Periodically, I come across social media posts or comments questioning the legitimacy of work by a non-credentialed author, healer, or influencer. These questions stem from the fact that, as mental health becomes increasingly recognized as its own discipline, standards are developed to monitor and legitimize it. Academic degrees and clinical licensure help ensure credibility, ethical standards, and accountability. Scientific study moves therapy from the subjective experience of the practitioner to empirical observations of an intervention’s effectiveness. Seeking mental health treatment puts a person in the vulnerable position of sharing their most raw and painful experiences with a stranger. All of these measures can inform who to trust to provide safe and effective care
And yet, while modern psychotherapy is a relatively new invention, psychosocial and spiritual healing have been part of societies perhaps since the beginning of human civilization. The complexity of the human mind makes it impossible for any one group to claim a monopoly on understanding how we heal.
Many people in recovery encounter the limitations of professional fields like therapy or dietetics, raising the question: What is the role of coaches, spirituality, and alternative paths to healing? How can we open our minds to healing in all its forms—wherever it may be found—while also protecting ourselves and others from the harm caused by unskilled or unethical practice?
In this episode, Haley Schiek and I discuss the role of coaching, spirituality, and alternative paths to healing. Haley shares her journey encountering the limitations of traditional treatment, then on the advice of her dietician, seeing an alternative healer with initial skepticism, and finally experiencing the profound effects of this type of work firsthand. Haley shares how she now integrates energy healing, emotional frequencies, and chakra yoga into her work, using what helped her to support others.
Haley Schiek is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), Yoga Teacher (E-CYT 250), & Peer Educator (CPE) who specializes in eating disorder recovery and psycho-spiritual wellness. She is the owner and founder of Cosana Coaching, “co” meaning “with” and “-sana” meaning health, wholeness, and healing. Cosana speaks to Haley’s belief that the deepest healing happens in community, when we work together.
Having overcome anorexia, binge eating, and bulimia herself, Haley integrates her professional training in western psychology & eastern spiritual practices with her lived experience in eating disorder recovery to empower clients to overcome self-hate, reclaim their health, and achieve tangible recovery goals that enable them to live a pleasurable, present, values-driven life free from the horrific cycle of dieting for weight loss and the fear of losing control with food.
Haley’s work focus on restoring hope and personal power. She uses a holistic, systemic lens, taking particular care to understand how her clients’ socio-cultural status, gender, and identity intersect with external power structures to impact their wellness.
Haley has a decade of experience teaching yoga and facilitating classes and workshops across the United States, from the Coral Pink sand dunes of southern Utah to oceanfront classes in Puerto Rico. Understanding that each individual is a source of divine knowledge, Haley facilitates classes that encourage students to connect to the teacher within.
Finding your groove in Ed recovery (group coaching – starts April 9th)
https://www.yoga4eatingdisorders.com/finding-your-groove-in-ed-recovery
Chakra Yoga Group Program (2025 Dates TBD)
Summer Body Support Group (2025 Dates TBD, 4-week & 8-week options available, usually mid June- mid August)
https://cosanacoaching.com/product/summer-bodies-group/
Cosana Coaching Instagram
