We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carolyn Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carolyn below.
Carolyn , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My mother was a guiding force in my life. The most important things she did for me was to encourage me to love reading, nature and art.
Books, plants, and art appreciation have become the foundation for my joy.
The love of reading led me to eventually use bibliotherapy to change my perceptions about myself and others. Thought leaders like James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, Oprah Winfrey, Marva Collins, Deepak Chopra, Thich Nhat Hahn, for example, helped me become a whole person, because my interests were always so broad.
I love teaching, writing, philosophy, all forms of the creative arts, and the challenge of self-improvement through my studies. I discovered that plants have a place in all of these areas of interest. So, I would say that nature has mercifully brought me full circle, allowing me to focus inward first as an herbalist, flower essence practitioner, and aromatherapist,
My other interests spring from wanting to apply these skills. Reflexology (auricular massage) and harm reduction acupuncture) are my protocols of choice.
My love for plants started with my mother’s rose bed and vegetable garden. She grew a lot of our food in the backyard of our Brooklyn home in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Collard greens, turnip greens, corn, and tomatoes. Roses grew in the front yard and there were rows of multicolored zinnias framing the garden in the back.
My mother, Mattie Bell Jones-Dupree, was a Georgia peach, the daughter of agriculturists, also referred to as sharecroppers. I now know she didn’t realize the impact she had on me because while she was in hospice, suffering from Stage 4 emphysema, I asked her a question, wanting to know what her intentions were when she took me to Grand Army Plaza Library, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Prospect Park, the Bronx Zoo., and Prospect Park Zoo–when it had lions, tigers and bears. Oh my!
I asked, “Mommy, why did you take me to museums and parks?”
Along with Mrs. Donaldson, my nursery school teacher, she had taught me to read even though she hadn’t yet earned her high school diploma. So, the library was a “no-brainer.” Reading in my home was tantamount to breathing.
My sophisticated, college-educated self expected her to espouse the wonders of art and the benefits of all of the things she had exposed me to. I held my breath…waiting.
She responded, “I liked it.”
I was stunned, yet delighted.
In that moment I realized that this 5’1″ woman who designed clothing patterns and sewed my clothes by hand so skillfully that it looked like a sewing machine had made the stitches, taught me to fry chicken as I hovered at her elbow, and prepared a Thanksgiving feast that was ready by Thanksgiving Eve was not the fragile soul I saw laying before me. But, rather a goddess of intent, firmly grounded in her beliefs (often religious fanaticism). Before my very eyes, she took on the mantle of a matriarchal powerhouse, passed down from our original ancestors.
You see, the cruel institution of slavery helped birth the realization that reading was a skill that would save anyone seeking to rise from poverty. Education was the Holy Grail for self-improvement. As quiet as it’s kept, it still is. I never thought I would live to see the day that history would come full circle and introduce the concept of censoring books to the whole of society.
That act alone, hints at the power of capturing and sharing ideas about freedom and democracy, imagination, and well-being for the citizenry.
As a child, I would spend hours reading the National Geographic magazines she would bring home from work. That’s how I developed a desire to travel, even as a sheltered, reclusive only child. That publication also taught me to appreciate how other cultures worshipped and lived their precious lives.
Over the years, reading has introduced me to self-care, self-acknowledgement, and self-love which eventually led to the strategies for living in the seat of joy. This was very important for me, having grown up in an extremely contentious environment, created by my stepfather. That’s a story for another day. However, I guess I have to give him a great deal of credit for giving me something to heal. (tongue in cheek)
Plants became my compassionate friends My healers. I went back to my roots, so to speak.
While in college, I immersed myself in art appreciation classes and became a fan of Rembrandt. I was fascinated by how I was able to feel the expression of the people he immortalized on canvas. But, my soul would also experience a shift when I look at photography and paintings of foliage.
My mother taught me to love animals by our visits to the zoo, and also by having cats and birds as pets.
As a matter of fact, I first experienced death as a little girl while holding my dying kitten until she took her last breath. Fast forward…I am also a bereavement chaplain.
It’s all relative.
You see, my mother gave my teachers something to work with, laying the groundwork for everything I am today,
I watched her earn her high school diploma by studying through a home study course. As a matter of fact, now that I think of it, I would read her books after she was finished with them!
It’s funny what one remembers upon review. What I know for sure…knowledge is always moving forward. Wisdom, not so much.
As a result of my exposure to the good, bad, and the ugly of my life, I have been gifted with the ability and desire to embrace change as a way of life. I trust my own belief systems, having rebelled against the strict mores of my upbringing, and a society that forced women to burn their bras in order to be heard.
Having come of age in an era that was in direct opposition to the ladylike restrictions espoused by my mother and those of her generation and generations past, change was a life raft floating through the murky waters of a so-called liberated future.
The greatest lesson my mother shared was the importance of devotion to a Higher Being. I identify that spirit as my Higher Self.
No matter what it is called, the operative word is “Higher.”
She taught me to keep my head up, my shoulders back, insisting that I operate from a platform of dignity and self-respect.
I had to learn what that meant in a world that expected less from me solely because I was melanated. It made no sense to me. But, it heightened my observation skills.
My mother would tell me stories of oppression in the workplace, and in the same breath, she emphasized the importance of treating all people respectfully. She was not a revolutionary, per se. She had a love for all cultures. That lesson has been a defining part of how I show up in the world today.
That brings me right back to the importance of reading. Reading is an act of revolution. When I heard my mother praise a politician, I would research the person to understand why. she liked the person. I wanted to understand why because I knew, deep down in my gut, that my life depended on my knowing.
Mattie Bell Jones-Dupree also taught me to never give up. Had that not been instilled in me, I might have given up a long time ago.
But, every time I enter a space that embraces my journey and celebrates my passion, I know that I have found my tribe.
That is a lesson I had to learn on my own.
Thankfully, the foundation is firmly in place.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I became interested in becoming a Holistic Health practitioner while pursuing a doctoral degree in Holistic Health at the American Institute of Holistic Theology. The wonderful thing about this course of study was that I could choose the healing modalities that specifically interested me.
I now choose to teach topics that highlight self-care because I love to help people understand why natural self-care is beneficial. My twenty-four years of classroom teaching experience and developing traditional and online curricula, prepared me for a segue from academia into the world of teaching a variety of topics, as it relates to natural self-care.
My studies introduced me to Matthew Wood, an internationally known Master Herbalist, who has dedicated his life to sharing what he knows with others. My decision to choose him as a mentor has led me to fulfill one of my wildest dreams as an educator. I am now a faculty member with the Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism. The courses I have taught for the Institute are: “Herbs for Death, Dying, and Grief” and “Black Folk Herbalism and Plant Medicine.”
I have also studied with the American Herbalist Guild (AHG), and in 2022, I facilitated an AHG workshop titled, “Holistic Grief: A Personal Journey.” This session highlighted the grief experiences of families that I ministered to when I served as an aftercare and bereavement chaplain, offering spiritual care at a neighborhood funeral home. Keeping talk therapy at a minimum, my well-received approach revolved around natural self-care and a ministry of presence. Licensed by the New York State Chaplain Task Force, I continued my studies with the Spiritual Care Association (Foundations of Hospice Chaplaincy) to support my ability to serve families on a deeper level.
The decision to make teaching the foundation of my work has been most rewarding. I have presented for senior centers, community gardens, faith-based organizations, and community programs that assist single mothers and domestic violence survivors, as well as, individuals who have experienced incarceration and are seeking gainful employment. The Bronx Psychiatric Hospital Wellness Center is included in the Healing Project portfolio.
My deep interest in understanding natural self-care has led me to study Integrative Medicine with Quantum University in Hawaii and I earned certifications in reflexology and flower essences from the Washington Institute of Natural Medicine; and, the 2021 Street Medicine workshop series, “Trauma-Informed Herbalism in Practice,” at American Herbalist Guild is very valuable in my clinical practice, at this time.
More recently, I became a certified Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist with the National Detoxification Acupuncture Association (NADA) to attend to those who are struggling with the backlash of long-term substance abuse in a clinic setting. This opportunity affords me the privilege to apply my versatile knowledge and skills, as needed.
As a presenter, I have also been invited by the Central Library to offer a four-part natural self-care series that I have developed for the community at Cortelyou Library in Brooklyn, in Winter 2024. My topics will cover kitchen medicine, natural skin care, flower essences, and sound healing.
Each healing modality that I offer has its own set of benefits. I understand that what resonates with one person does not appeal to another. For example, someone may love to drink teas and may even submit to the more bitter herbs to fully experience the benefits of detoxification. Others may be repulsed by the idea of drinking tea, but would submit to the offer of a tasteless flower essence in a glass of water.
I may run across someone who flatly refuses acupuncture treatment for fear of needles. That person may be convinced to try acupuncture beads with a vibrational healing session, using tuning forks.
My focus is pain and stress management. It is very important for me to solve the problem of worry and concern. I have bult my practice on the firm base of kind words (spiritual care), a gentle touch (reflexology and auricular massage), and other alternative ways to circumvent toxic lifestyles. I incorporate nature into my practice, suggesting that people visit bodies of water, ferry-hop, meditate in gardens, journal their thoughts, begin a new hobby, go for long walks, dust off an old dream, and most of all, manage – with the intention of eventually eliminating — emotional and physical pain.
Once trust is established, the subtle introduction of aromatherapy, flower essences, and vibrational therapy (sound) are introduced to invite the continuation of healing practices that can replace the sharp pangs of trauma with a new and uplifting perspective about life and how a quality life can feel.
My collaborations with other natural healing practitioners from multiple disciples offer a menu of choices for those who are interested in improved health. By working together, a client or potential client has a team of interested professionals working on their behalf to bring them optimum relief.
The Healing Project serves as an advocate for the dissemination of natural self-care information.
Our motto is Love Life. Live. Live Life. Love.
To read more about the work, visit: www.behealed.info
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
I embrace the “do no harm” principle to avoid added trauma to all concerned. Training is very important, but emotional intelligence and an honest, genuine compassion for humanity is the most valuable characteristic that I can bring to the people I serve. By putting myself in my client’s shoes, I am able to meet them where they are, not where I think they should be. Truth be told, in many cases, I have been in their shoes and was fortunate enough to meet leaders who mentored me to a brighter day. My desire to “pay it forward” sustains me.
People know when someone really cares about them.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I was a young adult, I was unclear on how to apply my many talents in a way that would make me happy with my life.
Education proved to be a yellow brick road for me because it kept me engaged. Starting in 1984, I invested a total of twelve years of my adult life in earning an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications degree, and a Master of Science in Television and Radio Management, while working as an academic secretary in the CUNY system. The remainder of my years in CUNY (1994-2006), I continued my work as a secretary and worked as an evening adjunct lecturer until my retirement.
In 2009, my dear friend, Wesley, now deceased, told me about the American Institute of Holistic Theology. I immediately enrolled and changed the trajectory of my life. Studying herbalism and other plant-related healing practices ignited a passion in me to learn more about how the body works with plant allies.
Researching and teaching are my favorite activities, so I decided to apply those skills to the healing modalities I hold so close to my heart.
Healing is ongoing, even for the practitioner. It is never complete. There is always more to be had. All of this work has sprung from my original desire to just write. That’s all that I wanted do. Little did I know that my Akashic assignment was so much larger than that.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.behealed.info
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/Carolyn-Jones-THP
Image Credits
Will Vaultz Photography