Terri Forest is an Energy Healer with years of experience in helping clients heal from physical, emotional, and spiritual imbalances. In this exclusive interview, she shares details about her journey, different forms of healing she offers, as well as useful tips for improving your wellbeing. Only on MysticMag!
How did you become an Energy Healer and what led you down this path?
The earliest I can remember starting down this path was at 13 when we moved from a country town to a city (Melbourne). I had access to so much more information finding an esoteric & antique. Here I found old books on the ‘occult’ & acquired my first tarot deck. The tarot deck became an important tool in my intuitive development. From there, a strong connection to plants saw me in my early 20s connecting to trees that still today are wonderful sources of centering & grounding.
I continued this path with self-development for much of my 20s into my 30s helping friends & family along the way. I went back to school & studied Psychology, where I meet like-minded people & began teaching them what I had learned. Toward the end of my studies, I developed a mystery illness with my thyroid. 3 weeks out from having radiation treatment I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. I was told that was impossible, regardless my daughter was born healthy in 2006 & the thyroid issue just stopped. In my late 30s to mid-40s, my path led me to helping others in a professional capacity.
After my second daughter was born & when both girls were in primary school, I began to expand starting with Reiki training. I then studied aromatherapy, naturopathy, homeopathy, herbal medicine, meditation therapy, crystal healing, counselling, nutrition, etc. I meet & developed a friendship with my mentors in Bacchus Marsh at Our Seahorse Wellbeing Centre, in 2016. Where I undertook the Healing with the Goddess diploma in 2018.
I was determined to finish this that year. It was intense & well worth it. All my previous learning was also extremely useful for this course. It was an incredible year of self-development in all aspects of my life. I was busy the next year developing my business under the brand OakWill Holistic Health & then in 2020 covid began to change the world. I took this opportunity to develop workshop ideas I had floating in my head. This began a number of meditation therapy courses & Energy Healing Diplomas of my own. My business went from OakWill Holistic Health to OakWill Holistic Health Training, while I continued to work with clients through my Studio & Our Seahorse Wellbeing Centre in Bacchus Marsh.
What specific forms of healing do you offer?
The healing forms I offer are specific to the individual. I will intuitively pick up what is needed & speak about this with each client to work out what is best for them. All sessions involve channeled meditation, Reiki energy, realigning the energy system (including chakras), crystal healing, essential oils & herbal preparations (either teas, tinctures &/or incenses).
A session can include any of the in any combination:
– Ancestral Healing – reveals & releases adverse behaviours, traumas & legacies handed down the ancestral line (through DNA or taught) from generation to generation. Recognition of negative traits can release & brake cycles offering a profound sense of relief. Recognition of ancestors free from judgment & blame & understanding historical context also helps to break these;
– Awakening the Divine Within – helps clients to see their own divine spark & use this in every part of their lives. Helps them to trust & value themselves, which can be profoundly liberating for them. Helps redefine their self-view, inner dialogue, rebuild self-worth & trust & provides them with the tools to continue as their authentic selves;
– Energy Blockage Removal – This would be the most common healing session with clients & involves several techniques. Blockages are limiting & also self-limiting energies that we acquire through karmic ties, contracts, pacts, promises & vows. These can be made in our current or past lifetimes & can be from ancestral trauma or lifetimes of trying to ‘get life right’;
– Soul Fragment Retrieval – this is probably the 2nd most common technique used in sessions. Across our lifetimes we give pieces of ourselves to those we cross paths with. It can cause clients to feel disconnected & also create dysfunctional behaviours & habits. It may also interrupt, reduce, or prevent harmonized energy flow;
– Past Life Healing – My personal favourite sessions are past life healings. Every energy journey is different & this technique is probably the most diverse. Clients often have profound shifts in energy with these sessions. Past life gifts are often retrieved to use in this lifetime & blockages & contracts no longer needed are often resolved.
What can people expect from your training courses and workshops?
I offer students a chance to explore every aspect of themselves in a safe nurturing & supportive environment. I help them grow, transform & empower themselves with spiritual & self-development education. My aim is to offer all who seek it the opportunity of self-discovery from beginners to advanced practitioner level. The number of choices in the training services I offered increased from 5 to 15 over the years & covers a variety of topics from Energy Healing to self-development & growth.
All courses are approved training through the International Guild of Complementary Therapists (IGCT) ensuring that students who complete practitioner-level courses can also gain membership & obtain insurance should they choose to move onto setting up a healing practice (which some have done).
Students are provided with extensive support, practical training & post-training support when they need it. Students receive complete support from start to beyond completion, they have access to my expertise, knowledge & support. They have access to my studio if they need to practice what they are learning. I have created a volunteer participant group through Facebook groups so students who them for case studies have a pool of willing participants to help them gain their qualifications.
To further help those who wish to explore their capacity for self & spiritual expansion, transformation & empowerment with the aim to help others I am currently redeveloping several of my courses to be available online through self-paced online/distance education. The level of support I can offer online students will be similar to what I offer those who train in person. Including access to various groups & support networks, help & clarification assistance when needed & an online service over face time platforms like Zoom, Skype & Facebook.
I will continue to offer workshops & courses in person to all those who seek this form of delivery, however, the idea behind the online system is to allow anyone & everyone from around the world to participate in any of the courses I have to offer.
As a certified Reiki practitioner, how would you say Reiki helps people improve their well-being?
Reiki is a deeply relaxing & powerful energy healing technique. I think the most wonderful things about Reiki are how non-invasive it is, how Reiki can offer benefits to everyone no matter the situation & how it doesn’t interfere with any medication being taken. There are many factors that Reiki helps with during sessions. Clients will often experience a profound sense of relaxation after a session.
I have had clients express they feel taller, and lighter, things that stressed them when they arrived seem not as insurmountable. Another physical aspect, often expressed by clients, that improves wellbeing is that of pain relief. I have had reports from clients who have found their recovery from simple procedures to serious heart episodes has been faster than excepted by their doctors that they put down to the Reiki healing sessions they experienced with me. Other clients who have used Reiki as a relaxation experience have expressed how much more energy they have, how they are finding life more rewarding & how their families have noticed positive changes in them.
The physical aspect of what Reiki can do for a client is only a part of how it works. Many clients experience profound spiritual & energetic shifts also. The energetic harmony Reiki provides occurs in the restoration of the natural flow of energy that occurs to the charkas & meridians. Clients with serious emotional states often experience a sense of inner peace & wellbeing. I had a client years ago that began to experience ticks from the pressure they were under at work, this become quite serious as these ticks were beginning to interfere with their daily routine & social interactions.
After their Reiki session, the ticks stopped completely & there expressed how much they were relieved with their life returning to normal. Other clients may need more sessions however many have expressed how well they are & how much more empowered they feel. Most clients I see experience a sense of empowerment & significantly improved wellbeing. The natural healing that Reiki stimulates is undeniable. Even clients I have had that are sceptical have had positive improvements after sessions.
Do you have any advice for people who aren’t as qualified as yourself, but are looking to help a loved one find that spark and to empower them?
Start, that is the best advice I can give anyone. If you are wanting to begin this path, start it with whatever the universe offers you. Reiki is an excellent starting point, level 1 allows people to work on themselves & loved ones. The most important part of spiritual and personal growth taking that first step. Then the universe will respond and provide opportunities for you. Like the branches of a tree, life isn’t a straight path. You will cross from one branch to another with each branch offering learning, growth, development, expansion, transformation &/or empowerment. You may end up back on the original branch but the experiences you collect on the way are incredibly valuable.
Reiki 1 is a fabulous place to begin. Then Reiki 2 will open up energy channels that will help you the opportunity to accelerate your expansion become a practitioner & help others. Allow development at your pace, don’t force it. Everyone’s journey is different & unique. Try not to let others ‘tell’ what you should be. Allow it to develop organically without placing restrictions on your path. Also, explore as many modalities as you can. You don’t have to complete qualifications if you feel they are not for you, but those that call to you will become valuable assets personally & as a practitioner & provide a holistic experience. You should always be your first client, healing yourself should be your priority. You can’t help others until you first help yourself, there is a deep sense of healing that occurs when you begin to explore your needs. This also helps you express a more authentic experience when sharing with others.
When I started my journey all those years ago, I had no idea what I wanted it to become. I did not see myself as being an energy healer, workshop & course creator & facilitator. However, all those experiences & all the knowledge I acquired along the way make me a more effective holistic practitioner. Healing & growth is an ongoing process that I strongly encourage all to continue with.
Once you begin on this path you will find an immense amount of spiritual growth & expansion. Some will be confronting & challenging, some liberating & transformative. Stick with it, take time to regroup when you need to, don’t see yourself as giving up, allow growth to be organic & trust yourself. Move through the branches of the tree as they are presented to you. Do what you feel it right for you, at the pace that is right for you. Just as the simple act of smiling can change a person’s day, you can create a ripple in your own life that will change yours & many others’ lives! Discover yourself, discover the divine within & share it with as many people as you can.
