Natural Healers Network

By June Smith

Natural healing is a general term for several healing techniques. Merriam-Webster defines wellness as “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.”

Members of The Natural Healers Network of Santa Cruz, a group of local wellness practitioners are pursuing this goal by sharing knowledge, resources, and positive energy. The group meets monthly, led by administrators Suzy Brown and Denise Wendler, assisted by ambassador Hema Ganapathy.

The original group was started in 2003 by Tina Coddington, who got the idea while in a Business Network International networking group. She thought that it would be great to have a group that was solely made up of natural health professionals and began one by posting flyers around town. The focus of the group was to support each other in growing their own businesses while helping people in the community.

Therapist Lyona Thibault moved to Santa Cruz in 2010 and as she began to launch her practice of biofield therapy (working with the subtle energy field that surround the body) she learned about the meetup in Los Gatos conceived by Coddington. After attending a few meetings, she decided to bring the concept to Santa Cruz.

“I found a meeting place and invited everyone I knew in Santa Cruz in the healing field,” Thibault said. “Later, when I was ready to pull back in 2017, Therese Ducharme, Denise Wendler, and others were willing to take up the banner.”

The local group is facilitated by Suzy Brown, owner of Dynamic Reflexology and Nutrition, and Thyme to Heal Holistic Health Collective, who took over the facilitator position in January of 2019.

“Our two monthly meetings are on the first Saturday of the month in-person and the third Wednesday of the month on Zoom,” she said.

Meetings begin with a guided meditation followed by a short “elevator speech” by attendees, each describing their individual practice. The members are practitioners with known modalities like reiki, massage, yoga, or acupressure as well as those not as mainstream, including sound healing, plant spirit medicine, healing touch, bio-resonance therapy, feng shui, and holistic chefs.

Brown is assisted by Wendler, who studied at Ramamani Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco and teaches yoga in the Monterey Bay area to students over 40 and people with chronic conditions.

Member Cindie Ambar, animal communicator of Heartsong Animal Healing, recently discovered the group. She says, “Animals have belief systems, like humans, and most of what they do is guided by subconscious beliefs that, when released, can result in profound transformation.

She shares the story about a dog named Lady. “When I first met Lady, she was terrified of everything and almost everyone and spent the last four years of her life confining herself to her person’s back office, only coming out at night to go to bed,” she said. “We worked together to release trauma and build her confidence. She is now enjoying a normal existence!”

Trades for services are offered among members and a group Facebook page of 439 members is available for announcements and requests. Ganapathy said natural healing can be beneficial in many ways, including stress reduction, well-being, and hormonal balance.

With modern medicine, is there a place for natural healing? “There is a place for both,” Ganapathy said. “The two can work together in a complementary fashion and one does not preclude the other. For chronic conditions, it is important to keep a physician informed about what natural healing modalities we are following.” 