Neal Pope 4.1

At a young age, I found myself being called to help others. This calling has given me great experiences. I’ve seen the bright side of people as well as the dark. And I’ve also seen the good that helping others can bring.

My professional career, in helping others, began while working as an emergency medical technician / firefighter in 1993. Saving lives and property was certainly a rewarding experience for me. It was also very fulfilling when we were successful in that task. However, I wanted to be in more of a proactive type roll instead of a reactive one.

In 1999, I began working as a Corrections Officer. Boy what a change this was. But instead of a proactive roll, this was obviously more of a corrective type roll. This experience wasn’t as positive for me, though it was certainly an eye opener. You can’t help someone if they don’t want to be helped or have given up on themselves. This left me feeling helpless and like I was spinning my wheels. So I couldn’t stop there.

After the day “We will never forget” September 11th, 2001, another opportunity presented itself in the form of a protective roll, private security. Which, over time, led to me becoming a Sheriff’s Deputy and SWAT member. So here I am, doing what I felt was my purpose, helping others in good times and in bad. Yet, I felt that something was still missing. It wasn’t until several years later that I realized what it was. I’ll explain later. Unfortunately, one evening, while answering the same call, I lost a dear friend and co-worker, in the line of duty. And the worst part was that there was nothing I could do or could have done to change it. However, this was my crucible moment. The life changing event that woke me up and made me realize I was still spinning my wheels.

So here is where I took a look at my life, my career, my successes and my failures and came to a profound realization. Every “job” I’d held, that was in the field of helping others, was turning me into the type of person that needed the same help that I wanted to offer. And guess what, you can’t fix anyone else’s problems until you fix your own. Or another way to put it is you can’t help those who are broken if you’re broken.

What I haven’t mentioned yet is that during all of those years, I was continuously told that I had the gift of touch and a special energy that drew others to me. However, no matter how many times I heard it, I didn’t believe it. And once more, it’s was time for a change.. But this time, it needed to be something completely different. Now moving forward a few years, I finally listened to reason and enrolled in massage therapy school, so I could test this “gift of touch” everyone was telling me I had. Who would have known that on day one, I was hooked? Now, so I don’t lose you in the end of my story, I’m going to skip through all of the classes, lectures, lessons, etc and sum this portion up for you. I truly discovered who I am and the gifts that I have been given.

Now, with over 800 hours of documented training, over 2000hrs of documented sessions, unmeasured hours of self education and a successful massage and bodywork business, I continue to develop my skills in the art of touch. But that’s not all. Spending countless hours with each of my clients has also enabled me to discover and develop another gift, the ability to listen. I’ve learned to listen with not only my ears but also with my mind, body, and spirit. It is amazing what you can hear if you simply listen. Not just words, but energy and emotions.

What does this mean, you ask? As a clinician, I hear the challenges that my clients have, I hear about their relationships, personal goals, traumatic experiences, etc., that they are experiencing and/or suffering from. Through physical and energetic bodywork, meditation, healthy diet, and a will to heal, my clients have been getting real life, positive results.

Though I have been referred to as an “earth angel”, a “natural healer”, and a “master body worker” by some of the people that have experienced my gifts first hand, I will forever think of myself as a student of the body, mind, spirit and the art of bringing peace within them, through their connection to each other. My goal is to “fix what is broken”…