Erin Patterson, Witness to Miracles
by Alana Helpitage
Erin Patterson is one of the co-founders of the B~Well Center of Scottsdale. The eldest daughter in a large Catholic family, Erin was raised when men and women were emerging from rigidly defined roles – where men derived their power from their work, and women, from homemaking. Meanwhile. Erin’s late grandmother instilled in her a love for the arts and for service. It was a love Erin longed to pursue professionally. Her parents steered her, instead, towards a degree in Computer Information Systems – on the premise that it was the “practical thing to do.” Erin, a budding businesswoman deferring to her parents’ wishes, still clung to her passion for theatre and to her own inner wisdom. She then forged perhaps the most practical path of all. A path devoted to cultivating the miraculous human heart.
At the core of Erin’s life and work is the belief that human beings are by nature “whole and perfect.” born with the capacity to navigate life with grace and love. The suffering we endure, she believes, derives in part from “living other people’s lives.” Erin knows this pain well. As a woman who had lived a life severed from her heart’s calling, imprisoned in the desires and demands of others, her body faltered with disease. Then, Erin learned to reclaim the wisdom and the support she needed to heal. Through this journey from disease to fulfillment, Erin acquired an array of tools for bringing herself and others into greater alignment with their whole and perfect selves. Among her strongest assets are her empathy. and her ability to infuse the process of personal transformation with empowerment and kindness.
“We have to support one another…We need to create new, compassionate structures for our work and lives..” Erin
While Erin holds that each person she encounters has something to teach her, transformational therapist. Derek O’Neill has been one of her greatest mentors. With Derek, she’s witnessed the virtues of “walking the talk” when it comes to leading a life of service. Derek, a witty and determined Irishman, has harnessed his energy and resources for helping others thrive worldwide. Erin continues to champion this sense of down-to-earth excellence that transcends the walls of the B~Well Center.
“A Woman’s Heart is her connection to her soul and as such must be cared for like the most precious treasure.” – from “A Woman’s Heart,” by Erin
Used to being jarred from one activity to the next in the break-neck pace of modern life, as I met with Erin at the B~Well Center, I felt suspended in time. And what followed flowed with uncanny grace and timing – from piecing together the facts and principles of her work, to uncovering my self-love.
Curious as to what Erin and the B~Well center had to offer in the flesh, I worked with her one-on-one – in what she aptly calls a “Heart to Heart Session.” We began by gently charting the highlights of my family dynamics, disease, and pervasive yearnings. Convinced that the core of our pain as well as our wisdom reside in the body, Erin’s breath grew short and her shoulders hunched, sensing the implosive feeling in my chest that I’ve held for years.
From there, she guided me into voicing the memories which have shaped that implosion – a chaos of depression, invasion of boundaries, and rage. Within the refuge of her vigilance and her incisive guidance, these memories revealed themselves with burning clarity. And through this clarity. the tension in my body gave way to love. Love for who I was, Love for who I am, Love for the future I am building alongside such vital women as Erin.
Leading the return to the heart…
What Erin does is almost effable. Using practices that range from neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) to energy therapies. she offers one-one-one sessions, workshops, and public speaking engagements tailored to her clients’ needs. First, Erin creates a profound sense of nurturance and trust with those she serves. Then, her clients’ progress unfolds as together they explore these basic questions:
What do we need to become more aware of the pattern of thought, feeling, and behavior that lead us to suffering or stagnation?
How can we observe and transform these patterns in every facet of our lives and beings?
How can we choose to love and nurture ourselves so that transformation can be not only possible – but even instant?
When asked what we as women need to realize ourselves through our own inner wisdom, Erin takes both a personal and a global perspective. She urges us to respond to the rise of technology and intellectualism in our lives by making conscious choices with the awareness they bring. We can choose to ground ourselves in our bodies through profound self-care, and direct our feminine energy toward systems of compassionate collaboration. Systems that support our fulfillment and our well-being, on a universal scale. And at the heart of the conscious choices we make, is the choice to love. Erin has devoted her life, work and legacy to promoting this choice.
*Alana Helpitage is the creator and owner of A Shared Path. A writer, educator and citizen of the world, she shares her words with the world – in service to others at www.asharedpathah.com.