Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Brasfield.
Hi Brooke, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I’ve always felt a calling to service. Ever since I was little, I could feel or notice how other people felt. I could tell if they were hurting or in pain, as well as at peace or happy. I was a quiet and shy kid, but I believe I was listening – listening between the lines of what people were actually saying.
For most of my life, the people around me acted like everything was okay, but if you listened between the lines, things were not… okay. My older brother struggled with addiction. I witnessed what substance abuse does to an individual and that individual’s family system. It was heartbreaking, scary, and devastating.
I believe this led me to my career path – social work. I knew, within this field, I could help people, and I could help people in many different capacities. I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work; my Master’s Degree in Social Work; and now I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I worked for 8 years in an inpatient treatment center for substance abuse. I learned a lot professionally, and I learned personally – about burnout.
I absolutely loved what I did and who I was serving and helping on a daily basis, but there came a moment in time when I felt unfulfilled and this overarching sense of sadness I didn’t quite understand. I had everything I wanted, everything I needed, and more, but I felt disengaged and disconnected from myself, my relationships, and the world around me.
I was not present – I was missing out on my own life. I was not taking care of myself. Talk therapy was not working for me anymore. I noticed there was a gap in my own healing and that is when I dove head first into holistic healing modalities.
Over the past 5 years, I dedicated my life to feeling more connected to myself, my spirit, and the world around me. I found myself desperately wanting and needing to learn more. I dove headfirst into yoga, breathwork, reiki, pranic healing, mindfulness/meditation, biofeedback, and somatic experiencing – to name a few.
The culmination of all of these modalities has changed my life. It has made me a more conscious, calm, and confident human being. It has reminded me of who I really am – a divine human who suffers and within that suffering also lives and finds a deep sense of freedom – in all life has to offer.
I found I want everyone to feel this sense of freedom, this sense of calm and presence – from within. I believe we can all find the answers to our questions within ourselves – if we take the time and space to be present, to listen.
I started 2 businesses to bring this human essence to the world: Holistic Healing – where I offer Counseling and Energy Healing as a powerful healing combination.
I consider this to be a place for real, human, heartfelt connection. I also started Freedom Retreats – retreats for growth, healing, transformation, adventure, and fun – for each person to find connection with each other, and nature – and to find this deep sense of freedom from within.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not. I have struggled with anxiety and low self-esteem for most of my life. Therapy, breathwork, somatic experiencing, and my community of friends has transformed the way I see and treat myself. My anxiety has become non-existent, and I know what to do when it comes up.
I have wanted to give up on my business multiple times. I invested thousands of dollars in coaches, experiences, and training – and did not see the investment come back to me – even though that is what everyone was saying was going to happen. I continued to look outside of myself for worth, for clients, for money, for validation. All of this kept me from my own inner growth, which also kept me from success.
I stopped hiring people. I only took training that felt like a “hell yes.” I stopped reading the self-improvement books; listening to the podcasts; doing the 2-hour meditations. I took that time to just be. Be with me.
Do the ‘next right thing’. Do the thing that felt good in my body (not my mind, but my body). That is when I decided to rent an office space and focus primarily on in-person 1:1 support. My gifts are being in person with people. My coherence and frequency transfer – people feel calmer and at peace around me. It just happens.
In 2019, a week before COVID began, my partner and I found out we were pregnant. We had to make a decision if we were going to keep the baby. This pregnancy was a BIG surprise to us. I never thought I wanted kids, even though I have a grounding, motherly presence. I felt enough heartbreak, hurt, and fear as a child, and I didn’t want to pass that on. All in all, we decided to have our daughter, Mercy.
It felt right. It felt like a spiritual decision like she was meant to be in this world. Mercy means compassion or being touched by a spiritual being – and that is what she is to us. She reminds us to receive ourselves and this world with compassion. We can be touched by a spiritual presence, a spiritual being, every day.
I struggled throughout my pregnancy, mentally and emotionally. I wasn’t ready. I believe Mercy knew this. After 30 hours of labor and an un-medicated birth, Mercy arrived. During labor, I forgot all of my training. I forgot my yoga poses, breathing, and meditation. I lost it. It wasn’t this beautiful experience for me. It was almost like death for me. A part of me died that day. A part of me died for my daughter to come into this world.
A part of me that was holding on. Holding on to how I wish or thought things ‘should be’. I grieved her. I grieved her through post-partum depression, anti-depressants, and suicidal thoughts. I still grieve her sometimes.
Being a mom is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. After the 1st year, I decided to wean off of the anti-depressants. I began somatic experiencing therapy again. I started back my yoga and breathing practice. I feel more like myself than I have in a very long time.
A stronger, more powerful woman – a fierce warrior. With all of her scars and flaws and misgivings.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Holistic Healing is a culmination of all of my healing modalities. The 3 pillars of Holistic Healing are Counseling, Breathwork, and Energy Healing.
Pillar 1: Counseling is where we take time to mindfully process what is coming up for our clients in the present moment and listen. What thoughts are moving through the mind? What emotions are coming up? How does the body feel? What does the body want to do?
The foundation of Counseling with me is based on somatic experiencing, mindfulness practices, and radical acceptance & compassion. I believe our thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations are all energy. We need to process it and feel it to be able to move into the next phase… energy healing.
Energy Healing cleanses, clears, energizes, and stabilizes the inner and outer aura of the body. This brings the mind, body, and spirit to a state of coherence – a state of peace and nervous system regulation. This is where the client gets the chance to receive, rest, be and listen – to ultimately heal. I am trained in both Reiki (Usui Reiki Master Practitioner) and Pranic Healing.
Pranic Healing is a hands-off healing modality that can cure ailments of the mind and body by cleansing the energetic centers of the body. Reiki is a hands-on healing modality that grounds the body and sends spiritual healing energy throughout the mind, body & spirit. Both can be done in person and distantly, therefore I offer both in-person and virtual sessions.
Breathwork is one of the most powerful modalities that I offer – in 1:1 sessions and group sessions. Breathwork is known to break up stagnant energy in the body (emotions and trauma) and release them through a 3-part breath. Breathwork is one of those things that bring you to this deep sense of presence and stillness (once you get past the discomfort of focusing solely on the breath).
You find out who you are and how much you can hold in your body by practicing this breath. I’ve had experiences where I’ve felt like parts of me completely heal – the anxious parts, the fearful parts. Breathwork reminds us that we are never alone and our body is more capable of healing itself than we think.
All of my offerings come straight from my heart. I don’t do this for fame, money, or accolades (I am never against those things ha!) – but I do this work because I know it works. I do this work because it lights up my soul. I do this work because I get to watch my clients heal before my eyes. I watch my clients gain a deeper understanding, knowing, and connection to themselves – before my eyes.
It is such a gift. To say, I am honored and blessed to see such things is an understatement. It’s like witnessing magic every day. It is such a beautiful thing. I believe that is what sets me apart from others. I truly believe everything we need comes from within us – we just need someone to hold that space for us – deeply.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
People can work with me by setting up in-person or virtual appointments via my website.
I am able to meet with people all over the world virtually for Counseling, Energy Healing, or Breathwork. I also offer in-person appointments at my office in St. Louis. New clients can reach me via email at hello@brookebrasfield.com or call/text me at 314-282-7336 (this is a work number).
Anyone can come to one of my retreats. I host 3-4 retreats a year where we dive deep into all of these modalities. Retreats are filled with connection; time for sharing our deepest pains and desires; adventure/fun; energy healing; breathwork – everything to open space for a deeper connection to self, nature, spirit, and each other – to find a true sense of freedom.
If you would like to learn more about retreats, you can visit my website at www.brookebrasfield.com | Follow the retreat page on Instagram @freedom.retreats (this is new) | email me and ask to subscribe to my newsletter.
I love to collaborate with like-minded people. I have brought people on to my retreats to teach and be a part of the healing community. I love to host in-person and virtual workshops and retreats with people. I love to travel and offer energy healing/breathwork classes to communities. Anyone can email me or call/text me to collaborate or work together.
I love the support. If you would like to support me, you can ask me to subscribe to my newsletter and forward it to whoever you think would benefit. You could share my posts on social media. My personal account is @brooke__brasfield. You could share my website with a friend, family member, or coworker.
You could even share this article!
Pricing:
- Counseling – 1st Session – 90 minutes – $150
- Counseling – 60 minutes – $125
- Energy Healing – 60 minutes – $100
- Energy Healing – 90 minutes – $125
- Breathwork – 60 minutes – $100
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brookebrasfield.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brooke__brasfield/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brooke.brasfield
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuUK6w-fG70V4liIxz1Pw8g
- SoundCloud: https://linktr.ee/brooke__brasfield
- Other: https://cheerful-originator-1232.ck.page/46eecb3d81
Image Credits
Tori Rose
