Timothy LongMy approach to psychotherapy and life
Our experience flows from what we believe and imagine. I believe all healing originates from Source, or what many call God. I personally live life from this belief. I teach my clients when entering a meeting of any kind, certainly with a doctor, therapist, healing practitioner or coach, to always first connect to Source. Where does healing and insight come from? As a patient or client I never enter any such appointment without aligning myself first. I connect and open to the highest good, and clarify my intention for the meeting. As a therapist I do the same. I am clear, it is not me who heals but the greater good in us all.
Connecting to Source is something I teach all my clients. This can be as simple as asking them to take a moment at the start of a session, to close their eyes and to connect with the presence and stillness that is within and around all of us at all times. I ask my clients to let go of their stories, and to first be still. It is from this stillness that arises the greatest guidance and insight. Turning off the mental chatter is the beginning of healing. Dis-ease, be it of mind or body, is rooted in this tendency of human beings to live in their mental minds.
This is where somatic sensing and inner focusing come in. In therapy I re-orientate my clients to their inner being. We connect to the presence that holds all our answers and the energy to transform our lives, at the core of our very beings. We access this core energy through the body. Our bodies are feedback instruments. They tell us what is going on in our minds: If we are scared we may feel pain in our stomachs. If we are disconnected from Source we may feel anxious. When my clients first come to me they are often stuck in their mental minds. Traditional therapists and doctors often begin (and end) with a mental discussion, getting all the facts, reliving the past. Nothing new can come from rehashing the past or over-examining and detailing suffering. We may need to contact it, but then we need to be with it, process it, and learn how to transform and let it go.
The original cause of all dis-ease, be it mental or physical, lies in the disconnection from Source. Worthwhile therapy teaches the client to open a space within where the light can come in and healing naturally takes place. Begin by connecting to your highest Self, to Source, asking for guidance, for help, for healing. Then work on opening a space, focusing within your body, the temple of your soul, opening to what is greater than our ego or little selves.
When I am with my clients I may say, “Close your eyes and just let your mind be quiet. Feel, sense your body. Direct your mind to scan your body and just allow yourself to feel whatever you feel. Just notice and observe without judgment. Feel the presence of your being.” Here we want to refocus the mind, bring it into harmony with what is most meaningful, rather than its incessant thinking of events not present in the immediate moment. Peace and healing will come when a person can learn to live and feel right where they are, conscious of the aliveness of the very moment, without judgment, truly experiencing the fullness of now.
Read Part I: “What Kind of Psychotherapy Works?”