Herbalism

In December 2021 I finished my sever year apprenticeship at the School of Intuitive Herbalism in Stroud, UK as an Insight Herbalist. Insight Herbalism is a form of practice where the emphasis is on supporting clients and groups in understanding themselves and their health through direct experiences of plants. Within this model, herbs are not ‘prescribed’, rather they are introduced and the client is given the support they need to integrate the plant, its teachings and the physiological changes it can help support, into their lives.

I can only describe the way we work with herbs as an exploration, of our body, our feelings, our emotions, our mind. Working with plants is magical, it feels like you’re never alone when you know the herbs. Each plant has its specific energy, and we relate to that energy in our very specific way, depending on our history, our thoughts, our body, our ideas, our present moment. Engaging with plants with curiosity and respect can help us to uncover parts of ourselves that might have been forgotten, covered up or hidden due to trauma. It can be incredible what we find if we just take the take and space to listen. I really like this quote by my teacher Nathaniel Hughes:

“Plants are living beings, in deep relationship with the land. They are in a state of constant movement, change and growth, experience this change and know that something within us is also transformed. Their very existence can be the catalyst of transformation; as such, they themselves can be the alchemists of healing. If we invite them in, they gradually start living within us, sharing their wisdom and their potential for healing. The wild has wisdom if only we make time and space to hear it.”

From Intuitive herbalism  by Nathaniel Hughes and Fiona Owen