Connecting With Your Higher Self by Kurt Lenfesty
As a hypnotherapist I try to be as neutral as possible about my client's belief systems. Being neutral about a client's beliefs means not trying to shift or alter those beliefs. Clients need to have the confidence that they can work through their issues and move forward in their lives without their therapist meddling in their personal beliefs. I do help them reframe certain perceptions and understandings about their lives and the issues they're dealing with. But helping a client shift her perception about a situation is not the same as shifting a core value or belief system. Having experienced sometimes radical shifts in my own belief system, I recognize that our beliefs can be core to who we are and we need to have the autonomy to follow our life journey according to the beliefs we hold dear. When our beliefs change it is because we choose to change them. I also try to be supportive of a client's beliefs and have the therapy work within the framework of the client's beliefs as I understand them.
For example, there is some popularity in hypnotherapy about experiencing past lives—or, for that matter, future lives. The hypnotherapist facilitates the journey to experiencing aspects of another lifetime. When this process is undertaken as an experiential journey I tend to regard it as past-life tourism, such as experiencing your past-life as Cleopatra. Past-life regression also comes up as part of the therapeutic process of emotional trauma release. The past life emotional trauma is embedded in the present life and has a lasting and negative effect. In therapy we disconnect that trauma and the client can then move forward without the drag of the negativity of that past life. From my point of view, it's not important whether or not I believe past lives are real. All that's relevant is how experiencing a past life can help the client release the emotional trauma that she's carrying with her or gain the understanding that she needs to move forward with her life.
Even with the many belief systems out there, I do work with one concept that seems to be universal. I've found this concept quite helpful in therapy. It is the higher self: that aspect of ourselves that is more wise and knowing as well as abundantly loving and caring. This higher self knows what's important and what needs to be done. Not only that, this higher self embodies our strong positive qualities such as compassion, love, generosity and caring. Sometimes a session will start and the client is not clear what she wants to work on—what issue she wants to address or what process she wants to follow. She wants to move forward, but she can't pinpoint what she needs to do that. In such cases I usually help the client get into that mental focus combined with physical relaxation that we call hypnosis and then ask that higher self to come forward. And when that higher self comes forward I ask the higher self what issue is the most important that needs to be addressed. In a relaxed state of greater self-awareness, that higher self component is able to answer that question and others and when the answers come, the therapy can move forward with the necessary focus and direction.
The higher self seems to be a part within every client I work with. It is often the voice that we tend to ignore. It lets us know when we might want to choose something else, something better in the long run. It is the voice of reason and the source of compassion and understanding. Some would call it our connection to the divine within us. It's an aspect of ourselves that we are better off following, whether or not we actually do choose to follow.
All too often in our hectic lives we become disconnected with our true selves. We are bombarded with messages that distract us from what's most important to us. We have a tendency to ignore the critical messages that come to us, both internally through our minds and bodies, and externally from the world around us. Our fragmented attention is unable to retain that inner focus long enough to glean the understanding we need to make the best choices. Those good choices will enable us to embrace a joyful existence. And then there are other aspects of ourselves that dwell in our subconscious minds that have their own agendas as well. These components, in their efforts to fulfill their own needs, may push aside that voice of wisdom. And those other components or parts of our minds aren't trying to harm us, they're just trying to embrace happiness in their own way, and that way might not be the best way, nor will it lead to overall happiness. (I'll talk about our subconscious parts in a future article.) However, when we can quiet the tumult that can sometimes fill our entire day and really connect and listen, that higher self is there. And when can can really listen and follow, life can become quite wonderful.
Do you need a hypnotherapist to connect to your higher self? Not at all. In fact, that part of ourselves is always there, ready to provide the support, love and direction that we need whenever we need it. If you have trouble connecting with it, perhaps you can find a quiet meditative place such as a bedroom or couch. Get yourself as comfortable as possible. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing and go through each muscle of your body starting with your eyelids and jaw and let them become loose and limp. Feel your heartbeat and breathing slow down as you let go of your troubles and cares. When you feel the embrace of that deep relaxation ask that your higher self come forward. Perhaps you can visualize your higher self as a person or a feeling or an energetic warmth. Whatever your impression of your higher self is, accept it and take it in. And then when your higher self is present, ask it for whatever answer or need that you're presently dealing with. You can also ask for the energy to continue your journey with strength and determination to fulfill that need in the best way possible.
It is my hope that we all become more connected to our higher selves and realize our greatest potential, a potential that is waiting for us with a warm and loving embrace.
HEALTH & HEALING
Making Friends with Mystery
Over this past year, seeing the personal stories of courage, challenge and creative resources reflected in the tarot cards during individual readings has revealed some common threads in our individual and collective experience.
With the future unpredictable, relaxing into the deeper underlying reality ~ using the tarot as a map of guidance ~ has brought relief, affirmation and a stronger sense of purpose and direction for many over the last year. A common theme shows each of us as leaders going through in a deep, very personal and often humbling way something that we will soon be guiding people through, writing about, or teaching.
The intensity and discomfort of this personal experience ensures we stay awake during the change process, and understand the terrain. Being conscious with the friction builds our capacity to accommodate the unknown and live fluidly with uncertainty. The tarot can point out ways of anchoring or rooting that are sustaining in this new reality.
When we can identify with the archetypes portrayed in the tarot cards that turn up in a reading, something beyond our small-minded self-image opens up in us. For instance, the Empress as the Divine Mother, shows that one is on a path of creativity and nurturing that can be lived out in the world in a deep and devotional way. Or the Fool reveals that following the vibration of the heart in a time of transition is a legitimate way of moving forward.
HEALING by Shine Kelly
I want to share a new idea that has come to me about healing. I am learning about the nature of life from Abraham, as channeled through Esther Hicks (abraham-hicks.com).
I am interested in sharing empowering information and using the natural (from nature) techniques and processes and understanding them from a mind over matter point of view.
They say that it is not that we have to heal, just let go of whatever we are using as our excuse to feel bad, and find something more pleasing to focus on. Use our minds, our focus, to diffuse situations of discord inside us. When we let go, feel good, relax; we allow in our well-being that is being summoned by us to us from our broader perspective; we are receiving it in the amount we allow our thoughts and beliefs (thoughts we think often) to feel good. If we are able to focus primarily on feeling good we will move vibrationally and will be in a mode of attracting situations and circumstances more fitting our new vibrational stance. This is healing. Every day, every moment; what feels better?
How good can I feel?
What would make my day?
How do I want to live?
What thoughts feel good?
What do I want?
How am I good?
What am I grateful for and appreciative of?
I love life! Life is awesome! I think I'll take a walk, or a bath, or play with kids, or sing, or dance, or have fun. Go out and see a movie, talk with a friend. Anything that feels good. Remember when we were kids, all the fun. We just need to be more like them. They know and remember. They are less resistant and also sometimes want less and so can turn and be in opposition but not feel so bad, or feel terrible, but quickly turn and go with the flow. We could all use more of those skills; less focusing on past things that feel bad. It doesn't matter if you focus present, past or future; it's all now; just as long as it feels good.
I love how I feel when I focus on what is happening now and appreciate it; and, I also know that this room and space right now is not enough. I want to see my future and use my past and have a whole experience. This is a place of enormous turmoil and it is for this reason, that we have the most trouble, that we give birth to the most wonderful, magnificent, beautiful things ever. This is the fresh new energy centre where all the souls are wanting to come and play. It is the coolest place to be because it has the greatest potential for misalignment, which, in turn gives birth to enormous desires, which then, when we go with our flow, can be the best life experiences ever. Why would we go from heaven to here anyways. If all was well and Love, why come here? Because it gives more and more to the heaven. By living the not-heaven we bring heaven closer and closer to us. But only in our allowing can we receive it. This is interesting; if we are carrying an old vibration (apparently we don't carry forward any past lives energies intentionally) and it becomes activated by a current circumstance, it is the perfect opportunity to focus and create an energy bridge between it and you. So you remember a bully and you haven't thought of it for a while. You see a boy who looks like an old bully. It brings this feeling of then and scared. Now is the time to try and remember that only if I am vibrating there mostly will I attract it, and I can be happy, and my ability to focus is my power, and no one can hurt me if I am vibrating primarily in well being, and I control my vibration by my thoughts and my focus, and it is all good. Also, only our focus affects our energy. If we are sensitive to energies of others then we are maybe picking up on their field. If we learn to remember that nothing penetrates us, i.e. becomes active or manifests, that isn't in us to begin with. Our focus is what makes us feel bad. In other words, if we weren't so close to them vibrationally in some way we couldn't feel them. Like radio waves, unless you're close to the frequency you can't hear them.
So we are empowered. We can create our reality by focusing and thinking thoughts that feel good because it's more fun, and that's where all the things we want are. Healing is a term to describe something usually wrong. Rather than think in terms of healing, maybe we can think of self-empowerment. We can think of illness as just forgetfulness, or disallowing what we really want. Nothing cannot be undone. It is all possible, for we are gods. There is nothing that cannot be had. We have the power to create it all. And we don't create through our actions primarily, as is thought. It makes sense; I want this, I go get it. I did these things. But the thoughts and the alignment of energy is what made the things appear to begin with. It made the thought and made the people with the things come to you and made the ideas and those with influence around what you were wanting come to you. It was almost done before that little bit of action finished the process. And then we forget all the thinking and focus and allowing and letting go that took place. Sometimes it feels like we don't even have to do anything. Just want it and it comes. It's interesting how that works. When we want it, and no resistance is there, it's ours very quickly. If we really really really really want it and we have taught ourselves to resist it because we fear it or think we won't be able to handle it or don't deserve it, or who are we to have while others starve? Then we get very good at resisting it; even to the point where we forget the resistance and feel as good as we can and think that OK is normal. In this case, getting off the subject all together will bring it quickly. For our resistance is the only thing keeping it from us. If we focus on it, and feel good, it's coming. If we feel good and focus on something else it's coming. If we feel bad for any reason, it's not coming as fast. It will happen eventually as when we die, or croak as Abe says it, we let go of all resistance and are the total being of this and all lives; the perfect representation of all we have lived, vibrationally equivalent to love, or appreciation, or joy, ecstacy etc...
This is fun.
~Shine Kelly
Self-Medicating Through Substance Misuse:
How the medicine of movement can
connect us to our pain
by Jim Kragtwyk
In my 20 plus years as a therapist, (many of which involved working in the field of addictions and mental health) it continues to pain me to see so many people medicating themselves with substances, unhealthy sexual activity, gambling (sorry the euphemism of gaming just isn’t appropriate), shopping or any other number of compulsive behaviors that provide temporary relief from inner wounds.
Often times, these medicating behaviors are used to ineffectively deal with underlying issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loneliness. The root causes of these life challenges are many, complex and still not completely understood. Genetic predisposition, traumatic childhood and or neglect, unresolved grief and loss, modern fear-based “culture”, environmental deterioration, lack of social/intimate relationships and support, economic stress, personality and many other factors contribute to these ills of living.
Self-medication may at times give temporary relief and/or a distraction from problems but often this exacerbates the severity of the issue wherein cravings, compulsions and withdrawal return with more intensity . . . and the cycle continues until the pain is so intense and the relief from self-medicating is no longer occurring.
Then what?
Archangel Intervention Healing Experience by Denise Prozny
From the age of 12, I have suffered from debilitating migraine headaches. I tried everything from weekly chiropractic adjustments to acupuncture to strong prescription drugs. I also have spent a small fortune on rubs, gismos, books, and you name it I tried it.
For the last 15-20 years I have given myself an injection when a migraine hit, and this medication causes many side effects- this could be 3-4 times a week. I was either getting over, starting, or in the throes of a migraine. It ruled my life.
About 1 year ago a friend phoned and asked me if I wanted to attend a free talk on “Archangel Intervention with Carelyn Hales.” I went and enjoyed the session, but had no intention of attending the follow-up session. My friend phoned and asked if I was going to attend the Saturday session: I opened my mouth to say no, and yes came out !!!!!!!!!!
I went to the session feeling rather skeptical. I was sitting in the 4 hour session very relaxed when I realized that the tears were flowing down my cheeks and my chin was quivering, as if I were sobbing. I was sort of overcome with awe and was completely fascinated.
Then a knowing came over me and I said to myself, “I know I will never have another migraine headache again.” The session continued and when finished I said to my friends, “You know, I am never going to have another migraine headache! I know it.”
Carelyn and the Archangels have changed my life !!!! I feel great most of the time. Now I am living! Before, I was just existing.
Thank you, Carelyn and the Archangels.
Then Carelyn moved on to the healing part of the session. I opened my eyes and thought ---okay I am going to watch and be alert here and see what is going on. I watched and listened, completely absorbed, as Carelyn talked and worked the air with her fingertips. All at once I felt a tight band around my head, just above my eyes. The intensity increased until I thought I could not bear this any longer and then it released and I felt a ‘whoosh” out of the top of my head, like a vacuum sucking something out the top of my head. I thought, “Wow! What is going on here? I had never felt anything like this before.”
It has been 1 year since I went to that session with Carelyn and I have not had a migraine. I also know in my mind, heart, and soul that I will never have another one again. Thanks to Carelyn and the Archangels. I was sent home with 22 Archangels that night. I talk to them and ask for their assistance in my everyday life. They have become part of my life and family. At times I feel their presence, but mostly I just know they are here with me.
Kurt Lenfesty is a clinical hypnotherapist practicing in Victoria, BC. His work focuses on resolving past traumas, reducing stress and anxiety, pain relief and overcoming obstacles to life success. Kurt has found that hypnotherapy works well in dealing with emotion-based issues. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis and Kurt works to facilitate the natural ability contained within our own minds to achieve our highest potential. Kurt also practices foot reflexology and hot and cool stone massage therapy, both excellent ways to relax and bring the body into balance.
He can be reached at 250-884-9633 or by email at Kurt@TotalHypnotherapy.ca or by visiting his website at www.TotalHypnotherapy.ca. He is a board member of the Victoria Community Health Cooperative which can be found at www.VictoriaHealthCooperative.ca.
Whether leading oneself, others, or new paradigm thinking being “authentic” is the key. This simply means that your internal experience and your outer expression, behavior & action are congruent or in synch. From my experience working with horses and humans in the leadership field, one finds a sense of relief and release in simply being real. "Come as You Are".
For those in a time of reorientation in their life and work, finding and staying true to your guiding purpose while the new future emerges takes patience, mindful attention and the lifeline of a supportive friend, mentor or community. Compassion, collaboration and orienting toward the creative are silver linings in this time of cultural shape shifting. Wisdom is born of first hand experience.
For Equine Guided Learning, Program Consultation or Leadership Mentoring, contact Oriane Lee Johnston
email: olj@orianelee.com ~ phone: 250.202.3498
Please visit www.orianelee.com for more info
This is when many people reach a “choice-point” in their life. They recognize they can no longer go back to old and ineffective ways of allaying their pain and turn to find a new way. As a 5Rhythms Movement Psychotherapist I have seen the changes people have made when they connect to their pain in a safe, contained, paced and resourced manner as a way to move through it. Movement Psychotherapy helps people reconnect and integrate the many parts of their “self”. Body sensation, feelings, psychological awareness, social relatedness and ultimately “spirit” are integrated to make one whole again.
At one time or another we have all had holes in our heart that have limited our ability to be in relationships, to love or be loved, to find a fulfilling career, to create abundance, to fulfill dreams and destiny. The way through our pain is to touch it from our places of strength that can be accessed in a deeply felt way. Movement psychotherapy helps us create new patterns of movement within so we can bring forth these new patterns into all realms of our lives.
Be well and keep moving!
Jim Kragtwyk M. Ed, CCC, ICADC
5Rhythms Movement Psychotherapist
