It feels weird not giving a job title but I am moving away from that way of thinking. As a matter of fact that is the only way I thought just a few years ago. I am an occupational therapist by trade – a title that I very much identified with. It felt like my purpose here on this Earth and then it all changed. But first we have to go back to understand how I got here.

In May 2011, my husband, (boyfriend at the time) was in a boating accident that changed our lives. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for 29 days. At that time we did not know if he was going to make it through and if he did what his quality of life would be. Thankfully he woke up on Father’s Day and miraculously made a full recovery. I knew my life was going to change drastically, I just didn’t know how.

At that time I was working in the service industry and it just wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I knew I wanted a career with depth and meaning. So I made the choice to quit my job and do some soul searching. That is when I decided I wanted to go back to school and get my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. This profession made such an impact in my husband’s recovery. The OT’s he worked with took the time to get to know him and worked on the things that were important to him so that he could get back to the life he was building before the accident. I knew I wanted to help people in that way. After tragedy, inspiring and giving hope.

I have always been interested in holistic modalities which comes with some “woo woo” ideas. I say that lovingly because I actually quite enjoy it, but I also want the science to back it up. While in graduate school I completed my thesis on incorporating spirituality with the patient. I won’t get into all of it here – but the main idea is if we are not getting to the center of who the patient is or their ‘spirit’ then how much are we really helping them? Especially when people have been through traumatic experiences or a life altering incident, their spirit most certainly needs to be addressed. I have found that it can go one of two ways – they either lean into their faith or they question everything they thought before. So why can’t we talk about it? I’m not here to impose my beliefs to the patient – but if they want to express their spiritual needs shouldn’t I be able to address that? I work with their physical, cognitive and emotional needs why is spiritual so taboo? My group was actually selected to present our thesis at our state conference and we got a lot of push back. Most of the fellow OT’s made comments like ‘this would never fly at my hospital’ or ‘I would not feel comfortable addressing that.’ Leaving I felt a little discouraged but realized it’s not for everyone. Deep down I felt like if our profession doesn’t recognize this is an issue then we are missing the boat.

Once I graduated I soon realized how difficult it was to incorporate spirituality into Occupational Therapy. The things that I recommended to others was now far and few between in my sessions. Visualization, breathing exercises, aromatherapy, meditation . . . all the things I enjoy doing was not meeting my productivity requirements or meeting the more standard goals such as dressing and standing tolerance. It seemed like this was not important to the mainstream so I can continue this in my personal life and maybe incorporate it here and there but it certainly will not be my main focus. That hurt and felt like I was losing a big part of myself. I tried different settings and shockingly ended up in the private sector where I had as much freedom as possible but still locked into the grind with challenging caseloads. I was burnt out but didn’t see a way out. This was supposed to be my life purpose or so I thought.

My world changed again July 2020, my brother died from an accidental overdose. I had been so scared of this moment for years and then it actually happened. This time I was not expecting it at all. He was in a really good place in life and sober for quite some time. It was one little slip up and it completely blind sided me and my family. We were devastated. Those moments in life change you. It makes you take a really hard look at your life and reevaluate. The sadness of his passing and already feeling burnt out at work was a combination for a disaster. I felt so drained and really questioning what my purpose is.

During this time of reflection and creation I decided to get back to my roots. Incorporating spirituality and Occupational Therapy. My mission is to create Zen moments in everyday routines and to help others feel at peace during life’s challenges. Forever looking at ways to nurture our souls even during times of chaos.

I also wrote a book that you can find here. It is a siblings perspective to addiction and loss.