The great
BUSINESS
Approaches to COVID
COVID
Divide
Reiki and crystal therapy practitioner Lynsey Hanney explores the range of viewpoints and business approaches adopted by holistic therapists following government guidance on limiting the spread of COVID-19…
T
HE holistic industry has always prided itself on being open-minded to most things. It is a soothing supportive space where people usually enter without fear of judgement. However, recent world events appear to have changed that. A gaping chasm of opinion has formed since the government announced guidelines for preventing the spread of Covid-19. U-turns on whether mask-wearing reduces the spread of the virus; the mocking and belittling of the wellness industry in parliament; and the stark contrast in the timing of how broadly similar sectors were reopened seems to have irreversibly damaged many people’s opinions of those in charge. However, it is not a clear-cut situation. Many in our industry are following the official guidance for returning to work while many are openly challenging it. We spoke to four holistic workers to find out more. Hailey Thomson, an energy healer from Glasgow, has chosen to pivot her business model and concentrate on building a successful online therapy business instead.
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holistic therapist 2020
When we first went into lockdown, offering online reiki was just a test. However, I found it was the solution people were looking for to help calm and manage their anxieties. It took off. It has worked so well that it makes sense to stick with offering online sessions. Staying online keeps my client base open and I have clients all over the world as a result. I have had a few local clients ask when I will start in person again but there are too many restrictions and many of the guidelines just aren’t consistent. I can understand why people question the government and its approach. Guidelines are inconsistent and they don’t make sense, there’s no further explanation for why certain things are decided upon and, without that clarity, it creates uncertainty and division. I believe we all need to exercise a common-sense approach. One of the reasons I won’t go back to in person, for now, is that I find wearing PPE very impersonal and it creates a barrier of energy between two people. For the client, it must be difficult to relax too. That being said, reiki is about channelling universal energy to the client to rebalance their energies and aid their healing. Nothing should restrict or affect that. For me, reiki is about the person who is receiving it so it should focus on what they are most comfortable with. I work from home and (at the time of writing) the Scottish Government has issued guidance
that households in our area can’t visit another household. If I had gone back to in person treatments, it would have affected my business again. Staying online means I can bypass all of it. However, I am fully supportive of people going back to work and, if it means it’s face to face, then I hope it works for them and allows them to build their businesses back up. I really sympathise with those who don’t have an online option. COVID-19 has definitely divided our industry and our nation as a whole. I feel that we should focus on how we can make it work for our individual businesses and create a higher vibrational frequency rather than adding to the already lowlevel frequencies that have been created by such a divide. The harmony of the industry depends on the individuals who are within it. Nicola, a nutritionist from Perthshire, sees clients via Zoom sessions and believes that the current government advice leads to ill-health. I’m seeing all my clients via Zoom but, if I were seeing them in person, I would not be wearing PPE. My services are all about strengthening immunity and creating health. I believe oversanitised, sterilised settings (outwith surgical environments) lead to an erosion of good bacteria, which is essential for a strong immune system and both overall physical and mental health. That doesn’t even touch on the psychological and emotional harm being caused. As far as I can see, all measures and advice given by the government do nothing to promote good health. There has been no advice on how to strengthen immune systems, the importance of vitamin D in warding off colds and viruses, or on how toxic hand sanitisers are. Holistic treatments are about healing. Nothing the government has advised contributes to creating vibrant health. For this reason also, as a matter of principle, I’m avoiding businesses who are actively promoting these health-reducing measures. I think people should question the advice given by the government and the fear narrative driven by the media. They should really look carefully at the data, conflicts of interest and the efficacy of the tests. On top of that, the restrictions imposed on our
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