Graduate Spotlight
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Josephene Johnsey, PhD in Holistic Nutrition
“Nature is our classroom”
Josephene Johnsey is a life–long student of virtually everything under the sun. With six graduate degrees and four specialized certifications, her expertise in the arts and sciences includes counseling, religion, music, painting, geology and wildlife studies. And although her comfortable Virginia home is both a multi–media library and a recital hall, perhaps her favorite room of all is one without walls.
Nature is her sanctuary.
Josephene discovered the healing energies of plants at age seven, while recovering from surgery. “To cheer me up, a neighbor brought big armloads of fresh–picked dahlias. Believe me, it worked! I felt literally transformed by these fragrant, living works of art. It was the first time I actually sensed the life energy of flowers and plants, and it was almost intoxicating.”
You could also say she inherited these natural cravings.
It seems that Josephene’s grandfather was known to wander off—quite often it seemed—as if mysteriously consumed by a whole acre of herbs. In her memory was a secret garden, off limits to children. But even then JoJo the flower child was clearly ahead of her time; eventually she too would disappear into the four–seasonal magic of organic vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit trees.
In the next decades of becoming a wife and mother, living close to the land continued to serve her well. Josephene married a minister who periodically heeded the call to move his family and go lead a new church. “It can takes years to grow roots that reach within a community, but we instantly grew roots in nature, everywhere we went. Food, water, herbs, moderation, and exercise are all nature’s medicine, pure and simple,” she adds, “as is music.”
As a healthcare volunteer since the 1990s, Josephene discovered the extent to which music connects us with each other and with universal energy. “If you sing an old hymn or a once-popular show tune to someone with dementia who is withdrawn and unresponsive, you may be surprised to hear them hum softly and even smile in remembrance. Children with profound disabilities are visibly comforted by music. Research shows that music therapy can reduce pain, stress and anxiety, for all ages.”
And so she makes a joyful noise, as a church pianist and music teacher with students ranging from preschoolers to octogenarians. Alongside the familiar avenue of music lessons—and often via her own healthy example—Josephene also teaches the tenets of holistic nutrition that have served her so well.
“Some of my students know that I choose to manage my own health issues without medication. I decided to formally study holistic nutrition when my husband developed heart trouble. Unfortunately, his mindset was as not attuned to the healing power of nature. But for my sons, their families and for myself, I’m so proud of the ways that we choose to be healthy consumers daily, rather than healthcare consumers. This includes our customized array of vitamins and mineral supplements, food choices, exercise and aromatherapies for stress management—things I learned through CCNH.”
Now a great-grandmother of two, Josephene looks forward to “helping to raise another new generation of holistic–kids.”
This article was based on an interview with the graduate.
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