Suzanne E. Parnell, Ph.d., RM
StoneWind Founder
In 1961 
on a dare from college friends, Suzanne Parnell (then known as Sue Eastman), ventured into an ashram in Dallas, Texas where she was introduced to meditation—and to a whole new way of seeing the world. What began as a college prank became a life changing event, an experience that whetted her curiosity and sent her on a lifelong journey to discover the truths held in other cultures. In the ten years following that first experience, she explored several forms of meditation, spent time in a Zendo, journeyed to India to see first hand the practices of yogis, then studied with a Tibetan lama. In 1973 she learned Transcendental Meditation (TM®), the form of meditation that has received the most widespread scientific recognition for its beneficial effects on the body, a form that continues to be part of her personal practice. In the next twenty years, Suzanne completed her PhD in Medieval Literature with a specialization in medieval medical manuscripts and the history of medicine. During that time she taught at several universities including the University of New Orleans, Xavier University in New Orleans, and then at SMU in Dallas.
Then in 1992 faced with a serious back problem for which extensive surgery was deemed the only option, Suzanne–skeptical but desperate–learned Traditional Reiki from John Harvey Gray, one of the first three Reiki masters trained by Hawayo Takata, the woman who brought Reiki from Japan to the West. By 1994, using Reiki daily, Suzanne was able to heal her back without surgery, a profound experience that turned skepticism into belief in the power of energy healing. Then in 1996, no longer a skeptic, Suzanne completed Reiki Mastership training under John Harvey Gray and opened the Ajna Center, the first Reiki center in Fayetteville, AR.
Suzanne’s personal Reiki healing experience began a twenty-five year (and counting) journey through the amazing world of Mind Body Medicine, a journey that led her eventually to a deeper interest in Qigong, the role of Meditation in healing, and the nature of Bioconsciousness™, i.e., the inherent power of the mind to affect the physical state of the body on a moment to moment basis. As part of that journey, Suzanne learned Qi Gong from Grand Master Wong Kiew Kit and became a DreamWeaving Facilitator through Benedick Howard, the inventor of the DreamWeaver, one of the earliest form of vibroacoustic therapy.
Reiki, Meditation, Qi Gong, and DreamWeaving are all vital aspects
of the synergistic approach to healing developed at StoneWind Institute
to help people meet the difficult challenges of healing.
From 1997-2002, through a series of synchronicities, Suzanne was privileged to work with Native American elders as well as a South American shaman to combine Reiki with shamanic wisdom and skills to develop more effective tools for helping people and the Earth. Out of those experiences came her commitment to Earth Healing in the “eclectic mode,” i.e., the combining of energies and information from across cultures to help the planet and all on it. Earth healing, or the way of the Earth Keeper, continues to be a primary aspect of her work and teaching.
As part of her ongoing exploration into cross-cultural forms of meditation that began in that ashram in 1961, Suzanne had become interested in “internal” Qigong and “contemplative” forms of that very ancient energy healing system from China. Studying initially with Master Mantak Chia in the late 80’s in New York, then briefly with Master Kenneth Cohen and others, Qigong (chi kung) in its more contemplative aspects, along with Transcendental Meditation, had been part of Suzanne’s personal meditative practice for over fifteen years until events conspired to open up the more directly powerful healing aspects of Qigong. In 2007, while exploring aspects of mind body medicine and synergistic healing, she began training in one of the very effective forms of healing Qigong. Studying with Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit of the Shaolin Wahnam Institute whenever he was in the US (2007-2012), and with Sifu Anthony Korahais of Flowing Zen Academy in Gainesville, FL (2007 – today) , she came to realize the necessity of synergy in healing. The forms of healing Qigong learned and practiced daily over the last ten years are those she now teaches at StoneWind as part of the Energy in Synergy™ program.
Over the last forty-five+ years, Suzanne has studied more than fifteen forms of meditation in multiple cultures and become a serious student of Eastern and indigenous mysticism. She has learned Reiki, methods of chi healing as well as other forms of energy healing, has studied and taught in the emerging fields of subtle energy science and mind body medicine, has learned some of the ancient ways of shamanism, and has been trained in some of the uniquely western technologies developed to help people realize more quickly the ancient goals of calm centeredness and health. As a scholar and teacher, she works to merge her knowledge of the most powerful healing skills from across the world into a usable synthesis that can be accessed by anyone no matter their belief system. As a result of years of study, practice, and personal experience she is now able to guide students through a wide range of healing skills as well as a range of healing technologies.
Suzanne Parnell holds a Ph.D. in Medieval Literature from Tulane University with specialization in paleography (the study of handwritten manuscripts), in particular, medieval scientific and medical manuscripts, with a sub-specialty in the history of medicine. She has written and taught extensively on aspects of healing with subtle energy and over the last twenty years has worked periodically with Vietnam, Gulf War, and IEF/OEF Veterans using Reiki, Meditation, Qigong, and the DreamWeaver. Suzanne teaches classes in Traditional Reiki, Meditation, Qigong, aspects of advanced energy healing, BioConsciousness™ Studies, and Earth healing at StoneWind and elsewhere when asked. She offers individual Reiki and DreamWeaving Sessions by appointment at StoneWind Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Chester, AR. She has trained several Reiki Masters in different parts of the country, is the founder of Warrior’s Way Foundation, and one of the founders of The Traditional Reiki Institute.