Elohisa

22 Opening Up 141

Lorna Patten

Author Inormation 151

About the Editors 155



xi

FOREWORD

“Know thysel ”— like many natural therapies, these words have

withstood the test o time, across cultures and alongside the ad-

vances o modern man in a range o elds. For a therapist, the

words “know thysel ” are a mantra or authentic inner growth

and eective therapeutic practice. Today, with the increasingdemands o modern lie, natural therapies are an important

part o any individual’s health plan.

Leisa Millar and James Ketub Golding have assembled a

range o therapists rom dierent modalities to talk about their

own practices. They provide the reader with insight into who

the therapists are and why they work the way they do. But

more than that, they have created an all important sense o

community, inviting the reader into the personal stories o ex-perienced practitioners thereby providing links between the

similar yet dierent ways that people work.

What makes a “good” healer or therapist? This is a question

worth considering and this book allows us to catch a glimpse

o the “calling” experienced by some o the best. We witness

how, beyond the calling, deep authentic growth is an essen-

tial part o continued “good” therapeutic practice. I see this in

the people in our therapeutic team at The Gawler Foundation.



xii


They renew themselves again and again in their work, they are

the living embodiment o what they teach, and they take timeto retreat regularly. They are therapists because their deepest

instincts have called them to the work and there is a substance

in them that stems rom their lie experience and the challenges

they have risen to. In all o this, deep inner growth is the grist

o a therapist’s lie.

The Gawler Foundation is also a living example o what

it means to work with a sense o community. Natural thera-

pies are a pillar o our work, taking an integrated approach

to health, healing and wellbeing. Many o our therapists have

several therapeutic specialties, crossing modalities and in-

tegrating them into unique oers that benet clients in the

everyday encounter. Our programs are undamentally based

on a careully considered mix o natural and traditional thera-

pies: meditation, nutrition and counselling are supported by

massage, qi gong, yoga and other client specic modalitiesoered in response to individual healing needs.

Leisa and Ketub are generously donating proceeds rom this

book to The Gawler Foundation. They do this in recognition

o the way therapists can work together to provide a com-

prehensive and holistic approach to individual and collective

wellbeing—this also is the way o The Gawler Foundation. By

oering this support, they are acknowledging our credibility in

integrated health care, the value o multimodal therapy and thevery real need or unded research into natural health care—re-

search that is independent and without the infuence o phar-

maceutical designs. We acknowledge The Way o the Natural

Therapist as a book that is o its time and a special resource or

therapists in their pursuit o excellence.

Uniquely placed, this book is one o the rst to explore

the value o deep authentic growth, positioning this growth

alongside technical knowledge and experience as the key to



xiii

FOREWORD

therapeutic brilliance. This is as true or therapists as it is true

or the individual. Knowing another’s story is a wonderul wayto “know thysel ”.

Karin Knoester CEO, The Gawler Foundation

August 2010



THE WAY OF

THE NATURAL THERAPIST



A good traveller has no xed plans,

and is not intent on arriving.

Lao Tzu



1

INTRODUCTION

LEAP OF FAITH

Leisa Millar and James Ketub Golding

Everyone is on a journey, making their way through lie. For

some, the way is vague and obscure. For others, the way isclearly paved in stone. Regardless o your outer journey, at

certain times you may nd yoursel asking questions o deep

enquiry into the nature o lie. With this enquiry comes new

understanding and inner transormation. Your external world

becomes somewhat dierent and a little easier to traverse. But

what do you do with this newound wisdom and insight? One

choice is to share it with others. This is oten the path o the

natural therapist—to seek understanding and insight, to grow

as a human being and to be o service to others.

This book is about that quest, told through the personal

stories o experienced natural therapists.

Personal stories can be powerul—they can inspire you,

make you laugh, make you cry, give you hope, and help you

learn many splendid things. They blend knowledge with emo-

tion, connecting you and the storyteller through a similar hu-man experience.



2


We rst discovered the power o personal stories when we

began sharing our personal experiences in our natural therapywork. People related to our respective stories o anxiety, stress,

panic attacks, depression and shyness. They were curious to

know what we did to help ourselves at the time and how we

ended up being natural therapists helping others now. In our

case, we ell onto the path o natural therapy through illness

and synchronicity. However, it is not like this or everyone.

Others may have purposely sought out the path to be a natu-

ral therapist with intent or inner guidance. Everyone’s story is

dierent.

We became curious about this diversity and why some

natural therapists maintained longevity as practitioners. Given

our own challenges as natural therapists, we wanted to know

whether we were heading in the right direction. We began

questioning the natural therapists we knew and sought guid-

ance in their personal stories. The insight and wisdom wereceived in return was invaluable. We never expected it to

become the inspiration or this book.

Having just started out as natural therapists, we needed to

read a book like this one, not write it. Our exploration as

natural therapists was youthul. We had been straddling two

worlds or a ew years, hanging on to proessional careers whilst

pursuing respective natural therapy practices. (Leisa worked

as a social policy advisor in the government and acilitatedreiki courses and private sessions on weekends and ater work.

Ketub completed mind-body medicine studies and launched

himsel as a holistic counsellor whilst working part-time as a

computer programmer).

Six months beore the conception o this book, we both

took a major leap o aith and quit our ull-time careers. These

careers had provided us with signicant nancial security.

However, we both knew within our hearts that we wanted to



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Empathy and compassion or all people grew deeper within us.

As a result, we saw that each interaction with a human being wasone where the values o a therapist could be engaged. We could

be loving, understanding, authentic, compassionate and empath-

ic with all people we came across—not just within the boundar-

ies o a one-hour session, not just because someone pays or our

time, and not just because someone labels us a “therapist”.

Through letting go o our expectation o what it meant

to be a therapist, we ound acceptance o our circumstances.

Our individual sel-practices including meditation, reiki, qi

gong, and yoga became the oundation or awareness and in-

ner growth. Without major eort, our external environment

shited in response to our internal transormation. Lie became

more fuent and opportunities started to fow. This book is one

o the ortuitous opportunities. A riend, who had bought a

resource kit on how to sel-publish a book, asked us to help

her review it as she was too busy. By the time we had nishedreviewing the kit, the idea or this book had emerged. We ap-

preciated what a book like this could oer others in similar

situations, given our initial struggles as natural therapists.

A major infuence in shaping this book comes rom the

writings o Eckhart Tolle, in particular his teachings on success.

He emphasises that you cannot become successul, you can only

be successul. Success is a moment to moment experience. It

is not about controlling the outcomes o what happens in theuture; it is being ully aware in what you do each moment.

Success is in this awareness and your state o being. For this

reason, this book ocuses on inner growth and transormation

as the oundation or building a natural therapy practice as op-

posed to clever marketing tips and strategies. Although these

external elements can be relevant, the experiences o well-

established therapists reveal that advertising and marketing are

secondary and oer limited long-term value. Having a primary



5

INTRODUCTION

ocus on continuing to grow rom within is o utmost import-

ance, otherwise the stress and pressure rom constantly creatingnew marketing strategies become wearing.

In this book, over 20 experienced therapists and spiritual

teachers open their hearts to share their wisdom and principles

o longevity. With more than 250 years o collective wisdom,

the contributing authors tell courageous tales o their inner

journeys and subsequent outer experiences. One o these in-

valuable contributors is Dorje whose support and contacts gave

us a string o reerrals. One by one we approached therapists

and the book slowly began to take shape.

Some contributors we knew personally, such as Greg Wil-

liams and Sandy Braiuka. Others, like Dawn Charlton and

Guy Bennett, we had met as therapists through private sessions.

Another contributor is Rob Stevenson, who has an incredible

git as a satsang enchanter. On many evenings we have joined

his music meditation sessions to sing loving mantras.We discovered Barbara Brewster and Falu Eyre through

the Being Woman Retreat. Barbara’s heartened enthusiasm or

lie and her Power o Play workshop came at the perect time.

Falu’s openness and passion matches that o Lorna Patten and

Eileen Hall. In their stories, all our women share rom the

heart their experiences o serious illness and how it trans-

ormed their awareness as human beings and therapists.

We approached Jost Sauer and Chandrika Gibson ater read-ing their numerous articles in national magazines. We resonated

with their git or blending personal experiences with prac-

tical therapeutic advice. Jacqueline Gardam, Anthony Gray and

Rosemary Arnott ound their way into the book through our

research. The remainder o the book came together through

word-o-mouth reerrals to include Paul Movsessian, Eileen

Jeboult, Allan Mourad, Brett Franke, Elohisa, Chris Neill, and

Siegried Gutbrod.



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INTRODUCTION

developing therapists. It provides a unique style o mentoring

to help therapists overcome the many challenges they ace. Inpart, these challenges arise rom working in a healthcare sys-

tem where people want outcomes to be achieved quickly and

with minimal personal eort. The mainstream mentality tends

to want quick xes o symptoms so people can return to their

stressul, toxic and busy lie. In comparison, the primary philos-

ophy o natural therapy is to treat the cause not the symptom,

encouraging ongoing sel-responsibility and sel-care. There-

ore, it is important or natural therapists to be living examples

and “walk the walk” in their own lie, not just “talk the talk”. In

this way, their role is vital in reshaping the modern-day world

o healing so it is in sync with the surrounding natural world.

From their experiences o working in this manner, the con-

tributing natural therapists convey insightul messages about

how to blend knowledge and practical experience. Their sto-

ries reveal that the key to health, happiness and longevity as anatural therapist is “to practise what you preach”. This is clearly

the underpinning principle, as many contributors highlight the

necessity o regular sel-care and sel-practice.

The book unearths important lessons aligned with this

principle to help you in your practice. It reveals that as a thera-

pist, your healing is equally as important as the client’s healing.

The people, clients, students and everyone you attract, help you

as much as you help them. You are not expected to be perectin the therapeutic relationship. Your clients are responsible or

their own healing; your role is to acilitate the client’s healing

response through your honesty, actions and doing the best you

can. Having a consistent and structured sel-practice helps you

to cultivate a balanced inner state when you experience chal-

lenges in your outer world.

Further wisdom is shared as the stories unold. Many reit-

erate their need to cultivate and nurture a driving passion or



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their work. For yoga teacher Eileen Hall, her passion or yoga

is so strong that teaching does not seem like work. Her therapyis an extension o how she lives her lie.

The majority o therapists acknowledge that learning is a

lielong journey. Paul Movsessian explains in his story that he

sustains a Zen beginner’s mind so he is always ready to expand

the limits o his understanding. Similarly, Chandrika Gibson

sees hersel always as a novice or a perpetual student o lie.

This approach is essential in the modern world where it may

not take long or a therapist to graduate with one or many

qualications. By contrast, traditionally in the East a student

took many years i not decades o training with a “master” be-

ore they could practise. For this reason, international work

experience and study seems common amongst the contribut-

ing therapists. One example is homeopath Anthony Gray. Ater

completing his studies, he immersed himsel in intensive ho-

meopathic clinics in India—an opportunity which enrichedhis belie in homeopathy as a healing modality. Whilst this is

one approach to expand understanding, it may not be the way

or you. The personal stories in this book present many dier-

ent ways.

In the rst story, acupuncturist Greg Williams gives his in-

sights about “the way”. He introduces the idea that being in

fow with the way brings you everything you need. This fow

may reveal itsel as many orms in your external world. It maynot be what you originally expected, yet in each moment o

lie it is exactly what you need. This is the way o the natural

therapist.

The remaining stories are organised as though they are a

bud blooming, culminating with Lorna Patten’s transorma-

tional story about opening up. Like a novel, the stories are

meant to be read in order. But i you wish to do otherwise, the

essence and narrative fow o each story remains.



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INTRODUCTION

This book is lled with openness, honesty and love through

the personal stories shared within its pages. Please use the spacebetween the stories to contemplate the insights and quotes,

make notes, and let awareness fourish within.

For us, the stories in this book have helped us beyond our

wildest expectations. We hope they help you too. Enjoy the

journey.

The Way of the Natural Therapist

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