About Rene

I worked in a global corporate company as my first career, occupying positions in trade investments and marketing.  I took a package in 2016 and reinvented myself :-)  I have a financial academic background and therefore, making the transition to the therapeutic and medical field has been challenging and rewarding.  

I have always believed in the natural healing of the body from within.  

I do maintain that illness and wellness are ingrained by internal imbalances and the mind, body, and spirit is intertwined.  The balancing of mind, body, and life essence is key regarding homeostasis in the body.

My academic journey since 2016 has been the following:

Therapeutic Reflexology & Meridian Therapy, registered with the Allied Health SA - focuses on working alongside Western Medical Drs to support the body to heal itself.  My medical thesis and case studies were done on Diabetes type 2 in SA.  My internship of 200 community hours was done at Cape Gate Medi Clinic Oncology department and I still do work with chemo and radiation patients on an ongoing basis.  The benefits for the patients are less pain, fewer side effects, and a more positive attitude once they have received reflexology whilst undergoing oncology treatments.  The responses have been very promising and the oncology physicians have encouraged the patients to continue with the natural therapeutic reflexology as a complementary treatment for their well-being.   Medical Aids are working toward including therapeutic reflexology as a modality to be included with the cancer ICD codes (a work in progress).  I also offer meridian clearing and lymphatic drainage as part of my modality and reflexology services.

Functional Reflex Therapy studied in Dublin, Ireland.  I am currently the only qualified functional reflex therapist in SA.  The Functional Reflex Therapy Framework for children and adults of all ages with high levels of anxiety, intellectual difficulties, autism spectrum, special educational needs and disabilities and is an enjoyable beneficial experience for more vulnerable adults with dementia and alzheimers.  I did a 6-month internship at SNAP Vierlanden, Durbanville, for children on the Autism Spectrum with incredible results.  Nonverbal children became more verbal,  and some children displayed an increase in retention of academic knowledge whilst undergoing weekly therapy sessions.  These improvements were based on the body's response to calming the central nervous system with the treatments so that the brain was able to function optimally.  I worked closely with the OT's and Speech therapists onsite to monitor the responses.  I run these workshops for parents, teachers and caregivers.  The therapy is a relaxation technique that parents and caregivers can learn in a two-day workshop by a qualified FRT reflexologist.  

Functional Reflex Therapy is a relaxation routine based on therapeutic reflexology principles.

Baby Reflex Therapy UK - I trained in SA in Somerset West.  I have run workshops for expected parents and moms with their babies, focusing on relaxation, immune building and digestive issues.  I support a community program at a crisis pregnancy facility in Bellville and have been working with babies from 2 weeks old with the Kango Moms.  Baby Reflex was developed by the founder Jenny Lee, a Chartered Physiotherapist and qualified Reflexologist.  Jenny carried out several pilot research studies in conjunction with Oxford Brooks University, to track the effects Reflexology had on children suffering from Asthma. She did this with the approval and support of the children’s GP’s and schools. Following 15 years of extensive research into the effects of regular Reflexology on Childhood Asthma, the main findings recorded were; reduced asthma, relaxation, improved sleep, and child/parent bonding. 

Furthermore, I have in 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic picked up my studies online to complete my BSc Honours in Psychology through Arden University in the UK with the aim to focus on Health Psychology within my expanding reflexology career :-).  

I am a registered member of the British Psychology Society in UK through Arden University.

Warm regards

Rene Herbst

SENSORY REFLEX THERAPY

Registered Therapeutic Reflexology Practitioner

Dip. Reflex (IARAMT) SA - AHPCSA Reg. A12161

BSc (Hon) Psychology - current student @ Arden University UK

Cell. 083 474 1891 

Email. SensoryReflexTherapy@gmail.com