When I was 23, I lost my mom to brain cancer. I was newly married and pregnant at the time, so the doctors warned me not to get too upset. Intense grief could harm the baby, they said. So, like many people do when they are unable or unwilling to deal with the overwhelming pain of loss, I stuffed the emotions deep down inside. To outsiders, I appeared “fine”, but inside I was numb. For nearly 8 years, I felt like I was on autopilot and just going through the motions of daily life. One day, I had finally had enough. I made the decision to choose wellness, to choose healing, and to choose life. A colleague of mine who was also suffering from the loss of her mother suggested we work through The Grief Recovery Method developed by John James and Russell Friedman. And, over the course of the next 12 weeks as I worked through their process, I was finally able to release all of the paralyzing emotions I had been hanging onto. The veil was lifted, and I finally felt like me again. I was so impressed with the transformation I made, that I wanted to share this profound healing with others. I attended a training program hosted by John James and became a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist.

Just as I began my new career as a Grief Recovery Specialist, my then 14 year old daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that was extremely painful. Traditional methods of pain relief (pain meds, lots and lots of pain meds) weren’t enough to keep her pain under control, so, I began my search for alternative therapies. After learning that many clinical studies have shown hypnosis can significantly reduce pain without any negative side effects, I became a certified hypnotherapist/hypnocounselor as well. I began to use hypnosis with my daughter to help manage her pain, and I also began to use hypnosis to help my grief clients manage some of their symptoms such as pain, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Through hypnosis, my daughter got much needed relief from pain, and I found that my clients were having much better results when I combined the two healing modalities. Tragically, my daughter lost her battle with cancer on December 27, 2000. However, because of my training in grief recovery, this time around, our family was able to express, discuss, experience, process, and release all of the emotions and grief that came up for each one of us as my daughter was dying and throughout our recovery process.

Since my daughter died, I have focused all of my energy into helping others along their own path to healing, wellness, and healthier living. My eldest daughter, Nikki Beden, who shares the same mission and passion, joined my practice on a part-time basis after completing her Masters degree. And together, we have continued researching holistic alternative therapies, broadened our offering of services to meet a wider spectrum of our clients’ wellness needs, and expanded into two South Jersey locations. 

Mary Costantino, CHt

Mary has been a registered and certified Hypnotherapist/ Hypnocounselor and Grief Recovery Counselor for over 15 years. She is an active member in the International Association of Counselors and Therapists. In addition, Mary is a Reiki Master and has advanced training in Guided Imagery, Guided Meditation, Body Wisdom, Age Regression, Parts Therapy, Past Life Regression, and Pain Management. Mary also teaches Self-Hypnosis, Meditation, and Reiki Levels I, II, and Master. Mary is passionate about her life's purpose of empowering adults, teens, and children to achieve their wellness goals and reach their full potential. 

Mary is the loving mother of 2 daughters and 1 angel, and she is greatly enjoying her new role as doting grandmother. 

Nikki Beden, MS, CHt

Nikki is a certified and registered Child Life Specialist and Hypnotherapist/Hypnocounselor. She completed her Masters degree at the University of Delaware in Individual and Family Studies and has extensive experience working with children, teens, and families in various settings. Nikki is passionate about teaching children different tools and skills that they can utilize to promote psycho-social and emotional wellness through their entire lives.