From Darkness to Flow: How a Wellness Retreat Led Me to Heal My Bloodline and Find My Voice

​There is something profoundly magical about a full-circle moment in life. It’s the feeling you get when the universe gently taps you on the shoulder, points back to where you started, and shows you just how far you’ve come. ✨️

​Looking back, my journey into deep healing began late June 2025, as I found myself pulling up to the Pictou Lodge in Nova Scotia for a wellness retreat hosted by Sandy Benoit of Dragonfly Wellness Healing.

​To be completely honest, I arrived running on empty. I had been surviving in a dark place, moving through life entirely on adrenaline. Every layer of my being—mentally, physically, and spiritually—was crying out for relief. I didn't fully understand it then, but an energetic pull like nothing I had ever felt before was drawing me toward that weekend.

​One of the most pivotal moments of the weekend was stepping into an Indigenous Women’s Circle.

​Growing up, a significant piece of my heritage was kept in the shadows; my great-great-grandmother, Susan Briand Theriault, was Métis, but her story and her cultural teachings were a part of our history that was simply never spoken about.

​Sitting in that circle, learning about the culture, and feeling the weight and honor of the talking stick changed everything. When it was my turn to speak, the heavy walls of hesitation melted away. The words flowed out of me effortlessly, carrying a truth that felt older than I am:

​"I am here to heal generational trauma from lifetimes before me."

​That weekend was a profound, emotional unraveling. I discovered how much of an energetic sponge I had been, soaking up cords of attachment from everyone around me, and I learned how to properly detach them. My dreams became vivid, pulsing with guidance. I was being told, in no uncertain terms, to pay attention. I was being called to deepen my practice.

​Today, that connection to my great-great-grandmother is no longer a silent blank space. She comes to me in my dreams, and we connect deeply through channeling in my meditations. She is no longer forgotten; she is guiding me.

​Six months later, at the next Awaken Your Inner Dragonfly retreat, I had the opportunity to be included in a powerful healing session offered by the Healing Sisters from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. That session was so incredibly profound; it took weeks afterward to completely restore and recalibrate my body’s energy. But it was entirely worth it. Through that experience, I felt a massive spiritual weight lift. I found myself releasing a deep-seated fear of rejection, learning to truly believe in myself, and finally finding my authentic voice!

​The call to deepen my practice answered itself the following April, when the universe aligned everything—just two weeks before the program—for me to attend my first intensive practitioner workshop in the Art of Jin Shin.

​While there, I received a session from my teacher that blew the doors of my understanding wide open.

​As she listened to my pulses, she revealed that the left side of my body was weak and failing to communicate properly with the right. In the philosophy of energy medicine, the left side of our body holds the energy of the maternal generations who came before us. It became clear that the patterns showing up as anemia, chronic fatigue, gallbladder disease, and depression were written plainly in my pulses long before they ever manifested physically.

​Learning about the energetic imbalance within my body through pulse listening, and learning how to support my body, has been a lot to work through. Comparing my pulses with my family history of illnesses has been an eye-opener, guiding me to support my body even more to heal generational trauma. By supporting my energy pathways, I am supporting my healing journey. ✨

​The physical imbalances we experience are often simply the loudest echoes of an old, ancestral blueprint waiting for the right support to bring it back into harmony.

​​My intention has come completely full circle.

​The very words I spoke into existence at Pictou Lodge have become my living reality. I am no longer just a seeker looking to heal my own wounds; I am a certified Practitioner in the Art of Jin Shin. This year, I am returning to the Awaken Your Inner Dragonfly retreat—not as an exhausted guest running on adrenaline, but as a practitioner, ready to stand in my power and share this sacred gift.

​Moving forward, my mission is to continue clearing the path for my family line and to hold space for others to do the same. I am endlessly grateful for the gentle, transformative Art of Jin Shin, and for the profound honor of teaching and offering sessions to those who are ready—ultimately building Soul Sanctuary Wellness Retreat. My vision is to create a true destination in the Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia for those seeking balance and healing to find sanctuary within; a sacred space to share space for healing, to pass down teachings, to offer healing services, and to help others find inner balance and become truly free just as i am. ✨

​If you are ready to shed the heavy patterns that aren't yours, remember that your healing matters. It frees you, brings reverence to your family line, and brightens the path for everyone who follows. The energy is waiting to flow the moment you are ready. ✨