Vancouver Energy Healing
ABOUT
Meet Mara
When I was a child, my sisters and I grew up near a mental health hospital where my mother was a psychiatric nurse for forty-two years. The experience planted the seeds for my healing work, teaching me that deep empathy, spiritual connection, and simple presence are at the heart of true healing.
I still remember the feeling of being on the grounds with the turn-of-the-century buildings. The energy was thick—layered with stories, sorrow, and silent prayers that still echo through the trees. Even before then, as a young child, I could sense what others couldn’t—subtle shifts in energy, the presence of spirits. I didn’t have the language for it at the time, but I would often sit with animals in the neighbourhood, placing my hands on them in a heart-centred way when they were hurt or anxious. I just wanted them to feel safe, to feel loved.
Family's of staff would often attend hospital events and mingle with patients. One time, I remember a patient, in the hallway, a woman—time-worn, soft-eyed—looked straight at me, as though she could see right into me. And in that gaze, I felt a strange sense of recognition, like something in her reflected something in me. It stayed with me for years. At times, I wondered if, as I grew older, I might find myself in a place like Riverview—not because I was afraid, but because I felt how easily our worlds could overlap. The line between “them” and “me” never felt fixed. There was no pretense in her presence. No need to say the right thing. Just raw humanity, meeting mine. And in that moment, I felt the veil between our minds dissolve.
It taught me about the strength in vulnerability. The wisdom in unconventional minds. The urgency of compassion. It reminded me that helping isn’t about fixing. It's about presence.
My Energetic Journey
My interest in esoteric knowledge—spiritualism, divination, and the occult sciences—began in my teenage years. I was fortunate to have access to a family library, where I spent countless hours exploring these subjects, and talking with my mom. Experiences like astral travel and other energetic encounters felt natural to me, part of a quiet, intuitive world I moved through without question.
It was much later that I began to refine my healing art. I trained at the Integrative Energy Healing (IEH) program —an academically rigorous, clinically grounded program run by nurses. I studied under Ruth Lamb RN, MScN, BHS, PhD, co-founder of the program and Melinda Conner, D.D Ph.D., AMP. After completing the program, I opened my clinical energy healing practice. During that time, Langara Holistic Health Studies gave me the opportunity to collaborate on a comprehensive nine-month project with two health authority programs for eating disorders. AIEH treatments were provided to outpatients—a qualitative study through case studies, interviews, charting, and feedback. The program facilitated the referral of twenty-one clients to participate in IEH clinics, highlighting the growing recognition of the benefits of integrative energy healing in this specific area. The analysis highlighted a remarkable enhancement in the clients' stress and anxiety levels. The positive outcomes of this study led to the recognition of the effectiveness of Advanced Integrative Energy Healing, resulting in invitations to collaborate with eating disorder clinics in the Vancouver area.
I presented the findings at the Wellspring Conference at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. Shortly after, I was invited by the Advanced Integrative Energy Healing Program under Ruth Lamb RN, MScN, BHS, PhD, co-founder of the program and Melinda Conner, D.D Ph.D., AMP., to work with nurses in high-stress units at Surrey Memorial Hospital as part of a research initiative requested by Fraser Health Authority. This experience opened the door to a seven-year position as a faculty member and lead instructor in Holistic Health Studies.
When the IEH program closed during the pandemic, I felt a strong calling to preserve the vital work being done at the student wellness clinics, especially a substance use treatment centre, where the IEH program had been offering wellness clinics there for over fifteen years. In response, I brought together a team of certified practitioners from the (Advanced) Integrative Energy Healing programs. Today, I continue to run the weekly, energy-based clinic, carrying forward the legacy of grounded, heart-centred, clinical energy healing.
ENERGY WORK HIGHLIGHTS
2020-25 Volunteer: Runs an IEH volunteer energy healing wellness clinic at a local treatment centre.
2015 Presentation: Using Integrative Energy Healing—Somatic Approaches to Healing Trauma, Integrative Energy Healing Program, Langara College.
2014 Abstract: "Overcoming Eating Disorders Utilizing Advanced Integrative Energy Healing," Mara Hagglund and Vera Lagasse. 4th Biennial EDAC-ATAC Conference, “Innovation and Integration in Eating Disorders
2013-14 Research intern: Working under Ruth Lamb Ph.D., a research project at Surrey Memorial Hospital providing nine months of Advanced Integrative Energy Healing for the forensic nurse's team—treating vicarious trauma and stress management.
2014 Presentation: Using Integrative Energy Healing—Somatic Approaches to Healing Trauma, Integrative Energy Program, Langara College.
2013 Poster Presentation "Encounters with Trauma, Hope, and Healing", Wellspring Conference, Vancouver, B.C.
2013 International Internship: Biofield practicum with youth, Auroville, Tamil Nadu, Southern India.
2013 Energy Healing Volunteer: One World Service–Tamil village women, Pondicherry, Southern India.
2011 Award: The Alexandra Marlene Integrative Energy Healing Scholarship for demonstrating outstanding practice of the principles of Integrative Energy Healing and has contributed to the growth and learning of fellow students.
Recognition
