An Interview with Gigi Stafne of Green Wisdom School of Natural and Botanical Medicine
Today I have a real treat for you–an interview with Gigi Stafne. Stafne is one of the most influential herbalists in the Midwest region. She is also founder and director of the Green Wisdom School of Natural and Botanical Medicine. This school offers courses in a variety of topics including Nordic herbs, flower essences, trauma and wilderness first aid and more. I will put my questions as headings.
Did you have a specific incident that sparked your interest in herbalism? If so what was it and when was this?
Rather than one incident that sparked my interest or passion in herbalism, it has been a series of experiences and events in a lifetime that have shaped my work. It has truly been more of a meandering medicine trail, as I refer to it. Or a storyline of sorts that has included past life, childhood with my Norwegian grandparents, aunts and uncles at their farms to participation in global health delegations in places like Cuba and Mexico. I really cannot pinpoint one incident. There have been many in this life that influence me profoundly. Presently it is nature, my students, friends, children and grandchildren that impact me the most. I have much respect and honor for them.
How did you approach your early training?
It was quite a transition to move from my previous profession in anti-violence work and education in human services and social services and non-profit administration to searching for herbalism schools. There were very few in existence three decades ago. I began gathering as much information as possible about the lead natural and botanical medicine healers and educators in North America, Europe and India, then simply selected one that resonated with me. I also wanted to return to Boulder, Colorado to study and engage in clinical work, as I once lived there and loved it there. Dr. Farida Sharan became my first mentor in this work and she nudged me into obtaining four certificate degrees, not only a Master of Herbalism degree, but also in Naturopathy, Iridology and what was then called a Natural Physician degree. Dr. Sharan at the time had founded schools in India, the UK, and Boulder, Colorado. Boulder was the most accessible for me as a single mother. And that was hard. Since I am a natural teacher and learner, I added in every learning experience and continuing education program I could find in the following decade (Hannah Kroeger Institute, Traditional Chinese Medicine Center, to name a few).
What was the mainstream approach to herbalism at that time and how did it help and/or hinder your journey?
I eventually returned to the Upper Midwest US to establish the first CAM, Complementary Alternative Medicine clinic not far from Minneapolis-St. Paul, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, serving people in both states. My health and wellness team consisted of 6-12 people practicing various modalities during that phase. It was a time of innovation and also one of great challenges. Herbalism was not even acknowledged by the mainstream at the time I began. Some people were very curious about the ‘fringe’ practices within natural medicine. For the most part, people were critical, skeptical and yet would still seek me out when they were desperate or had exhausted all other allopathic, conventional medicine approaches for physical or emotional health issues they struggled with such as cancer and other chronic diseases. I must say it was a very challenging time financially, too. Yet, natural medicine was and is my calling.
Amy, you asked me to describe several incidents that happened during my earlier natural medicine years. While our clinic receptionist was outside washing the front clinic windows on a Monday morning, a man walked up to her and verbally attacked her stating what we were all doing inside was devil worshipping. That was so distressing for all of us. Yet, we carried on because of our belief in healing work. Another time I was invited to join several other leading natural medicine practitioners to be interviewed about our practices on television. What happened? An ER physician was also interviewed at the end of each of our televised pieces, stating that it was all quackery. How discrediting that felt. Ironically, another decade later I encountered that same physician who apologized to me privately. Too bad, that news story had been run by the AP and was televised nationally. I could go on and on about these early stories and the dues that we paid to practice what we believed in…
You have a very diverse skill set in the herbalism realm including trauma training, preserving wild herb habitat, wilderness emergency training, etc. How do all these skills meld in your overall approach?
Yes, after being in this profession for 35 years there is a lifetime of versatile medicine woman skills that come together as a rich tapestry. This is a unique design for every human being. All of these past experiences come together within me and I utilize these as a national teacher, clinician, advocate and activist. Being the director of an herbal-natural medicine school makes the most sense for me, as well as other roles such as executive director of Herbalists Without Borders International in the past. I want to inspire others to find their unique paths within this work and do their best.
Where do you see the future of herbalism and your school specifically in the next 5 years?
There will be many changes to come, some anticipated and others not expected at all. One example of this is how the global pandemic changed the way we serve patients and clients, to the way we deliver coursework. We are now working in ways to serve humanity and this precious planet in the best of ways at our school and beyond. The pandemic, ecological changes such as climate change, as well as emotional, economic and spiritual transitions are already impacting people severely. In many ways I see herbalism as one pathway for people to reconnect with nature and self. I think this trend will continue to move into the masses. There are other changes I see coming from more regulation to the integration of natural medicine into mainstream systems. Big Pharma’s presence and the increased use of multiple medications has changed the practice of clinical herbalism and will continue to do so. At Green Wisdom School of Natural and Botanical Medicine it is our task to remain constant and to be visionary. We have made it through many hurdles in the past three decades and have survived the pandemic, thus far. I believe in how we’ll contribute to the future with our new visions.
Gigi welcomes dialogue and comments. You can reach her at the addresses below.
