HE ALING
be a simple truth about a past event or might even be an epic breakthrough. A realisation simply means that something very important that has been buried in our psyche or energetic body is suddenly illuminated and cast into our awareness in a new light.
Navigating the healing journey; from realisation to transformation
The four stages of the complex healing journey, from realisation to transformation. by Kate Mantello
T
he work that holistic and energetic therapists do in our healing rooms is profound. We
join our clients on intensely emotional and transformational journeys with life- changing results. But no matter how skilled or experienced we may be as therapists, the role we play in our clients' healing journeys is always secondary to their active involvement in his or her own healing experience. I do not believe in calling myself (or
any person in this field) a 'healer’. As a therapist with 10 years of experience, I do not ‘heal’ my clients. I may guide a client towards a realisation or provide emotional and spiritual support. I might gently bring buried trauma to a client’s awareness, or share an emotional breakthrough. But despite the
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significant role I or any other therapist might play in a client’s path towards healing, it is only ever the client who is the true healer. A therapist provides the tools and direction, but it is the client who ultimately decides how to use these offerings. The truth is, every person holds the key to their own healing, and the job of a good therapist is to help their client locate the door with the keyhole.
UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN HEALING JOURNEY The complex human healing journey can be simplified into four main experiences or stages: Realisation The first stage of the healing journey is when a realisation occurs. This could
Processing Once the realisation has presented itself, it requires processing. Put simply, the processing stage is when the realisation is explored from various angles, considered, pulled apart, and delved into emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Processing can be painful, difficult, emotional, and can take many years. Ultimately, it usually results in feelings of relief and acceptance, and eventually profound wisdom is derived. Mindful activities such as meditation, music, art therapy, journaling, counselling, and healing retreats can greatly help to speed up this stage.
Integration It is during the processing stage that the third stage, or ‘integration’, can begin occurring. This is when we take the wisdom being derived from the processing stage and draw it deep within ourselves, allowing it to sink into us on a soul level and permeate all our physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual layers – to begin rebuilding us from within. The integration stage helps us to create acceptance and release from the experience itself, but unification with the understanding and wisdom gained from the experience. It is not dissimilar to creating a flower essence; the physical bulk of the dead flower is discarded, but the pure, refined, high- vibrational essence remains. Even the most ugly and unpleasant flower can make a potent essence, just as light and wisdom can be derived from the darkest of experiences or traumas.
Transformation Finally, once we have fully integrated the wisdom, true transformation can occur. We have released ourselves from the trauma and pain, and transformed it into something positive from which we are able to grow and evolve. New belief
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