“Cathy Holt is a beautiful human being and skillful practitioner. Caring, generous, intuitive, patient, articulate, she has deep knowledge of a variety of modalities that aid in maintaining good health and healing physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Cathy has worked with me over several years to address various challenges both physical and emotional. Her guided imagery meditations, breathwork exercises and counsel have been very valuable in helping me cope with my life’s challenges.

I am continually amazed at the breadth of knowledge she has acquired over the years and her desire to apply her skills to help others.” – Anne Craig

“I was abandoned emotionally and physically as a child. Cathy and I have done a lot of inner child work over the past few years, which has allowed me to loosen the bonds of previous traumatic experiences. I can feel the love of a nurturing empathic friend when I react to past hurts. And I’m becoming the supportive, loving parent to my wounded inner child.

When I’m triggered, I can call Cathy and she guides me in slowing my breathing to bring me into the present moment. My feelings of aloneness, despair and fear quickly start to melt, and I come into a space of feeling safe, sane, and serene while she listens and reflects back until I let her know that I am ok.

Cathy is a treasure in my life. She has helped to give me new perspectives on my view of the world, leading me into peace. I know that I have a friend that loves me, and I am not alone.  She helps me to gain insights about my patterns and to set healthy limits. At times she offers affirming thoughts or reframes to open up fresh possibilities.

I am happy to support Cathy in her very valuable work.”  — LS

Case studies:

Panic attacks – Anita was troubled by such strong panic symptoms that she felt as if she were having a heart attack, with thoughts like, “What if I pass out? What’s happening to me? Should I call 911? Why can’t I get enough air?!” After learning the technique of slow inhalation and even slower exhalation, she was able to first manage, and later completely avoid these attacks. She also learned how to soothe herself using a comforting inner dialogue.

Preparing for surgery – Ernestine, an elderly woman facing removal of a kidney, surprised the surgeons with her rapid recovery using visualization. “I had a chat with my good kidney, told it that it would need to take on the work of the other one,” she said. She also spent time daily relaxing deeply then visualizing her friends sending her a “warm pink blanket of love,” a smooth operation and easy recovery, using an audio recording from me.

Recovery of vision – Jill suffered from MS and her vision had become so poor that she had to leave her job as a social worker. Using slow breathing, deep relaxation and imagery, she contacted a wise “inner guide” in the form of a beautiful horse. She developed the ability to notice when tension developed (‘that buzzy feeling in my eyes”) causing her vision to blur, and to release it. The result: she was able to return to work.

Recovery from atrial fibrillation – Donna was diagnosed with chronic atrial fibrillation and it was not helped by the prescribed medication. She learned coherent heart breathing and within 3 sessions with HeartMath feedback, her AF disappeared. A year later, it had not returned. She continued to practice her slow heart breathing.

Chronic tension – A woman in one of my stress management classes had chronic tension in her shoulders but she was unaware of it. After learning to release the tension, she reported: “I had to lengthen my bra straps!”

Gallstone passed – Monica, a medical doctor, was hospitalized for severe pain from a gallstone that had gotten stuck. During a bedside relaxation and imagery session, she was surprised to see a window that was stuck shut; she tugged on the window in her mind’s eye and opened it. Half an hour later, the gallstone passed and her pain was gone. She felt sure there was a connection.

“Everything is gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is the measure of our gratefulness. And gratefulness is the measure of our aliveness.” – Brother David Steindl-Rast