ASK THE EXPERT
DR. TIM FRANK, N.M.D.
What factors should spas look into when planning to introduce a
healing, meditation or self-exploratory immersion program? Pulse
taps the expertise of Dr. Tim Frank, a naturopatic medical
doctor, shamanic healer and massage therapist,
to
provide insights on what to consider when designing a healing or
self-discovery program. Dr. Frank, along with his life partner, Pamela
Lancaster, helped develop Miraval Resort & Spa’s healing and immersion programs, including the “Awakening the Divine Self” program.
Pulse: How did you originally get involved in practicing
mindfulness?
Frank: My background in practicing mindfulness started at a
young age. During my early years, I was exposed to and
taught different healing modalities, primarily from the Lakota,
Cherokee, and Hopi traditions through family. I spent most of
my 20s and 30s listening to my grandfather’s wisdom and
teachings on spirituality. I traveled around the country with
him, witnessing and co-facilitating different healing sessions.
Much of what I do today in my work draws from these traditional native teachings and ceremonial shamanic approaches
to healing.
In my mid-twenties, after completing both undergraduate
degrees in Psychology and Philosophy, and then massage
school, I went on a soul journey and spent time living in a
Zen Buddhist monastery in Sendai, Japan. This was a time of
deep introspection, while also providing an opportunity to
travel and learn from amazing herbalists and acupuncturists
who drew from thousands of years of knowledge.
P: How did the idea for Miraval’s “Awakening the Divine
Self” program come about?
F: The sessions Pamela and I offer are the result of years of
training and spiritual practice both at Miraval and privately. In
September of 2014, we launched “Awakening the Divine Self,”
a five-day healing retreat under the same title of a company
56 PULSE
n
June 2015
we launched a year earlier. The retreat will be offered again
from August 13 - 17 this year.
The immersion presents the potential to work directly with
the source of a person’s being at a very powerful and deep fundamental level. This approach of working with the physical
body and the spiritual being, plus the deep states of trance that
are achieved, inexplicably results in people becoming more
empowered and engaged in life with more creativity, energy, and
happiness. From this gentle place of inner grounded-ness and
safety, the client has a clearer perspective of his or her life circumstances. Our clients often initiate change in their lives that
might not otherwise have been feasible.