5 minute read
Meet The Complementary Therapist
You’re relatively new to Forest Holme –what did you do before and why did you want this role?
Prior to working at Forest Holme, I have been a nurse for 10 years specialising in heart and lung transplant and more recently in gastroenterology. I have always had an interest in treating patients holistically, taking into account the psychological, physical and spiritual aspects of our nature. This led me to train in Reflexology in 2018 and set up my own private practice treating clients at home. I followed this with training in Aromatherapy and Chakra Balancing in 2019 and most recently completed my Hypnotherapy training in 2021. It has always been a dream of mine to be able to treat patients in the NHS with complementary therapies as I have seen clients benefit greatly from these in private practice. During my work with patients in gastroenterology, I have worked with those diagnosed with cancer and had been told by many that they had sought out and benefitted from such therapies. It is such a pleasure to be a part of the wonderful team here and to be able to care for patients alongside the multidisciplinary team in such a holistic way.
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Tell us about your role as a Complementary Therapist and what are the benefits for the patient?
I work alongside my wonderful colleague Christine here at Forest Holme and together we offer a mixture of Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Emotional Freedom Technique, Hypnotherapy, Chakra Balancing, NLP and Massage. We also have a lovely volunteer, Kay, who has been offering beautiful Reiki treatments too
Meet The Complementary Therapist
for two years. Kay has recently secured a position here to work for two days a week on behalf of the Sunflower Trust and we are really excited for her to begin this with us soon. Prior to myself joining the team, Christine has been getting some fantastic results with therapies that she has offered to patients and also to health care staff which she treated during the worst of the pandemic last year. Namely for issues such as pain management, chemotherapy induced neuropathy, nausea and anxiety and stress to name a few.
Since joining the team, I have been treating patients with Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Hypnotherapy, NLP and Chakra Balancing and have also seen some really good results from each of these with many patients reporting a much greater overall sense of wellbeing at the end of their complementary treatment sessions. We have recently been given the opportunity to begin formally measuring outcomes of the treatments that we give to patients and the results so far have been extremely promising.
Treating patients in a holistic way enables us to not only look at the medical interventions that are beneficial but also to address the patients emotional needs too, working alongside their active cancer treatments right through to those receiving palliative care. With such a big link between the mind and body, I think this is a truly wonderful provision to be able to be a part of here and I am so happy to see this is being embraced so fully at Forest Holme.
Can you explain a bit more about the various different therapies you use?
Reflexology is an ancient form of therapy which has been depicted in pictures found in Egyptian times. Further researched and developed further in more recent times, Reflexology aims to create balance within the systems of the body by working on pressure points and nerve endings in the feet which correspond to various parts of the body. We do not aim to diagnose or cure, however many conditions and symptoms have been reported to have been alleviated as a result of Reflexology treatment.
Meet The Complementary Therapist
In addition, this is a deeply relaxing treatment and offers patients an opportunity to release tension throughout the body and mind. Often we will accompany this with Aromatherapy in which we discuss with patients what symptoms may be presenting in them and blend a mixture of oils that can help to alleviate these.
Chakra Balancing is a beautiful practice that uses a mixture of sound therapy (using singing bowls), crystal therapy, essential oils and energy healing. Our bodies all emit an electromagnetic frequency and this treatment aims to work on this energy that surrounds us to heal and release any stored tension and blockages. Patients have reported a great sense of calm and peace following this treatment.
Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) are both treatments that I have recently brought to Forest Holme. I have practiced NLP with some patients so far. This has been particularly helpful with challenging limiting beliefs and empowerment throughout treatment. It has also helped with discussions around family and relationship dynamics and changes that may have happened after diagnosis and during treatment, often re-framing and enabling patients to find confidence in expressing their needs.
Hypnotherapy has a strong evidence base in pain-management particularly, however can be used for a number of reasons. Anxiety, fears and phobias, confidence and selfesteem, smoking cessation, weight loss, nausea and digestive issues to name a few.
My colleague Christine offers Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) in addition which is a practice of tapping on specific parts of the body whilst discussing the issues of concern. This has had such wonderful results, particularly in helping with pain and anxiety levels.
What would you say to someone that may not be familiar with Complementary Therapies or is a bit reluctant to try them?
I would urge everyone to give them a try!! We, as humans, are not just our physical bodies, we are multi-faceted and taking care of our emotional health and spiritual beliefs where appropriate is, I believe, equally as important as treating our bodies. We provide a safe and confidential space to help any patient who may be experiencing the very initial emotions of cancer diagnosis and start of treatment, right through to those who may be receiving palliative care. Whatever stage of the journey, we aim to support patients manage physical and emotional symptoms as much as possible with the range of complementary therapies we can offer, alongside our multi-disciplinary team of specialist doctors, nurses, cousellors and therapists.
