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ALTON - The Healing Haus is officially open for everyone who is ready to feel better in the New Year.
The business opened in October in The Milton Schoolhouse and offers a variety of holistic healing modalities, from yoga and meditation to Reiki and sound baths. The Healing Haus will partner with Soul Sanctuary on Dec. 30, 2023, for a “Letting Go of 2023: Moon Meditation and Sound Bath” event.
“When you think about holistic healing, it’s more so Eastern body, Western mind. It’s the best way I can put it,” said Latavia Jo Harley, The Healing Haus owner. “When I think of holistic healing, I think of all-natural modalities. So not necessarily looking at something that's wrong from a leaf standpoint, but what are the roots? Not really slapping a pill on it or only focusing on the symptom, but why it got there.”
Harley became interested in alternative healing practices as a child as she watched family members struggle with mental health issues. After her own bout of depression in college, she discovered yoga and meditation, which she still practices today.
In addition to The Healing Haus, Harley works as a mental health counselor and a yoga instructor. She has always taken a holistic approach with her counseling clients, and this mindset guided her as she started The Healing Haus.
“I always really dreamed of having all holistic healing modalities under one roof, and so that is how The Healing Haus came about,” she explained. “I’ve always had a different approach to things, and I know it’s not one-size-fits-all when it comes to counseling. I really just wanted to incorporate all holistic healing modalities for everyone to feel like they can start their journey.”
When someone comes to Harley and wants to learn more about The Healing Haus and what services might be right for them, she asks what they’ve tried before and what they’re open to trying. She usually sees people who aren’t sure exactly what they want, but they know they want to feel better.
“From a holistic standpoint, we really can heal ourselves from the inside out,” Harley said. “[People] come to me and they say, ‘Tavia, I need something different. I want to feel like myself again. I want to be a human.’ And I want to make clear, as a counselor, I’m not negating medication…[But] it’s almost like a vicious cycle we can’t get off. We’re on meds because we feel crappy and then we feel crappy because we’re on meds and then we feel even more crappy.”
Harley encourages people to think about their MEDS — meditation, exercise, diet and sleep. She believes these are the most important parts of wellness, and she encourages people to address their MEDS before they go on any actual medication.
Depending on how her conversation with a client goes, she might recommend a group yoga class or meditation session, or they might prefer Reiki (energy healing through gentle touches) or a sound bath. Harley offers all of these services and more through The Healing Haus.
The Dec. 30, 2023, meditation event will include a sound bath, which uses Himalyan or Tibetan bowls to make sounds that reverberate through the body. In her research, Harley has found that sound baths can help with inflammation, central nervous system issues, arthritis, depression, anxiety and sleep.
Stella Webb with Soul Sanctuary will lead a meditation and a journaling exercise during the “Letting Go of 2023: Moon Meditation and Sound Bath” event. Harley explained that the event encourages people to think about what they’re ready to leave behind in 2023 and what they want out of 2024.
“It’s kind of guiding you into letting all of the crap go from 2023. So letting go of all of 2023,” Harley laughed. “That’s going to be the first half of this event: meditation, guiding you through it, sort of like a journal piece, getting some reflection in there. What do you want to let go, and how do you want 2024 to be different? And then I’m going to calm the central nervous system down with a sound bath afterwards to really let that sink in and to give people a different space, a calmer sense when they walk out.”
The “Letting go of 2023: Moon Meditation and Sound Bath” event starts at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, at Soul Sanctuary in The Milton Schoolhouse, located at 1320 Milton Road in Alton. Tickets cost $30 and there are just a few spots left. Check out the official Facebook event page for more information about reserving your spot.
To learn more about The Healing Haus and their services, visit their official Facebook page or Instagram profile, or email Harley at lataviajo@thehealinghaus.net.
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