With the pandemic, many things had to close if they were deemed non-essential. The government deemed things like grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and medical establishments to be essential services. But holistic healing, which deals with helping people with chronic problems, traumatic injuries, and their general health, was deemed non-essential.
“I just thought, something is really wrong with this narrative where there is chronic care people that aren’t getting the help that they need. And now you’re telling people that know how to heal them that they can’t do it,” said Stephie Cyr, owner and operator of Inner Insights Holistic School and Spa.
The pandemic and lockdowns have really taken a toll on her and her business.
“It’s been really determinantal to my business and I really feel for small businesses in general especially those in the service industry,” she said.
She went on to say that she was shut down for five weeks the first time and then for another five weeks during the second lockdown. She really questions how businesses and services are deemed essential.
“It doesn’t really resonate anything of sense to me that 400 people can go into a grocery store and all be beside each other touch the same produce and that’s fine and nobody needs to pay attention to that, that’s safe. But a one-on-one consult with me is not safe for your health.”
But her business proves to be of benefit to people. She explained how once she was allowed to reopen that she saw a surge in demand for her services.
“They were coming in with all kinds of things… Everything was exacerbated. Everything was in an inflamed state. And I thought wow this really had an affect on people’s mental health and on their physical health,” she said.
Cyr pointed out that although she is keeping the holistic healing portion of her business going, the school portion of her business has been closed for almost a year now. She refuses to put her courses online since what she teaches is very hands on, something you need to touch and feel, and experience. It requires working closely with people and using touch to try to help them.
Comments