Energy Psychotherapy
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What is energy psychology and energy psychotherapy?
Energy psychology (EP) is the name used for a broad range of psychological treatments that intentionally utilize one or more of the body’s energetic systems- such as the meridian system, the chakra system or the aura system- during psychological treatments. I use the term energy psychotherapy to refer only to those therapies that use both psychological and energetic interventions together in a therapeutic treatment format.
The interaction of the meridian, chakra and aura energy systems combine to create patterns of energy within the body, which exist on a continuum. This continuum ranges between, healthy or functional and unhealthy or dysfunctional. Energy psychology is an experimental field of psychology that views the healthy functioning of your energy pathways to be important for the health of the bodymind. I define energy psychotherapy as the application of energy healing modalities within the therapeutic process. The goal of this integration is to shift unhealthy or dysfunctional energy patterns. Healthier energy patterns can influence your overall physical and psychological health and well being.
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emotional freedom techniques (EFT)
“Sometimes called "acupressure for the emotions,” EFT (or "tapping”) is a highly focused energy psychology method that rapidly releases the emotional impact of stressful or traumatic life events from the body-mind system. As clients bring their attention to distressing memories and symptoms, practitioners walk them through a process of voicing specific statements while tapping on a series of acupuncture meridian points. This activation appears to reduce levels of stress while stimulating processing of previously stuck emotions and habit patterns.”
-Definition from Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP)
Reiki healing and use of reiki in psychotherapy
Reiki (pronounced Ray-kee) is from the Japanese words Rei, which translates to mean universal or being everywhere, and Ki, which translates to mean life energy. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) categorizes Reiki as an energy therapy. According to Eastern medicine traditions, life energy or ki flows through the body. When this energy is compromised in some capacity, it hinders well-being. The goal of Reiki is to allow the for the optimal free flow of life energy, ki, and thereby allowing the natural healing properties to occur in the body. If you choose, the use of Reiki as an energy healing therapy modality may be integrated into the counseling process.
Chakra energy theory and chakra therapy
An integrative psychotherapy that includes an understanding of the energy systems in therapy introduces the transpersonal counseling element. By including the use of chakras and other aspects of the human energy field, client’s may gain greater awareness of their mind, body and energy natures. The knowledge of the chakra system as a way to integrate body, mind, emotions and spirit is at least 5,000 years old. From antiquity there have been various descriptions of the field of energy which emanates from the physical body. History is filled with descriptions and art depicting spinning wheels of color and subtle bodies of light within and surrounding the human body.
Each chakra is thought to be a center of activity dictating a particular attitude towards reality; transmitting, receiving, processing and integrating energy at a specific frequency throughout every cell of the body. Each chakra is associated with positive lessons and negative distortions. At times during stages of development the energy flow of the chakras may have been disrupted or distorted due to trauma or adverse childhood events. The impact on the energy system may perpetuate into adulthood. At your request, we can explore possible impacts at the level of the chakras and utilize energy therapy modalities to address energy disruptions and affect positive change in the overall bodymind.
how can working with the energy of the body help me?
I believe that energy psychotherapy works at the interaction of thoughts, emotions, behaviors, spiritual faith and an individual’s relationship to the environment and how those factors affect health. Most energy healing modalities hold the view that disease occurs when the flow of energy is disrupted. By releasing tension and freeing energy flow, the body can regain balance and begin to heal itself. By utilizing energy healing modalities we will work together to reestablish the natural balance of energy flow, which may in turn allow for greater well being.