It’s been an honor for me to teach on Belgian soil, where Gemmotherapy became a standardized therapeutic resource. Add a generous host, engaged students, and a dreamlike rural setting, and the experience rises to a level of its own.
Although I traveled to Belgium during my previous life in Europe, it has been seventeen years since my last trip. My visits at that time had a very different focus. They were to the towns of Liege and Tongeren, famous for bustling, city-wide antique markets. Fueled by a passion for collecting and restoring unique pieces, I made many trips from my homes in both England and Germany. In this current chapter of my life, hustling through those crowds feels far from appealing. I was delighted to be in rural Belgium — Lillois, to be exact — where the ancient brick buildings, fields of flax and rolling hills, dotted with sheep and cows, captured my heart.
Two things rank at the top when I travel to teach. The first is access to good vegan food (it’s true!) and the second is teaching in a setting filled with light and access to nature. The food was covered beyond my wildest dreams by my host Brigitte’s husband, who is a master in the kitchen. He turned out meals which I will dream of months from now. As for the setting, even approaching this ancient farm made my heart soar.
Over four days, I shared my Gemmotherapy curriculum with a backdrop of rolling fields and forests, a cobblestone, sun-drenched courtyard where we met for lunch, and footpaths to wander and clear our heads between sessions. If this sounds dreamy to you — it was (and I do hope you join me in the future).
I had planned to teach my standard Foundations of Gemmotherapy modules, but it only seemed fitting to seize this opportunity and share a preview of my latest work. A few weeks ago, I introduced the topic of Emotional Immunity. My work draws parallels between physical and emotional immunity — and continues to evolve thanks to Christine Terrell, my designer. With the patience of a saint, she hears me out and provides creative graphics that communicate the ideas behind Emotional Inflammation. This inflammation, just like physical inflammation, accumulates over time and leads to chronic symptoms.
Here you can see the parallel roles of the physical and emotional immune systems:
When our nervous system spends days, weeks and months in the sympathetic state (commonly know as Fight, Flight or Freeze), and emotional inflammation builds, these symptoms begin to develop:
- Poor attention span/memory loss
- Mood instability
- Sleep disruptions
- Fear and anxiety
- Overwhelm
- Depression/grief
- Absence of creativity
- Loss of joy
You may recognize some of these symptoms and even observe that over time, one that was acute can become chronic. After years working with Gemmotherapy extracts to restore optimal elimination, I am thrilled to discover their impact on the subtle emotional body via the nervous system. By easing the return of the parasympathetic state (commonly known as Rest and Digest) with micro-doses (1-6 drops) of very specific extracts, I am seeing remarkable results.
Our casual setting in Belgium provided the perfect opportunity for a first run of my findings, allowing me to smooth out any bumps before presenting to a room full of physicians in Romania.
Speaking of Romania, it is beautiful timing that I am making new connections between Emotional Immunity and the nervous system just before reconnecting with my first mentor in Gemmotherapy, Dr. Sorina Soescu, and the brilliant biochemist for Plant Extrakt, Dr.Olah Neli. Trust me — a few hours bouncing ideas around with these two made the entire trip across Europe completely worthwhile. Check in with me next week to see how my time in Romania unfolded.