In 2005, Marc Wagner, founding partner of the Enlight Center, in Bonita Springs, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks the lining of the digestive tract. Concerned about the dangerous side effects of the prednisone and mercaptopurine that his doctor prescribed to suppress his immune system, Wagner opted for a more holistic approach and began searching for complementary modalities that would enable him to heal the root cause of the disease, rather than only mask the symptoms. “I believe that there is a time for everything, even chemical drugs and surgery. I considered the allopathic pharmaceuticals as Band-Aids which I could use while I did my research and applied what I learned to healing myself,” he says.

While doing his research, Wagner was conscious of his diet, ate as much fresh and organically grown produce as possible, focused on nutrient-rich foods that contributed to prevention and healing and took the nutritional supplements that best targeted his problem. After concluding that changes in the life force of the body can affect human health and healing, Wagner tried modalities in the field of energy medicine and worked with practitioners of Reiki, esoteric healing, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), hypnotherapy and biofeedback. Because Wagner’s healing journey took nearly two years, and it didn’t make good financial sense to pay for treatments two or three times every week, he decided to take workshops, complete the coursework and become a certified practitioner.

Wagner began his education process with Reiki, a method of stress reduction and healing that draws its energy from the universe, rather than the body’s local field. “I used it on myself at least twice a week. As a level 1 esoteric healing practitioner, I felt that the high-vibrational energetic healing technique helped to balance my body’s bio-energetic field on many levels. It also made it less challenging to release old energy patterns and create new thought and emotional patterns. Additionally, I treated myself with NLP, in which there is a connection between the neurological processes and behavior patterns, and EFT to tap on the end points of my body’s energy meridians once a month for about six months. Hypnotherapy initially required that I work with a therapist in an office,” explains Wagner, who also became a life coach and a licensed Heal Your Life workshop leader through a program authorized by Hay House and approved and designed by Louise Hay.

In 2010, much to the surprise of Wagner’s physician who reviewed the results of his patient’s blood work, there were no markers indicating Crohn’s disease. Wagner, a living testament to how complementary modalities can heal the root causes of illness, coaches his clients and encourages them to believe that they are more than the sum of any illness. “It’s only logical that it takes time and more than one modality to restore health. It’s why we offer several, including yoga, at the center,” he says.

Initially, Wagner’s business was known as the Holistic Healing Network and served Naples clients in their home environments. In June, he relocated to Bonita Springs and changed the name of his business. “I not only wanted to make it easier to remember, but also let people know that we’re here to light up their life with new paradigms of healing and health,” he says.

Enlight Center, 9122 Bonita Beach Rd., Bonita Springs; 239-676-5009, EnlightCenter.com.