where it all began…
For nearly two decades, I have been exploring the many ways we can support healing, wellbeing, and connection—beginning with my journey into holistic healing in 2005.
What started with my study of Healing Touch has grown into a lifelong exploration of complementary and integrative approaches to wellness. Along the way, I have had the opportunity to study and become certified in several modalities, including Healing Touch, Reiki, guided imagery, clinical aromatherapy, journaling, and sound healing.
My professional life has been rooted in healthcare for more than three decades, and I have spent many of those years alongside people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Those experiences have shaped the way I understand healing. I have learned that sometimes healing isn’t about fixing something or finding the perfect answer. Sometimes it is about creating a safe space to pause, listen, reconnect, and simply be.
That is the heart behind Sacred Space.
As I begin expanding my work into private practice, my hope is to create a place where wellness feels approachable, grounded, and personal. A place where complementary practices can be explored alongside—not instead of—appropriate medical care.
Through this blog, I hope to share what I have learned along the way: thoughts about healing, self-care, resilience, presence, and the many ways we can learn to listen to what our bodies and lives are telling us.
Thank you for being here. I’m glad you found your way to Sacred Space.
— Lisa
My Journey into Holistic Healing: Discovering Healing Touch
Sometimes, a single experience can open the door to an entirely new way of seeing the world—and ourselves.
For me, that door opened in 2005, when I was introduced to Healing Touch for the very first time.
At the time, I had no idea how deeply this modality would influence my life. What began as an introduction to something new soon became a meaningful part of my personal and professional journey.
I fell in love with Healing Touch.
There was something beautiful about creating a space where people could slow down, reconnect with themselves, and experience a sense of peace. I discovered that healing could be approached not only through the physical body, but also through the emotional, mental, and energetic aspects of our well-being.
Healing Touch became more than a modality I practiced. It became a pathway to healing from the inside out.
As my passion and understanding grew, I continued my education and became a certified Healing Touch practitioner. In time, I also became a certified instructor. I began teaching in 2009 and now have the privilege of teaching Healing Touch Levels 1 through 3.
One of the greatest gifts of this journey has been the opportunity to share Healing Touch with others—to introduce students to a practice that has had such a profound impact on my own life.
I believe that healing is deeply personal. Each of us has our own experiences, challenges, and paths toward greater balance and well-being. Healing Touch has taught me the importance of creating space for that process, honoring each person’s unique journey, and approaching healing with compassion and presence.
Looking back, I am grateful that I said yes to that first introduction in 2005. I could never have imagined where it would lead me.
Healing Touch changed my life for the better, and it continues to be an important part of who I am today.
This is where my journey into holistic healing began—and there is so much more of the story yet to share.
- Lisa
Creating Space for Your Thoughts
There are many tools we can use to support our well-being, but few are as accessible, personal, and powerful as journaling.
My love for journaling eventually led me to become a certified journal facilitator, and it has become an important part of how I understand self-care, reflection, and personal growth.
I truly cannot say enough about the benefits of putting pen to paper.
a place to Discover Your Own Wisdom
One of the things I love most about journaling is that there is no single right way to do it.
You can write freely, explore a specific question, record your gratitude, reflect on a difficult experience, or simply put down whatever comes to mind.
There is no need to worry about perfect grammar, spelling, or how your words might sound to someone else.
This is your space.
Through journaling, we may begin to notice our strengths, recognize what we need, and uncover insights that were difficult to see before. It can help us slow down long enough to hear our own inner voice.
Journaling can also be a valuable complement to therapy, providing a way to reflect on experiences between sessions and explore thoughts or feelings that we may wish to discuss with a therapist.
It is not a replacement for professional support, but it can be a meaningful addition to our self-care and personal growth.
A Journal for Honoring Your Journey
My passion for journaling inspired me to create my own journal, Sacred Space: A Journal for Honoring the Body’s Wisdom, Resilience, and Strength.
I created this journal as an invitation to slow down, reflect, and connect with the wisdom and strength that already exist within you.
It is a space to explore your experiences, honor your resilience, and make room for your own thoughts and feelings.
Whether you are beginning your journaling journey or looking for a meaningful addition to your existing practice, I hope this journal encourages you to take a little time for yourself.
Because caring for ourselves isn’t selfish.
It is an important part of creating a life in which we can continue to grow, heal, and thrive.
the healing power of forgiveness
In my early years in healthcare, one of the most powerful lessons I witnessed was the healing that can come through forgiveness. Many of my hospice patients reflected on things they wished they had done differently, words they wished they had spoken, or relationships that carried pain. I witnessed how important it was for people to offer forgiveness to themselves and, when possible, to others.
Forgiveness was not about erasing what happened. It was about releasing the emotional weight they carried so they could move forward with greater peace. It was also a gift to the loved ones who remained—to help them continue their lives without being held captive by regret, anger, or unresolved pain.
Families also taught me many lessons, including the reality that people do not always experience death in the same way.
Watching families struggle with different beliefs, hopes, fears, and emotions was one of the hardest parts of my hospice work. It was painful to witness how illness and impending loss could sometimes create distance rather than connection.
I learned that one of the greatest gifts we can offer someone at the end of life is not to control the journey, but to support the person who is travelling to listen, to honor, and to be present.
the art of dying
We cannot walk alongside someone if we are constantly trying to determine where they should go. Sometimes walking alongside means sitting quietly beside someone in their suffering. Sometimes it means offering a hand, a presence, a prayer, or an energy-based therapy. And sometimes it means recognizing that the most compassionate thing we can do is step back.
The person who is dying is still the person in the room. They still have preferences. They still have boundaries. They still have a voice, even when they can no longer speak. We have to learn to listen and pay attention to the body is showing us. Sometimes it’s expressed through words. Sometimes through a movement, a facial expression, a change in breathing, or a restless body. And sometimes, we simply have to be willing to stop, listen, and allow the person to show us what they need.
That is what it means to walk alongside someone. Not to lead them. Not to control their journey. But to meet them exactly where they are.
Addiction and choices
Do I order a non-alcoholic cocktail?
People sometimes ask me, “When you’re out with friends or family and everyone else is having a cocktail, do you order a non-alcoholic drink so you feel like you fit in?”
My honest answer is: No—and that’s a personal choice that works for me.
For me, a non-alcoholic cocktail can still look and feel too much like the thing I’m choosing not to have. I don’t need to recreate the experience of drinking in order to feel included.
I also don’t want someone looking at my glass and assuming that I’m drinking alcohol. For me, there is something important about being clear about what I am choosing.
I spent many years struggling with alcohol. I know that alcohol can be triggering for me, and I’ve learned that part of taking care of myself is recognizing situations that may challenge my sobriety.
Last night was a good example. I was at a beautiful hotel with my daughter, and the only place open for food late at night was the bar. I realized how uncomfortable and triggered I felt sitting in a room where virtually everyone around me was drinking. I was okay, but I also recognized that the environment was difficult for me.
That doesn’t mean I believe everyone in recovery should avoid bars or never order a non-alcoholic cocktail. People’s experiences with substance use are different, and what feels safe for one person may not feel safe for another.
For me, the goal isn’t to figure out how to fit into a drinking environment. The goal is to protect my sobriety and be honest about what I need.
And sometimes that means saying, “This environment isn’t comfortable for me,” choosing a different setting, or simply choosing a beverage that doesn’t resemble alcohol.
There is no prize for putting yourself in a triggering situation just to prove that you can handle it.
Knowing your triggers, recognizing your limits, and making choices that support your sobriety are forms of self-awareness—not weakness.
personal choices around addiction
One of the most important things I’ve learned is that there is no single path that works for everyone when it comes to substance use and alcohol use.
What feels safe for one person may not feel safe for another. What is manageable for one person may be highly triggering for someone else.
For me, being around alcohol can be very triggering. I have learned that I don’t need to put myself in an environment surrounded by alcohol simply to prove that I can handle it. And I don’t need to order a non-alcoholic cocktail just so I can feel like I fit in.
I don’t need to fit in. I need to feel safe.
For me, a mocktail isn’t necessarily comforting or empowering. I don’t want to recreate the appearance or experience of drinking, and I don’t want someone looking at my glass and assuming that I’m drinking alcohol. That is simply what feels right and safest for me.
But that doesn’t mean I believe everyone should make the same choice.
Someone else may feel completely comfortable ordering a non-alcoholic beer or mocktail. Someone else may be perfectly comfortable sitting at a bar. Someone else may decide that they don’t want to be around alcohol at all.
All of those choices can be valid.
The important question isn’t, “What does everyone else do?”
The more important questions are:
What do I know about myself? What are my triggers? What helps me feel safe? What supports my sobriety?
For me, I have learned that protecting my sobriety sometimes means recognizing when an environment isn’t good for me and giving myself permission to step away.
That’s not weakness. That’s self-awareness.
We each have our own history, our own experiences, our own triggers, and our own path. There is no prize for putting yourself in a triggering situation just to prove that you can handle it.
The goal isn’t to live according to someone else’s definition of sobriety.
The goal is to find what helps you stay safe, supported, and true to your own journey.
And that’s okay.