GHP - 2018 Alternative Medicine & Holistic Health Awards

GHP / 2018 Alternative Medicine & Holistic Health Awards 29 , Additionally, helping clients to become more resilient to stress is a key focus for Susannah’s work, and one which is particularly important as people face increasingly hectic lives and rising pressures on their mental health. “These days, no-one seems impervious to stress. While many believe it’s simply a fact of modern life, over time, stress can drain your energy, impact your mood, immunity and fertility and reduce your enjoyment of life. Although nutrition can support greater resilience to stress, it can’t switch off the stress response as it occurs. One stressful thought is enough to trigger the release of more than a hundred chemicals, which over time deplete the body. “There are plenty of stress management techniques available but these nearly always focus on calming down after the stress has passed, when you have potentially been suffering the negative emotional and hormonal effects for hours. As a result, when I discovered the HeartMath ® system, I was delighted to learn techniques to help my clients transform stress the moment it occurs.” After attending a training course in California in 2009, Susannah completed her accreditation in 2010 to become the first nutritional practitioner qualified to teach HeartMath techniques to clients in the UK. As well as seeing clients face to face or via Skype, running workshops and speaking at conferences, Susannah also writes about health and wellbeing. A former business journalist, Susannah started working with nutrition pioneer and best- selling author Patrick Holford while training to be a nutritional therapist back in 2000. “Patrick and I have collaborated on a number of projects, including writing the books Optimum Nutrition Before, During and After Pregnancy, Optimum Nutrition Made Easy, and most recently The Stress Cure.” The Stress Cure brings together a holistic approach to transforming stress that includes nutritional strategies, HeartMath techniques and self-guided exercises to address the underlying thoughts and beliefs that contribute to stress. “It’s generated a lot of interest and, I am told, helped a lot of people understand how to become more resilient and aware, which is wonderful,” says Susannah. Looking ahead, Susannah is keen to continue developing her skills to support clients with tailored solutions and the latest health innovations, as she concludes. “There are so many developments in the areas of health and wellbeing, and I am always reading and learning about new research and approaches. Currently, I am very interested in how consciousness impacts health, and what experts such as Dr Bruce Lipton call the “biology of belief”. I think we’ll see greater scientific understanding of energy-based medicine emerging and there will be big breakthroughs in this area. I myself am already working with subtle energy healing and kinesiology, which add an additional dimension to my practice. Ultimately, it’s about finding the best approach for each client – so if I can offer something that brings about transformation for them. That’s what makes me feel my job is worthwhile.” Susannah Lawson ‘Named Best Nutritional Therapist 2018 – Hampshire’ Website: www.susannah-lawson.co.uk