Energy and Therapy

Sarah Jenkins, MC, LPC is available for therapy and training services. She can be reached at 480-370-7630, on the web at www.dragonflyinternationaltherapy.com or email: sajenkins@mac.com  Sarah is an Arizona Board Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified EMDR therapist. Her private practice is located in Tempe, AZ. She specializes in helping women and men with histories of trauma. Sarah often works with clients to address trauma issues as they relate to their substance abuse treatment goals, and coordinates care with Inner-Work Counseling, a substance abuse IOP. She has served as a Clinical Supervisor for an EMDR based trauma treatment program, and is an instructor for the University of Phoenix and Arizona State University.

“If you’re willing to change the world, let love be your energy” – Robbie Williams

I’ve been pondering the combination of energy work and psychotherapy for quite some time now. To be honest, many of my closest friends chuckle at me when they hear me talk about this topic. It’s kind of a “coming out of the spiritual closet” as I call it. I’ve always thought about this stuff. I just didn’t write about it.

I notice there is a “twinge” of anxiety as I do. You see, if you are a therapist, like me, perhaps you get why already It can make us “nervous” to talk about doing therapy “out of box.” Even while we do truly see the value in other modalities, many of us, myself included, have not “come out” to talk about the value of a holistic approach to therapy, such as when coupling our clinical skills, with intuition, and complimentary energy healing practices. So, here goes.

Intuitive Awareness

Intuition is a part of healing, as it is in life. We are working on the mental, spiritual, and emotional bodies when we do our healing work. For that reason, I truly believe that intuition has everything to do with therapy. Yes, it is imperative to be grounded in sound clinical skills, a solid education, and strong ethics, but I don’t believe that it, in and of itself, is always enough. It is imperative that we, as healers, help our clients access their intuition, as well as consistently accessing our own.

With this in mind, I consistently ask my clients to access their higher power when doing their healing work. Deep, life changing, releasing therapeutic work gets to the “bottom” of the brain. That’s where all of the deep-seated emotions are waiting to be released, so that they don’t hijack us anymore.  With that in mind, your intuition is often key to learning what it is that you, personally, need to work on to promote that deep level of inner healing. The intensity can often require it.

Internal Dowsing

You see, the therapeutic process, to me, feels the same as when I’m “dowsing.” You’ve probably heard of dowsing before. It is an ancient tradition whereby a “dowser” looks for water, energy lines in the earth, or the like, using a “Y-Branch,” or “L-Rods.” I know that the concept of “dowsing” may be controversial for some, but inspiring for others.

Nevertheless, what I have also come to realize is that dowsing, as an ability to use one’s intuition, relates to the emotional healing work that my clients do as well. I find that we can also “internally dowse” to know what is best for us, to access our higher power, whatever that looks, sounds, and is for us.

Actively connecting with a higher power, aspect of yourself, inner healer, or whatever it is that you identify as having your highest good as its priority, is key. It can be a true resource and a source of strength. We just have to know and acknowledge the way that our highest power attempts to reach us, even if our bodies, minds, and emotions get in the way. Perhaps we just have to quiet our mind, and internally dowse, to find the signal that it is attempting to reach us. Do you know how yours tries to reach you?

The Shift

When you are able to actually “get to” and “find” the deep rooted emotional work that needs to be worked on, just like dowsing, we can just “know it “ when we have found it. You can feel the energetic shift when it happens. You have a realization and something “clicks.” The emotions release, your awareness changes, and your energy transforms, inside and out.

For this reason, I truly believe that deep, soul level, emotional healing has an energy all of its own. As that energy does appear, many times I feel as if I am a barometer. Energetically, everything shifts. When clients do access their higher power as they heal, the atmosphere suddenly changes. It is amazing to be in the same space as another human being while they are doing that kind of healing work.

Reiki

My clients often seek out energy work, such as Reiki.  That being said, I think that energy modalities, such as Reiki, enable us to access to a deep level of healing, one that can access the “holes” or “attachments” that traumas leave, not only in the physical and emotional body, but also the spiritual bodies. Without removing or releasing these energetic blocks or attachments, we can continue to be vulnerable to future traumas and mental health issues. By accessing such energy healing practices, we can allow our life force more freely. I think that our internal healing systems can then help us, along with therapy, “release” the traumas’ hold on us.

A “New” Paradigm

I find that folks are seeking out a combination of Eastern and Western approaches to healing. The irony is that many of us, myself included, also value an approach to healing that allows for a holistic perspective, one that integrates mind, body, and spiritual healing. We just don’t talk about it. But, there is a paradigm shift that asks mental health practitioners to support complimentary healing practices as part of the therapeutic process. Maybe you, too, are one of those people. If so, please speak up. Your voice is valued.