Healers Talk Healing Podcast
The Healers Talk Healing podcast invites you on a transformative journey towards holistic healing, where we explore the mind-body connection, natural remedies, and ancient wisdom to empower you to live a vibrant and balanced life. Join us as we share inspiring stories, expert interviews, and practical tips to help you unlock your true potential and embrace a happier, healthier you.
Healers Talk Healing Podcast
Embracing the Layers of Transformation: The Healing Dance of Self-Discovery with Kirin Loomis
Embarking on a journey of transformation often involves navigating the complex tapestry of our lives, where healing extends beyond the physical into the emotional and spiritual realms. This episode, we're joined by Kirin Loomis, a dedicated functional medicine health coach who devotes her energy to assisting individuals through the ebbs and flows of life's many transitions. Together, we unpack the profound layers of healing—acknowledging that every experience, be it filled with joy or strife, presents a valuable lesson waiting to be uncovered.
As Kirin eloquently shares her professional anecdotes, we illuminate the intricate dance between self-discovery and the external pressures of societal "shoulds." We're reminded that the freedom to align with our authentic desires is not just liberating but essential for our well-being. Our dialogue ventures into the art of self-inquiry, particularly through the Option Process Dialogue, revealing how our emotions and behaviors are often the echoes of deeper beliefs. And in the space between reflection and action, we find the adaptability of healing modalities that Kirin tailors to meet the unique needs of each individual, contrasting the holistic approach of functional medicine with conventional Western medical practices.
The conversation culminates in an exploration of the continuous spiral of personal growth, where revisiting past challenges at more advanced stages requires new tools and perspectives. Kirin's insights into the role of a functional medicine health coach shine a light on the importance of support in implementing lifestyle changes for better health outcomes. By tuning into this episode, you're taking a step towards understanding the multifaceted journey of holistic healing—a path that is as unique as it is universal, challenging us to embrace our resilience and realize our true potential.
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Welcome to Healers Talk Healing, the podcast where we gather to explore the art and science of holistic healing, uncovering the secrets to a happier, healthier you. I'm your host, nina Ganguly, and together we will delve into the intriguing world of holistic healing, delving into the mind-body connection, ancient wisdom and natural remedies to the mind-body connection, ancient wisdom and natural remedies. Get ready for enlightening stories, thought-provoking expert interviews and practical tips that will empower you to unlock your true potential and embrace a vibrant, balanced life. Whether you're an experienced wellness enthusiast or simply curious about the power of healing, join us on this exhilarating journey as we share the wisdom and insights that can truly transform your life. It's time to embark on a voyage towards a happier, healthier you. So, without further ado, let's dive into the captivating world of Healers Talk Healing.
Nina Ganguli:Welcome to another episode of Healers Talk Healing, where we dive deep into the transformative world of healing and personal growth. Today, I'm thrilled to have Karen Loomis join us, a vibrant soul whose journey through life reflects a profound understanding that every experience, whether bathed in joy or wrapped in challenge, holds valuable lessons. Karen, a spirited advocate for embracing life's entirety, believes in the beauty of learning from every situation. Her philosophy if you value learning, it's all good. Karen's path took a more serious turn when she encountered significant health issues in 2011, leading to a profound exploration of her relationship with food. Facing severe digestive problems and the risk of following mainstream dietary advice, she embraced on a journey of self-discovery and healing, eventually realizing the importance of choosing foods that truly nourish her body. Karen's experience underscores the complexity of our relationship with food and the importance of listening to our bodies. With a rich background in counseling, teaching and now as a certified functional medicine health coach, kieran's expertise lies in supporting people through change. Her work spans a broad spectrum, from teenagers to the elderly, successful business owners to those at crossroads in their lives. Kieran specializes in guiding her clients through transitions, whether embraced eagerly or met with resistance, helping them find their way to a place of greater ease, joy and optimal well-being.
Nina Ganguli:Join us as we explore Kieran Loomis' multifaceted approach to healing, personal growth and the power of embracing change with an open heart and mind. Oh, my goodness, I am so excited to have Kieran Loomis with us. Did I say that right, kieran? I hope I did. I should have asked that before we hit record, but that's okay. I'm excited to have her with us today on this episode of Healers Talk. Healing this is. I always feel like we could probably go for three hours with everyone that I speak to, but we'll keep it tight and we'll keep it, you know, succinct, as much as we can, and you never know. There's always another chance to continue the conversation at another time. But thank you so much for taking the time to be here with us and for our listeners. And the question I always start every conversation with is Kieran, what does healing mean to you?
Kirin Loomis:Thank you for that question, Nina. It has given me a lot to think about. Healing can be, as we know, so many things. You know there's the standard meaning of I cut my toe and now it's better From there on up, to having some kind of injury that can't be fully fixed, and then the healing comes from coming to a place of acceptance with it. And I will say that even sometimes healing means completing your life. Sometimes having a peaceful, satisfying end of life experience is healing not only for the individual but for their family as well. So then there's emotional healing from reconciling with a friend who may have become estranged somehow, or a family member. So in the realm of emotional, physical, spiritual healing, it's very, very broad, and what I would do is listen to the wants, the desires of the person I'm working with and help them go as far as they want to on that path.
Nina Ganguli:What a beautiful answer and I just I love that you brought up this piece about, you know, the completion of life. I don't think we think about it that way. I don't think many of us think about that healing that that brings for the person who's completing and those around them. Interesting it's. Yeah, I find that very fascinating.
Nina Ganguli:And so you know, there's one thing I wanted to ask you when you answered the question about you take them as far as they want to go, and I've found for myself and the work that I do and my own work, you know this like bits and pieces, like we're willing to go so far, we're willing to say, ok, I'm willing to open up, or not willing. Sometimes you know you have this, you have a logical understanding of something is not working in my life the way I'd like it to work and I would like to do something about it. And then you start doing something about it and you're like, oh no, this is not what I was expecting, this is not what I want. So when you're working with people who are in that specific stage, how do you show them or provide a space for them to see that you know, maybe they can go further than they thought. They think they can.
Kirin Loomis:I like that question, and what comes to mind immediately is a woman I worked with for a year and a half who contacted me because she wanted help with a divorce. She wanted help in her work of getting herself to the point where she could believe it was happening and then move herself through it and stay motivated to do what needed to be done. And then, once the divorce was actual fact, she shifted to wanting to okay, so how do I build my new self? And so we're continuing to work after a year and a half on creating the person she now has the opportunity to become. On the other hand, there are people who say I just want to look at this one thing. I don't want all your nutritional advice, I just want to stay mentally focused. So I completely respect whatever they want. Sometimes what they want is for me to tell them stories about my own journey, and that might be one way that I tease them a little farther than what they thought was possible, because I've had lots and lots of life experiences.
Nina Ganguli:I think that's so interesting that you say that. I'm going to say that everything is interesting, because I'm always fascinated by the conversations that I have with everyone. You know it's I'm going to say it's a poignant thing that you said because I have also noticed the more that we share inside of being the practitioner or the healer or the professional, inside of being the practitioner or the healer or the professional. I find it does give that space for someone to say, oh okay, I can see that you've made it on the other side, whatever the other side is, because we're always a work in progress. So you're, maybe you're a few steps ahead of I am. So I can you know I will survive. So I can you know I will survive. You know, to get to the other side of, I'll fill in the gap and you know it's just. It's incredible.
Nina Ganguli:And there's something that you also brought up about the work that you do. Now I know that you do like integrative, holistic kind of services and I really wanted to know, like of course we're going to talk about your journey, right I really wanted to know, like you have had multiple different hats on, and how has one hat kind of build up for the next hat, or completely, like broken everything down and, and you know, going a different direction. I'd love to hear your story to hear your story, wow.
Kirin Loomis:Okay, so here's one. I don't usually talk about much, but it has shaped my life. So I was married for 25 years and did the standard two kids in the station wagon and all of typical family got the kids launched. And then, soon after that, I was in a healing session where I was told that I would have many men in my life and that my role would be to find men who had not been properly loved and help them to understand what love actually was and what it feels like, and then to send them out to go and find that elsewhere.
Kirin Loomis:Wow, that's the best background I have for your question, which was how does one experience shape you? For the next one? And I think a lot of my journey has been to learn how to be in a relationship without being possessive. And in my first relationship after the long marriage, it was with a poet who wrote a poem called to love is not to possess. That was the beginning of my journey toward how to be in a relationship in a different way, and each relationship since then has helped to shape that in me, so that I really have learned how to be loving and present and not attached. It's like Velcro loops pushing against more Velcro loops and no hooks, and you can snuggle in and be really close and you can pull apart without ripping.
Nina Ganguli:Okay, you need to say more about that, because I think we all of us our listeners myself we need.
Kirin Loomis:It would be helpful to understand what that looks like. I do believe that it's a new way of relating to people you know, new on the planet it's. We're evolving into that, to where that old sense of ownership of the other person is falling away. It's time for that to dissolve. And, of course, you make contracts with people for certain purposes and it's important to have integrity and do what you said you will do. At the same time, maybe we need to shift what we say we'll do. My spiritual teacher long ago said what we say we'll do. My spiritual teacher long ago said a marriage should not say till death, do us part it should say as long as it's good for both of us.
Nina Ganguli:Wow, yes, I can see the benefit of that contract versus feeling forced to make something work or adjust and it just doesn't fit anymore.
Kirin Loomis:Exactly and why should we stay in a situation that isn't right for us? And we do grow and evolve and we change in ways. We can't predict 50 years ahead what we're going to be like now. I could never have guessed I'd be who and what. I am now living where I do, with who I live with, so I just could not have predicted that. So, to give ourselves the freedom and the leeway to to grow and to give people the space to grow too, as I look at that now, you know I feel so much better.
Kirin Loomis:So 10 years ago I could not have thought it would be feeling, it would feel good to be in that kind of um, respectful of other people's wishes and wants and changes Relationship. But now that I have gotten there and I've practiced, worn off all my rough edges with my partner to where we're both pretty smooth, it's wonderful to have him tell me what he's going to do and with whom and to say go bye, have fun and choose what I'm going to do with my time. It's. It requires a high level of personal maturity. That requires working through one's own neediness.
Nina Ganguli:I was going to ask like what has, how has that shift for you, how has that helped you learn who you are, discover who you are and and you know, maybe heal the parts of you that haven't healed or weren't heard, or you know, what has that done for you?
Kirin Loomis:a lot of it is me taking responsibility for what I experience. Things happen in the universe. Of course things happen, and I don't control the things that happen. But I do control how I respond to them, what thoughts I have, and whether I choose to blame myself or blame anybody, or whether I choose to grow myself, and I love the Eckhart Tolle quote that something to the effect of every experience I have is for the purpose of my soul's growth. I'm all in favor of my soul's growth and therefore I can embrace these things that come my way. And it shifts me from instead of doing victimhood for me or blaming the other person. Instead I say how is this helping me grow? I look back to what I came on this earth to do in this lifetime and think, oh, is this a part of what I actually chose for my own growth? Chose for my own growth? And it shifts it. It. It shifts me into a mode of saying, okay, how can I grow from this? Rather than who can I blame for this?
Nina Ganguli:Yeah, that's it's. That is such a big shift and it's not an easy one. So, you know, for the listeners, you know many conversations that I've had end up we end up talking about what it takes, and usually it is taking on responsibility, but not from the perspective of blame or a burden, but more, like you know, they say, a responsibility is the ability to respond. So how are you responding in the moment that's in your best interest, but also still having humanity? You know, I noticed that when something happens that you know takes me off of my center, I still react the way I've always reacted Like the reaction, the original, the initial like impulse is to act a specific way, which means always I'm super angry and I lose my cool.
Nina Ganguli:But what I've noticed is, with all the work that I've done and realizing, well, that's not helpful, you know. Then I begin to ask the question okay, well, how can I release the anger? Or what is this anger actually showing me? Like? Why do I still respond in the same way to the stimulus, whatever it might be? Why am I still responding in the same way to this same person after all this time? And I've learned it's because there's still something there, there's still a piece that I am just so digging in hard to want to be right about.
Kirin Loomis:It sounds like you and I speak the same language. Why so I? Once years ago, a spiritual teacher, said life is infinitely patient with us and will give us however many chances we need to learn each lesson, and so it'll come. As long as you said, as long as there's something there to learn, it'll still pop. You know, like they say, you push my buttons. Well, if I didn't have, nobody could push it. It's a button, and finding why that's there and what to how to change it. You try it on the different. The other piece to that too is I think we will get some teachers say hijacked by certain experiences again and again. But our path is to stay hijacked for a shorter and shorter and shorter time. So it might get to the point where it's just a ooh as opposed to days of being angry about it.
Nina Ganguli:Months, weeks, years. You know for sure and I'm laughing because I so hear what you're saying and so I guess my next question would be with the people that you work with and all the different modalities that you, like, you've done, you know, I know you've taught German and French and then you moved into counseling and then you moved into nutritional wellness, and so when a client comes to you and they're coming in for something specific, do you use all the tools in your toolbox? Do you stay like, specifically inside of you know what they've asked for? Because I know, if somebody comes to me for Reiki and then I begin the Re and I'm like, oh, there's a lot that's going on, that I need another tool. That's not what you came to me for, but there's another tool I need to implement in order to help support the healing process or the growth or whatever it happens to be what I guess. I'm asking you in a long-winded way what's your process?
Kirin Loomis:Well, somebody might come to me for a specific modality. For example, somebody about a year ago said can I sign up with you for a series of option process dialogues? And I said, yes, of course I'd love to do that with you. And since I learned the option process dialogue, I have also learned health coaching and positive intelligence. I'm going to pause you for a second Okay, say that again. The option process dialogue let's talk about that for a minute what?
Kirin Loomis:is that it's a form of Socratic dialogue in which the practitioner only asks questions, and it's all for the purpose of helping a person find greater self-awareness. If I say, why did you react that way, they have to look within, but it's all about finding the beliefs under the surface that are driving the feelings and the behaviors. So by asking questions. Just a quick example Years ago there was a woman who was afraid of flying. She wanted to go to the United States to get some help for her child and she just couldn't fly. And she wanted to. So I said what is it exactly that you're afraid of when you think about flying? And she said well, the plane might crash. Okay, so if the plane were to crash, what is it about that? That's scary for you. Which may seem like a really weird question, but listen to where it went. She said well, actually, if it crashed, I'm afraid I would die, but actually, when I think about it, I would just be dead and in my world that would be the end and I wouldn't be thinking anymore. So that wouldn't matter. So I said so how do you feel now when you think about flying? And she said I'm still scared. I said okay, what are you scared of? And she said that two or three minutes when you know you're going down but you're not dead yet. And it's when you know you're going down but you're not dead yet. That's the scary part. Why is that scary for you?
Kirin Loomis:And she paused and she said I wouldn't be in control. And she had a huge aha. She said it's not really about flying at all. It's about all the ways in my life where I don't feel like I have enough control, that I would like to. I just need to form a whole different relationship with control. And so I went to America and it was just all of it, just from us. She didn't even finish the time we had allotted for our session. She said thank you, I've got it. That's what I needed. Thank you, I've got it. That's what I needed.
Nina Ganguli:It's incredible that I've you know, sure, awareness, like it's all there. So I've noticed this like it's it's we, we know, but we just don't have access to it, and I love that. You said you just keep asking these questions and in when I was trained as a coach, that was one of the things that was like so clear was you know, if you're doing solution focused work with somebody you know to get to, to get there quickly, is to ask the right questions and just be open, without any judgment, without any space, without any of that. I think that's so important for the journey of a client is that what we bring to the table from the perspective of holding space. All healers will say you know, when I say, well, what do you think? How do you work, what is it that you do?
Nina Ganguli:A lot of the answers are well, I hold space. Lot of the answers are well, I hold space. And some of it's just like I hold space as a Reiki practitioner, when I'm creating the energy or I'm setting myself up to hold space for another person's energy, which is different than asking the right questions. And you know, I think it has happened to me too, where I you know, we all have coaches, have coaches, counselors, we all have somebody helping us along the way.
Nina Ganguli:And and I, the same thing has happened to me. Someone's asked me like two or three questions and I'm like, oh well, I'm done for now, cause that's all I can digest anyways, for for now, and let me go and see what to do with that. And so I just I want to let our listeners know that how important it is to find that person that knows how to ask the right question. And well, what do you do when you're working with someone and you, you yourself, are coming to a bit of a? You know a struggle or a stop, and you know what is your process for that?
Kirin Loomis:well, it depends on which modality I'm in. If it's option process, dialogue, I only ask questions. I would not insert an example from my life or just the next question. Then I'd have learned to keep myself out of it. Well, if a situation is really close to mine, a less experienced person might be tempted to say, well, here's how it is for me. But to really just set that aside and I don't know at a deep level what their journey is and just ask.
Kirin Loomis:But the thing you're saying about holding space for someone. What comes to mind is a hoarder that I worked with recently. The way I would word holding space is to say, be loving and nonjudgmental, work with the hoarder, not in a well, you should fix this, or why don't you clean up, but rather how is this for you? What part of this is important for you? And this person was afraid the homeowners association was going to kick her out.
Kirin Loomis:And I'll also mention that whenever I'm giving this kind of examples, I change enough of the details so that even that person would not know I'm talking about them. It's so beautiful. We're staying clear on that part, of course, but this person it had to come from her, not from the homeowners association. So, starting with, how is this for you? What part of this is important to you? Is there any of this that you want to change, or are you content with things the way they are and just to really sort of go inside with the person, so they don't go inside themselves alone, just be there as if I was holding their hand as they walk around in their brain and figure out what is really in there?
Nina Ganguli:Oh, I love what you said. That's so true. It's like walking around with them wherever they are in the moment and notice, maybe, what they don't notice, and ask from that curiosity, right? It's like, oh, wait a minute.
Kirin Loomis:I'm.
Nina Ganguli:I'm noticing this. Oh interesting, I love that and I think you know, being the detective kind of is, so it can be so rewarding Like we get I was. I was just talking to somebody yesterday when we're doing recording thing, I was saying how much I personally get out of, you know, a session when we're holding space or whatever it is that we're doing for another and the support and the way we're supporting them. For instance, you know, whenever I do interviews afterwards I'm like okay, I'm lit up because I guess it's something that I love doing, without even knowing how much I love doing it. When I'm working with a client or I've done, you know, I've held that space for them, I am. My frequency is like I'm buzzing, Like I'm a physically I buzz, which it's hard to explain, but I know that there's a lot of people who do supportive work and feel this way. Does that happen with you too?
Kirin Loomis:There are a lot of different ways to try to describe it.
Kirin Loomis:What seems to work for me is that the whole planet is starting to vibrate at a higher level, and the higher we go, the better we feel, the more easily things work out, the more clearly we can think All of that's happening, and I think the reason there's so much healing work done now is that people are sensing there's something more that maybe wasn't possible, wasn't accessible before, but now it is. So how to get there, how to start feeling better than I ever knew was possible? Um, and I also think that there are people who just won't be able to fit in that higher vibration and they will find a way out, as one person said, that they will be leaving the planet. We're in that transitional phase where things are kind of turbulent, but I think we're also getting through it to where more and more people are saying, wow, this feels well, this was possible because I could feel this good every day. Wow. And then, when we're at that level, we meet people that we might've seen before but never connected with before. That life just gets better and better.
Nina Ganguli:Join the Miracles Directory, where healers connect and wellness begins. Join a community of trusted holistic professionals or find your path to healing and peace. Visit themiraclesdirectorycom. Start your journey today. It's a fascinating conversation, that conversation of the new world, as some call it, and transitioning into this new, as you said, higher frequency that we're. You know, radiating. Is that the right word? Radiating? I don't even know if that's the right word, but you know we're sending off more, different signals and you know everywhere that I'm looking, I see all of the messages and I'm hearing it a lot. But it's so funny.
Nina Ganguli:I remember when I first started my my own journey. This is about, you know, 2012. So I guess a little, 2012, 20, oh yeah, a little over 10 years ago. One of the things that was here I heard specifically now let's just go into the woo-woo world, but you know we are healers was that I was being prepared for something bigger, like something like the shift. It was like the shift. Actually, what I really heard, if I'm going to tell the truth, is like you're getting ready for the spiritual war and I'm like, oh, okay, whatever that means.
Nina Ganguli:You know, and I heard it, I felt it, and I know that something else is out there, regardless of whatever beliefs that we have from a religious perspective and a spiritual perspective, this conversation is becoming more and more real. It's, you know, you can talk to people, people in my life I've, I, I, like you said, there's some people that go in and out and that so there's some that come back and they're they're talking the same language I'm talking, you know, like, oh yeah, I have crystals. Oh yeah, I have beads. Oh yeah, you know I meditate. I'm like, oh really, when did this change and shift? And and it's more of a prevalent conversation. So I I love that you, you brought that up and, for the listeners, if you are interested those conversations, keep listening to the podcast because I think you'll get some clarity on.
Nina Ganguli:You know, when you're in that space, I'm not sure how to get to that place and you know Kieran is definitely one of those people to help you get there. But I wanted to know more about like, each like what led you to what, like I know it's kind of it's like what led you from each piece of your journey to where you are now, because you've got so many wonderful skills and tools and the ability to help someone elevate their own sense of self. I think that's the best way I can put it right now If I were to ask myself what that healing is. It is to elevate your own personal sense of self and and walk in the comfort of doing who you are. Maybe that's because that's where I am in my journey, but, um, yeah, what like?
Kirin Loomis:fill in those gaps for for us as you move from place to place, because you've got so much to share but just the overarching belief I think that has guided me through the big process is one that I learned years ago. Joy is a signpost that tells us we're on the right path. And so at my life there were various points where, like teaching high school was joyful for me for 15 years, and then we had a change in administration and a lot more paperwork was required and it became less joyful. At the same time, another doorway was opening up the opportunity to work at the Option Institute, where they teach this option process, dialogue and I worked my way up there and became one of the teachers. And then I wanted to live in Minnesota and be closer to my daughters. So I'm in Minneapolis and was living there, you know, and my daughters were in their 20s at that point and I had been away from home long enough that they welcomed me and introduced me to all their friends, and that was a great thing for that phase, and that was a great thing for that phase.
Kirin Loomis:And then I was invited by somebody I knew from the Option Institute to go to Hawaii because they were planning to open an addiction treatment facility and wondered if I would come over and help them get it started doing the process that I had learned in Massachusetts. So I was there for several years and then, while I was in Hawaii, I knew that that was coming to an end. They were not having enough clients to support all the staff, and so I knew a change was coming. And Colorado kept lighting up for me. I would meet people from Colorado that I liked and my housemate said you know, I think you'd really like Boulder, colorado, I think you'd be a good fit there, and no other state was lighting up. Nothing appealed to me, even though I owned a house in Minnesota and after living in Hawaii, it's kind of hard to go back to the winters. Yeah, minnesota winters are pretty bad, whereas Colorado has seasons, it snows and it melts, and for me that weather is a really nice fit here in Colorado.
Kirin Loomis:And then I was flopping around in Colorado without knowing people and without having a job, and I hadn't landed until I saw an ad on Facebook I think for a medicine coaching academy and it was like, yeah, I want to do that and you have the money and I can pay for it and it'll be great. And it was a whole year of training and it was wonderful. It was a very well organized program put together by people who understood positive psychology and everything like a bit. And then I added on the national board certification to that so I became a national board certified health and wellness coach. That health and wellness coach, I'll just say, has a lot to do with well-being whatever kind of well-being If you're working through grief or you're working through loneliness or all kinds of just difficult human experiences. That well-being coaching can help with all of that. And that fascinates me Pretty much brings me to the present.
Nina Ganguli:Okay, I did want to talk to you about the functional medicine and the wellbeing, so let's talk a little bit more about that and how well, what the process is and how you work with people, because I think I hear this word functional medicine and I still myself I'm not fully clear on, well, what does that actually mean?
Kirin Loomis:Okay, there's Western medicine that we have all experienced and we know that there often are not complete answers there. And we know people more and more have strange ailments or they'll have sensitivities to something, but they can't quite pin down what it is that's causing the reaction. So functional medicine really looks at how the human functions in every aspect and how it all fits together, how the physical part fits together with the stress in your life and your exercise and your food plan and all of those components and anything that might be an irritant, like a lot of people have mold in their houses and they have no idea and that might be influencing their health. So functional medicine really looks at the whole human and does creative detective work to figure out what might really be going on. And then I, as a functional medicine health coach it's different from the functional medicine doctor. They, I would say, have the hard work to do because they do the detective work.
Kirin Loomis:The coach, then, would help the client to make whatever changes the doctor has recommended. It might not be easy to turn your life around and stop doing some of the things you've always enjoyed or start doing things that are good for you that might not immediately be attractive. So the coach works with that person of how do I get myself in gear to do these things that I may not want to do, but I want the results from them. So how do I get myself to do them? That's what health coaching is all about. And then you I want the results from them, so how do I get myself to do them? That's what health coaching is all about. And then you add in the well-being piece and how do you make your life work in a way that you have increasing well-being and feel good more of the time?
Nina Ganguli:That is it's wings. I never looked at it that way because to me when I heard well, functional medicine, I really wasn't sure I had an idea. Maybe it was something like what you explained. But then the well-being and the health coaching have always seen as that's just like what you're eating and what you're you know those not as deep as you said for sure. I just kind of thought, ok, you're just going to be like OK, this is, you know, this is the prescription and this is what you do, and I'm just going to hold you to account and make sure you do it.
Nina Ganguli:But it goes beyond that and I think that's what I want the listeners to understand is, when we're talking about this piece about functional medicine and well-being, well-being is a very small word for a big thing. That's the only way I can explain it. Well-being, you know from what you're saying and from what I understand too, it's like it's mind, body, soul. It's not, there's not just one piece of it all works together and it all. We all, you know we work in harmony with where, the way we're eating or the our lifestyle in general, like the level of stress that we have. You know where we live, like you said the mold, um, so many different things.
Nina Ganguli:And so you know, I'm I'm glad that we were having this conversation because I think we have, at large, a very small view or understanding of what all of this is and how it makes an impact, because a lot of times we're only focusing on one piece of the puzzle and then you know and sometimes that's great, because you focus on one piece and something else opens up, and something else opens up but sometimes you think, okay, well, hey, I'm perfect. Now I can not that you're imperfect, don't hear that. Everybody is perfect the way they are. But there's, our brains will be like, okay, well, hey, I worked on this thing. And then, six months from now, something else pops up and we're thinking to yourself well, wait a minute, I changed my eating, I am exercising. Why am I feeling angry all the time?
Nina Ganguli:because that's the next piece exactly which brings us to this. This conversation about it never ends, like the mountain is never climbed and I feel when it is, that's when you've said sayonara. I'm moving on to the next thing, which is the next dimension or universe, or wherever we're going.
Kirin Loomis:I like to think of growth as a spiral, and so grow. We'll come back around to those things that we looked at before and we thought we resolved them before. And they do come around again, but at a higher level, because we have had other experiences in between and now we have a perspective on that thing that used to bother us. And so we set it as we set it, put it to rest for now, and what do you know? Life keeps happening, and again, but you resolve it more quickly, or it doesn't get you the way it used to, or you can now grin at it.
Kirin Loomis:An example just from today my housemate emptied the dishwasher this morning and, as he often does, rather than put the pots and pans away, he put them on the stove. And I just laugh. I think it's so funny that if he wants to use the pots and pans, he knows where they are and he can get them out, but if it's a matter of putting them away, he just can't do that. He puts them on the stove instead. And I'm able to laugh at that. And just this morning I was saying you know, many years ago I would have been so irritated, but now I'm able to focus on thank goodness, I'm really grateful that he emptied the dishwasher and I'm happy to put two pots and pans away, no problem.
Nina Ganguli:So it's that kind of growth and looking back and saying, wow, I used to get myself really upset about thatent we cause for what we would think are small things.
Nina Ganguli:But when you dig deeper you know they go a little. Those roots are like those dandelion roots, right, they go down deep, deep, deep deep. You know a simple pot on a stove can trigger you or set you off, or you know and that's the wonderful piece about taking on working with someone to help you see how deep that root goes, and you don't always get it out the first time. Even like with a dandelion remover or whatever, it doesn't all get cleared up at the same time and that I think that's where you're right, like like you got deep enough and you're like, oh, I know the tools to get me to here, now maybe I need some new tools to get me somewhere else. And you know we were talking a little bit. My question, I guess, to you next is is there any specific genre of people or demographic of people that you work with, or are you open to working with anyone that comes to you?
Kirin Loomis:I have worked with people from age 11 to approximately 95. Not about age, it's not about ability to pay, because if that's truly an issue, I'm willing to be somewhat flexible about that. It really because the modalities I know fit any situation. I can work with somebody who's grieving because they will believe something about what happened, and that's where I work with them. Why do you believe that? Why do you see death as a bad thing, For example, like being without death? Can you imagine we actually do need people to exit for that? So to just shift that, because we've been taught that you're supposed to grieve, Well, maybe that doesn't fit you and maybe you don't need to grieve as long or grieve as deeply. Maybe you're only grieving because you thought you were supposed to. So we can look at all of those things and help people come to a place of peace a little sooner. So that's just one little example grief.
Kirin Loomis:But the same questions I would ask also fit that order, Like what part of this is important to you and why is that a hard part for you? And a lot of it's what your mother taught you when you were little and the question might be, even though she said that when you were little. Why are you still doing it now? Because now she's not here and it's you doing it or not doing it. So how come? And then to find out well, I thought I was supposed to. So who decides what you're supposed to do? What do you want to do? A lot of it's moving from shoulds to what.
Nina Ganguli:Yeah, because we do live in a world of should. I did feel this way, I should. You know, it was when I was reading your bio, and it's like you should clean the kitchen, it should look like this and it should be this way. And you know, just in that conversation I'm like how much do I should myself? You know, am I still shooting all over myself on a regular basis? And I would invite our listeners to look at where are you shitting on yourself all day long about the way things need to be? It's like you know, I'm dealing with right now this issue of family and how much should I let them in? Or I should be letting them in, just, you know, in certain places where are not safe spaces for me.
Nina Ganguli:And so it's that, that grappling and the guilt and the some of well, mostly guilt. I'm not ashamed about it, but I definitely feel guilty. Maybe they kind of the same thing, but you know, where do we do that to ourselves and take and remove joy from ourselves, because we think it's what we should be doing, because somebody, somewhere, told us and that somebody that told us had someone tell them and they probably had someone tell them, you know, and to break those patterns by the questions that you ask yourself and that you ask your clients are just wonderful and freeing, but it's not easy. You know, I say this all the time. Healing is freeing. It's freeing yourself from the shackles of whatever it is that's holding you back. But the process itself in my experience with the clients that I've worked with in my own healing process, it's simple but it's not easy.
Kirin Loomis:Yes, yeah, it's as simple as well. Just do this.
Nina Ganguli:Just think a different thought.
Kirin Loomis:Come on, art is that, and another piece that comes in there is that we only tend to notice evidence that supports what we already believe. We don't even notice if somebody thinks we're wonderful. We don't even notice if somebody thinks we're wonderful, Unless we're ready to start believing it ourselves. All those shoulds. I should do this, I should do more of that. I'm not there yet because I still could do all this stuff.
Kirin Loomis:Those are things where we can shift the belief and then start gathering evidence for the new belief, instead of oh, I have 16 things I haven't done yet. Well, I did three things today and it was actually more fun than I thought it would be, so I think I'll do another three tomorrow or maybe even four. So it's a matter of how we interact with our mind and the things around us and shift it so that we're actually creating more of the experience that we want. And that thing about the shoulds all those shoulds if we can start turning our focus to well, what do I actually want to do here? And be the person who takes command of what kind of experience I'm giving myself and are any of those shoulds ever helpful? And maybe just start trusting ourselves that we are basically good people and that if we trust our wants and go toward the things we want, we'll turn out okay.
Nina Ganguli:Oh powerful what you just said. If we just trust our wants, we don't. I'm going to say this as a collective. We don't live in a world where we're taught to trust our wants. In fact, when we're children, when we're infants, we totally trust our wants. We're like I want food. Give me food.
Kirin Loomis:I know I need food, right have turned out right and they gave us a whole bunch of rules that they thought would help us get to be good people, and maybe they were appropriate at that time. Maybe it varies. At this point it's up to us to take responsibility for what we're telling ourselves going forward.
Nina Ganguli:Yeah, and you know, getting to the point where we can accept that not everyone's going to see the world that we see when we begin to transform and change. I mean that's also something I know people deal with a lot as you're transforming, now You're seeing different perspectives for yourself and the people closest to you around you are like well, I don't, I don't really like this new change, I don't really like this new perspective. I really, I really like this new perspective. I really, I. You know there's that to deal with as well, and I think for me that's where the kind of guilt comes from. It's like I know when I do what I want, it's going to impact people in a way that they're not used to. And can I be with that? And I'm working on? Yeah, I could be with that. And you're right, it's keep practicing, keep practicing, until it's not even a thought. It's like, no, this is what I want and I'm sorry if you don't like it well, there are ways to word things gently.
Kirin Loomis:Coming out swinging the baseball bat yeah, I didn't what I wanted, but I remember a friend who said her mother kept sending fudge at Christmas and they were trying to be more healthy in their choices and so the fudge kept coming and more every year.
Kirin Loomis:And she finally said Mom, I really feel the love that you put into the fudge that you send us and at the same time it's really more fudge than we can eat. So just know that we really feel that love and it's okay to not send so much, as we can find ways to communicate our loving and our caring. Maybe even some of those things we're deciding to do differently are because we want to be more caring and if we can find a way to communicate that, I'm not saying ask for permission to make the changes that are important, but nonetheless we can soften the impact it's going to have on people or show them that, even though I'm choosing to do this thing that you don't want to do with me, I do care about you and I'm willing to do something with you on Tuesday. Don't want to do with me, I do care about you and I'm willing to do something with you on tuesday.
Nina Ganguli:You know there are ways we can still get along with people even though we're once I love that you said that, because I'm just a bulldozer so I'm just like I don't want that anymore out and then I'll I'll grieve and I'll feel guilty later and be mad about it and then you know then it's all your fault and never mind. It's not what our brain does and what our brain is so used to doing, no matter sometimes how much we want to do something and we know what we should be doing and not should but what we can be doing in order to make those changes. And it's to give ourselves what you just said like how's giving somebody else that compassion and that empathy, but to also provide that for ourselves. Like darn, I wish I didn't do that and then be like it's okay, life is just, it totally is a school, right, we're learning and we're practicing all the time.
Kirin Loomis:But just a quick note about the brain. We are hardwired for survival from our animal nature all the way through all of our evolution. We are still hardwired for survival and we will tend to do whatever we did yesterday because we survived. Obviously that's the thing to do again, again, and that's what makes change so hard to move from those old patterns that kept us alive for another day, no matter how uncomfortable they were. More comfortable and see if that would work. There's a certain deep risk involved. Oh, I'm making a change again and so brave enough to try these changes and see what happens. It's a part of the journey.
Nina Ganguli:Yeah, and you know it's, it's, it's important to. I think, if you can, I use that word important a lot. I just caught myself. I'm like, wow, so I think everything is important.
Nina Ganguli:It's interesting to see life from the perspective of discovery, and that's, I think, what I would love to invite our listeners to do is to be in discovery of who you are, who you're not, and connect with people such as yourself to guide us along in that discovery, because I don't think anyone is meant to do it by themselves and those blind spots that you don't like. You don't know what you don't know. I just don't know what you don't know. And and, kieran, I know you have so many beautiful tools and you have such wisdom and such warm, and you know I just I want to thank you for taking the time, for being with us, sharing your story, sharing your tools, giving examples, so our listeners can really be, you know, grounded in oh, this, this is something that I can, I can do as well, if, aside from the miracles directory Directory where you can be found, of course how else can we get in touch with you?
Kirin Loomis:Well, my business email is karenlumas at gmailcom we wanted to keep it really easy and also my phone, I'll just tell you here, is 612-816-9694.
Nina Ganguli:Lovely, and you do both distance and in-person.
Kirin Loomis:Mostly distance. Actually, I'm happy to meet people locally as well, but life has worked out in such a way that I have clients in Japan and Africa and many, many places that modern technology will allow us to do.
Nina Ganguli:Isn't that so magical. I love technology, like when it works Walk.
Kirin Loomis:Well, I really enjoyed beginning to get to know you and having this conversation together. It sounds like we have a lot of shared interests in terms of the topics we enjoy talking about.
Nina Ganguli:Yeah, this we could go on forever, so of course, we'll probably have you back at some point in time. And again, thank you so much for your time and take care. Thank you for joining us today on healers talk healing. We hope you've been inspired and empowered on your holistic healing journey. If you've enjoyed today's episode and want to continue learning and growing with us, don't forget to subscribe, follow, rate and review our podcast. Your feedback and support mean the world to us. Remember healing is a lifelong journey and you have the power to transform your life in profound ways. Stay curious, keep exploring and never stop believing in your own capacity. Profound ways. Stay curious, keep exploring and never stop believing in your own capacity for healing.
