What were you doing for work before attending FSM? Before FSM, I was working at a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane. I was a rehabilitation therapist. I worked with a treatment team to get the client competent to stand trial for the crimes they were charged with. There was also a second set of clients that were deemed not guilty by insanity, and we had a whole separate list of responsibilities for that group. I did that for nine years. How did the FSM experience change you, and what was it about your FSM experience that inspired you to do what you do now? I left my previous career due to the fact that I felt my whole being starting to change into someone I knew I wasn’t. I began to feel jaded by all humans, feelings of anxiety and frustration became my norm. Not wanting to trust anyone was slowing creeping up more and more often. That is when I knew I needed and wanted a HUGE change for my life. I have always been interested in massage and knowing who I am, I knew I needed to work with people. I enjoy the relationships. Florida School of Massage gave me back my sense of self, my internal security, and I returned to the laidback personality I knew to be true to myself. I was able to let go of a lot of things because of the love and healing energy that was and continues to abound at FSM. Did you face any challenges in coming to FSM? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them? When I decided to leave my previous career, I had to let go of a lot of personal securities. Such as a retirement fund, insurance, a steady paycheck, and knowing what was in store for me as a workday. It was difficult at first, but I knew that leaving that environment was really the only way I could return to happiness. So I let all the fears go, and I have NEVER looked back since!!! FSM follows a “self-empowerment” model – how did this model effect your learning experience and/or the choices you made after graduation? Because of the environment at FSM, I was able to trust my heart and know that if I wanted something I had the power to make my choice and run with it. I could achieve what I set out to achieve. Do you have any advice for alumni or prospective students? Any advice I could give to someone interested in attending FSM, would be to have a plan. It doesn’t have to be in concrete, but you need to have something to follow. No one is going to give you a handout, so plan ahead and make those plans and dreams your reality. It has to be for you or it won’t work. Is there anything about your work with colon hydrotherapy that you would like to share? When I was going through the program, I kept asking myself, “What is going to make me stand out, why would people want to come to me instead of someone else. That’s when it occurred to me that I needed to separate myself from just doing massage and to pursue my career in Colon Hydrotherapy. So many people thought I was crazy for wanting to deal with this type of job, but I knew in my soul that this was my path. Let me tell you, I love what I do and I have never been happier with a decision I’ve made. My life is so full of gratitude – I get to see my work help people EVERY SINGLE DAY. There is a peacefulness that comes from knowing that what I do is exactly what I am supposed to be doing at this moment. I don’t know what my future holds for me, nor do I search it out. I do know that because of my choice to go to FSM, my life is fuller, happier, and certainly clearer than at any other time. Dawn Brower graduated from the FSM in March 2004, and is a practicing Licensed Massage Therapist in Florida. She is also an International and State Board Certified Colon Hydrotherapist, having received her training at the Body Logic Institute located in St. Augustine, Florida. She is a co-owner of the Gentle Waters Colon Hydrotherapy Center in Gainesville, Florida, with her partner Jennifer Ford. For more information, visit www.gentlewatershealing.com.
