When an event happens in our lives, it happens to our whole being. Our bodies are with us in every moment of our lives. This is why it is impossible to leave the body out of the healing process.
With any event, a feeling, a thought about the event, and a physical sensation is created. The sophisticated neurology that travels within our body is constantly gathering information about what has felt safe and what has not. Our bodies hold the stories of our past and this information is used to navigate our future.
The body focused technique used by Become Counseling Center is Transformative Touch, taught by Noel Wight and Joe Weldon. It accesses and uses the knowledge that is held within the body by combining talk, touch and gentle movement. The places inside of us that have been forgotten, protected or rejected are brought back to the conscious world of the client so to be acknowledged, embraced and healed. When these places are met with compassion and non-judgement, a deeper healing occurs.
Any one dealing with emotional or physical pain will benefit from Transformative Touch. The technique is used to truly listen to the body's stories, memories, fears and hopes. It encourages clients to embrace all of their parts, and they leave a session feeling more embodied, more grounded and more whole.
One of the most important needs of a human being is the need to be seen. When a trusting, non-judgmental relationship is formed, the client can engage in vulnerable expression of their whole self. All parts of the client are given permission to show up and have a voice. All thoughts are invited to be expressed and explored. This leaves the client fully seeing themselves, and fully seen by another.
Energy follows thought. New research has found that what we think about takes some form of energy, as well as creates neurological connections. Furthermore, these thoughts can build neurology around old, distorted beliefs such as: 'I am not worthy of success,' 'I am not safe in the world,' 'If I stop controlling things my life will self-destruct,' or 'I need to be perfect.' Eventually, and over time, a habit of thinking is created. The body does not know if this habit is helpful or destructive. It just simply believes the habit of thinking to be truth.
Thoughts such as these also have a tendency to create and feed into overwhelming emotions. While all emotions are valued at Become Counseling Center, some have begun to run our lives. These overwhelming emotions often result in addiction, over-working, inability to relax, anxiety and physical illness.
The aim of Become Counseling Center is to empower the client to create new, more rational and productive thoughts, and to learn to use emotions as information about our world instead of being absorbed by them. Managing our thoughts truly can create a new reality, and restore us to balance and health.
Where do you find a sense of peace? While spirituality has become a highly charged word these days, Become Counseling Center prefers to look at spirituality as a sense of knowing the truth of who you are. I honor the places and practices which bring you a sense of inner-connectedness. While I am trained through the Saint Thomas Christian Church in the mystical tradition, I was taught to not favor any specific religion, and to look at both religion and spiritual practice as a path to a more rooted and ethical way of being in the world.
The pastoral counseling utilized at Become Counseling Center is founded in the belief that we all carry a divine spark within us. If we remember that we are all created from the divine, we will respect ourselves and each other. If we were to know the truth of who we are, our thoughts, beliefs, words and actions would carry a sacred weight. In this realization, we can find true freedom in our everyday experience. Various healing and pastoral counseling techniques are utilized to assist the client in aligning with their true and higher self.
