Alexis Ells worked as a healer of animals and people, but after a serious car accident, she had to learn to heal herself. Here's her story, as told to Elizabeth Shepard.

ON MARCH 17, 1988, I HAD A CAR ACCIDENT that could have cost me my life. But through a combination of allopathic and alternative medicine, and mv own personal faith, I lived to tell this story.

I was stopped in traffic on the freeway in Southern California when I noticed a car approaching rapidly from behind. Since there was nowhere to go, I realized that my life was going to change dramatically in a matter of sec onds. The sound of steel crushing steel was deafening. The back of my car pinned me in the seat. I couldn't move. After what seemed like an eternity, the Jaws of Life opened the roof of my car. As we rushed to the hospital, I heard the ambulance driver say, "That was a sweet car." I pondered his use of the past tense. "What's wrong with my car?" I wondered.

My car was totaled. And my diagnosis was just as grim. I had a punctured lung, paralysis of my right arm. three ruptured disks, and lacerations and soft tissue damage from head to toe. I had lost the ability to speak, read, and write. My long- and short-term memory were impaired, as well as my motor coordination and deductive reasoning skills. I began to have daily cluster and/or grand mal seizures. Tests revealed that I had sustained an extensive head trauma called a "coup-contracoup" injury. This meant that three separate areas of the brain were damaged. Because this type of head injury is inoperable and a cerebral hemorrhage was probable, full recovery seemed highly unlikely.

Since I was unable to communicate my fears, I learned to face them in silence. Despair overwhelmed me and at one point I prayed to be released from the physical form. Prior to the accident I had a strong connection with God. I knew now that it was time to rise to an even higher plane of faith and love For myself.

With the help of a nuerosurgeon, I used biofeedback, meditation, and visualization, which, I am convinced, helped to dissolve the blood clots in my brain. Within 10 months the seizures diminished. Through physical therapy, I gradually regained the use of my right arm. And using a "Dick and Jane" primer in speech therapy, I learned to read again.

My recovery was humbling ? and much slower than I was comfortable with. I developed a virtue that I previously lacked, "patience" became my mantra. As soon as I could speak, I requested home-nurse care, returned to my ranch, and became an outpatient in rehab. Because I had worked as a holistic practitioner, my cupboards were filled with herbs, homeopathics, supplements, and organic food. I spent as much time as possible in nature, lying in the grass, visualizing my injuries being absorbed into the ground, while Mother Earth filled me with energy. My animals were an important part of my healing. They stood guard over me around the clock and reminded me of the preciousness of life.

Today I am almost completely recovered. Despite occasional back pain, I am grateful to say that I have an extraordinary life. I ski, ride horses, run, swim, cycle, and practice yoga. Through years of research I have developed a supplement, made from nutrient-rich greens, called Terra Oceana. I have a private practice again: a holistic center for people and animals. Now, I am a more compassionate healer, relating with clients who feel hopeless. I, too, have been there. Most importantly, I have learned what it's like to have walked through death's door. Having faced my personal hell. I can now experience heaven on earth.

Alexis Ells is the director of the Body Balance Center in Sants Barbara, California. (805) 563-2634