My Story

We all have turning points in life. It was 1987 and I was just about to graduate from college. I was living a fun but very full life – full-time student working full time at a bank, hitting every 2-for-1 meal special in town – yes, the standard American college student diet – and partying whenever I could fit it in! (and I always could – who needed sleep?)

Then one Friday afternoon in broad daylight, an unexpected event – a bank robber waiting for the unsuspecting bank employee (me) to pass by pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and cocked it in my back – an unforgettable sound and feeling! We were being robbed, and I was the human shield. I watched every detail with that gun in my back, unable to move.

Debra Graugnard

At the time, I was happy that he got away and no one tried to play the hero – everyone survived without physical injury. (The same gentleman robbed a credit union a week later, took hostages, killed a police officer, and did not survive the event.)

I had already been living with hypoglycemia and fibrocystic disease – attributable to my lifestyle thus far. Then about a month after the robbery, I began experiencing unpleasant and very painful symptoms, including painful spasms and internal bleeding. My doctor told me it was ulcerative colitis. It was one of those incurable chronic diseases I’d have to live with – just stay away from raw foods and anything with fiber and take steroids for the rest of my life. If it got worse, we would surgically remove the colon.

As my 8-year-old great-nephew says, “Oh, heck to the NO!” I knew there had to be more to it than that. Aside from somehow knowing that the physical body could heal naturally, I also knew I just needed to get the gun out of my back. It felt like it was still there, and that was precisely where the symptoms had manifested.

My Journey of healing and holistic living

So I began my journey of healing and holistic living. An inner knowing had told me that my body wanted to heal completely. My mind said there had to be something more than a life of treating symptoms with pharmaceuticals and surgery.

And…my body did heal. Through juicing and fasting, cleansing the colon, detoxifying the body, cleaning up the diet, and eliminating stress through spiritual meditation practices and physical exercise, I healed of all of these ailments without medications, and remain free of any symptoms over 20 years later!

And for healing my emotional body and spirit, I received a most amazing gift – an out-of-the-blue spontaneous spiritual awakening, which eventually led to a most incredible opportunity to actively study spiritual and energetic healing with Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal of Jerusalem. I worked and studied at the University of Spiritual Healing & Sufism in Pope Valley, California for over 15 years. I am a Master Teacher and Healer in the Shadhiliyya Sufi order, and I will always be, God willing, a student of the mysteries of this life and beyond.

In addition to spiritual healing, the Sufi teachings emphasize the healing properties of foods and herbs, and how to connect to the Divine essence found in these foods to aid the healing process, an ancient science called Prophetic Medicine. These teachings reflect the importance of maintaining a clean vessel through a clean lifestyle, including prayer and healing, holistic self-care, proper diet, and eating habits as taught and lived by the prophets.

My personal journey was incredibly rich and culminated in the understanding that our bodies are sacred vessels for the divine spirit and love. The body is designed to heal and the healing process includes body, mind, heart, and spirit. And with the journey of healing and wholeness, connected to the Divine Source, we experience joy. It is my passion to support others to heal their bodies, hearts, minds, and spirits and to have immeasurable joy along the way! I invite you to join me.

Learn more about Debra:

I envision a world where all people recognize their bodies as sacred vessels for their divine spirits and love, respect, and care for their bodies as they would care for a divine gift.

For each and every client we serve to see the mirror of their divine reflection! Beholding your beauty. Awakening the truth that you are never separate from your essence. Experiencing total self-acceptance and self-love. And that’s only the beginning.

You will live consciously knowing that you are living in harmony with the planet, the air you breathe, the food you eat, and all that drives your quest for honoring a more meaningful, fulfilling, and sustainable life.

My main goals are:

  • To create an online home for you to access resources and support to help you along your healing journey.
  • To supply information, natural therapies, tools, and guidance to bring about optimal self-care.
  • To teach individuals & groups the importance of caring for their bodies through:
  • supportive diet & eating habits
  • use of clean water/hydration
  • regular exercise
  • proper digestion & elimination
  • fresh air & sunshine
  • adequate rest
  • spiritual teachings & meditation
  • To provide healing and support to people to help them to transform unhealthy patterns into patterns of respectful self-care and negative self-image beliefs to beliefs of self-love.

I hold the following as core values for Joyfully Living Wellness Services:

  • I respect the body as the sacred vessel for the soul and spirit.
  • I believe that the body is a gift to us for our divine journey and self-care is an important means of right stewardship of that gift.
  • I honor the inner truths and wisdom of each individual.
  • I seek to create safety for all individuals to open up and receive what they need in order to reach their desired outcomes.
  • I seek to witness the divine essence and unique qualities of each individual.
  • I hold that all human beings are capable of developing a state of self-care that comes from self-love and self-respect.

Want to learn more? Click here to listen to interviews with Debra.

Need a speaker for your event? Click here to download Debra’s Media Sheet.