CHERIE KAPLAN
Healing Arts Practitioner
Death Doula
Life Coach
Somatic Therapist In-Training
MY JOURNEY
Why I do this work.
Growing up I was subject to abuse. Being a victim is something I’m intimately familiar with. Did I think the world was unfair? You bet your ass I did. I was angry, hurt, devastated, depressed. Many of my friends couldn’t see it on the outside, but internally I was a wreck. I felt trapped by all the abuse and negativity. I was wounded.
As a kid, I had a few NDEs (Near Death Experiences). Looking back, they gave me a deep knowing that the world had more to offer and that there was more to life than what meets the eye. I was given a glimmer of a future that didn’t include abuse. At 17, by divine grace, I started my healing journey.
I won’t lie. It hasn't been easy. It’s had ups and downs. Painful revelations about how my experiences shaped my perceptions, my actions, and my relationships. Healing has pushed me to let go of the truths I lived and breathed, so I could realize the false beliefs created by the daily trauma and drama I experienced for so many years. Healing hurt. Anyone who has had a flesh wound knows how painful it can be as it heals, as it scars. Healing my life wasn’t any different.
Coming to terms with reality, while painful, became one of the most empowering processes of my life. I became aware of my own fuckedupness. I took responsibility for what I could - my perceptions, my actions and my relationships. I realized I had the power to choose these things. I decided to make better choices. And guess what? My life got better. I got better. Things continue to get better.
After spending so many years afraid, I chose to be brave, to have courage. If my experiences hadn’t killed me, then they must have made me stronger. I allowed myself to see my strength and use it to make a difference. First, I made a difference in my own life. Now, I work to make a difference in other's.
Don’t ever underestimate the power of choice. So many believe the world/the abuser/ the bad experiences take away our power to choose. I’m here to tell you that is a lie. No matter what happens to us, we have choices. The choice to be crippled or the choice to be victorious no matter what.
I help people choose victory. It is my passion, my purpose, my honor, to help my fellow humans be as whole as they can be.
MY TRAINING
Intuitive abilities have run in my family for generations. After having a healing crisis of my own I dove head first into the healing and intuitive arts studying with a psychic in New Orleans, whose husband suggested I learn massage. In 2007, I came to Utah to study the healing arts, learning various bodywork and energy work modalities. I obtained my massage license and opened my own practice. In 2009 I was introduced to the Red Road and began studying indigenous healing modalities. In 2010 I began what I would call a serious love affair with yogic practice and yogic philosophy. I started teaching yoga. My conditions improved with practice and in 2014, I realized I was providing a lot of my friends, family, and clients with spiritual counseling that closely resembled coaching. I went on to study coaching techniques and methodology incorporating Soul Salt and mBraining techniques, pursuing ICF accreditation to sharpen my coaching & communication skills. After 8 years of Reiki practice I obtained the title Reiki Master in 2016. In 2017, I proceeded to study the therapeutic benefits of theater/comedy & medical clowning. I volunteered at Children's hospital until the pandemic. After experiencing a significant loss and realizing how death phobic and grief illiterate we are as a society I became a certified death doula in 2023. 2024 was the year for officially tying my whole practice together through Somatic Movement Therapy, and embarking on becoming a registered Somatic Movement Therapist, studying SomaSoul Somatic Movement Therapy through the Leven Institute. I am forever a student. Most days you can find me steeping in buddhist philosophy & practice, serving my people, and making art.