If there is one thing our team has learned working with hundreds of clients over the years, it’s that even the best food and supplement protocols aren’t enough to help a client heal if they aren’t also tending to their mental and emotional health. This is why as part of our IRH curriculum, we teach the wellness triad, which – in addition to optimizing our client’s food and supplements and their overall lifestyle – emphasizes the importance of a healthy inner landscape.
Your clients’ inner landscape includes the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that they consciously or unconsciously have and ultimately impact their health and wellness. Sometimes, your clients’ inner landscape is impacted by past traumas, experiences and betrayals. While navigating these experiences is beyond our scope as Restorative Health Practitioners, it’s helpful to have an understanding of the impact past traumas and betrayals can have on your clients’ healing and being able to refer them to someone who can help them through this phase of their journey.
As part of our ongoing continuing education series available exclusively to IRH alumni, we sat down with Dr. Debi Silber, founder of The Post-Betrayal Transformation Institute, to learn more about how betrayal may be keeping your clients sick. Be sure to check out our conversation below:
This conversation with Dr. Debi Silber is just one example of the type of complementary programming we deliver to our IRH alums on a regular basis. Get the support you need to help your clients heal – today and into the future. Register for our next class of Mastering the Art & Science of Gastrointestinal Healing which starts August 30th, 2022.
Dr. Debi Silber is a holistic psychologist, a health, mindset, and personal development expert, the author of Trust Again, and a 2-time #1 International bestselling author of The Unshakable Woman AND From Hardened to Healed: The Effortless Path to Release Resistance, Get Unstuck and Create a Life You Love.
Debi is also the founder of PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute, which offers coaching to help people overcome past betrayals and work through blocks preventing them from the health, work, relationships, confidence, and happiness they want most. To learn more about the PBT Coaching Certification Program and how you can help your clients identify and overcome the emotional barriers keeping them sick and stuck, check out Debi’s free masterclass here.
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FAQ
These frequently asked questions expand on key clinical ideas from this article, helping practitioners better recognize and address non-laboratory barriers to healing.
Why might a client not heal even when labs and protocols look correct?
Clients may not heal because non-physical factors, particularly mental and emotional health, are not being addressed. Even well-designed nutrition and supplement protocols can fall short if underlying inner stressors remain unresolved.
What is meant by a client’s “inner landscape” in clinical practice?
A client’s inner landscape refers to their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that influence health outcomes. These internal patterns can consciously or unconsciously affect healing capacity.
How does the wellness triad support better clinical outcomes?
The wellness triad supports healing by addressing food, lifestyle, and the inner landscape together. This integrated approach ensures that emotional and mental factors are not overlooked in care plans.
Why is it important to consider mental and emotional health alongside physical protocols?
Mental and emotional health directly impact physiological healing processes. Ignoring these factors can limit the effectiveness of otherwise appropriate clinical interventions.
What role can past trauma play in a client’s ability to heal?
Past trauma can influence a client’s inner landscape and create barriers to healing. These experiences may contribute to persistent symptoms even when physical interventions are in place.
How can betrayal specifically affect a client’s health and healing process?
Betrayal can disrupt emotional stability and contribute to an unhealthy inner landscape. This may keep clients “stuck” in patterns that interfere with recovery.
What are signs that a healing block may not be detectable on lab testing?
A healing block may be non-laboratory-based when:
- Protocols are followed but progress stalls
- Symptoms persist without clear clinical explanation
- Emotional stressors or past experiences are prominent
How should practitioners respond when they suspect emotional or trauma-related barriers to healing?
Practitioners should recognize the limitation and refer out to appropriate professionals. Supporting the client within scope while facilitating additional care is key.
What is the appropriate scope of practice when addressing trauma or emotional health?
Addressing trauma directly is typically outside the scope of Restorative Health Practitioners. The role is to recognize its impact and guide clients toward qualified support.
How can practitioners ethically support clients with suspected trauma without overstepping scope?
Practitioners can:
- Acknowledge the potential impact on healing
- Maintain focus on nutrition and lifestyle interventions
- Refer to licensed mental health professionals when needed
Why is referral an important part of supporting complex clients?
Referral ensures clients receive comprehensive care beyond the practitioner’s scope. It also protects both the client and practitioner by maintaining appropriate boundaries.
How does ongoing education help practitioners address complex healing cases?
Ongoing education exposes practitioners to broader perspectives, including emotional and psychological contributors to illness. This improves clinical awareness and referral decision-making.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Margaret Floyd Barry, FNTP MRHP is owner and Executive Director of the Institute of Restorative Health. She’s a functional nutritionist, author, speaker, educator, and real food advocate. Through years of experience working with the most complex client cases, including reversing her own autoimmune condition, Margaret uses a powerful system for restoring health by addressing the root cause of illness.
Today, Margaret teaches fellow practitioners the same proven system she uses to get her clients life-changing results through the Institute of Restorative Health – a two-year comprehensive functional nutrition certification program for qualified health professionals. Margaret also runs Restorative Corporate Wellness, a team of Restorative Health Practitioners facilitating health transformations with corporate clients. She is the author of Eat Naked and its follow-up cookbook The Naked Foods Cookbook. She’s also the host of the Clinician’s Corner podcast, where she interviews some of the world’s top experts in the fields of functional health and nutrition.
