Holistic Approaches

Traditional approaches are the solid foundation of our work together.

Holistic approaches are very exciting, but many of them can be learned by well-meaning people who have no professional training as a therapist. I distinctly remember one system I learned where my classmates included someone whose only previous experience in working with people was as a hair stylist!  We both graduated and were approved to offer that healing system to the public.  I worried about any clients who came to her–what if someone was psychotic?  Suicidal?  In need of medical attention?  How would she know when she was out of her zone of knowledge?  What if someone got hurt? For your safety, it’s important to seek a therapist who has a solid foundation in traditional approaches and perhaps is trained to augment those with holistic approaches. Then the sessions can be structured to offer the techniques deemed to be the most beneficial.

Holistic approaches are an amazing enhancement to traditional approaches.

I’d like to tell you the story of 33-year-old Gina.  Gina came to me at a time of great suffering in her life.  She was haunted by disturbing memories of sexual abuse.  Her sleep was restless, her dreams were bad, and during the day she would often find herself thinking about the trauma.  It interfered with her work; as her work performance dipped, so did her mood.

When Gina spoke about the trauma, she was clearly agitated.  We used a technique commonly known as “Tapping” (aka EFT) that quickly cleared all the upset around the trauma while leaving the memory in place.  Gina could eventually tell the story of what had happened to her without retraumatizing herself all over again.  Her sleep improved, the bad dreams stopped–and she could focus on her work again, which made her feel better about herself.

The most amazing part of this process was that we accomplished in just a few sessions (less than 10) what would have previously taken years using traditional methods!  EFT is safe and effective, and there are now over 80 published research studies that validate what I’ve been seeing in my office over the past 17 years.

Tapping

Tapping is rooted in Chinese medicine, which is over 5,000 years old.  Researchers in South Korea have recently discovered the primo vascular system, which correlates with the treatment points used in acupuncture.  For the first time, western methods are validating what the Chinese have known for so long. These are the same treatment points we use in Tapping. Don’t worry–there are no needles in my office, and you will tap on yourself while sitting comfortably on the sofa.

Beyond Tapping there is even more to explore.

Other energy-based techniques I use include Reiki (the channelling of healing energy) and Resonance Repatterning (far too complex to explain here).  I also educate people on how to treat themselves with the Bach Flower Remedies, which are particularly helpful for children.

In addition, I frequently refer people to Yoga, Mindfulness Meditation, Naturopathic doctors, Chiropractors, Nutritionists, and many other CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) practitioners.  In conjunction with psychotherapy, any of these modalities will maximize your healing.