Red Out and About: with Healer, Herbalist and Teacher Laura Shaw

I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. Full Disclosure

I’m starting a Red Out & About Series, where I go to my favorite local, healthy businesses and showcase them.

I had to start with one of my very favorite people and someone that I have personally been going to for about 4 years. This woman has helped me change my life more than anyone else, ever.  I can’t even begin to tell you all the ways, but I want to tell you about her and try to explain the magic that she does.

Let me introduce you to Laura Shaw (click here for her website).

First, a Q & A with Laura then you can follow along for a visit.

You’re a Healer, Herbalist, and Teacher.  How did you start?

I started out as a personal trainer.  I saw that people were always sabotaging themselves and not getting the results they should be.  If it truly was just eating less and exercising more, we’d all have this figured out by now.  I had a session of Reiki which is a form of energy healing and immediately knew there was something to energy medicine that I wanted to explore more.

What is your training?

I am a Master and Teacher of Unlimited Body and Unlimited Breath and a certified Western Herbalist. I have studied Ho’oponopono (Huna shamanism), Kabballah, Jungian Psychology, cross-cultural birthing practices, and am an Advanced Practitioner of Flower Essences. I also have a Master’s degree in Human Development from St. Mary’s University.

I have been in private practice for 20 years and teach both locally and nationally, most recently on public television as part of the Mind-Body Lecture Series; at the Minnesota Holistic Health & Herbal Education Festival; and The Minnesota Waldorf Holistic Health & Wellness Conference.  

In search of the keys to healing, I traveled to Hawaii, Nepal, slept in a cave in Tibet, breathed for 45 minutes in 0 degrees Celsius water, and walked on fire seven times without being burned.

Tell us about your services

I do one-on-one healing sessions using integrative, holistic approaches.  The initial consultation is a comprehensive look at your unique individual health patterns and is recommended for new clients. During this session, we will review your health questions and concerns, personal health and wellness goals, and do a thorough review of your body systems, diet, medications, and review any supplements you are currently taking.

We will also explore any mental, emotional, and spiritual concerns related to your wellness goals.  At the end of your session, Laura will offer her thoughts and insights into the overall physiological and energetic patterns that are at play and will offer a recommendation of herbal remedies, foods, and supplements that will nudge the body and spirit back to a state of optimal harmony. Upon request, Laura will custom formulate an herbal blend to address your specific needs. 

Unlimited Breath: 

This ancient Tibetan, tantric breathing technique is based on the body’s natural ability and inclination to heal itself. Through breath, you can change old, negative thought patterns at a deep, subconscious and cellular level to create the life you want.

This method is excellent for those ready to change their lives or those who find themselves in the midst of transition.

A breath session functions as a highly efficient cleansing therapy, as 70 percent of toxins are released through the breath. Sessions are only offered as a package of ten for this modality.

Unlimited Body:

Based on the premise that ailments are messages, issues are brought out to deal with, allowing the body’s natural inclination to heal itself. A gentle, hands-on healing art, this approach enables you to heal through the release of stored memories of physical and emotional trauma.

For example, a person with lower back pains may feel a lack of support in some area of life, or a person with liver problems may carry unresolved anger.

Once the subconscious causes of illness are identified, Laura follows up with herbs or a customized blend of flower essences. The methods used offer successful healing, whether you’re searching for relief from pain, disease or anxiety, clarity in a relationship or career path or just want to have a better life.

What are some issues that people come to you for?

People come to me with all kinds of things: anxiety and depression, digestive issues, more restful sleep, calmed mental state, headaches, perimenopausal symptoms, IBS, PCOS, fertility, financial struggle, realization of dreams, eating disorders, weight issues, intimacy issues, back pain, bursitis, tennis elbow, TMJ, allergies, addiction, asthma, grieving, foot pain, increased creativity, existential crises and more.

Tell me a success story of one of your clients:

By the time a lot of my clients find me, they’ve already exhausted traditional approaches. Maybe I should call my business, After Mayo, although then people might expect that I make sandwiches or something.

One dramatic story is of a client who, when she got off my table, her pants were so loose (they hadn’t been before the session), that she had to tighten her belt so they wouldn’t fall down. She “lost” weight after an emotional session regarding unresolved issues with her mother.

I’ve seen a lot of stuff “disappear” that’s not “supposed” to disappear – cavities, suspicious skin growths, bad jobs or relationships, and one client even had a spot on her lung disappear.

Another client who came in with shoulder pain and a surgery recommendation and walked out pain-free after releasing some sadness and anger around his father’s death.

My favorite is a session where the client was feeling stuck and unsatisfied in her job and longing for a way to express her creativity. We worked on her lower back and hips, areas that often correlate with holding back, support, and creativity. She was pain-free and energized afterward and then met someone as she left my building who ended up offering her the dream job she had described in her session.

It’s powerful stuff and it works. That’s why I do it. 

And Finally, what’s in your purse?

Yarrow and plantain salves for any cut, bruise, or skin irritation.  Rescue Remedy spray and hard candies for a natural, stress-relief remedy. Arnica pellets which is a homeopathic remedy for any injury that results from shock. I use 30c potency. Lately I’ve been carrying ColdCalm which is another homeopathic remedy for colds. I carry it because I’ve found that the sooner you start taking it, the more effective it is. And also a ginger chew or two for any digestion or tummy troubles. I’m a mom.  I’m prepared.

 My Personal Experience

When I first came to Laura, I was struggling with some anxiety, insomnia, and a few other physical issues.  These were just the symptoms and it took persistence and courage to get to the root cause, then to face it, and then heal it. 

I did a series of breathwork appointments when I first started seeing her.  I had a really old bookmark that it was finally time to face.  When I was 23 my boyfriend died suddenly, very unexpectedly, on Easter day.  I had shoved that hurt down so far.  It wasn’t until I couldn’t take the symptoms anymore (insomnia, anxiety…) that I did something about it.  It wasn’t easy or immediate, but the anxiety is gone.  I never thought I’d see the day.  

I’ve also done many appointments where I just need herbs to help me through a difficult situation or transition.  Things in my life have shifted so much, miraculous things that are still unbelievable to me today.  

What I love about energy medicine is that it is like traditional counseling or therapy on steroids.  One time, during one of our body work sessions, I had tears streaming down my face, though I didn’t know why.  I was completely relaxed, they were just coming.  When I asked Laura about it, she said: “that’s just old ‘bookmarks’ being let go, don’t worry about what it was, just let it go.”  Wow.  

We have healed more in these past 4 years than I could have in a lifetime of counseling.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a huge proponent of counseling.  It is a great tool in certain situations and one that I use/have used.

Laura talks a lot about bookmarks.  Bookmarks are formed when trauma gets stored in the body, waiting to be healed. Bookmarks can look like an injury, extra weight, sickness, grieving, or even being stuck in a job. Eventually, it comes up to be healed.  Instead of shutting it down or masking it, it needs to be engaged and completed.

Here’s what Laura says about bookmarks:

“My belief is that the root cause of physical problems is the behavior of rejecting, suppressing or basically not completing an experience. Usually, the emotions that we didn’t want to feel are what is stuck. Each person’s story is unique. The body then stored this rejected experience and created a “bookmark” in the form of disease. 

This bookmarked place in the body loses life, animation, movement and becomes dense, the opposite of light, vibration, and flowing. Like a dam in a river, the vital force then builds up around the rejected area resulting in symptoms. 

When you start healing, you have to go back to the bookmarked places in life and complete the experience. For example, I had a client with shoulder pain that was so persistent and severe, surgery was recommended. We did some hands-on healing with him, unwinding his arm and listening to the body’s stories, eventually, he started crying and realized that he hadn’t fully grieved the loss of his father.” 

Follow along on a visit

I recently brought my son to Laura.  He is normally a very healthy kid.  He has been getting sick on and off since November and his color didn’t look right. As a mother, you can just tell when your kid isn’t themselves.  I brought him to her to help him kick this latest sickness, but also to help strengthen his immune system so that he wouldn’t keep getting sick.

She started by asking him questions.  Everything from, “Do you have any recurring dreams?” to “Tell me about your poop” which got a lot of giggles.

After that, she tested herbs with him.  She placed a few drops of a well-indicated herb on his wrist and then used pulse diagnosis to “hear” what was going on inside his body. His body told her whether or not the herb was a good fit. She explained that she is feeling more than just the beat, such as subtle qualities like depth, tension, shape, and strength. “The pulse is like a river. There is a lot going on and it’s all good information.”

Different parts of the pulse correspond with different organ systems in the body, so she uses the pulse and tongue diagnosis as her primary methods for understanding why the body is not in balance. “Pulse diagnosis is ancient and can be amazingly specific. There are documented cases of pulse diagnosis being more specific than an MRI. It’s more common in Eastern Medicine, but Western Folk Medicine uses it too. In China, many of the best practitioners were lost during the Cultural Revolution, but it is slowly coming back and extremely valuable. I was lucky to find a good teacher, there aren’t many around.”

After testing herbs to see what his body needed, she next tested Flower Essences.  Flower Essences are a “vibrational” medicine. They work on the emotional, psychological and spiritual issues that are always playing into whatever problem a client is presenting.

Since my son had been repeating the same pattern with sickness, Laura thought it would be helpful to also address any developmental or spiritual issues that might be underlying his malaise. “Especially with kids, they are growing and changing so fast that it can be bewildering and difficult to integrate. Very often they can get ‘stuck’ and then it can manifest as stomach aches, sleep issues, recurring illnesses or even allergies.”

Since flower essences are vibrational medicine, they are safe and gentle, yet effective. “I love using flower essences for kids and the kids really get into it too. They can often ‘feel’– a tingling or warmth in their hand – of the remedy that will help them the most. Plus, it’s super safe because the body just ignores any vibration that isn’t a match.”

Flower essences, herbs, and homeopathy all work in the same way, by reminding the body how to solve the problem itself. “Our bodies are always striving toward health, but sometimes they just need a little reminder.”

This was all he needed on that day.  After mixing the flower essences and giving me small bottles of the herbs (that she harvests herself) I was given exact instructions how to use them and we were on our way.  

He was back to his normal silly self the very next day.  It doesn’t always work this fast.  Sometimes healing can look like a crisis.  Sometimes things get a little worse before they get better, which is part of the healing process.  Remember, we aren’t just treating symptoms here.  We are getting at the root cause of what’s showing up in our bodies.  This is true healing.

Laura has generously agreed to give my followers a discount, yay!!!  (And for those of you not local, she does phone and Skype consults too).

Just mention the code REBECCA50 to get $50 off your initial consult plus a FREE flower essence blend.

 

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