From Trauma to Transformation: The Journey to Wellness Within by Founder Patti Brown

As time has passed, I’ve come to recognize that several life experiences served as the impetus to my bringing about Wellness Within.

For instance, as a teenager I unknowingly learned how trauma remains embedded in our bodies.

Let me explain. I was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor in the late 70’s with neither an understanding of what was happening to my body, nor the know how to navigate the fear and anxiety pulsating throughout my mind. I recall wondering, “am I going die?” 

I remember being too afraid to ask questions or even speak to my fears. Today, the images remain seared in my memory of sitting across from the doctor days before the surgery. The desk before me seemed to swallow him up, it was as if I was disappearing into the corner of the room as he spoke to my parents on the phone. There was a sense of urgency in the doctor’s voice. He shared how surprised he was that it hadn’t burst, apparently, it was the size of a grapefruit living inside my ovary. On the way home, a hard rain danced sideways across the windshield. It was a stormy  winter night, the sound of my sister’s voice was muffled, all I could focus on was the squeaking of the wipers. 

Fortunately, the tumor was determined to be benign. At no fault to anyone, we were all ill equipped as to how to talk about any and all parts of this experience from an emotional or physical perspective.

This. This experience shaped me in ways I would come to understand in profound ways later in life. After, I should add, I stopped minimizing this experience as a teen due to it not being cancer.

Years later, as a clinician in private practice, I was drawn to the significance of integrating somatic work, a mind-body technique, to assist in releasing pent-up experiences such as anxiety, fear and tension which can weigh on one’s emotional and physical wellbeing. I gravitated to practices like meditation, mindfulness and breathing techniques. Though this was considered by some to be out of the standard therapy playbook, I witnessed significant breakthroughs with this approach. I observed the mind-body connection clearly.

Several more years passed with an undeniable calling to work with those dealing with trauma, illness. Cancer was no stranger to those I cared about, a list that grew over the years. Serving as a   volunteer with the American Cancer Society as a Can Support volunteer was rewarding but not enough. Nor, was a decade volunteering with the American Red Cross disaster mental health to work with others after sudden, traumatic events had occurred.

It took a minute.

Finally, the clouds lifted with the help of The Center of Mind Body Medicine’s certification program and a visit to the Smith Center in Washington D.C. Here I saw a philosophy that immediately spoke to me as to how these techniques could benefit cancer patients and care partners. Additionally, a visit to the Smith Center for Healing Arts while in D.C., served as a fantastic model of what can be done in this kind of space.  

Armed with an expansive heart, a plethora of science to support my passion and exceptional training in mind body medicine. It was time…….. I took the leap.

Thus, Wellness Within was born. 

The mission, to help those facing cancer experience quality of life through practices that incorporate physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing with classes in Expressive Arts, Healing Movement, Meditation & Mindfulness and Nutrition.