Listed: Curiosity and Holistic Health with Samantha Roze

We recently had the pleasure of meeting local Complementary Therapist Sam Roze, who shared how an advert in the local press grabbed her attention when she was just 21 years old and led her to a career that has focused on holistic therapies. Her work included a stint in a healing centre in Darwin, Northern Australia where she first encountered Bowen Therapy... and the rest, as they say, is history!

Sam's natural curiosity and passion for learning, combined with a love of natural remedies and a deep respect for the human body, has enabled her to practice a range of complementary therapies over the years... with a few interesting twists along the way, including garlic hair remedies and a five day human dissection course!

Sam Roze is Listed. Here's her story.

 

 

From as far back as I can remember, since I was young, I have always had an interest in how things work and why. 

The essence of what we put into our bodies, and just as importantly what we put onto our skin, has always been a particular interest of mine. I’ve always been intrigued by how things influence us, looking at how natural ingredients, food and supplements take a role in our life and the impact on our health and mind.

 

I consider myself to be a very lucky human being, and feel blessed that I enjoy my work so much. I get such job satisfaction from being able to help people… I have learnt so much and seen a vast array of what life shows us, in terms of physical, and emotional journeys.

 

Back To The 80's

In the early 80’s I remember coming across a book written by the author Clare Maxwell Hudson  which was based on how to make body products and remedies using only natural ingredients, and basically I have been totally hooked on these subjects since. 

I remember using mayonnaise as an alternative hair mask, and because I had long hair at the time I used nearly a whole jar of the stuff. After a little while I could smell this really weird smell only to later discover that I had used garlic mayonnaise - and garlic wasn’t a smell that went away with just one hair wash. I never made that mistake again! 

As with all things in life, you definitely live and learn!

 

Jumping In, Feet First

I first trained in reflexology at the wonderful age of 21. I came across an advert in the Guernsey Press and wasn’t really sure what the subject was about but the advert explained how you could help balance the body through your feet, and basically this blew me away!  And that was just the start of my love for learning, which has carried on for the last 30 plus years through my wonderful position of being a Complementary Therapist.

 

The most random course that I ever signed up for was a five day human dissection course, and what can I say… this was a total learning game changer for me!

 

Healing in Australia 

I travelled to Indonesia and Australia in the early 90’s, where I had the pleasure of working in a healing centre as a reflexologist for 6 months. I went on to learn more in-depth subjects surrounding the human body, including deep tissue massage and Reiki.   I first came across Bowen Therapy whilst I was in Darwin in Northern Australia which triggered a significant interest for me, but my time was coming to an end in Australia and I had to head back home to Guernsey/ When I got back I started utilising my skills as a massage therapist on a part-time basis, and then I soon became full-time and self-employed.  

I do naturally have a desire for gaining knowledge and my passion to keep on expanding my knowledge is something that never wanes. The most random course that I ever signed up for was a five day human dissection course, and what can I say…this was a total learning game changer for me!

 

Nutrition Is Key

I am a great believer and advocate of using chemical free products for internal and external use, to limit (as much as possible) the toxicity load within our systems. Toxicity ages us dramatically, and unfortunately leads to damage and disease. The ingredients that are needed for our systems to maintain optimal health are key. Nutrition is key.  

The way that I look at it is the same way I think of recipes. Say you are making a cake and you miss out on a key ingredient, like the eggs. The end product is not going to taste very nice without this fundamental ingredient and it’s a similar scenario with the body. If it’s missing a vital nutrient that will have an impact and effect the way your body works, which in turn can have a negative effect on the body's function. 

 

Check Your Labels

Toxins, chemicals and medications, when used unnecessarily, can over time have a major impact on our systems and the last thing we want is for our bodies to have to deal with long-lasting, detrimental effects - although I do understand that western medications are needed for some situations. Sure, we have our own ‘in-built’ incredible and fascinating lymphatic system, working alongside our liver and kidneys to process and filter out some of these chemicals, but the amount of chemicals we use is ever increasing.  

Take a moment to have a look in your bathroom cabinet, your food cupboards, your dressing tables and look at the ‘ingredients’ on the labels of the products you use. If you don’t know how to pronounce or read any of the words it is highly likely that it's chemical based, this is where good old google comes into play - google the word to find out what it is and the effects it can cause before you use it. We should try to be very vigilant with what we put into our bodies and the effects they can have on us.

 

If I had to summarise Bowen Therapy I would say it’s like taking your car for a service. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. Your health is everything!

 

Bowen Therapy

A few years later I came across Bowen Therapy again and I experienced such pleasure and feelings of gratification when I started my training in this therapy in 2007. The Bowen Technique is a gentle therapy that is applied to areas of the body, using thumbs and fingers in a specific process or order. If I had to summarise Bowen Therapy I would say it’s like taking your car for a service. Take care of your body and it will take care of you. Your health is everything!

My passion for Bowen Therapy, and holistic therapy in general, comes from wanting to help people minimise their pain and heal their bodies without the need for pharmaceuticals. I think it’s important to correct the source of the issue if you can, rather than covering it up with medication. In the long run this is not helping the body to correct the imbalance that is causing the pain or discomfort but causing the client to feel they are ageing and worn out.

 

Job Satisfaction

I must admit that I consider myself to be a very lucky human being, and feel blessed that I enjoy my work so much. I get such job satisfaction from being able to help people to understand the possible causes of their concerns and to have a hand in their education on postural changes to help prevent further concern and issues that can recur.

When you have been in practice and continue to work on your skills for such a long period of time you have a certain confidence in your knowledge… and this of course also comes with age!   I have reached a stage where I combine a number of different skills such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) for the emotional support side of my work,  the use of scar tissue release for plantar fasciitis during a Bowen Therapy session, or Kinesiology which looks at the mechanics of movement and how that impacts on our health and wellbeing. 

For example, I treated a lady who had a heart bypass procedure. Several months after the operation she was left with a large scar down the centre of her chest, where her rib cage had been opened up. She was suffering with muscle pain and pulling on the right side of her upper chest, but within a week, after just having 1 session of scar release work, the pain and discomfort had subsided. 

I have to say that I am so very grateful to all my clients. I have learnt so much and seen a vast array of what life shows us, in terms of physical, and emotional journeys.