Begabati Lennihan, R.N., CCH (Certified Classical Homeopath), Director, Teleosis School of Homeopathy, is a 1974 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard who has spent 30 years in different aspects of holistic health care. For 16 years she owned a health food store, where she first began working with homeopathic remedies in 1981. She began studying homeopathy professionally in 1995 with Dr. Luc De Schepper, and with him co-founded the Renaissance Institute of Classical Homeopathy. She currently practices classical homeopathy for women and children at the Lydian Center for Innovative Medicine in Cambridge, Mass.
Begabati has edited Dr. Luc's guide for laypeople, The People's Repertory, and his textbook for professionals, Hahnemann Revisited, as well as Yasgur's Homeopathic Dictionary, a reference book used by homeopaths around the world. Her article, "Homeopathy: Natural Mind-Body Healing" was in the July 2004 issue of Journal of Psychosocial and Mental Health Nursing, with a revised version printed in EarthStar. Her interview on homeopathy and nursing was webcast on nursedaily.com, and another interview on teaching homeopathy was webcast on wholehealthnow.com. A national journal for professional homeopaths recently featured an interview about her teaching philosophy and an article on her integration of spirituality and meditation with her homeopathy practice (Simillimum, Winter 2005).
Begabati is an Adjunct Lecturer on homeopathy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and co-authored the chapter on homeopathy in the American Pharmacists Association's Handbook of Non-Prescription Drugs. She has also lectured on homeopathy at Harvard University Health Services’ Center for Wellness, Northeastern University's School of Pharmacy and MGH Institute's training program for nurse practitioners.
Begabati’s interest in natural healing was inspired by her parents: her father a vascular surgeon who helped develop the Doppler ultrasound and her mother a biochemist who researched stains for Dr. Papanicolau while he was developing the Pap smear. Nature lovers and early conservationists, they gave Begabati her childhood wildflower garden with all the plants labeled with their Latin names. Many years later, in her health food store, Begabati was delighted to find that her childhood friends – the native plants of the New England wildflowers – are powerful herbal medicines and homeopathic remedies.
Begabati has practiced heart-center meditation for more than 30 years under the guidance of spiritual teacher Sri Chinmoy, who gave her the spiritual name Begabati. (Literally it means a fast-flowing river and symbolically it refers to the individual soul plunging headlong to merge into the ocean of infinite consciousness.) In keeping with Sri Chinmoy's philosophy of community service, she teaches free classes in meditation at Harvard University's Center for Wellness; in keeping with his mind-body approach to fitness, she has completed 50 marathons, ultramarathons and triathlons. Based on her practice in heart-centered meditation, she is able to establish a deeply supportive and nurturing relationship with her clients.
Professional affiliations
Begabati is a member of:
- The National Center for Homeopathy
- American Holistic Nurses Association
- Vice President, Homeopathic Nurses Association
- National Women's Health Network
- North American Network of Homeopathic Educators
- The Teleosis Institute for Ecologically Sustainable Medicine
- Harvard University Alumni Association
- Phi Beta Kappa
Testimonials
"I found Begabati because I was looking for a homeopath to help with my daughter Mia's genetic disorder. She humbly recommended that we see a world renowned homeopathic doctor in a nearby state, as he may be better able to help us. He was a dead end and we found our way back to Begabati where we should have been all along. She has been working with us to find suitable remedies for Mia as well as helping me with my thyroid problems. Begabati has been an angel and she is truly a beautiful soul." —Francesca