My early beginnings on a small farm in western NY was where I was instilled with nature, hard work, homegrown food on the table every day and a grandmother that had so many natural ways of healing that I was innately drawn to her wisdom.  All of this is where I got my start that would lead me to my current path.  It seems that I had the basis for holistic health, but, as life would have it, events, circumstances, courage (or lack of) and friends/family or my own free will of choices would push me in another direction.  It was all part of the life learning process and helped me get here to a career I enjoy doing.

 

     When asked how I got into reflexology, I must admit it was almost 20 years ago I experienced the practice first hand.  In the mid-90’s my dad was diagnosed with brain cancer.  It was a long, but short 6 months from diagnosis to end of his life.   Along with the conventional chemotherapy we tried alternative treatments and one of them was reflexology.  A neighbor of ours growing up was a certified reflexologist and so kindly offered to work with my dad.   Following a session, we would notice how the color in his face would come back and the hollow look in his eyes that seemed to have come with the cancer would fade for a time after his session.  He would also say how good it made him feel as he found relaxation, peace and comfort.  That was my first exposure to reflexology.  

 

     Several years later in 2000 when my son was born, delivery brought about complications and one of the results was the loss of his gag reflex.  While he was in the NICU at the hospital, I immediately found a reflexologist about an hour away from Charlotte and met with her to learn what I could to help my son.  As I sat daily in the NICU I would hold him and work his precious little feet.  I felt as though I was doing something with purpose when all else made me feel so helpless under the circumstances.  He would fall fast asleep and be so peaceful in my arms.  Doing this regularly after 5 months his gag reflex returned!  I have no way of knowing if it was the sole reason for the return or a compilation of other therapies—either way, it came back and set the tone for all these years my son asking for his feet to be treated when he wasn’t feeling well or intuitively knew he needed support in this manner.

 

      Though I had taken a few courses in reflexology since 2000 to better help my family and friends regularly, I completed my coursework in 2014 to become a certified reflexologist following these events to allow me to share the gift of what reflexology can do for a body.  My coursework was with Tacy Apostolik, Board certified (ARCB) reflexologist having trained at the Omega Institute, NY as well as in TCM, Neuro Foot Reflexology and international certification in aromatherapy.  Her school located outside of Asheville, NC, Healing Scents is where I enrolled in her 200 hour “East Meets West” program.  Her teaching includes the work of Paula Stone of the Stone Institute and Lilian Tibshraeny-Morten among others.  In addition I took courses through the International Institute of Reflexology of which the late Eunice Ingham originated and was a world renowned pioneer in Reflexology.   The learning never stops as I continue taking courses, and benefit from my clients, they are some of my best teachers.

 

Lynn completed her boards and is an ARCB Certified Reflexologist and a member of the NC Reflexology Association.  

Certification number:  BO1644

 

Links:

 

Tacy Apostolik, Board Certified (ARCB) Reflexologist

http://www.reflexologyscents.com/home/

 

The Stone Institute:  http://www.thestoneinstitute.org/