I’m Officially a Certified Detoxification Specialist!

by Cy

PurityandVerve.com

I completed the Level I Detoxification Specialist Course at Dr. Robert Morse, ND’s International School of the Healing Arts. I’m officially a Detoxification Specialist! I’m incredibly excited about this achievement and what lies ahead. Here, I’ll share my experience and discuss my plans for the near future.

Why I Chose This Path

I entered the International School of Healing Arts as a Registered Nurse, looking to deepen my understanding of naturopathy and holistic health. I had looked into several methods of pursuing this goal, both within the discipline of nursing and outside of it through naturopathic and herbal study including the Naturopathic Doctor track. I found exactly what I was looking for in Dr. Morse’s program.

I’ve been engaged in holistic health research and practice for almost 25 years. This includes everything from veganism and physical culture to raw foodism and therapeutic uses of essential oils and so much more. I had been previously exposed to Iridology and Herbology in Eastern traditional practice and had engaged in the theories and practice of detoxification studies, mostly focusing on the purification of the gastrointestinal tract.

While I have gathered a large amount of information over the years, I was missing discernment and synthesis. Just as in allopathic medicine, holistic health can be hit or miss. People often mistake a seemingly more natural approach to wellness as infallible at best or harmless at worst. There are many so-called natural health practices that either have no positive effect or which are outright detrimental.

I entered nursing school seeking this synthesis but found it to be mostly an indoctrination into germ theory and western medicine, a series of largely ineffective treatment-based approaches which tended to manifest into other ailments perpetuating a highly profitable polypharmaceutical cycle. Fortunately, nursing has a deeply holistic, womanist and human core that I continue to draw inspiration from.

Dr. Morse’s program provided precisely the synthesis and discernment I was looking for. I learned how to understand principal methods of detoxification, distinguish supportive practices from fads, trends, scams and other things that simply don’t belong in anyone’s health practice. I learned how to gather together much of what I’d learned over the years into a synergistic whole. More critical than any of this, I  learned the truth of healing, how to cure any so-called disease and how to restore humanity to greatness.

Coursework

Entitled Level 1: The Path of the Healer, this course covers the importance of the Great Lymphatic System as the key to regenerative detoxification of the human body, effectively healing humans from any health woe. More than just a course about health, The Path of the Healer also includes creation and God-consciousness/the origins of all things, natural law, chemistry, anatomy and physiology including a detailed discussion of the great lymphatic system, nutrition, the art and science of detoxification, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects, basic herbology including an examination of Dr. Morse’s formulas and several case studies. You can visit Dr. Morse’s school website for more detailed information.

I took my time with the course, taking detailed notes, listening to every lecture two or more times and conducting supplemental research to deepen my awareness of Dr. Morse’s principles. I studied all of Dr. Morse’s herbal formulas and the herbs contained in them. I also considered things from my own perspective, understanding the ways in which I think similarly to Dr. Morse and the ways in which I am different. While I respect Dr. Morse’s work immensely, I believe it is quite natural to have my own take on certain issues. I believe this will help to grow my perspective and individual skill set as a naturopath.

The spiritual aspect of the course is what makes it complete. In order to heal and be healed, we need to be intimately connected with our source, our creator and the spiritual interconnectedness of everything. This was a great relief from the hyper intellectual atheistic stance found in many academic tracks today.

Certification Exam

The Path of the Healer concludes with an exam designed to assess the participant’s knowledge and skill in the art and science of detoxification. In order to prepare for the exam, I reviewed lectures, took additional notes and allowed myself time to sit with the information I learned. I also drew from my background in nursing for some of the chemistry and anatomy and physiology questions. While I passed the exam on the first attempt, I appreciate that Dr. Morse’s school sends feedback so that I could  review the items I missed and expand upon my learning. I found some of the questions tricky and the process I would have taken to answer questions in nursing or traditional academia was quite different from Dr. Morse’s exam.

What’s Next?

I’m continuing on my personal regenerative detoxification journey while continuing to study herbs, Dr. Morse’s lectures, and laying the groundwork for my Detoxificaiton Specialist practice. I plan to take Iridology next so that I can add the important skill of iris analysis to my ability to help people heal. I feel this is the work I was born to do and I’m exhilarated about everything!

While acknowledging that this is my life’s work, I intend to approach my role as a Detoxification Specialist with balance and grace. When I was a hospital-based medical surgical nurse, I typically worked 13 hour shifts without a break, oftentimes 3-4 days in a row. Our hospital and unit were chronically understaffed and it became an almost daily occurrence to fill out missed break and protest of assignment forms. Our nurse manager would tell us that this was nothing to complain about compared to some work environments and remind us us that we needed to suck it up and develop better coping strategies for achieving a work-life balance.

This may represent normalcy for many. However, I am taking the time to reflect and acknowledge that a person working under these conditions and circumstances will never empower another person to become healthy. Being an effective healer means taking excellent care of ourselves. In my own practice I’m aspiring towards greater balance. This means I will not drive myself into the ground, but pace myself, focusing on the quality and equilibrium of my life-work.