Peter Bedard, MA
Sponsored School(s)
Holistic Healing & Hypnotherapy Therapist
With a flourishing private practice in Los Angeles, California, Peter Bedard has made much more than the proverbial “lemonade” with what could have been some very bitter lemons. The founder of “Convergence Healing;” a Holistic Therapy Center; Peter has personally been diagnosed with and conquered some of life’s most excruciating health issues including; serious anxiety, asthma, depression, arthritis, sciatica and fibromyalgia. Probably the most telling moment in his health history was an event where he physically expired (otherwise known as a near death experience) and then experienced subsequent restoration to bodily health.
Bedard’s journey into the field of psychology began at San Jose State University in San Jose, California, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities; continuing on to earn a Master’s Degree in Consciousness Studies from the University of Philosophical Research in Los Angeles, California. In addition to his therapy center and traveling worldwide as a specialist in the areas of holistic healing and hypnotherapy; Peter is the owner of a healing tea shop in Los Angeles, California. Named “Create Your Health Teas, Healing Herbs and Spices” (CYH Teas); the shop specializes in taking historically healing elements produced in nature and assimilating them into a various blends of tea. Peter has also authored the book: Convergence Healing: Healing Pain with Energetic Love.
You have such an amazing background! Where most would run from their former health dilemmas, you forged ahead into the field of holistic healing therapy. How did you decide to do this?
This is what I call the “gold”! All the years of chronic pain, anxiety, and frustration are the garbage. I discovered holistic health practices out of necessity…I was seriously ill and I did not want to go under the knife again, and I knew that the drugs that were offered to me could only do so much. I healed so many things using holistic health treatments, and I fell in love with this Mind, Body, Spirit approach to healing. As I healed myself over the years I started to learn more and more about holistic therapies. Eventually, I found myself studying them, and I went back to school to get a Masters in Consciousness Studies (the study of quantum theory combined with theology). I chose this over an MFT as I did not believe in the traditional psychological approach to healing. It did not work for me. I combined my education through my MA program with a year-long course in Hypnotherapy, and I graduated from both programs around the same time. Working with people and helping them through the garbage of their pain is the gold that feeds me. This gold is my joy and assisting people through their healing is the most rewarding experience I have ever had.
What is it about you personally which makes you so successful?
People call me a Hypnotherapist, but I generally do not use that term…although I use hypnosis techniques in my practice. I simply call myself a therapist. When people ask me what I do, this is generally what I say,
You know how some people don’t seem to be able to heal? They spend enormous amounts of time in great pain like anxiety, depression, and chronic illnesses and they live in fear of being sick and not feeling good for their entire life. Well, I help people create the life they want and find their own personal path to healing.
Doing this work requires love plain and simple. I believe it is my job to see my client’s perfection. I hold that vision for them even when they do not.
What gets you excited about your job and why?
This work has become my life purpose…it is what I do. I am always supporting people in creating a life that is happy, joyous, and free. For me there is not much difference between what I do and who I am. My favorite clients are people who are facing a life crisis whether it is a life threatening dis-ease or a personal crisis. I like working with people who are seekers. People who are looking for another way of healing to add to the things they are already doing (allopathic medicine or otherwise), or who are looking to create their own healing process. I am constantly receiving messages from my clients about how the work we did together changed their life for the better. That acknowledgment makes my day…not because I had anything to do with it but because this tells me they have moved into a state of expanded consciousness like stepping into the Captain’s Seat of their life where they are in charge; calling the shots and living the life they want to live. That’s powerful.
What do you love most about your work?
I love most everything about what I do! I love the process that the Universe gave to me to help people, I love the clients that come to me and who dive into that process, I love the healing that happens in their lives, I love the gold that they alchemically give to me through their healing. It is super rewarding to watch someone go from living as a victim in pain and suffering to stepping into the captain’s seat or control room of their life and take charge.
On a scale from 1-10 how hard was it to get where you are now?
Definitely a 10! I struggled for nearly 20 years in my own personal pain, but the journey was so worth it. For the first few years I struggled with feeling responsible for my client's success. When they were happy I was happy…when they were sad I was sad. It was exhausting. It was difficult for me to not take on their pain. The more I surrendered into this process of healing that I have come to call Convergence Healing the more success I had both personally and professionally.
On a practical level, it took me years to build up a referral base. I had very little money when I started and no advertising budget. I still don’t advertise but I have an incredible referral system that keeps my practice full for the most part.
What one thing would you like to see changed in your field?
There are some people who take a weekend course and think they are qualified to do this work. I do not think that is a good idea.
What do you hope to have accomplished by the end of your career?
One of my goals is to travel the world and share what I do with anyone that is willing to do the work! When I finally retire, if I ever do, I want to look back at the amazing people I have met and bear witness to the health and wellness they have brought into the world. It is my firm belief that when we heal ourselves we heal a part of the world. Like the “butterfly effect”…I want to look back and witness a wave of healing starting through my small practice and flowing over the globe.
What advice would you give someone who wanted to follow in your footsteps?
Do it now! The world needs you! You need you!
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