Any suggestions for certification in mindbody wellness?

Hi,

After having self-healed my chronic pain last year thanks to my discovery of the mindbody connection, I feel that the next step for me is to try and help more people through my blog and possibly through coaching. One of the causes of my pain had been my repressed anger at my unmotivating career, and now as I am studying the mindbody connection more and more, it is becoming obvious that I would like to work in the wellness sector.

Does anyone have any suggestions on formal studies I could pursue? I am looking for a course that is compatible with Sarno's theories, since the treatment of chronic pain shall definitely be my focus. However, I do not have a degree in the health field, so it seems that I have to exclude Masters programs for now. There are no such programs in my country (Malta), so I am looking for something which can be done through distance learning.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

Almost everything that you will be taught in any program will be detrimental to healing, and in helping others to heal. Societies around the world demand certifications and credentials, which is why there is so much suffering. Image trumps experience. The only place I'm not considered a TMS expert is here at this TMS Wiki, and yet I help people heal every day. The certifications are demanded by society, and yet they are more often the causes of continuing suffering, however people more often want the person with the certification. It's a game of partial deceit/image.

MDs, TMS therapists, TMS life coaches and even a couple Jungian analysts have hired me to help them with their pain and other symptoms and have all asked me why I'm not listed as a TMS expert here at the Wiki? The answer is always the same, "experts" have acronyms after their names, and I don't. I just help people heal. However, it's the medical doctors who are causing most of our health problems, and they are the most certified of experts.

I would suggest that you get any type of certification that you can, it doesn't matter what it is people will think you know what you're doing and may come to you where you can introduce them to TMS. The real work come from compassion, and your deeper desire to help. Your heart will do the rest.

 

Hi Steve,
You are right of course. The problem is that people are too much after the 'image'. I think I'll choose a general wellness coaching program with a focus on stress management, and also maybe a mindfulness qualification, since meditation has also been very helpful to me. Then I'll hopefully incorporate everything and put TMS at the forefront. It's a long way ahead, but who knows, maybe I'll maanage to make some kind of impact that way.

 

LS/MFT's are easy to get.

 

Society demands some form of credentials for proof of expertise, defense against litigation, and image, etc. Many times the credentialed ones are the best in their fields, but there are just as many times they are not, and are hurting people. Some get high level degrees and certifications for prestige and others because they love the field and have a deep desire to know more, and to help. We never really know whether someone is good if they have a degree. Assuming they are always correct is a major mistake as in the many false diagnoses that MDs hand out every day. I have been on the receiving end of severe malpractice by several doctors who had medical degrees but didn't know what they were doing; and yet people respected them because they were MDs. It reminds me of the old joke, "What do you call a doctor who finishes last in the class?" You call them doctor.

You can't buy experience it's paid for with suffering and mistakes. I've trained MDs, PhDs, and therapists in TMS but I'm not considered an expert because that's not how the game is played. If you want to help people, I would suggest you get some form of certification that your area demands you have, and then just try to help. In the end it's your compassion that will carry you. However the certification or degree is a great marketing tool for business in a confused world short on time. They may offer a degree in TMS one day, the word is spreading more rapidly than I thought it would.

TTom is correct of course, it's easy to get an LS/MFT but you can't use it indoors!

SteveO