Monday 29 October 2012

RICTAT-eers Unite: Seminar Day

RICTATEERS: the wonderful people who make up the organisation RICTAT. They are enthusiastic, eager to learn, sharing and caring individuals who have been trained to be the best at what they do!


9.05 on day one of our 2 day extravaganzer and the vibe is electric! All delegates are congregated in the reception room, chatting and catching up over coffee and biscuits. As people arrive the reception seems to be bulging with colonic therapists all eager to get started on the awesome learning we have in store!

Our seminar leaders ranger from PR experts to supplement specialists. RICTAT always provide a range of speakers who are able to support delegates in both the business building and furthering understanding of gut related issues.

First up was Norman and Steve from Optibac. They were delivering a talk on the importance of probiotics and prebiotics. The talk reminded me of the importance of remembering our bodies are teaming with microbes , in fact we are nearly 95% microbes! I think the 3 things that I took away from the talk were that bacteria are cannibalistic, prebiotics are the thing of the future and that there are more people out there than we realize who only poo on a Saturday morning! Obviously these are the most memorable points (mainly because they were so shocking)  but honestly there was much food for thought for therapists, giving them even more usable information on the role and importance of pro- and pre- biotics.

Second we had the Teresa Doherty, who engaged or delegates into a discussion on the importance of proteins, touching on the ever debated topic of vegetable vs. animal protein  She managed to present this controversial topic without harsh judgement, allowing for critical thinking. I now know that I must not eat more than the equivalent of 3 small chicken breasts a day and that protein must be measured out in the size of a pack of card or a box of matches. It all may sound cryptic to those who were not there, but for those who were, you know what I mean.

Next up was Lynne Ms Dougal who in her own very personable way managed to get the audience Emotional Freedom Tapping. Would you believe the topic was IBS! I think it is fair to say that Lynne has an amazing talent for exploring topics from a very holistic angle. I guess her main point was that IBS is an umbrella term and that as a colonic therapist. You should be isolating the symptoms and treating them, without being blind to other potential diagnoses, whilst recognising that the underlying emotional state of the client needs to be addressed. Sounds daunting, but she shared some really easy bedside techniques which can make a huge impact on the clients wellbeing and colon health.



Fourth in line was Tracey Dell, who wowed us with her business savvy! She gave some useful tools on how to market your business for free, using PR. As many of the delegate are both therapists and business owners this was a very useful talk, giving some real examples and real exercises to help boost business for colonic hydrotherapists anywhere. This session focused on creating a press release, but I am sure gave everyone the confidence to be more creative in their marketing.

Finally we had Kelly Hopely, who gave an extremely down to earth and honest talk on the importance of keeping a work life balance. Therapists are exactly that, they help people, to the point the may forget themselves in the aiding of others. In order to prevent your own burnout, Kelly shared some techniques she found useful to keep her juggling act fluid. with 4 glass balls and only one rubber one, it is very easy to know which one to drop... as it will always bounce back. We must all learn to say 'no', to self preserve and to set boundaries whilst maintaining a diet that is not full of too many stimulants (which cause stress to the body).

All in all a very successful day. I hope those who attended have walked away with much food for thought. In order to keep the conversations going between therapists, and to ensure therapists do not feel too isolated why not join us on Gut Guru. Meet like minded people with a wealth of knowledge.

1 comment:

  1. It was an exiting couple of days, with so much learning! Everyone seemed to enjoy the seminars format, so we'll try and develop it next year - Champneys all the way!

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