Life & Work with Gullveig Grunwald

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gullveig Grunwald.

Hi Gullveig, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I started my healing journey in 2000. I had just started college and was plagued with panic attacks. It wasn’t uncommon that I would have several a day. I was told that yoga might help. I went to my first class and hated it. I was used to activities that required fast motions and didn’t require me to be still and “just breathe.” In that first class, my mind raced, my legs were shaking, I thought to myself, “How is this helping me relax?” I was sure I would never practice this again… And then we laid down in relaxation pose (AKA savasana)… And my whole viewpoint changed. It was the first 10 minutes that I could remember in years where my mind wasn’t spinning chaotic cartwheels. Sweet Silence. All that was left in those precious, transformative moments was the breath. 

So, I went back to the mat again and again. I learned that yoga was more than just the poses; it was a whole system that unifies the mind, body, and spirit. As I learned meditation and sought out teachers who understood the mind, body, spirit connection, I learned to be more mindful of my thoughts and actions. I also learned that my anxiety had deeper roots than college stress; I had deep childhood trauma. This trauma was held in my mind and body. It kept my nervous system in a hyper-aroused state, a state that I was so used to that it now felt normal. 

If yoga class turned the key to unlocking my healing potential, then I would say reiki opened the door. Shortly after I started yoga classes, I developed TMJ (AKA “lockjaw”) from grinding my teeth at night (a pretty common symptom of chronic stress). I could barely open my mouth wide enough to eat. I was in a lot of pain. My boss at work had just gotten her reiki certification and offered her help. I didn’t know what reiki was, but I was willing to try anything to make the tension in my head subside. 

Just like the first yoga class, I was skeptical of my first reiki experience. As I lay down on the conference table, my boss started to wave her hands over my body. I thought that she had gone crazy. Then, I felt something that I could not explain. It felt as though a heavy blanket was suddenly over me. I felt warm, and the sensation was relaxing. That’s when my mindset shifted. I went from being skeptical to curious; I told my mind to take a break, focus on the breath, and to see what would happen. An hour later, I got off the table, and I didn’t have lockjaw anymore, and it never came back. I was amazed, and my curiosity was peaked; I needed to know what she did and how it worked. I didn’t know it then, but that simple decision to learn more was going to change the course of my life. 

That decision, at the time of writing this, was 23 years ago. What has transpired between then and now could easily fill a book, and maybe someday it will. For now, however, let me share some of the highlights. I received to my reiki master certification in 2003, and in 2011, I received my certification as a Yoga Therapist from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. What ultimately stopped my panic attacks was sleep-based meditation (AKA Yoga Nidra), so I went on to study under Kamini Desai to become a certified Yoga Nidra practitioner, also, in 2011. 

Through the course of my studies, I was my first client. I believe this is how true healers are forged. Healers must first walk through their own fire of transformation, and once on the other side, can hold out a hand to others and offer tools to assist them in walking through their own challenges. For me, part of healing my own childhood trauma required that I face my challenges with workaholism, codependency, and a lack of joy. I started to combine my skillsets and tools. I merged my skills, and delved into parts integration, self-reparenting, and therapeutic communication. 

But most importantly, I learned that I didn’t need to amputate wounded parts of myself in an effort to be more whole. I learned how to integrate these wounds; I learned a deeper understanding of what it means to have self-love. From this fortified sense of self, facing and re-patterning the habits and compulsions that sabotaged my joy and fulfillment became more attainable. 

My specialty is as a Joy Coach. I believe that joy is our natural state. Unlike happiness, which is transient, joy is eternal. It is a deep gratitude for life and makes it worthwhile, even when things become difficult. Over the past 11 years, I have had the honor of helping hundreds of people heal their inner child, mitigate unhelpful life patterns, and remember their joy. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it has not been a smooth road. As I mentioned in my story, one of the things that I have had to heal is workaholism. People often scoff at the notion that compulsive working/doing is an actual addiction, but I am here to tell you that it very much is and can take a toll on your health and happiness as much as any other addiction. Because this addiction is condoned by our society, it makes it that much more difficult to be aware of it. What brought this addiction to my awareness were health complications; my highly intelligent system was screaming at me to stop and re-prioritize. I am proof that our bodies cannot be sustained by passion alone. I dealt with shame over being a yoga and meditation teacher who was now burnt out because she didn’t know her own energetic boundary when it came to her profession and helping others. From this, I learned to ask for more support, how to have stronger boundaries, and to be more judicious in which projects get my energy and attention. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What sets me apart is that I focus on joy. I am a seeker and lifelong student and because of this, I have acquired a lot of techniques and experiences that make me a very effective practitioner. However, all of these specific types of healing and techniques that I have acquired all have this one thing in common… They are all just tools and different pathways to assist in revealing what is causing the disconnect from this natural state of joy. Regardless if I am facilitating yoga, meditation, energy healing, sound healing, intuitive guidance, inner child healing, or any other technique for a client, the end result is more joy. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am also a writer, artist, and nature lover. Writing allows me free expression and mental clarity. Art and nature are ways that I reconnect and rejuvenate my spirit. Outside of yoga, art, and nature reconnect me to my joy. 

Pricing:

• $150 single virtual or in-person session (inner child healings are 90min)
• 3 virtual or in-person sessions $405
• 5 virtual or in-person sessions $638

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bethewholeu.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethewholeu/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethewholeu
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@bethewholeu4532