A Healer in Training

Natalie Rahn’s Journey of Healing Includes Center’s Certificate in Integrative Therapies & Healing Practices

Born with spastic cerebral palsy, Natalie Rahn’s life’s journey has been admittedly difficult, even for a sunny optimist. But early on Rahn didn’t let her disability deter her from experiencing many of the pastimes of her peers. What she didn’t count on was that those activities would propel her to a career focused on integrative health and healing.

When Rahn was a child, she had her first experience with an integrative therapy – swimming. “I remember being amazed to feel this strange sensation of my muscles releasing; actually relaxing. I would lay back in the pool and we would work on movement; bending and stretching my arms and legs in ways I’d never experienced.”

Rahn moved on to an even more ambitious activity, one that would prove transformative for her mind, body and spirit. “When I was nine years old, I got involved in horseback riding. Horses gave me the opportunity to leave my wheelchair behind, to be separate from it. All of a sudden, the chair no longer defined me. Riding the horses calmed my body and muscles. It gave me a sense of peace. It was an experience that I wasn’t supposed to have. I guess it allowed me to dare to dream of other pursuits for my future.”

Inspired by the person in the environment theory (i.e. biopsychosocial perspective), Rahn turned her focus to social work. Through this theory, Rahn explains how a person’s environment could determine how they interact with the world – not just one’s biology defining what might be accomplished.

“Precisely because of the life and health circumstances Natalie lives with daily, and her enormous strength and resilience, she is poised to become a gifted healer, both as a social worker and in the broader sense of integrative health and wellness,” offered Mark Umbreit, a graduate faculty member at the Center and the director of the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking within the School of Social Work.

The University of Minnesota was Rahn’s first choice for a social work degree, but the reason she pursued the U of M was actually because of the Center for Spirituality & Healing and its certificate in Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices. Two of the courses Rahn has taken are Reiki I and II with Debbie Ringdahl, DNP, RN, CNM. “My first thought about Natalie is that she was MY teacher,” said Ringdahl. “Her ‘can do’ attitude inspired me, and helped me grow as both a teacher and Reiki practitioner. She helped all of us in class appreciate the infinite possibilities with Reiki practice through example, open and honest conversation, and good humor!”

“One of the attributes that drew me to the Center was a theme I’ve now encountered in several of my classes: how to enter that space of calm, of wisdom that one’s emotions don’t always allow us to reach. For someone in my position, that space is so important. I’ve wanted to cultivate the tools to reach a more centered space,” says Rahn.

“My body responds to integrative therapies quickly. I guess I’d been experiencing many of them for years, I just didn’t realize it! Because I can be more comfortable in my body, I’m now able to better navigate everyday challenges and things that are out of my control – rides that don’t show up on time, my wheelchair not working – I find that I remain more calm in dealing with these issues.”

“So much of social work is ‘heavy’ stuff, but it’s exactly what I want to do,” concludes Rahn. “Plus, I feel that the Center has provided me with the tools to deal with the weight of my profession. I have the ability now to give back through social work. I’ve taken my personal experiences and used them to be compassionate with others I can help. I’ve also learned valuable ways that I can replenish myself so I am able to give more.”

To know more about the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices, click here.