Be Mythical The hidden connection between autistic women and healing gifts - Wendy Dooner
This week’s show is with Wendy Dooner. Wendy Dooner is a Medical Herbalist and Shamanic Practitioner from Scotland who is passionate about reconnecting women with the innate healing wisdom of nature and their bodies.
Wendy graduated from university in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science (honours) degree in Herbal Medicine (Phytotherapy) and, more recently, a 3-year advanced Shamanic Practitioner course. Weaving back together the threads of science, magic and spirituality in herbal medicine has been a major focus of her practice recently and is a cornerstone of her teachings; she now practices what she has called Shamanic Herbalism. Through her online courses, workshops, or one-on-one consultations, Wendy ensures that this wonderful blend of ancient wisdom and modern science reaches all her students.
At the heart of Wendy's practice is her profound connection with her native medicinal plants. She believes that these plants hold the answers to many of our modern ailments.
In her practice, Wendy doesn't just prescribe herbs; she introduces her clients to a world where plants are people; they are teachers, guides, allies and elders. She believes that every plant has a story to tell and a lesson to impart, and it's her mission to facilitate these transformative conversations between nature and the individual.
She lives happily in a small community in the foothills of the Cairngorms in Scotland with her husband and 2 young sons, where she forages in the wilds of the moorlands, grows herbs in her messy garden and skateboards at every spare opportunity.
In this show, Lian and Wendy explored our experience and understanding of autistic people, and maybe especially women, being designed to be healers, how the very aspects of ourselves that have created struggles, can be used in service of helping others to heal, and what we’ve seen can be helpful to alchemise those challenges into gold.
I’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment below. What you’ll learn from this episode:
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As both Lian and Wendy’s experiences showed, being late diagnosed as a woman can bring its own emotions and challenges - there’s a reckoning and grieving needed in order to move forward into claiming the gifts that autism brings
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Pattern recognition, empathy, adherence to ritual, openness to spirits and other realms, and attention to detail are all aspects of autism that can be used in service of supporting others in their journey to wholeness
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Diving into the work of reclaiming the unwanted and hidden parts of us is challenging for most people but maybe especially for autistic people for whom there has been an even greater challenge, necessity, and effort needed to fit in and function - it requires the right support and readiness, and we can be helped by understanding and using some of the very same gifts we will ultimately serve to others.
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Visit Wendy’s Website:
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Follow The Center of Shamanism in Social Media:
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Facebook: Wendy Dooner
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Instagram: @wendy.shamanicherbalist
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Thank you! Lian and Jonathan