There is a new model for counseling, one that dissolves the "professional" facade within the field of psychology. Many people I've talked to have voiced wariness over traditional therapy, expressing that it feels contrived, unnatural, and that it doesn't seem to create much change in their lives. I have also felt this experience. When I was going through my masters program in psychology, I noticed that many of my fellow students, as well as the professors at the school I was attending were suffering in their own way, exhibited neurotic behaviors, and didn't seem wholly connected to their joy, passion, or love within. How, then, could these people help others heal, if they themselves were not feeling love and happiness?
I went through a series of spiritual breakthroughs that helped me to see just how transparent the field of psychology was. During my process of healing depression and healing anxiety in my life, I realized that I was suffering because of the ego (a mechanism in the mind that effects us all). I began to understand that we are all suffering from the same disease (the ego, otherwise known as fear). My professors, my fellow students, and myself, were caught in the trap of ego. Counseling sessions that I received with therapists confirmed what my intuition was telling me--that this person didn't know how to heal either!!
What I know now is that we are all connected within One Universal Energy. This energy has been called God, Chi, Prana, Life Force, etc. And what the field of psychology doesn't recognize is that there is a systematic way for dissolving the ego, and it can be done through spiritual practice. By becoming the conscious observer of the mind, you can begin moving beyond your ego. Letting go of compulsive behaviors of self-defense, control, and fear, you can allow a greater flow of love into your life. Holistic counseling has helped me understand the connection between the mind, emotions, and body as well. Meditation, the teachings of Eckhart tolle, all reinforce the crossover between spirituality and counseling. We are more than our mind, more than our emotions, and more than our bodies. In order to heal depression, and to heal anxiety, we can use the principles of holistic counseling to understand how to appropriately use the mind, how to use the emotions to create the experiences we want, and how to feed and nourish our bodies in order to experience optimal health. Physical health and mental/emotional health are profoundly connected.
I am a holistic counselor, and offer spiritual counseling and holistic counseling to others to support the growth, expansion, and healing depression, healing anxiety, emotional trauma, and fear. We can move beyond the ego when we become aware of it and choose another path--the path of love! mahalo and blessings!