FAQ's - Healing From the Core

What is “Healing From the Core”?

HFC is a curriculum that teaches a mind-body-spirit approach that strengthens one’s presence, in business, the therapy room or in life.

In this course you learn a specific skill set for:

• Fine tuning your subtle energy palpation skills
• Maximizing treatment outcomes
• Healthy boundary formation
• Recognizing the warning signs of depletion
• Developing a strong therapeutic presence
• Assessing and preventing burnout

How is the Healing From the Core curriculum described?

“The body is an incredible navigational system. In this curriculum you’ll learn how to slow down time and deepen your connection with your body, your internal landscape so you can perceive the subtle-energy cues that are continually being transmitted to you. You will learn skills that reconnect you to innate energy resources that are rejuvenating and enable you to hold a strong therapeutic presence - creating what you want in your life with more ease.

You’ll discover how to discern when you’re becoming depleted, and learn simple skills for how to replenish in the moment. This enables you to approach each client, each life situation with renewed energy and enthusiasm, and enjoy a long healthcare career as well as a rewarding life.

You’ll also learn the Five Principles of Joyful Living that give you clear guidelines for optimal functioning in your world – how to make the most of every situation you encounter, be it professional or personal regardless of your modality or lifestyle.”

What is the best way to get started in this curriculum as I wait to take my first course?

The first step to getting started in this curriculum is to order the HFC audio series and listen to at least the first three sessions. This is a prerequisite for the HFC:Grounding and Healthy Boundaries course and will give you a solid foundation to enter this curriculum. (See the audio series questions below in order to know which set is ideal for you.)

Is there a way for me to get this material if I cannot take a course?

The Healing From the Core: A Journey Home to Ourselves audio series is also a valuable way to learn the material if you live too far or have restricted access to a course. The audio series is made up of explorations, actual experiential work to teach you the skills of grounding, therapeutic presence and healthy boundaries. To learn more out the audio series, please see our products under the Shop navigation button.

Why take a course if I have the audio series?

The class offers you four days to soak up everything you need to know to be grounded, energetically full and relaxed. In a classroom setting much of the information is conveyed by the atmosphere in the room (one of open-hearted listening and sharing in the group), the instructor’s answers to any questions you may have, and your personal experience of the explorations with guidance from the instructor if you want it. Group exercises are an integral part of the class as well, which cannot be replicated alone.

What are the Key Definitions in Healing From the Core?

Grounding: is the skill of being able connect through your feeling senses, to the ground under you, or the chair you are sitting on, or to any other energy resource. In HFC we focus on grounding into, or connecting with unconditional, healthy resources.

Healthy Boundary: is the awareness of knowing where you stop and the rest of the world begins, and when it is a healthy boundary you have the power to say “yes” or “no” to those who want to cross your boundaries. We generally think of our bodies and especially our skin as our physical boundary, not to be crossed by anyone without our permission. A healthy emotional boundary does not accept words or energy directed our way that is not healing or appropriate. A healthy boundary allows nurturing resources in, and filters out what is life-taking or draining.

Therapeutic Presence: is the capacity to hold a healing space for another person or living being, by your calm, centered quality of being. Although this presence is independent of what you may know how to do therapeutically, it greatly augments whatever technical skills you may already have. It is a quality of being, that is healing, steady and safe for those in contact with you.

Can I get CEUs for Healing From the Core courses?

CEUs are available for certain health care professionals depending on their state licensure. We are a NCBTMB Category "A" Provider which satisfies the 2 or more hours of the ethics requirement for Massage therapists.

HFC Overview (one day) courses offer 6 contact hours towards CEUs.
HFC: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries courses offer 24 contact hours.
HFC: Advanced level trainings offer 35 contact hours.

How long has this curriculum been offered and who can benefit from it?

Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries is a course that has been offered since 1995 nationally and internationally attended by a cross section of practitioners and the lay public. These healthcare practitioners include physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychotherapists, chiropractors, movement therapists, and massage therapists as well as life coaches.

We have received course evaluations from thousands of practitioners who have rated us as one of the most valuable courses in their continuing education higher learning experiences. Feedback from many of these clinicians expressed their desire that this material have been included in their basic educational curriculum, as the skills they learned in this course have been so valuable to all aspects of their clinical practice.

Many classes also include members of the lay public. These participants also rate this course high in the life skills needed to care for special needs children, aging parents or other challenging life circumstances. See below for how this curriculum has been valuable for differing populations of participants.

What is the specific value for Physical therapists and Occupational therapists?

This curriculum provides practical, clear, established skills to develop therapeutic presence. Developing therapeutic presence is an integral skill to maximize treatment outcomes for the patient. It is a skill that rarely has time to be discussed or practiced in academic settings. As a P.T. or O.T. it is imperative that evaluation of the patient be thorough and complete. Patients that are entering clinics with various medical diagnoses’ range dramatically with long and short term needs. Maximizing therapeutic presence allows the practitioner to fully create the treatment program that is specialized to meet the needs of the client. It teaches the practical skill such that whatever modality is being used, the therapeutic outcome is amplified and attained with greater ease.

In addition this curriculum includes movement re-education for those with pain or neurological dysfunction, breath techniques for those with compromised systems, as well as those dealing with stress, by working with practical labs, lecture and demonstration. The benefit to the therapist from the course directly effects their client outcomes as well as the side benefit of learning how to reduce burn out and maintain energy for themselves.

How does this curriculum strengthen the skills of practitioners of CranioSacral, Lymph, Visceral or the Brain Curriculum?

1. Our students say that the therapeutic presence and grounding they learned in the HFC curriculum make it much easier to feel the subtle rhythms of the CST, lymph, visceral and brain systems. The neutrality of their presence allows their palpation skills to be amplified and refined. Their proprioception gets sharper. They can feel more.
2. Another skill taught is how to have healthy boundaries without losing the connection that is so integral to doing good hands-on work.
3. Therapists report that their clients relax more under their touch because the therapist’s presence non-verbally signals that they are a steady, reliable resource for their healing process.
4. People who practice the skills learned in the HFC courses and audio series regularly report that they often end their day with more energy than they did previously.

How does this curriculum help the parents, teachers and therapists of special needs children?

The presence you learn in this curriculum gives you the skills to create and hold an atmosphere of safety and steadiness that calms the sensory input system of the special needs child. Not just autistic, but LD, ADD/ADHD, OCD, neuromuscular disorders, sensory integration issues, feeding disorders or reflux issues – all of these children have difficulties regulating their own sensory systems (be it touch, light, smell, sounds, movement) and therefore, the calmness of the therapist and their ability to radiate a diffuse, safe steadying presence enables the children’s systems to calm down and self-regulate. Then they can engage more fully with the therapist or teacher, reciprocal interactions are then possible in a totally new way. Tantrums can be met and diffused rather than escalating into a power struggle and affecting everyone else in the room with them.

The skills learned in HFC enable you, the teacher, parent or therapist to take the lead and stay in control in a less exhausting and more effective way. You learn to master your own therapeutic presence which in turn creates an environment that communicates a feeling of safety and new possibilities for the child.

When parents are stressed and reacting to their child’s normal dysfunctional behavior, and you as the therapist or teacher can model this therapeutic use of yourself (therapeutic presence) the parents get to see a new way to be with their child that is less exhausting and embarrassing.

How can this curriculum be valuable to general caregivers, or those care-giving elderly parents?

As a caregiver, this curriculum teaches you how to be grounded and present in such a way that you will feel clearer about what you need to do to take the best care possible of yourself and your loved ones. You will feel more of the internal signals that help you replenish yourself before you burn out. In the audio series as well as the courses, many skills are taught for replenishment - short-term and long-term.

How can this curriculum be valuable to teachers?

This course gives you multiple skills for creating a powerful, integrated presence. HFC graduates who are teachers report that people notice how much stronger their presence is in front of the room in a healthy, yet quiet way. In turn, this presence means that your students will naturally want to listen more, to trust what you are saying, and learn more easily from you.

How can this curriculum be valuable if you are an athlete?

Professional athletes who are HFC graduates report that they have a clearer sense of their bodies, their capabilities and possibilities. Injury reduction is the natural outcome of being able to hear your body’s signals to slow down or stop before exhaustion is reached. You are also more able to maximize your potential as an athlete when you know how to stay full energetically while competing. The HFC audio series and curriculum teach multiple ways to fill up and stay full energetically.

How can this curriculum be valuable if you are in an emergency situation or emergency care?

The HFC curriculum and audio series teaches grounding and presence skills enable the practitioner to remain calm, steady and more able to navigate through whatever the circumstances require. It will help you keep a clearer head and a wider scope of vision so you can see all your possibilities. HFC graduates report coming through harrowing life circumstances feeling less traumatized, depleted and more able to regain their ground and their life.

How can this curriculum be valuable if you are at a crossroads in your life, confused about your direction?

The HFC curriculum, as well as the Release and Renewal audio set teach you specific skills for making important decisions; skills to help you discern deep into your heart and gut knowing – able to have a clearer more integrated conversation with all parts of yourself, which helps you to make wiser decisions.

How can this curriculum be valuable if you are simply trying to manage an overly busy, stressful life?

The grounding and presence taught in this curriculum assist you in standing firm in whatever is for your highest good, so that you in not being pulled in all directions. The skill of listening to your inner wisdom allows you to act on what you really need to do and what feel deeply inspired to do, and know clearly what things in your life you can let go of. Skills in grounding and presence can help you more frequently drop into the present moment to enjoy your life, rather than feeling like you are rushing through it and hoping you’ll get to enjoy it later.

I am in mental health care and I find it much easier to put out energy for others, and not so easy to take care of myself. How can this course help me?

This pattern is rampant in all the helping professions. We can easily find ourselves stuck in “giving” mode and locked out of “receiving” mode. So how do we implement the philosophical underpinnings about healthy self-care that we teach our clients? This curriculum teaches the exact skills needed to learn to hold a healing space for ourselves first, so that we can continue to hold a space for others and enjoy it. Skills like grounding, breathing in ways that are replenishing, moving in ways that are refilling, eating in nourishing ways, etc. The courses and audio series teach these.

I am an advanced bodyworker, and I want to get more out of my practice – to more consistently feel that deep connection that is possible. Can your curriculum help?

The truth is that facilitating another person’s healing process can become a source of deep nurturing for ourselves, as well as our clients, when we are fully connected and grounded. The HFC curriculum and audio series teaches the exact steps to learning full grounding, filling and connection with healthy boundaries. This then opens up many more possibilities for that wonderful resonance of deep connection and healing to occur on a consistent basis.

I have many years and advanced courses under my belt, yet I feel like something is still missing – does the HFC curriculum address this?

It is necessary to include yourself, the therapist, in the equation of the healing process which your clients are going through. The outcome of any given therapeutic situation is deeply influenced by the therapist’s ability to hold a strong healing presence. This curriculum directly addresses the unseen, unspoken connection between therapist and client which occurs in every therapeutic situation - the connection that can deepen or lessen the success of the session.

What is an Overview Healing From the Core course?

This course is a six hour overview of the curriculum with a study guide, which gives you a good foundational understanding of the work and practice with several of the key skills taught in the full four day course, such as grounding and filling, and how to use the Five Principles in your life and practice.

Does my taking this Overview course help me in any way with the Healing From the Core; Grounding and Healthy Boundaries course?

The tuition you paid for this course (up to a certain amount), can sometimes go towards the cost of the four day course, Healing From the Core; Grounding and Healthy Boundaries, which can be a significant savings. Also, the information in the Overview will prepare you better for the four day class, allowing you to refine and deepen your skills rather than hearing the information for the first time.

What is the core class in this curriculum?

The entry level class in this curriculum is the Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries.

What are the high points of this course?

Learn how to hold a strong therapeutic presence that maximizes treatment outcomes, prevents burnout and helps you enjoy your work more.

Discover how to assess your energy reservoir throughout the day to combat exhaustion.

Explore the Five Principles, and why they're vital to your practice, no matter which modality you work with.

Reconnect to natural energy habits to rejuvenate yourself and stay energetically full.

Find out how to establish and maintain healthy boundaries at work and at home.

Integrate internally inspired movement to heal the nervous system, improve concentration levels and replenish yourself.

Practice simple patterns of breathing that can calm the nervous system to reduce the chronic "fight or flight" response in you and your clients.

Take away step-by-step protocols for holding a strong therapeutic presence for yourself and others, using touch and without touching.

PLUS,
You'll take home a comprehensive study guide for future reference

What are the Healing From the Core Advanced level trainings and what are the prerequisites?

Once you have successfully completed Healing From the Core: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries, you are eligible to attend any of the following advanced level courses. These courses create a space for those who know and understand the basic language of the Grounding and Healthy Boundaries work, and can then use it as a foundation to go beyond, into deeper healing, which creates more aliveness and joy in our lives. The extended time in each of these unique and beautiful locations offer us an incredible opportunity to build strong personal and group resonance to draw upon as I share my latest explorations and developments in each of these different areas of conscious awareness and its relationship to the healing process. This will include skills to deepen intuition and interpersonal awareness, as well as hands-on work. We will utilize the full range of resources available which includes breath and movement explorations, journaling, drawing, drumming and sounding, and vibratory awareness. We will work individually, in the group as a whole, and in smaller groups.

PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of Grounding & Healthy Boundaries and an individual one hour session with Instructor Suzanne Scurlock-Durana prior to the workshop, either by phone or in person (cost paid at time of session directly to the Instructor)

What is in the Comprehensive Healing From the Core audio series?

This Healing From the Core audio series provides ten sessions of guided explorations in how to connect to various healthy resources - from what you eat, to how you breathe and move, to how you connect with the natural world around you and the people in it. The goal of the audio series is to enable you to become more fully alive and present in your body. It is designed to help you rejuvenate when you are in need of that, help you come back into balance when you are feeling overwhelmed or polarized in your life, and help you nourish yourself in a world that often doesn't encourage a healthy balanced life. This series teaches you the foundations of intimate connection, the actual steps to connecting with yourself more deeply so that you can create in your world what you feel inspired to do and become.

What exactly is included in the ten sessions of the audio series?

Session 1: Overview and the Five Principles of Living Joyfully
This session provides the foundation for the whole ten session series. It presents the underlying energetic principles and clarifies them using illustrative stories and experiences. (51 minutes)

Session 2: The Basic Relaxation and Energizing Exercise
This session is the cornerstone of the series. It takes you deep into the energy field within the body and gives you the tools, knowledge, sensory cues and imagery to build or enhance your own energy field. The second and third segments of this session are meant to be used once the longer exploration feels comfortable. The two shorter explorations (2nd – 17 minutes, 3rd – 10 minutes) gives you more concise exercises in order to be practical and useful on a daily basis. (74 minutes)

Session 3: Healing Internal Resistance to Life
Building on session two, this session delves much deeper into the human energy field and the process necessary for self healing to take place on all levels -- physically, emotionally, energetically/spiritually, and mentally. A wonderful, step-by-step walk through this often-puzzling process. (53 minutes)

Session 4: Eating in a Nourishing, Nurturing Way
This session takes a clear, unbiased look at what you need to nourish yourself in a truly pleasurable and healthy way. The basic underlying principles are woven into the experiential exercise. A must for anyone who feels "at war" with what they eat and/or how they see their bodies. (44 minutes)

Session 5: Fluid-Depths Healing Exercise
This session helps you access the soft, diffuse, supportive healing qualities that allow the body to relax into an internal fluid state. It takes you through the core of the body, deep into the earth where you learn to sense and draw in all that you need to nourish and heal yourself. (21 minutes)

Session 6: Deepening Connection - Movement Exploration
This is a wonderful step-by-step primer for exploring subtle, internally inspired movement. This exploration can be adapted to any level of movement capability. This material is based on cutting edge discoveries of how to support the nervous system for optimal health - its complexity and capacity for regeneration, heretofore seldom experienced. (54 minutes)

Session 7: Calming and Energizing - Breath Exploration
This session gives you first hand experience with the use of three different breathing patterns--all of them simple, easy to do, and set up to be done at your own pace. It opens the door to a whole new world of conscious awareness by directing your breathing -- its patterns, lengths and depths. (37 minutes)

Session 8: Holding a Healing Space for Another
Building on the foundation of skills learned in session two and three, this session delineates, first conceptually and then experientially, how to energetically hold a healing space for another. It teaches you full connection and blending, yet without becoming depleted or losing your own sense of yourself, your healthy boundaries. A must for healthcare professionals of all disciplines who want to do their healing work from a deeper, more connected place within themselves. (36 minutes)

Session 9: Creating a Healing Circle
Drawing upon Native American and other indigenous traditions, this session offers an excellent experiential format to begin to reconnect to the elements within nature that we are so rarely conscious of in today's busy world. A must for anyone feeling out of sync with the natural environment. (42 minutes)

Session 10: Exploring a Wider, Richer Perceptual Field
This session is a culmination of all the skills taught in the first nine sessions. It explores how your soul connects into your body, and as you become more fully embodied, how your perception of yourself and the world around you transforms. (33 minutes)

What is the Mini-Series? How is it different from the Comprehensive set?

The Mini-Series consists of sessions #1, #2,and #3 from the Comprehensive ten session series offering the foundation explorations. It was repackaged for the lay public to help them get more out of their therapy sessions. Professionals in healthcare will want the whole ten session series, but for clients and the lay public the smaller set is often sufficient.

It includes:
Session 1 - Overview and the Five Principles of Living Joyfully
Session 2 - The Basic Relaxation and Energizing Exercise
Session 3 - Healing Internal Resistance to Life

Are there updates to these?

In 2000, Session #2, The Basic Relaxation and Energizing Exercise was revised and updated to include two shorter sessions for daily use. If you bought your set before 2000, you may want to purchase the updated version.

In 2003, Session #1, The Five Principles of Living Joyfully was updated. It is about to be updated again.

I bought the Mini Series to get started and now I want the rest of the comprehensive set – can I buy sessions #4 - #10 separately?

We cannot break up the comprehensive set, so you cannot purchase sessions #4 – #10 separately. They only come in the whole ten session set.

Many people who bought the Mini Series first, simply use it as their lending copy in their office or as a gift. Then they go ahead and purchase the whole series for themselves.

Exactly what is in The Release and Renewal - New Year 2 CD set?

This set takes you on a healing and nourishing journey that is invaluable at any time of new beginning or renewal in your life. This structure can be used on an individual basis or in a group setting. With deep thought provoking questions, journaling, discussion, and listening to that quiet inner voice of wisdom, Suzanne leads you on a journey that is fundamental for all of life’s new beginnings.

The importance of integrating all areas of our lives is included in this format - your inner journey, connection to your spiritual life, family and community, career, creativity, abundance, health, power, sexuality, and the ability to forgive and let go.

This series is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to consciously create change in their lives and would like to work within a powerful but gentle structure.

It would also be a helpful structure for:

• Group facilitators of on-going groups in a change process
• Health Practitioners wanting clarity of direction in their professional lives
• Couples beginning a new relationship