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Finding the

Empathetic Witness

any people may not realize that long term chronic conditions can be traumatic
experiences. Statistics say that 50% of Canadians suffer from chronic health issues.
Today, that number has likely increased due to the amount of stress people are
M experiencing.
Trauma is not necessarily what happens to us, but what we hold inside us, in the absence of an
empathetic witness. A large number of health issues start with adverse childhood experiences, such as
abuse, neglect, poverty, or parental stress. The emotional patterns we learn as small children live on
in the cells of our body-mind and can develop into chronic conditions as adults.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of health professionals seeking
information on Chronic Conditions. The group administrator responded with the
following testimonial:
“Joan Small has a wealth of knowledge around chronic illness, and her insight on
bringing you to greater levels of healing using ‘listening touch’ is fascinating. Joan
has a beautiful ability to take you into a deeper connection with yourself, creating a
space for listening to take place. I loved her comment, “Our breath is our best friend,”
which is such a true feeling for me and something I hold dear. Her tips on effective
listening and relating them to chronic illness were insightful and not something I
would necessarily have put together. Thank you, Joan, for sharing your wisdom on
connecting to oneself, the beautiful reminders, and some great new concepts to digest!“

JOAN SMALL CRS
SYNERGY FOR HEALTH

joan.small@shaw.ca
HealingThroughSynergy.com I 780-441-1750

In my personal and client experiences of people with conditions such as eating disorders,
fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, neurological and skin disorders, and
anxiety, I have discovered that they have a real need to be listened to without judgement and
to feel safe to express freely.
Experiencing the Synergy Method, clients have me as an empathetic and intuitive witness
to listen and help them go beyond their physical and emotional symptoms to heal and
discover new ways of living.
As my client Linda shared, “It’s very unique how you let me guide you in a session, how
you listen to what I’m saying, then you literally take that feeling and move it on an energy
level. I don’t know of anyone else who does what you do. You are very easy to talk to and
non-judgemental.”
The Synergy Method can benefit you to gain clarity of your feelings and create
tools to support you. Through my unique and safe approach of Body/Mind/Emotion
Integration, I utilize my skills as a certified synergy practitioner and registered nurse.
Integrative healing sessions are available in my office, by phone, and on-line.

Irene Lay Photography

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