Today we’d like to introduce you to Jodi Lawyer.
Hi Jodi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my story. I believe I’ve known since childhood, I would become a ‘helper’ in some sort of capacity, but I never guessed my life would evolve and take on the shape it is today. I’m a healer, educator, author, and a “mender of hope”, which is a fancy way of describing an occupational therapist. When I was growing up, I loved to play doctor with my pretend doctor kit, play teacher, read, write stories, put on puppet shows, imitate voices, sing, and play the piano. I had a vivid imagination and I liked to figure out how to make gadgets. I once tried to fashion a Barbie elevator from a shoe box and yarn, with an elaborate pulley system. In my head, it worked amazingly well, but it sure didn’t turn out the way I envisioned. My dad constructed a puppet show theatre where I could act out my wild tales I’d written on wide-lined notebook paper. I painted the wooden three-paneled box with gold hinges, the color white and stenciled letters across the front in red, navy and green, “Puppet Show Theatre” (how original). I learned to craft at a young age and my mom was highly influential in teaching me how to sew, cross stitch, and use tools, which has fueled my creative side over the years. This crafty side of me really comes in handy in life, as well as serving as an OT. I’ve always been an empath; introverted and shy as a child, but somewhat of a clown when it came to my family and close friends.
As I aged, I noticed people gravitated towards me; telling me their problems and asking my advice. At that time, it consisted of my friends or people close to me. Later on, strangers would often ask me for assistance; directions or wanted to unload a problem they were wrestling with. I used to joke I wore a sign on my forehead that somehow attracted these individuals to me. I came to the realization I wanted to pursue the field of Psychology to better understand human behavior. I received my Bachelor’s in Psychology, paired with a Bachelor’s in Corrections from Mankato State University. While in college I served as a resident adviser on a floor for two years and that experience influenced my budding leadership style, basic counseling, and brought me out of my shell. I additionally served as a volunteer for the county abuse/crisis hotline, where I was on-call once a month to counsel and assist individuals as needed. I was close to attending graduate school to become a child psychologist, but made a detour to pursue a different avenue. Instead I went on to become a Hall Director in Murray, Kentucky while receiving my Master’s in Health and Human Services from Murray state University. I lived on campus with the students and developed skills of supervision, management, program planning, training and development. Following graduation, I returned to my home state of Minnesota, became married, and took on the role of a Resident Hall Director at the University of St. Thomas. Through that leadership experience, I was afforded many opportunities to not only supervise and mentor students, but to guide them through challenging situations, as well as providing opportunities for their growth and learning.
During my tenure at St. Thomas, my son, Hayden was born and the next two years were spent juggling a new role as a mom and my career, while living on campus in an apartment. Needless to say, Hayden accompanied me to many campus events and I was never short of finding babysitters. When Hayden was two years old, we moved into our first house and I chose to stay home full-time. I’m forever grateful for that experience, as you can’t get those early years back. My daughter, Emma, was born and shortly thereafter, Hayden was diagnosed with high-functioning autism at four and a half years old. I remember feeling sad grieved for some time, with the uncertainty of how life might potentially be difficult for him. As soon as we received the diagnosis, Hayden enrolled in a special program through the district and he started private speech and occupational therapy services. For a year, two times a week, I diligently brought Hayden to therapy, with Emma in the baby carrier (until she got too old and had to go to the park for her toddler antics). I was amazed at what occupational therapists could do with kids. Who knew lycra, rolling in a barrel and pushing kids in swings a certain way could change the brain. I didn’t even know what an OT was when I was growing up! This was quite an eye-opening experience and the wheels started turning in my head. In the summer of 2005, I became separated from my husband (a year later divorced), and just like that, decided I was going to become an OT in pediatrics and help kids like my sweet Hayden. I was required to do two years of pre-requisites before applying to OT school, but I bulldozed through those years and was accepted at St. Catherine University, where I completed my Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy in 2010. I felt extremely fortunate I was accepted, as the program only took 30 applicants as a cohort in the weekend program. Those are one of many moments, when I definitely knew I was in the right place at the right time. My fieldwork placement ended up at the clinic Hayden attended therapy, and thank my lucky stars, my first job came available there, as I was finishing up my fieldwork. It truly felt full-circle.
I continued to work in pediatrics for many years, while additionally working on the weekends in a skilled nursing home. I began to take Craniosacral Therapy as continuing education, reiki training and developed a greater understanding of the brain-body connection, as related to releasing emotional experiences through body work. During this time, I was referred by one of my OT friends to visit an acupuncturist who administered an extremely interesting protocol with a cold laser, known as Quantum Neuro Reset Therapy (QNRT). Basically, the laser facilitates relieving trauma from the body, by resetting neural pathways, while simultaneously healing the nervous system. The modality was nothing like I had ever experienced before, but I was hooked once I started receiving these resets. I unlocked parts of myself that I had repressed and conveniently hidden away. This was a pivotal moment; the onset to heal the trauma that had been stored in my own brain-body connection, as well as doing intense shadow work. Nobody ever prepares you for the complexity, difficulty, or toll that kind of healing takes on a person. There is a level of unpredictability; unsettling due to the intense emotional releases which can often occur at inconvenient times.
One morning in March of 2017, I encountered a profound spiritual experience while I was pushing a client around in a wheelchair at the nursing home. I was pondering in my head “why are all these people so sick?” I clearly heard “because they have trauma”. That statement was an epiphany; the understanding right there, I was going to become certified in QNRT so I might help others to heal. I went home that night and found out the next certification period was beginning in June 2017. I felt as though it was too good to be true. Bursting with excitement, I began the inquiry process, registered and started down another path of adding more “tools” to my toolbox of skills. However, the most important person I ended up healing was myself. It took many years of intentional, consistent acts of self-love, such as the neural rewiring, sound healing, bodywork, yoga, meditation, traveling, solitude, crafting, and laughter, to heal me up in mind-body-spirit and to fuse my pieces back together. Relationship dynamics with friends, family and clients also highlighted places within my psyche, which required resolution. I came to realize my role in pediatrics was an additional catalyst for healing childhood and adolescent wounds. In doing ‘the work’, I not only healed from repressed sexual abuse trauma as a child, bullying in school, dysfunctional relationships, numerous negative circumstances as an adolescent and adult, money trauma, but a multitude of experiences which shaped the way I viewed myself. We know from research early experiences lay the framework for how we view ourselves and our interactions with the environment. I gained confidence, became less fearful, trusted in myself and decisions, established healthier boundaries with people, and my brain changed positively. I thought with increased clarity, could problem solve with efficiency, and I learned to pause and reflect; not react as quickly, when life throws some massive curve balls. I furthermore became softer; quieter, peaceful, less rigid, reflective and practiced embodying love in all that I do and with whom I interact with. Mindfulness became another staple in my daily life and learned to choose an alternative method when I wanted to freak out. Through my own soul journey, I began to find God again in a new way and my spiritual practice expanded to bring me through the thick of it. This kind of healing work was grueling at times, but I felt it was not only for my highest benefit, it became necessary if I was going to help others to heal. I was changing, emerging and blossoming.
Once I became certified in Quantum Neuro Reset Therapy, I took a risk and resigned from my pediatric clinic job to open my private practice, Helix Healing Path, founded in 2017. My practice has shifted over the years, reflecting seasons of change as I have continued to grow and level up. Without a doubt, I’ve continued to unlock parts of myself and reclaimed the hidden child aspect that loved to tell stories and rhyme. Carl Jung once stated, “What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes? Herein lies the key to your earthly pursuits.” On August 3, 2016, while I was meditating, I received a download of a “character”, which was a glimmer of yet another project that had not come to fruition, but the inspiration had taken root. In 2021, I authored and published “Mag the Mighty Marshmallow”, which is literally an expression of myself; my alter ego. On an inkling one afternoon last year, I looked up marshmallow on the internet. “Marshmallow, scientifically known as ‘althea officinalis,’ is a flowering plant with pale pink flowers….” “Althea officinalis the botanical name for marshmallow, which comes from the Greek word ‘althos’, which means ‘to heal.’” You see, Mag the Mighty Marshmallow was truly divinely downloaded for me, so I would put the pieces together and write her (me). Once I started hearing the words in my head, I continued to heal/reveal myself through creativity of not only authoring the book, but writing over 100 Mag mini stories, with rhyming lessons of activities kids partake in, funny events, mishaps or disappointments I endured as a child (posted on Facebook and Instagram). One of my little stories is Mag falling off a dock while fishing, and that particular experience did happen to me when I was camping with my friend’s family at age 11 or 12. I lost my balance at the dock’s edge and just fell into the water. Needless to say, there were alot of laughs that day! In this capacity, I’m still acting as an ‘agent of help.’ I continue to become inspired by various topics and will keep on putting out what lights me up inside. In 2023, I was called back into the pediatric setting, where I currently divide my week with my Helix practice and writing Mag Marshmallow.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Everyone has their share of obstacles and challenges they need to overcome. With particular situations, different paths present themselves, but in my experience, the path is always the “right one”, even when it’s laden with hardship. We’re not put on this earth to skim by without finding the reason, lesson or value in the obstacle. That’s the true gift (even through it’s not always wrapped up in a pretty package). It’s the resilience and the grit one has to call upon when working through such challenges. One of my early barriers was balancing school and full time OT curriculum with two young kids at home. I worked part-time at a clothing consignment store in South Minneapolis, while I was completing my pre-requisite classes and my master’s. I remember I had a physiology lab all day on Wednesdays and my mom came down to babysit Emma. At the time, the extra support was extremely helpful I needed the help to get me through. My ex-husband had the kids every other weekend, who also provided additional reinforcement, while I was attending school on the weekends.
To my dismay, my first semester in OT school, I was taken away by ambulance by what I thought was a heart attack. I was only 37 at the time, but I was experiencing excruciating pain. Come to find out it was an inflamed gall bladder and a tumor the size of a tangerine, which had encapsulated my right adrenal gland. Consequently, in the middle of my first semester, I underwent invasive abdominal surgery to remove the tumor, which thankfully resulted as benign. My recovery was eight weeks long and whenever I moved, even just a little, I thought I was going to rip open my incision. It was an extremely stressful time of pure exhaustion, with the continuous juggling act of healing my body, school demands, kids and general life hits. I managed to pull off high grades in the first semester, despite the set-back. Sometimes I’m not sure how I marched through during those three years. I took the boards twice because I didn’t pass the first time and that failure felt like a blow. Then again, I needed to give myself grace because I was running uphill constantly and also sending my nervous system in to a tail spin without even knowing it back then.
The next challenge came seven years later. When I decided to become certified in Quantum Neuro Rest Therapy. I became the first Occupational Therapist certified in the protocol. I felt as though I was pioneering in my field and learning how this particular protocol would support my scope of practice, but I had nobody in my field to collaborate with. It was sink or swim time. Here I am, back to school, learning novel material and with individuals who were nothing like me. I was seated amongst acupuncturists, naturopaths, nurses, physicians and chiropractors. I definitely felt small, as though I shouldn’t be there. But yet, I held my own and studied copiously so I could just pass. I began to question my decision when some of the “smarties” dropped out of the program. “What have I gotten myself into”, I asked myself on more than one occasion. Despite the doubts creeping in, I kept persevering for months until I made it to the end, when I received the official certification.
The next obstacle: how was I going to begin a private holistic practice? I researched the how’s of a business and figured out all the details, but in all honestly, it was a true leap of faith, as I started my practice from the bottom. I had no clients, no referrals and didn’t take a business loan. I found an amazing office space, which was also special for me, to create a unique healing space. Little by little, and trialing different avenues (expos, workshops, webinars) I brought clients in. My sister was also highly instrumental in sending individuals my way. One person tells another, with clients leaving me wonderful reviews and I finally got some traction. COVID was yet another obstacle. As an in-person practitioner, I was required to shut down as many professionals also did, but I used that time wisely to develop a course on healing the nervous system outside the realm of QNRT. As an OT, I get to be creative and think outside the box. There is adventure and learning when we see beyond what’s in front of us. Not to mention all the continuing education I’m required to take, which benefits me greatly, but teaching clients activities and specific ways to calm the nervous system.
When I personally feel stuck, my go-to is a nap or yoga. I need to be quite intentional about shutting the outside “noise” and find solitude. Refinishing a piece of furniture or a detailed DIY project or craft, and writing are my preferred hobbies, which are essential to free up the clutter in my head. When I’m alone and in my flow, it’s then I receive ideas and inklings and I can move myself forward. I’ve also noticed a particular phenomenon occurs when you’re about to do something bold: everything literally falls apart before it falls together. This is usually the place where most people want to give up. I’m definitely included in that group; there were numerous break-downs of crying and residing in this icky, uncomfortable, limbo space without having a clue, however, there was also a constant guiding light for me, which kept me moving and staying the course.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Helix Healing Path ?
If you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I certainly wouldn’t have said “Occupational Therapist”, but more realistically “writer” or “teacher”, and yet all my experiences throughout life has brought me to this point in time and for good reason. It’s quite remarkable how the threads of each job, personal and professional experiences pave the path in my purpose and what my place is here on Earth. It’s humbling when I realized how much guidance I encountered from the universe all along. One of the meaningful parts of my role is incorporating the mind-body-spirit connection with an individual; addressing the whole person with consideration of cognitive, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects. It is through interventions and therapeutic activities I positively influence the overall health and well-being of an individual.
The role of an OT is truly a fusion of science and creativity, with the understanding of human development, function and dysfunction, but coupled with creative problem-solving skills to help people engage in meaningful activities to achieve their goals. I love learning about the nervous system and the understanding of how it influences motor patterns, sensory processing challenges, our thinking, emotions and internal processes. I’m equally passionate about helping individuals to feel well in their body; providing preventative strategies and coping tools to utilize and generalize across all environments. With that said, my work in pediatrics laid the foundation for another approach to healing the nervous system through a proprietary protocol called Quantum Neuro Reset Therapy (QNRT). With a cold laser and a unique technique, the brain and body recall a situation to bring up during a session. A unique feature of the protocol, is the individual does not have to have a conscious memory of the situation because the body remembers the experience. The individual does not relive the trauma, but it can be uncomfortable when the body is recalibrating after a reset. The protocol addresses adverse emotional experiences, by positively changing the nervous system, to allow for the Parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) to be in the forefront.
These changes additionally influence the vagus nerve (Cranial Nerve X) to increase vagal tone. When our vagal tone is higher, our nervous system spends increased time in parasympathetic mode, which facilitates decreased cortisol levels, lowered heart and breathing rates. I teach additional strategies to increase vagal tone while healing in between sessions. The limbic system is significantly impacted by unresolved trauma, which is responsible for processing emotions and regulating the body’s stress response. Trauma can lead to an overactive or dysregulated limbic system, which manifests as anxiety, fear and difficulty with emotional regulation. QNRT assists with restoring the limbic system’s balance and function. Individuals also begin to sense and interpret body signals, by attuning into the cues the body is sending. This is known as interoception (the eighth sense) and plays an important role of how we interpret not only thirst, hunger, body temperature, pain, urination/defecation, but also our emotions. We learn to discriminate we feel anger in our stomach or our face feels hot when we’re embarrassed or shamed.
When the resets compound over time, individuals notice improvements in affect, emotional expression, executive functioning, memory, and less fight-or-flight response. The resets reduce the total body and emotional stress load, regulate stress hormones, support brain resiliency, support sleep, the immune system, and empower the client to make positive changes. When we feel better we show up in life as our best selves and can engage in our occupations in meaningful ways. With the extensive amount of continuing education courses, teaching individuals how to calm their nervous system with certain body mechanics, sound healing, or an intentional way to breathe becomes integral to healing. These pairings with specific therapeutic activities are integrated into sessions. Body work is another way to allow the nervous system to release, rest and heal. I offer suggestions based on research and teachings, as well as my own personal experiences of how to nurture themselves to heal and grow forward. One common thread is people desire to tell their story and be heard. That’s how healing begins. In the clinic, my pediatric clients might be sitting next to me, focused on a visual motor activity, and retelling an event about their peer who said something mean to them. I’m privileged to help them by listening and processing that experience, and all the while we’re healing the nervous system. This is known as co-regulation, which is when two ore more people interact with each other to help regulate their emotions and behavior. The same is true with my adult clients, who put a great deal of trust in me with sharing their experiences. When I remain calm, I am able to bring down the intensity of whatever emotion they’re exuding through my own healing presence. I convey genuine openness, compassion, empathy, and am fairly transparent with people, because we’re all human and we’ve all had our share of challenging experiences. The sessions focus on talking and processing, resetting neural pathways, occasional bodywork, mix-and match therapeutic activities, heal forward, repeat.
I’ve also found that healing comes in all types of forms and my clients often discover their hidden talents or long-forgotten hobbies, as I did when I wrote my children’s book. I encourage my clients to search for activities or rituals they enjoy, and do more of that one thing. Another truly remarkable aspect of incorporating QNRT or any other healing modality, is witnessing the “baggage” being pulled from the body. When this happens, there are sometimes subtle, but often quantum jumps or leveling up. This is when the healing becomes spiritual in nature; releasing the experiences that are mucking up the system or skewing the perceptions we have of ourselves. If a person feels shame and low self-esteem, as a result of an early trauma, the nervous system is a not only potentially in a dorsal vagal state (freeze or shutdown state), however, that person has increased difficulty showing up as their best self. The unconscious brain is a force in itself and until you make that part of the brain conscious, it’s driving on autopilot. There are remarkable changes which occur in people and makes my role so rewarding. With this type of healing work, the ancestral lines are healed up and down in a family system (by default). Epigenetics is the study of how a gene expresses itself in an individual without changing the DNA sequence itself. The changes are influenced by environmental factors or developmental processes may alter how genes are read, affecting traits and potentially influencing health of an individual. I’m the only one in my entire family who administers these types of healing modalities and I’ve come to realize the importance of this role within my own family system. Both my kids who’re now adults, have been intermittent recipients of the neural pathway resets (QNRT) and bodywork through the years. They’ve both benefitted greatly as I’ve witnessed their own growth in physical, emotional, and mental aspects, as well as particular life areas. In all family lines, there are noted patterns which occur (one or more): poverty, addiction, abuse, mental health, physical illness, oppression, unhealthy relationship patterns. I’ve worked with clients who carried slavery in their family line, the Holocaust, immigration struggles, abusive relationships, to name a few, and although the individual is not battling the same horrors as his/her ancestors, the DNA carries the imprint. The byproduct may present as recurrent grief, poverty mindset, mistrust, betrayal, abandonment or incessant fear. How do these negative emotions outwardly express in the person’s nervous system, affecting their current health and well-being? Healing the family lines individually benefits the person who is doing ‘the work’, as well as the entire ancestral line.
Every person has experienced trauma or adverse emotional experiences in life, and the outcome of those experiences present differently for each person. Some individuals have bodily pains, inflammation, addiction, or eating disorders. Others may present with risky behaviors, anger, money problems, emotional dysregulation, mistrust, are fearful of the world in general, or just feel they can’t get ahead in life. Anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD and depression are quite common labels I see with clients. Sometimes people use their trauma as a ‘safety net’ because healing the event(s) is scarier than what they actually endured. One of my exercises I implemented for myself and I often suggest is “imagine who you are as your best self – free of pain, happy, in joy, living the life you really want. What does that look like to you?” Sometimes it takes a while to actually use the imagination to envision a happy, fulfilling life, if all a person knows is feeling the repetitive hard knocks of life. These are the crucial moments when ‘the mender of hope’ comes out, especially when people are feeling dejected, sad and out of options. I usually add a healthy dose of humor when appropriate to our interactions. After all, laughing together in itself, is healing medicine.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Through the years, I’ve had special people who have been instrumental for my growth or to provide insight for a short time or season. Sometimes it’s through collaborating on a project or taking time to create a blueprint, but often I figured out a great deal on my own through my own exploration. When I was making the decision to go into Residence Life, my own hall director was a wonderful mentor. Later on, the Assistant Director of Residence Life who was not only my supervisor, but a mentor became an inspirational individual who lead with heart. When I decided to apply to OT school, Hayden’s former OT mentored me and guided my steps to increase my understanding of the role. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside extremely talented OT’s at all my clinic jobs and mentoring is built-in with our role. OT’s service clients, but we love to help each other succeed and grow through collaboration and teaching. I would say it was probably most challenging to find a mentor during the time I opened my practice. I contacted a holistic OT who owned her own practice and she was extremely helpful in providing me the next steps for creating a holistic practice. I also partnered up with a naturopath who was especially savvy in business and provided mentorship with the business aspects. We also attended QNRT cohort together, and benefited from studying and administering resets on each other. I believe as I continue to grow and evolve in my own life, I hope to encounter more people on my path with whom I can share knowledge from my own experiences. We pay it forward in life when we have opportunities to give back in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://helixhealingpath.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodi_lawyer_holisticot/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JodiLawyerHolisticOT
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-lawyer-a618a57/
- Other: https://jodilawyer.com/
