26 results for tag: Spiritual Healing


9 Signs You’ve Done Your Shadow Work

What are the signs you've done your shadow work? None of them constantly quote famous authors, Gurus, and teachers. None of them tell anybody who listens or reads that they must do their shadow work. None of them use their spiritual knowledge as a marketing technique for economic success. None of them believe that they know the singular "right way" to lead a spiritually guided life. None of them claim that they have "completed" their shadow work....

Thich Nhat Hanh Passed To The Next Dimension

There are about two handfuls of people who have shaped the course of my life beyond friends and family. Tich Nhat Hanh was one of them. We can add Martin Luther King Jr., Dalai Lama, Louise HayThomas Merton, Mevlana Julaluddin Rumi, G.I. Gurdjieff, John Lennon , Mikao Usui, Mahatma Gandhi, and my former Teacher and Mentor Rev Betsy Browder. to this list. Today he passed to the next dimension. He and Louise Hay are where my journey into meditation began in 1990. There were not many books one could find on meditation at the time. Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh and You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay are the two that made the most sense to me. I felt like they were a key to a door that I somehow knew existed without any rhyme or reason to think there was such a door. I do not think I am being theatrical to say they saved my life. ...

The Future Of Mental Health Treatment

I think most people would agree that the mental health system is not serving our communities in a an effective way. Individuals can be treated as a "problem" or "defective/broken". Couples are often seen as failures. Families, especially parents, get judged and belittled. Where is the compassion or  understanding? Why are most therapists, clinicians and counselors more concerned about charging a rate that "respects their self-value" than considering their clients ability to receive services without adding undo stress due to prohibitive costs, or not even being able to afford the fees at all? Then there is the whole insurance industry!!!
Holistic counselors, therapists, social workers and psychologists offer respite from the mainstream mental health system, and, we still often do not meet the need of our clients. There are so many variables that contribute to mental and emotional challenges including diet, sleep/rest, exercise, "the gut", the nervous system, trauma(s), finances, work, school, relationships, environment, sensory issues, childhood attachments or lack of attachments, etc. We share so many common characteristic and experiences as humans but our specific journeys are incredibly complex and unique, therefore, treatments needs to be unique to the individual, couple or family....

Trauma Is Not Your Fault, But Healing Is Your Responsibility

We all come into this life with stuff to unpack and learn.  Some of us have entered life with more significant challenges than others.  It can be said that ALL OF US have endured trauma in one form or another. This can mean being neglected as children, being abused as a child, teen or adult, military, sexual assault and rape, alcoholism and drug addiction, poverty, and racial and cultural issues, just to name a few forms of trauma. We all experience these challenges in different ways. It has become widespread for self-help and pop psychology "gurus" to present pathology as a singular, logical pattern that explains life experiences through a lens that, in all cases, "this means that" and all people experience "this and that" the same. It is false and damaging to the millions of people who read or hear these claims and wonder why it is not valid for them.  We have our shared experiences but in our own unique way. That is one of the joys of being human! No two people experience trauma the same, but there are enough common traits to share and learn from each other and gain support and camaraderie.  I can learn from you and vice-versa.  I remember when my cousin returned from Vietnam, he would not discuss what happened to anyone. Then, one day, a friend of his who was also a Vietnam vet was over. He talked and talked about what he saw and did for hours. We were all surprised after not hearing him speak about it for more than a paragraph after being home for several years.  The same applies to people participating in Twelve-Step or cancer survivor groups. Shared experiences help us feel like we belong and we are not alone. This is important in moving forward through traumatic experiences. ...

We Can Still Be Crazy – Pema Chodron

We can practice meditation, Yoga, and Qi Gong every single day and night, and we can still be crazy! We can still be crazy if we practice all of the above, eat organic "healthy" foods, take herbs, and drink kombucha daily, and we can still be crazy. We can meet with an acknowledged expert in therapy or counseling, and we can still be crazy. In fact, it is possible that we may even become crazier if we diligently commit to these practices and follow them up with a 7-day cleanse and a weekly water fast. Nothing can guarantee that we will not be crazy. Nothing. Is the goal not to be crazy or to live an amazingly imperfect life that we get to be ourselves on a regular basis? Would you agree to practice daily if you knew you would never stop being crazy, BUT you would begin accepting yourself for who you really are? If you are curious about how we can still be crazy after daily meditation for years or decades, and that is OK, I invite you to read this short essay by Pema Chodron below. If you are unfamiliar with her and her work, please follow the link in the previous sentence; she is a living gem!  We Can Still Be Crazy - Pema Chodron - Michael Swerdloff - Providence Holistic Counseling, Coaching and Reiki ...

Three Ways to Practice Forgiveness Meditation

Do you practice forgiveness? When was the last time that you felt as if you were betrayed or disrespected by someone in your life? What did you silently, or not so silently, need on a deep, core level?

Sexual Trauma Triggers – News and Social Media

Regardless of your political ideology, these last few weeks and years have been incredibly triggering for many people, especially women. Sexual trauma triggers can be devastating and debilitating for many people. The responses to sexual trauma triggers can confuse the person experiencing them and those around them. Understanding the source of the sexual trauma triggers can help us find safety and the ability to deal with what we are experiencing. Most importantly, you do not have to experience sexual trauma triggers alone. Sexual Trauma Triggers Through News and Social Media - Providence Holistic Counseling Services ...

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