Category Archives: psychotherapy

Inner Worlds

A Balanced Life, Mandala, possibilty, psychotherapy, visualization, , ,

creative flowWith the world around us in a state of flux and change, many people are now seeking to enrich their inner worlds.  There are many ways to do this – meditation or other spiritual practices, journaling or being in nature.

Art therapy allows us to be in a non judgemental and supported space where we are free to explore the deeper meanings behind our thoughts and emotions.

Through meditation or other meditative practices such as prayer and reflection, or dream journaling, you can begin to access your own inner world. This in turn can lead to an expression of your spirituality and these can include the creation of paintings, Mandalas and sculptures which reflect your innermost thoughts and dreams.

Carl Jung is associated with using the Mandala as a means to access his patients inner worlds. He felt that the therapeutic act of reflection upon an image could lead to further insights and reveal deeper, subconscious thoughts, which when brought to the surface resolve a long forgotten issue

The Mind Body Connection

Astrology, balance, Chakras, Choice, Coaching, Emotional baggage, Energy, Polarity Therapy, psychotherapy, , ,

The years are catching up with me….. a couple of car accidents, more than a few motorbike spills and several falls down steep stairs have left their mark. The body requires some TLC to get moving at times anfeelingd finding a good practitioner since my chiropractor retired has taken some time. He intuitively knew what to do to get the body moving again!

I am convinced that a treatment needs to work on both mind and body to get lasting results. One cannot exist without the other.

Recently, I had an xray of my spine as I went to try out a new chiropractor. Seeing the damaged areas had a profound effect. Normally I’m not one to let the emotions go, but the combination of the evidence of past fractures and the adjustment created a space to re-visit the events around them and re-assess the emotions that lingered.

SoulThe most poignant image was seeing the clips that had been placed on the fallopian tubes. Done after 4 miscarriages, because I didn’t want to go through another heartbreak, although I already had 2 healthy children.  My eyes teared up and in a flash I had put that emotion on the backburner, just as I had done so at each miscarriage because I had young children, a busy teaching job and had to get on with living. It didn’t stay on the backburner for long.

On return to the office, I tried to compose myself. For distraction I checked my personal horoscope.  “Sun and Moon trine Natal Chiron” it read. “For this brief period of time, you will become more conscious of the energy for personal transformation and healing in your life. This will likely mean some form of deep seated pain for the purpose of working through old issues and ultimately healing these issues. During this brief period of time, you may be blessed to provide the impetus for healing to others. You may also feel healing energy come into your life from a meeting with another person during the course of this transit……”

Deep  breath……

It may be that the original injury (falling off motorbikes, down stairs or car accidents) contributed to a physical weakness in a particular area. But does having that weakness also weaken or affect the psyche? Think of the saying “water always flows to the lowest point”.

Louise Hay in her book Heal the Body, categorizes the cause of miscarriage as fear of the future. Inappropriate timing.

So what to make of that?  Her new thought pattern certainly gave food for thought. ” Divine right action is always taking place in my life. I love and approve of myself. All is well.”

Entering into a self hypnosis session, brought more emotions up. Recognize them, name them and let them go…… The past is the past and don’t hang onto them anymore was the message that came up.  Yes, sad  to never have met those children, but as a Past Life therapist I can recognize that these souls chose not to incarnate through me. Divine right action.  The love and approve of myself part is a little harder….

Revisiting the chiropractor a week and a bit later, he was surprised at how well my body had responded to just two adjustments. We chatted about the mind body connection, without going into specifics and he adjusted my lower back.

Returning to the office, I began a Chakra cleanse.  It’s going to be a work in progress. Taking the time to really work on strengthening the body, mind and spirit. Today I start on the Root Chakra (Muladhara) – had to chuckle at the description of when it malfunctions …

Obesity, sciatica, knee troubles, bone disorders, frequent illness, frequent fears, inabilty to focus, spaciness, inability to be still……. this could take some time to return to healthy function!!

I have books on my shelf that literally jump at me to be read at different times… Today “The Sevenfold Journey – Reclaiming Mind, Body & Spirit through the Chakras” fell off the shelf as I was getting another reference book out for a colleague to read.

So starting at the beginning I began to read….. The 7 Basic Rights…. Chakra One – the right to have. It’s about the right to be here. “This manifests in the right to have what we need in order to survive. When we are denied the basic necessities of survival:

  • food
  • clothing
  • shelter
  • warmth
  • medical care
  • healthy environment
  • physical touch

our rights to have are threatened. Consequently, we will be likely to question that right throughout our lives, in relationship to many things, from money and possession to love or time for ourselves.”

Maslow’s heirarchy…..

So here we go…. the messages from everywhere all point to some self healing work to be done, body and mind….. Life is such an interesting journey!

 

 

Learn from the Past

balance, business, Choice, Hypnotherapy, psychotherapy

With the field I’m in, personal development is ongoing …. it’s not always about professional development…. something that I believe that some organizations lose track of. Even as a teacher, I believed it was necessary to explore new horizons… not necessarily education based.. in order to bring something holistic to our own sense of self.
Currently, I’m revisiting course notes from a few years back as the New Financial Year means making new business goals.  Part of this it to review where I have come from and build upon strengths and discover any areas that need work.
One of my challenges is that I have been susceptible to frequent colds …. self analysis came up with needing better winter protocols to avoid infection, which I duly wrote about in a newsletter. But of course, I missed the obvious…..stress reduces immunity and recently there has been a bit of stress in my life.
The last few days have been spent in using hypnotic methods to improve my immune system, regular HeartMath sessions, plenty of vitamins and a nice warm office.
Those of you that know me, know that I enjoy networking….. so when I encountered a new face in the tea room at the office complex where I work…. I got to chatting….. He told me that he used hypnosis/meditation for a style of martial art that he did……
Before I knew it, I discovered that he held in high esteem a man that I had previously worked with. My blood ran cold… my stomach flipped…. I thought I was going to be sick.
My experience with this same person was different… in that moment, I relived the pain, the angst, the sorrow, the anger….. this was the “why” I left teaching. Why I shredded almost a ream of abusive emails….Why I gave up……
I managed to get back to my room and smiled as I turned the page on the manual I was working through…
Choice…..
I chose to quit that job because I no longer wished to be treated like I was.
I chose to quit because I felt unsupported.
As a result of choosing to leave, I retrained as a Hypnotherapist and found another passion to pursue.
 I chose to be brave and start my own business.
I chose to forgo an easy salary for other benefits, like meeting some amazing people who choose to make changes in their lives!  
 I know that I was good at teaching. I know too that I am good at what I do today for my clients….
What a gift that moment in the tea- room was!
Two perceptions of one person – polar opposites!
The eddy of feelings changed in an instant….. why was I hanging on to that pain?
It was a choice … and I have now chosen to no longer need it…….I have survived a heart attack and subsequent surgery and can choose now to be empowered, to have a full life.
I choose to feel gratitude at being here …right now! 

Belonging to the tribe

family, Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression, Philosophy, psychotherapy

Some people have no problem eliminating their “blood” family from their lives, but at what cost long term? 
 Often family members will perceive a slight or may not be privy to the whole story and so an inter-generational rift begins. 
 It may have started over a family event, such as a wedding where a child of separated parents expects more financial support than one parent can offer, or a forgotten present for  a grandchild or even neglecting to invite partners of cousins to milestone celebrations. 
The list could go on and as a therapist I have heard many stories about families. Most of the time it comes back to the perception of the event and no two people will be able to recollect an event the same way.
As the story grows stronger through the telling and re-telling over the years, resentment, anger and other negative emotions form many layers like a brittle veneer over the original event. 
Layer upon layer, passed down like a family heirloom, the toxic effects sending tendrils into all sorts of places – other relationships…….until the negativity spreads to cousins, friends of family and causes discomfort whenever the participants meet.
Looking back, is it possible to take the “righteous goggles” off or even take some time to think about what might have been going on in that other person’s life? 
As a hypnotherapist, I know that it is possible and in a session many years down the track, there may be a time when the client is able to have a conversation that resolves how they feel about the original issue. 
Sure, the other person may not be there, they may be long gone or dust,  but the energy changes and on a different level there is some resolution. 
For many people the ones you call your own may not all be “blood”, but it’s your choices that ensure, for the most time, they are loyal, honest, loving people. Surrounding yourself with like minded people is healthy, but it is also healthy to understand that for true growth, you are able to accept opinions other than your own, accept well meant criticism, accept observations and be able to forgive when someone is a little more opinionated than you prefer.
There is a popular saying  “you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends”. Again, from a Hypnotherapist’s viewpoint. and one trained in Past Life Regression – this is not so. If you are familiar with the philosophy, the child’s soul will have chosen to incarnate into this family to learn lessons from the dynamics of this current lifetime in order to mature on a soul level. 
There is always a choice, conscious or subconscious, as to who gets to stay as your family.