spiritual healing is healing in which the healer is felt to be an instrument of the divine

Spiritual Healing

Traditionally, spiritual healing is healing in which the healer is felt to be an instrument of the divine, allowing the power of the divine to heal through him or her. The healer acknowledges that he or she does not do the healing. In a sense, the healer is only the instrument through which the person seeking healing surrenders to the divine.
Many healers who do not call themselves “spiritual healers” acknowledge that they do not do the healing – this has become a well understood idea in healing — but to really live that fully is truly radical. Joel Goldsmith’s classic, The Art of Spiritual Healing, provides a taste of what spiritual healing is when lived fully and taken to its full conclusion. A Course in Miracles also embodies this radical perspective.
Energy Healing vs. Spiritual Healing

There is no standard definition for spiritual healing or energy healing and often they are considered to be the same thing. Both terms can refer to widely varying practices, and there are many ways in which they overlap.
Since everything is energy, energy healing can simultaneously affect all levels of life – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Depending on the leanings of the healer and client, an energy healing session can have a spiritual focus and impact. On the other hand, what a spiritual healer does may look exactly the same as what an energy healer does, and can also affect all levels. What, then, would distinguish energy healing from spiritual healing, and vice versa?
An exploration of this question is actually quite complex, and it becomes clear that our current institutions and language do not adequately describe the tremendous variety of emerging healing practices. The understanding that everything is energy points to the impossibility of separating out the spiritual from the material. Energy healing truly bridges the gap between science and spirituality, and yet our institutions are either secular or spiritual. A healer who works purely with energy may may feel more aligned with either the scientific/medical model or a spiritual/religious model.
Spiritual Healing

The key feature which distinguishes spiritual healing, at least in the traditional usage, is that the healer is seen as a vehicle for divine intervention. Many healers, however, also feel that they are divinely guided (regardless of the language used to describe this), and so even this key feature may not serve to distinguish spiritual healers from energy healers. Nevertheless, it could be said that spiritual healing in its purest form relies totally on the intervention of a “higher intelligence” — the healing occurs spontaneously without the healer making conscious choices. Usually a spiritual healer would not use particular techniques which are chosen based on some rationale of what technique works for a particular condition.
Spiritual healing often simply involves the use of prayer. Many miraculous healings occurred during the “miracle services” of renowned evangelist, Kathryn Kuhlman. Kuhlman never touched or even looked at those who received these healings. She didn’t know anything about human anatomy. From her point of view, she simply opened to the Holy Spirit, and had complete faith that all would be accomplished through this. A clairvoyant who observed one of Kuhlman’s services, however, was able to see how her aura flowed out energetically and interacted with the energy fields of those who were healed. This happened with out any specific intention or knowledge on Kuhlman’s part. The spiritual healer would not be able to say how the healing occurred, except to acknowledge divine intervention. The healer may even take the position that he/she sees only divine perfection in the one who seeks healing, and so would not even see disturbance or disease.
Spiritual Healing vs. Spiritism

Sometimes spiritual healing is very specific about the form of the divine which is being accessed for healing. Some spiritual healers refer to their work as coming from God or Source (or some other name for the divine). Others may say that angels and spiritual beings intervene. Yet another group of healers say that “spirits” of powerful healers who are no longer alive work through them. Both Rubens Faria and John of God, famous Brazilian healers, are said to channel spirits. Some would call this “spiritism” rather than true spiritual healing.
Energy Healing

Energy healing, on the other hand, usually involves some conscious use of knowledge of the human energy field, as well as specific techniques to address disturbances. Programs which are based on the medical model will have an assessment of the energy field, and techniques will be chosen that address the disturbances found. After the energy healing is done, the healer would re-assess the field to discover the outcome of the treatment. These programs, however, recognize the importance of intuition and usually allow for intuitive work on the part of the healer. They also include the spiritual aspect of a client’s life in the overall treatment and recognize that the energy field has “spiritual layers”.
Cultural Bias Separates Science and Spirituality

The fact that the question would even arise as to what distinguishes energy healing from spiritual healing points to a cultural bias which separates the scientific from the spiritual. As we grow in our understanding and experience of the one reality which underlies these two seemingly different viewpoints, this separation should be bridged. Most people recognize the necessity of integrating complementary healing arts with our conventional medical system. This integration necessitates the development of a new paradigm which unifies what are often seen as contradictory approaches.
BOOKS

The Art of Spiritual Healing, by Joel S. Goldsmith. This book is a classic on spiritual healing.
A Course in Miracles (Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers) — students of this course will find it is a teaching in spiritual healing.
Daughter of Destiny: Kathryn Kuhlman, Her Story by Jamie Buckingham. The only authorized biography of healer, Kathryn Kuhlman. This is a captivating story with a great deal of insight.
The Magus of Strovolos: The Extraordinary World of a Spiritual Healer (Arkana) by Kyriacos D. Markides. Fascinating reading about a spiritual healer from Cyprus.

Healing

Welcome to our Healing Pages!



We hope to support you on your “healing journey” whether that means healing for yourself or learning to heal others. Healing can happen in so many different ways and can have so many different meanings. There are no “absolutes” about healing. Everyone’s journey is unique.
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It is not possible to be meaningfully involved in healing without ever examining what it is that we are seeking and what healing means to us. What is Healing? explores the meaning of healing while our Self-Healing page discusses what we feel are the most important ingredients of self-healing. Becoming a Healer has questions and answers for those interested in developing and using their healing abilities both personally and professionally.
Visit our blog for our latest thoughts on healing, and please feel free to share your ideas and ask questions in the Comment area of our blog and web pages.
Our Living with Grief pages contain information and tips on dealing with the death of a loved one, or any other kind of loss. Losing a job, moving, being ill or disabled, having your children leave home cause us all to grieve. Being able to grieve properly is essential to our health and well-being, and is often a key to healing.
Because we’ve spent a lot of time with energy healing, most of our healing pages are on this topic. Our Introduction to Energy Healing talks about what it is, how it works and gives a brief introduction to the human energy field (or “aura”) and energy medicine. You can visit our main Energy Healing page, to see what’s available in this area of our website at a glance.
Everything on the Heart of Healing website relates to healing. Visit our Relaxation & Wellness pages for information on sleep, stress, aging, coping with change, stress and weight, meditation and more. We have tips on how to relax, get a good night’s sleep, age gracefully, cope with change, as well as a Relaxation Room where you can relax with a guided meditation.




Self-Healing


The healing journey is ultimately one of self-healing. The body is a marvelous self-healing mechanism. It contains the knowledge of how to function properly and bring itself back into balance. Our job is to learn to align ourselves with the natural, healing processes of nature. A healer may help to bring us into alignment, but it is ultimately up to us to integrate and sustain the results of the healing.
A good healer will empower you in your own self-healing rather than create a dependency on their healing work. Being able to reach out and receive help is crucial to healing, but equally important is the ability to follow through with good self-care. In the long run, developing and exercising our ability to self-heal will bring the most lasting and significant change.
What do we need to be able to self-heal? Listed below are the “Seven Essentials of Self-Healing”.
Seven Essentials of Self-Healing
1. self-awareness — including awareness of our bodies, emotions, thought patterns, and the spiritual dimension of ourselves
2. knowledge — including knowledge of our body; the role that our emotions and beliefs play in the functioning of our bodies; and of ways to bring greater health to all these levels of our being
3. motivation — a strong enough desire to have greater health and well-being to motivate us to take action
4. self-love — the ability receive and to care for ourselves with kindness
5. courage — the courage to move out of our comfort zone and experience the feelings we have as we change
6. self-authority (or self-responsibility) — being responsible for our own decisions regarding our self-care as opposed to relying solely on the opinion of authorities
7. self-care — taking practical steps to heal is essential, but without the first six essentials we won’t do this in an effective, consistent way
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Usually we start with essential #7, self-care, putting the cart before the horse. There are tons of wonderful self-care techniques available. The challenge is finding which ones will work for your situation, and actually putting them to use. Without the other six essentials, significant self-healing cannot really happen. We need to develop those in order to find the right methods of self-care, use them consistently and use them in a manner which is truly healing. A good healer will help you to develop those six essentials. As you become more established in them, you will grow in your ability for self-care and become more and more self-sufficient in your healing journey.
The single most important essential for self-healing is self-love. Everything else grows out of the ability to regard ourselves with compassion and treat ourselves with kindness. With all healing techniques, it’s not so much what you do but how you do it that counts. If you eat healthy foods, but are not enjoying them, your body will not utilize all the nourishment they contain. Perhaps you are thinking about vitamins, minerals or calorie count as you eat and are lost in a mental world rather than savoring the taste and enjoying the sensual experience of eating. Perhaps you’ve started stretching, but rather than enjoy the pleasurable sensations in your body as you stretch, you are all caught up in how far you can go. The result is that you strain and force your body rather than nurturing it. Are your self-care endeavors fear-based? Are you straining or forcing yourself in some way? Or are you genuinely enjoying your self-care activities as you feel yourself nurturing your body, mind and spirit? Above all, self-care has to be done gently, with love.


Living with Grief

How to Survive the Death of a Loved One
Part 1: About Grief

After my mother died, I attended a 6 week hospice grief support group, and a couple of months later attended the whole six weeks again! Despite the fact that I’d been a bereavement counselor myself and knew a lot about grief, it made a world of difference to feel the support of others going through the experience of loss. We all need to be “accompanied” through difficult life passages, and my hope is that this article will help to support those of you who are facing the formidable task of recovering from the death of a loved one. Although we grieve many losses throughout a lifetime, such as losing a job or a home, the death of a loved one is especially difficult. It is probably the most painful of all human experiences. Whether it is a parent, child, friend or a pet, a whole host of feelings is triggered by loss, and the only way to truly heal from the loss is to fully experience those feelings.
Everyone’s journey through grief is unique and no two people will grieve in exactly the same way. There are, however, reactions to loss which are common to everyone. Knowledge of these responses can ease the way considerably by letting us know that our feelings and thoughts are normal and expectable. Since grief can sometimes make us feel as if we are “going crazy”, it can really help to know about the complex set of reactions which are a part of the territory. This knowledge can also help us to flow with the feelings of grief rather than trying to suppress them. The only way to get through grief is to go straight into the heart of it!


Becoming A Healer

Part 1: General Questions & Answers

These are Heart of Healing’s answers to FAQs about becoming a healer. You may want to read What is Healing? as well. If you are already doing some sort of healing practice, such as Reiki, and have questions, you might want to visit our new Healers’ Corner.
There are many kinds of healers who facilitate healing in many different ways. If you are interested in becoming a healer, it will be worthwhile to explore what you mean by “healing” and what sorts of healing interest you. Because we specialize in energy therapy and spiritual healing, these answers are mostly geared to this type of healing. If you are mainly interested in the legalities of energy healing as a profession, see Part 2.
What is a healer?

A healer is someone who facilitates healing in another. No one heals anyone else. The healer does not “do” the healing. “Nature” does the healing. The mind-body-spirit has a natural, self-healing capacity. The healer simply plays the role of a “catalyst”.
Is a “special gift” required to be a healer?

Healing is an extension of a natural human capacity. Some people may access it more easily than others, but everyone can develop this natural capacity. Not everyone, however, has the same kinds of healing abilities. Some may be more effective with physical ailments, some with psychological and emotional issues, while others may help people with spiritual growth which plays a part in their healing. There are many different forms that healing abilities take.
Can anyone become a healer?

Acting as a healer is simply an extension of a natural human ability. When someone complains of pain and we reach out to touch them, or when a child cries and we sweep them up in our arms, we are exercising an automatic “healing response”. By exercising this natural ability, it can be developed further. In this sense, yes, anyone can become a healer. It is important to note, however, that what being a “healer” means can vary quite a bit from person to person — the kinds of healing and results can be very different.
How can I develop my ability to heal?

The most important way to develop the ability to heal is to exercise it. Perhaps you’ve already found that people feel better when you listen to them, or touch them, or pray for them. Continuing to practice these skills enhances them. There are also many different programs for learning. Some are for learning self-healing and for working with friends and family, while others are geared to those who want to do healing professionally. The first step is to identify what kinds of skills you want to learn, and what kind of healing seems most natural and suited to you.
How do I become a healer as a profession?

If you’ve spent some time developing and using your healing abilities, and want to begin to do it professionally, there are a number of steps you need to take. First, you need to decide if you are ready to start charging a fee, or do you feel you need to develop your skills more or have more experience? If you feel you need more training, you need to decide which kind of program suits you. (If you are interested in energy healing specifically, see Types of Energy Healing for some insights into how programs differ.)
Acting in the capacity of a healer as a profession entails learning a lot more than simply how to practice a healing modality. It involves communicating what you do to others, defining and maintaining professional boundaries, creating a place to do your work, learning the legalities applicable to your practice on the Federal, state and local levels, and much more. If you have not had previous experience as a professional service provider of some sort (such as nurse, counselor, etc.), then you will probably need help with developing a practice. Some programs will provide this as part of their training, and in other cases you may need to find a mentor or another way of gaining the necessary skills and knowledge for having a professional practice.
Read Part 2: Legalities of having an energy healing practice.

Recommended Books

General Healing Topics

Healers on Healing, Ed. by Richard Carlson and Benjamin Shield, Tarcher/Putnam, 1989. A wonderful introduction to many viewpoints on healing, leading to a discovery of its common elements.
Healing Spirits: True Stories from 14 Spiritual Healers, Judith Joslow-Rodewald and Patricia West-Barker, The Crossing Press, 2001. “True stories from 14 spiritual healers.” Fascinating reading, and highly instructive to see how healing can be accomplished in so many different ways depending on the makeup of the healer. See our review.
How Can I Heal What Hurts?, Daniel J. Benor, MD. 2005. Popular Edition of Consciousness, Bioenergy and Healing (Healing Research Volume II). Wholistic Healing Publications. Comprehensive and detailed descriptions of what happens in healing, how it happens and various methods of healing. If you could only read one book to learn about different ways of healing, this would be an excellent choice! See our review.
The Heart of Healing: Inspired Ideas, Wisdom and Comfort from Today’s Leading Voices, edited by Dawson Church. See our review.
True Stories/Memoirs of Healing

Letters from a Distant Shore, Marie Lawson Fiala, LaurelBooks, 2010. Moving memoir of a mother whose 13 year son suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. Beautiful demonstration of the resilience of the human spirit, our tremendous capacity for healing and the power of prayer. A must read for all interested in healing, especially healing which doesn’t mean a return to things being the same… Visit Marie’s website at Marielawsonfiala.com.
Self-Healing

Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain, Pete Egoscue with Roger Gittines, A Bantam Book, 1998. Knowledge and instruction on how to eliminate pain by using the body properly.
Pain Free for Women: The Revolutionary Program for Ending Chronic Pain, Pete Egoscue with Roger Gittines, A Bantam Book, 2002.
The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies, by Vasant Lad, Three Rivers Press, 1999. Gives an overview of Ayurveda, followed by many home remedies for various conditions. Read our review.
Energy Medicine, Donna Eden, David Feinstein, Caroline Myss. This book is a wonderful introduction to energy healing with lots of easy to learn exercises for self-healing.
MAP: The Co-Creative White Brotherhood Medical Assistance Program. How to create a team of nature and “guides” to help with your healing. (For those open to a rather “esoteric” approach.)
An Inspirational Guide for the Recovering Soul by Barbara Sinor, PhD, Astara, 2003 “This book was written to address all areas of recovery: post-traumatic stress from any origin, childhood abuse or trauma, chemical/alcohol addiction…or just as an inspirational boost for the soul.” (author)
Gifts from The Child Within: Self-discovery and Self-recovery Through Re-Creation Therapy, 2nd Edition, Barbara Sinor, PhD, Loving Healing Press (2008)
Science & Healing

Healing Words, Larry Dossey, MD, Harper San Francisco, 1993. On prayer and healing — insightful and inspiring.
The Field: the Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, Lynne McTaggart, HarperCollins, 2002. Highly recommended, and very far-reaching in its implications. Provides a scientific basis for understanding distant healing, and much, much more!
Healing Research, Volume I: Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution, Daniel J. Benor, M.D. Highly recommended for an overview of research on spiritual/energy healing, brief descriptions by various accomplished healers, descriptions of training programs, and more.
Death & Dying

Final Gifts, Maggie Callahan and Patricia Kelley, Bantam Books, 1993. “Understanding the special awareness, needs and communications of the dying.”
Who Dies?: An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying, Stephen Levine, Ondrea Levine
Graceful Passages CD, by Companion Arts (Gary Malkin, Michael Stillwater). An incredibly beautiful CD to accompany those dying and those supporting them. Also a profound CD for anyone experiencing the “spiritual death” of the ego.
Diary After Death, by Franklin Loehr. A Religious Research Frontier Book. For those interested in the after-life — beautiful, affirming book.
Videos – “Two Weeks” (2006), “My Life” (1993)
Energy Healing

Visit our Energy Healing book list.


Book Reviews

Index to Heart of Healing Book Reviews

The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies by Vasant Lad
Healing Spirits: True Stories from 14 Spiritual Healers by Patricia West-Barker (Editor), Judith Joslow-Rodewald (Editor), Susan P. Mills (Photographer)
Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self (Revised 2004) by Anodea Judith
How Can I Heal What Hurts? Wholistic Healing and Bioenergies by Daniel J. Benor, M.D.
The Everything Reiki Book
by Phylameana lila Désy
The Heart of Healing: Inspired Ideas, Wisdom and Comfort from Today’s Leading Voices, edited by Dawson Church

Spiritual Healing with Vinny Pinto

Spiritual Healing with Vinny Pinto

My Thoughts on Picking a Spiritual or Energy Healer, 

or Really Any of Many Kinds of Alternative Practitioners

Vinny's own guidelines on picking a healer. Vinny Pinto is a spiritual healer, also sometimes known as a subtle energy healer, metaphysical healer or non-local healer. On this page, he shares his thoughts on how to pick a practitioner in almost any of the alternative healing fields.  These quidelines wil likely apply to picking teachers, instructors, coaches, advisers and other folks/services as well in the alternative health and spiritual realms. 

Introduction 

On this page I wish to share my thoughts about picking a healer or coach, whether energy, subtle energy, metaphysical, or spiritual.  I realize that a lot of these suggestions, if not all, may also be applicable to picking almost any kind of "alternative" health practitioner or spiritual practitioner, and also to picking teachers, coaches, and other folks or services in the alternative health or spiritual realms.  These thoughts and opinions are mine only, and are offered based upon my rather long experience in dealing with practitioners and teachers of all types, as well my own training as a crisis therapist, a clinical psychologist, an acupuncturist, my own experiences as an energy healer in the past, and more recently, as a spiritual healer and spiritual coach.  These guidelines are also, frankly, based upon some of the stories which friends and clients have related to me of their own experiences, whether positive or negative.  I make no claim that these guidelines are necessarily "right" for all situations or that they are absolute.  Rather, these guidelines are just that -- the best guidelines that I can offer at this time.  I do suspect that they may help you to steer clear of some of the worst situations and out-of-control practitioners, as well as those practitioners or organizations whose primary purpose may be to control you. 

The Guidelines

1. Trust Your Intuition and Your Higher Self/Heart  -- Trust Yourself! 

First, I advise: simply listen to your gut, your body, your heart, and your intuition, which are really largely one and the same.  Learn to trust your inner sense of what you need and do not need, and what you want and do not want, and what feels right and what does not feel okay. 

I repeat, in slightly different words: learn to trust your gut sense.  Give yourself the courage to act on it.

2. Beware Those Who Try to Scare You or Control You 

As a spiritual healer, I am rather extremely amazed at practitioners, including alternative health practitioners, alternative nutritionists, energy healers and spiritual healers, among others, who spend a few minutes working with or diagnosing a client and then tell them that they have some horrible disorder or illness -- in effect, that the client is far sicker than the client had thought they were.  The mind is powerful, and unfortunately, the mind is also rather simple; it is essentially a recorder, analogous to a tape recorder, and such suggestions can be powerful and devastating.  Even if those suggestions do not produce the named disease or disorder, they can possibly push the person into a fanatical, driven approach to a healing regimen, commitment to a healing practitioner, or a special diet, instead of an approach which might be more filled with ease, compassion, lightness and gentleness.  

Unfortunately, there is also a second side-effect of the above-mentioned behavior whereby the "practitioner" tells a person that they are sicker than they thought.  It is very disempowering to the client, and also tends to make them feel very dependent upon the practitioner, which may, of course, be what the practitioner really wants (unconsciously if not consciously.)  In other words, it can be a way for a practitioner to try to gain control over a client by manipulating their fears. 

Bottom line: The practitioner must not try to scare or manipulate the client. This means that telling the client that they are sicker or more "out of harmony" than they thought is taboo.  If a practitioner of any alternative ilk tries telling you that you are sicker or more disordered than you thought, this may be an attempt to control and manipulate you, and I suggest that you walk quickly for the door and never return. 

For some reason, I have encountered this phenomenon particularly in the realms of iridology (where practitioners claim to read your health status by looking at the iris of the eyes) and nutritional coaching.  I have encountered numerous self-styled "iridologists" and several nutritional coaches (each with their own special nutritional regimen) who seem to specialize in looking in people's eyes and telling them that they are in very poor shape indeed, or that they have multiple chronic diseases, and intimating that only their special treatment (whether it be a special diet, acupuncture, herbs, nutritional supplements, or special brand of algae) can heal the client.

I have one kinda funny story for you here....  I once noticed an ad in the classifieds section of an alternative health journal for a man who claimed to be a very powerful distant energy healer, who claimed further that his skills were imparted to him by advanced space beings or extraterrestrials. When I contacted him, he refused to send me or read me any testimonials (not necessarily a bad sign, and perhaps a good sign -- testimonials can easily be fabricated, and are a touchy area), and refused to tell me almost anything about where and how he received his training in his energy healing method, other than that it was imparted from extraterrestrials, and very difficult to learn.  His first, and "reduced price" telephone introductory session turned out to be a "hook" or "bait" session.  He told me bluntly, after 10 minutes of remote "diagnosis" over the phone, which was accompanied by appropriate bouts of silence and sighs and strange sounds from his throat, that I was very ill with a fatal brain virus which had been present since birth, and that no modality I had tried up till now had helped to cure it.  Further, he told me, all my other varied physical complaints were actually caused by this brain disease, and that no other modality than his could cure this brain malady.  Not bad, huh?  He then told me that I would die within a few years if I did not get this problem healed, and that only he could help me, but that it would take many sessions, perhaps at least 12 sessions, and up to 30 to 50 sessions. He then mailed me a contract in which I was to commit to at least 20 sessions and to agree up front to paying for these sessions, on a contract basis.  Needless to say, I sent him a polite thank-you note, and never contacted him again.  How and why did I set this boundary so quickly and easily? Easy!  My gut sense and my heart told me that he was at best, misguided, deluded and overly zealous, and, at worst, a fraud.  That same sense told me not to have anything more to do with this man, but to back away quickly and with grace, kindness and calmness, which I proceeded to do.

3. Beware Grimness, Gloom, Doom or Urgency 

If a practitioner of any alternative ilk focuses too heavily on the "negative" which they claim to "see" or "sense", or seems to approach you or your presenting issue with "heaviness", gloom, doom, urgency, or despair, this may be an attempt to control and manipulate.  Likewise, if your practitioner seems to become overly involved in trying to fix your "issue" or "problem", and seems to have developed a sense of urgency, desperation or struggle, this may at best indicate that your practitioner has some serious boundary issues, and may possibly indicate an attempt to control and manipulate.  In any of the above cases, I suggest that you walk quickly for the door and never return.  At best, it indicates a practitioner who gets overly-involved in their clients and work, and whose ego is very attached to certain outcomes, and at worst, it can indicate attempts to control you. 

4. Beware Expectations, Demands and Anger (and Blame!) 

Speaking as a healer, I am constantly amazed at the healers I meet in my work who appear to take their client's issues too seriously (see above item also) and seem to need to compulsively heal or fix their client, as if their reputation or sanity depended upon it.  A common sign of such expectations and dependency is if your practitioner seems to grow impatient or angry with you if your presenting issues or problems do not disappear rapidly, or do not shift at all.  While any practitioner is entitled to occasionally show anger or irritation at an unreasonable demand from a client, and each is entitled simply to have a bad day once in a while, what I am describing here is more serious and is more consistent and persistent, namely: your practitioner acts angry, pouty or insulted unless you report progress.  To me, this is a big danger signal.   This may at best indicate that your practitioner has some serious boundary issues, and the anger or blame may be an attempt to control and manipulate the client.  At best, it indicates a practitioner who gets overly-involved in their clients and work, and whose ego is very attached to certain outcomes, and at worst, it can indicate attempts to control you.  I suggest, if your practitioner shows this ego-centered behavior more than once in a lifetime, that you head for the door.

5. Beware Practitioners Who Tell You They Are the Only Game in Town 

The practitioner must empower all beings, and especially her/his clients. This means that implying to the client, or explicitly stating to the client, that only the practitioner or their special system or method can help them to get well, or can "fix" them, is taboo.  If a practitioner of any alternative ilk tries telling you that only they or their system can heal you or fix you, or that you are doomed without them, this is both a covert and an overt and aggressive attempt to control and manipulate, and I suggest you walk quickly to the door and never return.  The practitioner must not try to tell you, or intimate, that only they or their system can help you, or create a sense of urgency or emergency.

If you think you are encountering this "trait" in a practitioner, coach or teacher, I suggest you go back to item number two above, and re-read it, especially my tales about nutritional counselors and my personal tale of an encounter with an energy healer "from the stars" -- this section may help to shed some light upon your current situation!

6. Beware Those Who Promise Sure Fixes and Cures 

The alternative practitioner may speak of possibilities, and must never promise certain cures, healings, or fixes. If a practitioner of any alternative ilk tries telling you that they can totally fix you or heal you or your life situation, whether in the realms of health, relationships, finances, or selling a car or real estate, or if they promise or guarantee any cure or outcome, I suggest that they are trying to control and manipulate you, and that this is not in your best interest.  I suggest you walk quickly to the door and never return.  Even in conventional Western medicine, medical doctors usually cannot legally or ethically promise that a procedure or treatment will definitely have the desired effect.  Such constrains are even more important in the "alternative" realm, and even moreso in the realms of spiritual healing and teaching/coaching, where the primary "currency" or effect is increased connection with God/Being/Spirit, and where real-world effects may be unpredictable.

Let me tell you one brief true story from my own experience which may illustrate some points about this guideline as well as some of the other guidelines on this page, as well as illustrating perhaps a few things about the expectations which some clients come thru the door with.... 

I was once approached by a woman who told me that she had been suffering a rather severe and painful physical disorder for over 20 years.  She told me that dozens of doctors, including "the Mayo Clinic" (her words), had been unable to diagnose or resolve her condition, despite her spending over $200,000 on tests and treatments.  She further told me that she had then given up on the medical establishment, and that she had spent years traveling the world, seeking out psychic surgeons in the Philippines and Australia, aboriginal healers in Australia, spiritual healers in Great Britain, and even a young male "healer guru" in India who promised to completely heal her for a one-time non-refundable $10,000 fee (in brief, he took the fee, but she was not healed.)  She had, she related, even gone to Ma Amachi, the famous guru/healer of India, and claimed also to have spent one month with John of God in Brazil as well, with no demonstrable results.  All in all, she claimed she has spent over $200,000 on medical treatments and over $250,000 on alternative treatments over the past 20-plus years, all to no avail.

She now came to her point: she asked me if I could and would promise that my work would heal her, where none had healed her before.  In reply, I asked her if she had read my website, where I make it abundantly clear in many places that I am simply a spiritual healer, and can promise no particular physical results. She replied in the affirmative -- she had, but added angrily that she was furious at all her previous doctors and alternative healers, and now would only work with practitioners who would promise a sure cure.  I refused, again, to do so.  One point I made to myself, just as a reality check, was that according to her, a number of her previous practitioners, both conventional and unconventional, and including the $10,000 male healer guru in India, had all made iron-clad promises which had proven been wrong.  Despite her obvious pressure, I was not about to allow her to engineer me into a similar situation.....

Let's pause here for a moment.... 

Can you imagine the amount of anger which this woman was carrying toward herself and toward God and the world for her condition, and the fact that it would not heal? 

Can you imagine the anger and tightness and constriction with which she was now conducting her search for the one healer who could "fix" her? 

Can you imagine the intensity of her demands upon any healer whom she approached, and, in the current case, upon myself? 

Need I say more? 

In the case of this client, I saw my primary task - even before accepting her as a client -- as helping her to realize the degree and intensity and anger of her by now rather unrealistic expectations, even before I could agree to take her for just one session.

Ultimately, despite the fact that I had refused to make any promises of physical cures, she came back a month later (after several non-productive treatments with other healers who were more willing to make promises...) and requested treatment anyway, and I agreed to perform one and only one session.  To my best knowledge, she received no physical shifts or benefits from the session, although my primary indication of this was an e-mail which she sent to me just a half-hour after I had performed the remote session.  Briefly, the e-mail stated (somewhat angrily), that, as she had expected, she had "felt nothing" during the session, and that this meant that I had failed her, as had all the others. No, she never did pay the agreed-upon donation for her session!

I hope that the above story may have given you some idea of the pressures facing some practitioners, both conventional and unconventional, to make promises of "cures", and the demands and projections made upon them by some clients!

7.  Beware Those Who Try to Pressure You to Use Their Services 

Many practitioners offer free mini-consultations, either in person or by phone. The practitioner must not try to pressure or manipulate the client into using her/his services, and, rather, must allow the client to make their own decisions freely, without pressure.  Any pressure or attempt to convince you that they or their service are the one for you is often an attempt to control, and, at worst, may indicate a practitioner with very poor boundaries and who is "out of control" themselves.

8.  Beware Those Who Try to Get You to Commit to Many Sessions or Treatments 

The practitioner must not try to manipulate the client in any way into committing to any additional sessions.  I have seen many alternative practitioners try to get a client to commit to many sessions, and even promise that if the client will just commit to a certain number of sessions, such as four, six, or twelve, then the practitioner can promise a cure.  Again, I feel strongly that the practitioner must not try to manipulate the client in any way into committing to any additional sessions.  Period.  Period.  End of topic.  Period!

I play this one really tight and conservatively: I almost always recommend only one session up front.  If the client seems overly enthusiastic about my work, or to have unrealistic expectations of my work, and seems overly-willing to commit to working with me for many sessions, then I suggest calmly that they first try just one and only one session, and then wait at least a week, to see how that felt on an inner level.  This helps overly-dependent and overly-needy clients to learn to trust themselves a bit more, and also serves to wean them from projecting all their power and strength onto me or some other practitioner.  On a more practical and immediate level, it also keeps the client from trying to build an-overly dependent relationship with me where I am seen as all-powerful or their only answer.

9. The Practitioner Must Usually Not Demand Payment Before Service is Rendered  

This is especially true for live, in-person sessions.  One very large exception that I can see, and which we have all encountered, is that when the service offered is a remote or distant service -- rendered at a distance and arranged via telephone, the Internet, or the mail.  For such services, such as telephone psychotherapy, telephone coaching, remote healing or distant healing, the practitioner may need to ask for payment up front to ensure that they will be paid by the distant client whom they have never met.  The Internet in particular has earned a bad reputation for "clients" who never pay distant practitioners if the service is rendered prior to treatment.  Indeed, many surveys and practitioners have indicated that about 60% of Internet clients for remote services will never pay their fee or donation if allowed to pay after the service is rendered.  For this reason, many practitioners who render remote or telephone-based services must often ask for fees and donations to be rendered in advance.  Again, as noted before, this problem seems worst with clients who come to practitioners via the Internet.  I personally hate to ask anyone to pay a fee or make a donation up front before rendering the service, but I have found that I must usually do so when offering services via the web (the Internet.)

10. Beware of Testimonials Which May be Too Glib 

I feel that a practitioner should use testimonials with the utmost of sensitivity and care, and with the highest ethical standards.  Among other things, I feel that a practitioner must be very careful in how they solicit testimonials.  I personally am very wary of testimonials.  I have worked in the past 7 years as a consultant for many individuals and companies in the nutritional field, alternative health field, and also in the spiritual realm, and I have repeatedly seen the whole issue of testimonials violated wildly. Indeed, I have encountered such issues so often that they seem to be the rule rather than the exception. 

I have seen (and heard) customers and clients harangued for testimonials, and have myself been harangued and pressured for the same, by practitioners and by vendors.  I have seen clients offered all kinds of benefits for giving testimonials, including free services, and I have also seen numerous fraudulent (wholly or partially fabricated) testimonials and "letters of recommendation".  I have also seen testimonials offered by friends and spouses represented as third-party testimonials by disinterested and impartial clients.  I have seen numerous testimonials offered which showed only a person's initials, and, upon inquiry, it appeared that the person and their testimonial did not really exist. I respect the fact that many practitioners feel that they may need testimonials to attract clients.  However, I feel that this issue must be handled with the utmost discretion and care.  I personally have chosen over the past several years to approach this issue in the most conservative fashion, and to refrain entirely from offering testimonials on my website and in my other outreach mediums.  The fun side of this admittedly conservative approach, for me, is that it helps me be extra sure that I am not trying to convince the client to pick me and my services, since I am not offering glowing testimonials as a possible "hook". 

When you are evaluating testimonials offered by a healer, teacher or coach, I suggest you keep the following guidelines in mind: 

Various federal laws and state laws (NY State is one of the more strict states) strictly govern usage of testimonials, especially when sent via postal mail.  I personally like very much these guidelines since they mirror very much my own sense of ethics in offering testimonials.  Some are reproduced below, in my own words.

the testimonials were rendered by the person named 

the testimonials are true 

these people were truly customers or clients 

these people are not relatives or close friends unless that fact is fully disclosed in the testimonial or in a preface to the testimonial

you (the practitioner) have on file the original copy of each testimonial 

you have on file the full name, address, and phone contact info for each person 

you have the customer's (or client's) permission to use their testimonial on a website 

each testimonial is on file and available for review by interested parties, by appointment, at your business offices 

This issue of testimonials is a particularly important one for me, since I sometimes augment my income by offering information system consulting (and mail-order consulting) and website creation to individual practitioners and to small companies in the realms of alternative health, spiritual healing, and spiritual self-help.  I personally am unwilling to be complicit in offering or placing questionable testimonials on a website for a client, and I also have no desire to face criminal or civil charges on their behalf as the author/editor of their website and their advertising material, if it turns out that their testimonials do not comply with the requirements of the law.   Thus, I created, two years ago, a boilerplate letter which I send to any and all website clients who ask me to place testimonials on their website for them.  The letter may sound a bit harsh to the uninitiated, but I suspect you will get the point:

Dear [first name]:

I have received the customer testimonials you have sent to me via e-mail, and I have entered them on the prototype Testimonials page for your website as well as a few on the prototype of the revised main page.  I am almost ready to upload the two pages to the website, but first I am required to ask you to sign off on the testimonials as authentic, true and available.  Under federal law, any company or person engaging in commerce (selling goods or services) which uses testimonials as part of the marketing, must keep on hand the original written testimonial of each person who gave a testimonial, along with the person's full name, address, phone number, etc., and must make that original copy available for viewing and verification to anyone who wishes to make an appointment to come to the company's (or practitioner's) office and view or verify those testimonials. Anything else is felony fraud under Federal law.  A few states also have laws that are even more exacting.  A few of the worst stories I have heard (of prosecution for violations) come from New York State, but apparently Florida and a few other states have very strong rules regarding use of testimonials in advertising as well. These strictures are particularly strict for postal mail advertising, so-called "direct-mail". However, I choose to apply the same level of accountability and traceability to the testimonials which my website clients ask me to place on their websites as well.  If nothing else, they help me to sleep more soundly at night!

The exposition above leads to my next question for you.  As the person who creates your web pages and maintains your website, I need to have written (e-mail is okay) certification from you that each of the testimonials you have sent to me and asked me to show on your website meets the following criteria (below.)  If you do certify that each testimonial you have sent to me meets the criteria fully, then please hit REPLY and send me an e-mail telling me so, including a copy of this entire e-mail.  Only then am I allowed to publish your webpage; this is something I make any web client who wishes to publish testimonials adhere to, in order to limit my own liability.  The criteria are: 

-- the testimonials were indeed rendered and written by the person named  

-- the testimonials are fully true  

-- these people were truly customers or clients  

-- these people are not relatives or close friends unless that fact is fully disclosed in the testimonial or in a preface to the testimonial 

-- you have on file the original copy of each testimonial  

-- you have on file the full name, address, and phone contact info for each person  

-- you have the customer's (or client's) permission to use their testimonial on a website  

-- at least some of these testimonial authors are willing to be contacted for verification by sincere interested parties, and you have full contact information available 

-- the original copy (letter or e-mail) of each testimonial is on file and available for review by interested parties, by appointment, at your business offices during business hours 

 -- you have asked me to reproduce these testimonials along with first names and city/town and state, on your website or in other marketing materials, and you give me full permission to do so and attest that you have permission fro each of these clients to reproduce their testimonials

The testimonials which you have sent me so far are reproduced below: 

~~~~~ 

~~~~~ 

~~~~~

with care, 

--Vinny 

END of sample boilerplate letter to website clients.

11. Does Your Practitioner Try to Control You or Make Your Decisions for You? 

This one is self-explanatory. Such a practitioner is very needy, has poor boundaries, and needs to manipulate and control you.  This is very disempowering for the client and cannot help the client.   

12. Beware Practitioners or Systems which Tell You the World Consists of "Us" and "Them", and that "They" are the Enemy or the Uninitiated or the Unblessed or the Unbaptized, and that They are Therefore Fair Game

This one is pretty much self-explanatory.  Briefly, I have heard stories from clients and friends who have encountered various teachers, psychotherapists, healers, systems, cults or religions which teach that the world consists of "Us" and "Them", and that "they" are fair game for lies, deceit, trickery, cheating, manipulation, or robbery, since "they" are the enemy, or uninitiated, or unblessed, or unbaptized, or simply belong to the wrong religion or government or political party.  To me, this kind of teaching is not only a very extreme and basic violation of the principles and values of civility, unconditional love, divine love and acceptance, but an attempt to control you by making you complicit in  performing illegal, unethical, uncivil, or unloving acts against others persons or organizations.  To me, this is totally contrary to the teachings of God/Being/Spirit.  

Nonetheless, I have had numerous friends and clients who have encountered such teachers, practitioners, therapists, "advisers", religions, cults or systems.  In one case, I was personally advised several years ago by a friend who was a PhD-level "Christian Psychotherapist" that the principle which she ran her life by, and which she advised most of her psychotherapy clients to follow, was as follows (paraphrased in my own words to the best of my recollection):

"The world is too big a place for us to love everyone all the time. Rather, know that you and the other members of your religion are those chosen by God, and they are your community. Give to them, and give only to them, and to them be true and fast. All other people who do not belong to our particular (Christian) religion are fair game, and we are free, under God's word, to lie to them, to cheat them, and to steal from them.  The government is even more our enemy as it is an enemy of religion and God, and is therefore fair game." 

The above example is entirely true and is a perfect example of what to beware of in any practitioner, systems, religion, or teacher.  My advice: run the other way if and when you encounter such stuff!

Guideline number 13 and onward...  I have a few more ideas percolating up from Source and Essence on this topic, and I am sure that I will be adding a few more guidelines as the days pass!  Feel free to stay tuned! 

What is Nithya Spiritual Healing?

Nithya Spiritual Healing

What is Nithya Spiritual Healing?

Nithya Spiritual Healing is a religious and spiritual prayer service to support the body's ability to heal on its own. There are seven Energy centres in our body called chakras. They have a deep relationship with our physical, mental and emotional well-being. Due to our emotions or internal disturbances, if any one of these chakras gets disturbed, disease prevails. Different diseases are associated with the different emotions and therefore with different chakras. If you can activate or energise the chakras by a meditation technique, then you can support the body's ability to heal on its own.


When asked, "Can you pass energy to people?" Swamiji says, "Certainly you can. Energy is subtle matter. When it is gross, it is Matter and when it is subtle, it is Energy. As per Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, energy becomes matter and matter becomes energy. When people asked Einstein how energy becomes matter, he replied, 'Here ends Science and starts Spirituality'. Where Einstein ends, the Upanishads start."

If you are unable to adopt the meditation techniques yourself, then another person can pray for you through the Nithya Spiritual Healing.

When asked, "Will Spiritual Healing really help?" Swamiji says, "There is no need to speak in the language of belief or faith. To know that an apple is tasty, you don't have to have any belief - just have a bite and you will know for yourself!"

Nithya Spiritual Healing is a religious and spiritual prayer service in which you are initiated in the Ananda Gandha chakra and you become a channel for the Divine Energy to flow through you. It works on the principle that Energy is Intelligence. Outwardly it is a religious healing prayer and inwardly it is meditation.

Get healed:

There are over thousand Nithya Spiritual Healers worldwide who carry forth the mission of spiritual healing prayer to humanity at large. You may contact the India ashram for contact details of the Spiritual Healers.

You may come to the ashram at any time during the day, to receive Nithya Spiritual Healing services.

What is Spirituality All About Anyway?

What is Spirituality All About Anyway?

Spirituality is the fundamental part of all of our religious and philosophical systems. It is the core of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and all other religions. It is also at the core of every thought system that we as humans have ever created:   modern physics, communism, atheism, humanitarianism, and all the others too! This is because we, as humans, all have the same basic needs and wants. Like it or not, we all wear trousers or skirts, and eat a meal or two (if we're really lucky) each day. So, spirituality is concerned with our deepest and most important desires for happiness, peace, and a bit of fun.

The spiritual part of our nature is subtle and ordinarily quite difficult to fully experience. It is usually so deep down inside of the heart that, most of the time, one can barely hear it. The many experiences and sensations of mind, body, and the external world also tend to drown it out. Thus, spiritual practice is all about learning to get in touch with our most precious part, our spiritual nature.

Spirituality builds upon personal psychology and well-being. But it is not the same thing.

For more information about the basic ideas underlying spirituality, you can read the next section.

Spiritual Teachings

Spiritual Healing

What is Spiritual Healing?

Any technique that uses subtle energies for healing.

Such energies are only now starting to be recognised by western medicine. Most eastern medical systems have acknowledged and used such forces for hundreds to thousands of years. "Chi" and "prana" are two of the better known names for these energies. They are related to, and can be directed by, a person's consciousness. Because of this, one can receive such healing forces either in the presence of, or at a distance from, the healer being worked with.

A Healing Meditation

Sometimes, if we are not completely swamped under, problems can indirectly bring about a deepening of our own wisdom and compassion for others. This can occur if we remember that life is a mixture of both good and bad circumstance, and that there are many others who have very similar--or worse--problems with just the same issues that we do.

One thing that you can do is to offer up your own pain for the benefit of others. A good technique derived from Tibetan Buddhist practices is as follows:

1) Acknowledge the problem and your pain; open to being with it; you don't have to approve of pain, but to best handle it, you need to experience it fully so that you are in a position to let go of it.

2) Realize that pain--along with pleasure--is a fundamental aspect of this world that we live in: it's a package deal--they come together.

3) Understand that lots and lots of folks have it as bad, if not much worse, than you do with exactly the same problem.

4) Muster up a little (or as much as you can) empathy for all those other folks; wish that somehow you could help them too.

5) Develop the wish to take on their sufferings with this problem through a kind of transference. Imagine that your very real pain now somehow includes a portion (if even only a tiny one) of their sufferings and thereby relieves them of some of their pain.

6) Visualize that, as well as taking on some of their suffering, you also give them some of your happiness to help them as well. You can imagine their problems coming into your heart as thick black smoke, and your goodwill streaming out to them as pleasant white light.

7) You should feel that the black smoke also helps to utterly destroy your own confusion and unhealthy relationships with your problem. This should lead to a feeling of joy.

8) If you would like, you can coordinate this visualisation and imagination with your breath. Breathe in their problems and breathe out your happiness. Breathe naturally throughout.

9) Continue with this for a while until you feel a sense of completion.

It is a wonderful practice and can help balance out the personality. And don't worry, it won't bite! It may seem practically ludicrous to go asking for more trouble on top of all that one already has, but due to the interconnected nature of the world at physical and metaphysical levels, this practice helps to open the heart and can literally contribute to physical and emotional recovery.

How to Get Free Spiritual Healing

Typically spiritual healing is used to shift subtle energy patterns that may be obstructing the healthy functioning of life in the ordinary world of mind, heart and body. Healing is usually directed to an individual but it can also be helpfully sent to practically any collection of beings or situations. In general the more specific the target for healing is, the more energy that is available to promote recovery and well-being.

Healing is not counselling! It can be used as an aid but most practitioners do not have access to sufficient power or good merit to literally shift the mental state of a client. The most practical approach for emotional and mental work is to supplement counselling with spiritual healing. The counselling helps slowly shift a person's thoughts and feelings, and the healing shifts energy patterns so that the overall change process is facilitated and quickened in a gentle way.

Methods that are commonly used for spiritual healing work include:

Prayer
Visualisation (understanding, caring, healing, protecting)
Channelling of spiritual energy (for instance: qi, prana, reiki)
Devices that transmit healing forces (for example: radionics)
Channeling of Spiritual Helpers and Guides
Personal spiritual realisation
Advanced levels of concentration
Psychic abilities
Bodhicitta (Universal Compassion)
There are some very good sites on the Internet that will help you to find the resources that are appropriate for you. For prayer support and metaphysical healing some phrases to search on include: "absent healing", "distant healing", "psychic healing", "prayer", "healing prayer", "reiki", "spiritual healing", "alternative medicine" and "complementary medicine". You will find that many churches and organisations provide free prayer support! Some links to help you get started include:

Healers
Science of Mind - Prayer Request
Distant Healing Network - Prayer Request
Silent Unity - Prayer Request
UK National Federation of Spiritual Healers - Distant Healing (contact by snail mail)
World Prayer Network - Prayer Request
Free Spiritual Healing - Choose a Session
The Reiki Page - Free Distance Healing
International Center for Reiki Training - Healing Request
World Light - Light Workers (some offer free distant healing )
The Harry Edwards Spiritual Healing Sanctuary - Request Absent Healing
   
UK Reiki Distant Healing Request Form
Free Spiritual Healing - UK Spiritual Healer
The Psychic School - Free Healing via Chat or Forum
   
Request Form for Absent or Distant Healing
Integrative Medicine Alliance - Links to Prayer and Distant Healing
   
Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Healing People - Alternative & Complementary Medicine    
Family Village - Alternative & Complementary Medicine
Holistic Online - Natural and Alternative Medicine
Alternative Medicine Introduction
World Light - Alternative Healers (some offer free distant healing)
The Alternative Medicine Homepage
Alternative Health Resources
Institute for Traditional Medicine
EarthMed - extensive listing of Alternative Practitioners
   
Yahoo - Alternative Medicine
Be Well Naturally
Kinesiology Net
Whole People
Good Health Page
Self Improvement Online
Qi Gong for Self-Healing
Yan Xin Nine-Step Qigong At a Glance
Yan Xin Qigong
Qigong Association
Yongnian Taiji
ChiLel Qigong
Qi Gong / Acupuncture Meridians
Qi Journal
   
Spiritual Counselling

What is Spiritual Counselling?

Advice and support for a person to more fully experience her or his spiritual nature.

This counselling usually only lightly touches upon areas that are normally dealt with in personal psychology (such as relations, self-image, self-worth, habits and behaviours). The major focus is upon aspects such as: faith, devotion, wisdom, compassion, spiritual techniques (eg. prayer and meditation), and spiritual experiences.

In general, counselling works best through respect. The person giving advice is at heart, really not that much different than the person asking for it! Only, the counsellor usually has had more experience about the topic being discussed. When that topic is spirituality, the aim is to empower a basically well-adjusted person to further his or her growth towards recognising and becoming part of the larger experience that we call life (or Life, depending on our way of thinking).

Spiritual Counselling FAQ

The Spiritual Path threads its way through our lives from beginning to end--whether we realise it or not. Because of this, it encompasses all levels of our gradually awakening consciousness. At first, spiritual issues revolve more around the personal level. But gradually we begin to address areas that become transpersonal and universal in scope. This is just the nature of the journey. The following link, Taking the Spiritual Path, provides some tips and ideas for working with the challenges that we occasionally encounter along our road to wholeness and well-being. You can also access free spiritual counselling via this page.

How to Get Free Spiritual Counselling

Many of the spiritual counsellors you will find via the web can help you with a broad range of topics related to spiritual and psychic life. The general areas covered usually include:
Counselling
Problems affecting spiritual practice
Personal
Relationship
Social
Personal growth
Understanding spirituality
Psychology
Personal / Humanistic
Transpersonal / Holistic
Philosophy / Science
Modern Western
Eastern Metaphysics
Techniques for spiritual growth
Transpersonal Psychotherapy
Opening the Heart
Love, Devotion, Surrender, Compassion, Contentment
Meditation
Mindfulness, Concentration, Visualisation, Energy Work
Service
One way to ask a question or request counselling is through working with your own inner resources. Parts of your being "inside" are wise, capable and do believe in you fully and whole-heartedly. The guided colour meditation available on the following page, Counselling Meditation,    will help you to honour this inner spirit and find a way to make space and quiet for it to share with you. You can actively meet with your inner heart and discover what all parts of your being have to share. Through this, both your whole and your hurt inner voices can have expression to cooperate and discover a fair solution for your entire self.

Other Places to Check for Free Spiritual Counselling

For spiritual guidance and support, some phrases to search on include: "spiritual counselling", "mental health", "spiritual teachers", "self-help", "psychotherapy", "humanistic", "transpersonal", "positive thinking", "psychosynthesis", "power of mind", "psychology" and "guidance". You will find there are many sites related to spiritual counselling, mental health, and guidance. Some links that you might want to check with include:

Guides and Counsellors
Spiritual Counselling (Buddhist perspective)
Connections Christian Counselling Services (lots of links to counselling)
   
Spiritual Emergency Resource Center (online forum for discussion)
Bulletin Boards on Spiritual Topics
Web Chat about Spirituality
Mailing Lists about Spirituality
US Association of Pastoral Counselors (check for a similar group in your country)
Imagination Forum (online forum and counseling)
   
Psychology and Psychotherapy
Mental Health Net
Internet Mental Health
   
Mental Health Internet Guide
Non-Mainstream Psychotherapy
Healing Arts (articles on somatic psychotherapy)
Bioenergetic Analysis (a style of somatic psychotherapy)
Biodynamic Psychotherapy (a style of somatic psychotherapy)
Hakomi and Hakomi Integrative Somatics
   
The Gestalt Therapy Page
C.G. Jung, Analytic Psychology and Culture
Dream Work
Keirsey Temperament Sorter - Jungian Personality Test
Psychosynthesis
International Network on Personal Meaning
Transpersonal Internet Links
   
Transpersonal Psychology Links
Commercial Sites Offering Spiritual Healing and Counselling

Why Not Free?  Well, ideally spiritual services such as counselling and healing should be free. It is a little like selling water by the riverside. Why would anyone want to sell water when the very essence of our existence is the river? Unfortunately, as you realise too, this world is often far removed from such understanding. Most of us choose to live within the bounds of civilisation and its rules. And this brings us back to the hustle of money and marketing and selling and buying.

Just use your ordinary common sense when doing your esoteric shopping and you should do fine. The same rules of business apply to these services as for any others. So, you will find a broad spectrum of people offering you counselling and healing. And the range is enormous. It spans from those wanting simply to make a living to those that are mainly intent on spiritual development but find themselves in need of an income. It is safe to say that most people you may choose to work with will fall somewhere in the middle of this range.

One thing you should be aware of is that psychic abilities or healing powers do not necessarily equate to spirituality. Thus, try to keep a clear boundary in your mind regarding what is on offer. Judge healers and counsellors in terms of their ability to heal and counsel. This will help keep you from being disappointed or disillusioned as many a very capable psychic healer may be very ordinary in other regards. As long as you get the service you require this will not matter too much. But be wary of assuming advanced spirituality where it may not be present. You can use your experiences in the presence of genuine and traditional teachers to evaluate what similar--if any--effects your healer or counsellor may bring to your heart.

Spiritual service as commercial enterprise is not all bad since an adequate income frees the professional to fully focus on providing the very best quality service. And because some people in this field are really more interested in spiritual development than making money, you can at times get excellent value for your investment. Shop around. As with all things, quality varies and often word of mouth is the best endorsement. Try to use your discrimination and trust your heart when choosing such services. If you have access to friends who are knowledgeable in these areas, you might like to check with them before you buy.

Commercial Sites

Spiritual Counselling
Transpersonal Psychotherapy (select the Spiritual Counselling link)  
Meditation Therapy
Spiritual Healing
Transpersonal Psychotherapy (select the Spiritual Healing link)  
Disclaimer: What Results Can You Expect?

Spiritual Healing can be tricky. Sometimes it can work, sometimes not. You can rest assured that the healers and counsellors available to you through the links on this page will do the best they can for you. But they can't promise you a complete cure. At the least, you will have some goodwill sent your way and perhaps your day will be a bit better. They wish that for you.

It is important for you to understand the strengths of the two major schools of healing practice and how they should be used. Standard (also called conventional or allopathic) medicine often provides direct and immediate relief for disease and illness. But it can be quite invasive and drastic in its approach, and often deals with the symptoms and not the causes of a problem. Still, at times, a conventional approach can be the treatment of choice. For instance, a course of antibiotics may be prescribed for a threatening bacterial infection.

Alternative (also called complementary or holistic) medicine tends to have a much broader view of health and human nature. Thus, treatments are mostly directed toward the underlying causes of sickness and discomfort rather than surface symptoms. As an example, a client presenting with stiffness in the neck and a headache might receive a conventional diagnosis of headache due to neck tension. In contrast, an acupuncturist might consider both the headache and neck tension as symptoms of an underlying imbalance in specific subtle energy flows. At times, alternative approaches can be as effective, or even more effective, than conventional methods. For instance, cranial osteopathy, acupuncture, homoeopathy, naturopathy and electronic medicine all have excellent results in particular applications. Because holistic medicine treats the whole being in a non-invasive way, it is preferable in many situations. Also, it is almost always useful as a supplement to conventional techniques.

Thus, there is a balance that needs to be made. Both conventional and alternative methods have a legitimate place in health care. Selection of an appropriate style of treatment depends on which approach offers the most effective, and least disrupting, way to regain health. At times, a combination of both approaches--allopathic and holistic--works best.

In contrast to healing work, spiritual counselling is more certain and manageable. That is, as with all psychotherapy, success in spiritual counselling can be predicted fairly accurately. The most important factor is your motivation! Studies have shown that, overwhelmingly, client motivation makes or breaks therapy. The second most important factor is the personal quality of the therapist. Look for someone whom you will feel comfortable being around. A good therapist will be empathic and caring. She or he will accept you as you are and encourage you in your growth. Nevertheless, it is good to remember that much of the result will come from your own efforts and steadfast perseverance. A counsellor can provide you a sounding board for your ideas and offer some advice, but it is your life, and in the end, only you can make things go the way you would like for them to.

Links to Spirituality

The web hosts a veritable ocean of material on spirit-related topics. Phrases to search on include: "spirituality, mysticism, psychic, spirit, soul, oversoul, higher self, consciousness, higher consciousness, cosmic consciousness, universal consciousness, subtle awareness, enlightenment, gnosis, transcendental experience, samadhi, satori, buddhahood, clear light, mahamudra, dzogchen, insight, mystical union, emptiness, cloud of unknowing, dark night of soul, infinite mind, bliss, ecstasy, compassion, wisdom, love, devotion, surrender, service, dharma, truth, eternal verities, reality, esoteric law, divine, celestial, heaven, pure land, causal dimension, angel, deva, dakini, dharma protector, spirit guide, inner guidance, ascended masters, God, Allah, Yahweh, Great Spirit, Vajradhara, Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, infinity, saint, prophet, world teacher, messiah, shaman, kahuna, guru, lama, rinpoche, sufi, fakir, monk, yogi, karma, afterlife, reincarnation, transmigration, past lives, vipassana, zen, yoga, faith, meditation, concentration, visualisation, mantra, prayer, rosary, inner work, toning, bhajan, kirtan, chant, tantra, energy medicine, complementary medicine, alternative medicine, holistic health, subtle energy, vital energy, radionics, aura, qigong, chi, qi, ki, prana, astral body, subtle body, chakra, timeless, dreamtime, transpersonal, humanistic, psychotherapy, cognitive psychology, collective unconscious, alaya, archetype, parapsychology, psi, modern philosophy, theology, mythology, new physics, neural network, associative, synchronicity, hologram, parallel universes, morphogenetic resonance, multidimensional, biofield, bioenergy, kirlian, mental health, positive thinking, self-help, self-actualised, power of mind, mental power, lucid dreaming, supernatural, occult, theosophy, spiritism, alchemy, kabbalah, mysteries, miracle, magic, atlantis, lemuria, pyramid, ufo, esp, extrasensory perception, extra-terrestrials, obe, out of body experience, astral travel, alternate reality, channelling, lightwork, clairvoyant, clairaudient, remote viewing, psychokinesis, telepathy, distant healing, absent healing, religion, paranormal, astrology, new age, gaia, one world, earth change, ascension, crystal, interconnectedness, inter-relatedness, holism, dimensional shift, higher octave, sacred, holy, blessed."

Some links that you might enjoy visiting include:


Spiritual Masters
Meher Baba
Sai Baba
Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Paramahansa Yogananda
Ramana Maharshi
Tibetan Rinpoches
Saints of the World
   
Buddhism
Buddhist Studies WWW Virtual Library
DharmaNet International
Access to Insight
BuddhaNet - Buddhist Information Network
Tibetan Buddhist Studies WWW Virtual Library
Quiet Mountain - Tibetan Buddhism
Osel Shen Phen Ling - FPMT Center
Dhargyey Buddhist Centre
Tsurphu Foundation - Gyalwa Karmapa
Amdo - Tibetan Buddhist Resources
   
Other Spiritual Traditions
Sufi Resources
Ridhwan Organisation - Teachings of A.H. Almaas
   
Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Spirituality, Monasticism and Mysticism (mostly Christian focus)
A Course in Miracles
Hindu Tantra
Transcendental Meditation
Subud
   
Rumi
Adi Da


Spiritual / New Age Directories
Spirit -WWW
The New Age Directory
NewAge On-Line Australia
New Age Web Works
SpiritSite
Beliefnet
Lightworks
Enlightened Planetary Civilisation
Religion WWW Virtual Library
World Wide Online Meditation Center
   
Spiritual, NewAge and Self-Help Magazines
ConsciousNet - Directory of Magazines
New Frontier
Tricycle Buddhist Review
Self-Help & Psychology
Society for Scientific Exploration
What is Enlightenment?
Religion
Miracles
Psychology of Religion
Comparative Religion
WWWVL - Religion
Table of Faiths
Metaphysics : Multiple Meanings
   
World Religions, Beliefs and Practices

Consciousness
PSYCHE Journal
Journal of Consciousness Studies
Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness
University of Arizona : Consciousness Studies
Neuro-Psychoanalysis
   
Online Papers on Consciousness
Brain Mapping Sites
Neurosciences on the Internet
Mind Tools
Altered States
Tools For Exploration
Mind Machine Research
Tools & Techniques for Mental Fitness
InnerTalk - Progressive Awareness Subliminal Tapes
Brain Sync Tapes
The Monroe Institute
Patrick Flanagan - the Neurophone (more info via email at www.flantech.com)
Australian Bush Flower Essences
Radionics
   
Electro-Acupuncture - MORA Therapy
About This Web Page

The Spiritual Healing/Counselling and Spiritual Teachings web pages were conceived and developed in 1995 as a free service for all those who are interested in spiritual development and understanding. Their author works as an alternative practitioner of transpersonal counselling, kinesiology and osteopathy. He has blended these three streams into a unique approach that fosters personal growth within a context of spiritual awareness and healing. As well, the author still maintains these pages as an ongoing offering to the greater community.

If you would like further support after checking through the links on this and related pages, you might want to consider visiting the author's commercial web site Transpersonal Psychotherapy.    It provides access to online professional services including spiritually-oriented counselling and spiritual healing.


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Ghazi Mohsin Spiritual Healing in Mumbai India

Spiritual Healing Spirituality involves the recognition and acceptance of a God beyond our own intelligence and with whom we can have a relationship. This God can provide an experience of inspiration, joy, security, peace of mind, and guidance that goes beyond what is possible in the absence of the conviction that such a power exists. Spiritual healing is when energy is transmitted to the person who needs it. The treatment works on the body, mind and spirit, which are seen as one unit that must harmonize for good health. If a separate healer is involved, the healer will place the hand on the person being treated to channel the energy from the Higher Source. The spiritual healing can help mental and emotional problems and physical conditions such as a frozen shoulder. What is spiritual healing? The channeling of healing energy from its spiritual source to someone who needs it is called spiritual healing. The channel is usually a person, whom we call a healer, and the healing energy is usually transferred to the patient through the healer's hands. The healing does not come from the healer, but through him. On the other hand, you don’t need a healer to take advantage of spiritual healing. You can pray. A full treatmnet of prayer and healing is found elsewhere. The word "spiritual" refers to the divine nature of the energy, which healers agree comes from one external, invisible intelligent source. The healing energy from this source is available to all. Healers see the body mind and spirit as one interdependent unit and believe all three must work in harmony to maintain positive health. Any problem - be it a broken leg or depression needs the power of healing to restore the balance of the whole person. It is felt that sickness often starts in the mind, or at the deeper level of the spirit, and it is often here that healing begins. New Age and The Dawning of a New Era New Age is a loose term that includes everything from self improvement programs to awareness of mind-body connections. The movement is growing by leaps and bounds. Time magazine reported that in 1996, about 44 million Americans identified with the healing movement. It is estimated that Americans alone spend about $1.5 billion annually on books about spirituality and religion. About 42 percent of Americans have sought out alternative health care. So, there is no doubt that the movement is catching on. "There is a hunger for being connected with a divine force. The hunger is not just for philosophy, but for experience," says James Redfield, author of ‘Celestial Prophecy’. "The consciousness I am describing – the perception of synchronisticity, mysterious coincidences – represent great opportunities to grow. That process works whether you are a brain surgeon or sacking groceries. Consciousness has the ability to break cycles of poverty." Spirituality vs. Religion Spirituality can be seen as being distinct from religion. Different world religions have proposed various doctrines and belief systems about the nature of a God and humanity's relationship with it. Spirituality, on the other hand, refers to the common experience behind these various points of view. It is an experience involving an awareness of and relationship with something that transcends your personal self as well as the human order of things. This "something" has been given various names ("God" being the most popular in Western Society) and defined in ways that are too numerous to count. We call it simply as the God. You can choose to define what that means for yourself in whatever way feels most appropriate. Your own sense of a God can be as abstract as "cosmic consciousness" or as down-to-earth as the beauty of the ocean or mountains. Even if you regard yourself an agnostic or atheist, you may get a sense of inspiration from taking a walk in the forest or contemplating a beautiful sunset. Or a small child's smile may give you a special sense of joy. Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard University and author of ‘Relaxation Response’ conducted scientific experiments to determine efficacy of prayer or mantra. Benson believed that there is no magic to the mantra. He taught people to meditate using the word one or any other phrase they felt comfortable. He studied Christians and Jews who pray regularly. He asked Catholics to use their mantra phrases such as, "Hail Mary, full of grace" or use the Jesus Prayer. Jews used the peace greeting, "Shalom" or "Echad," meaning one. Protestants used the first line of the Lord’s Prayer, "Our father, who art in heaven," or "Lord is my shepherd," the opening of the twenty-third psalm. Initially, all these mantras worked equally well in invoking the relaxation response and stimulating the healthful physiological changes in the body as a result of it. But Benson also found that those who used the word one or similar simple phrases that had no particular spiritual meaning did not stick with the program whereas those who used prayers continued because of their belief. It has also been scientifically shown that to be effective, the person using the prayer of mantra has to have an unqualified faith that it will work. This is described by the scientists as intrinsic belief, characterized by profound spiritual commitment, devotion and quest for a truly transformed life. Thus, religious component in the spirituality is certainly very useful, and in fact may be needed, before the full benefits of spiritual healing can be realized. There is much healing and benefit to be obtained by cultivating your spiritual life. A personal spiritual commitment is the most important ingredient. Spiritual awareness and growth can effect a transformation in your whole being. It can help you to develop a basic trust and faith that is unshakable. Scientists call this intrinsic belief. Many have experienced major turnarounds in their condition as a result of cultivating their spirituality. They feel that developing a relationship with their God provided the moral support, courage, hope, and faith for them to follow through with their personal recovery program. It provided them with a sense that they are not alone in the universe, and that there is a source of guidance and support that is available at times of confusion and discouragement. Specific Benefits of Developing Your Spirituality Edmund Bourne, author of ‘The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook,’ has described a number of benefits to spirituality as it applies to healing emotional problems. Dr. Burke has personal experience of his patients benefiting from a deep spirituality. He has listed a number of benefits that are gained through spirituality. These are: Security and Safety Through developing a connection with God, you gain security through the conviction that you are not all alone in the universe, even at those times when you feel temporarily separated from other people. You feel increasingly safe as you come to believe that there is a source you can always turn to in times of difficulty. As the twenty third psalm says, "God is my shepherd," he will take care of me and won’t let me get into trouble if I trust him. There is much security to be gained through the understanding that there is no problem or difficulty that cannot be resolved through the help of God. Peace of Mind Peace of mind is the result of feeling a deep, abiding sense of security and safety. The more reliance and trust you develop in God, the easier it becomes to deal without fear or worry with the inevitable challenges life brings. It is not that you give up your self or your will to such a power; rather you simply learn that you can "let go" and turn to God when you feel stuck with a problem in living and don't know how to proceed. Learning how to let go when solutions to problems aren't immediately apparent can go a long way toward reducing worry and anxiety in your life. Peace of mind is what develops in the absence of such anxiety. Self-Confidence As you develop a relationship with God, you come to realize that he has created you and hence he has found something good in you. You are part of the universe. You're good, lovable, and worthy of respect just by virtue of the fact that you're God’s creation. This realization can improve the way you look at yourself and will help you to improve your ego and what you think of yourself. You are still inherently good and worthwhile. Your own judgments of yourself, however negative, do not ultimately count if you are a creation of the universe as much as everything else. As one person put it: "God doesn't make junk." The Capacity To Give and Receive Unconditional Love The most fundamental characteristic of God is that it offers you an experience of unconditional love. This is a kind of love which differs from romantic love or even ordinary friendship. It entails an absolute caring for the welfare of another without any preconditions. That is, no matter how another person appears or acts, you have compassion and care for them without judgment. As you develop a deeper connection with God, you come to experience greater degrees of unconditional love in your life. You feel your heart opening more easily to people and their concerns. You feel freer of judgment toward them or of making comparisons among them. Unconditional love shows up both in your increased capacity to give love to others and to experience more of it coming into your life. You begin to experience less fear and more joy in your life and help to inspire others to experience their own capacity for unconditional love. This kind of love also manifests itself through the experience of having everything you need in your life to get on with what you want to do. Guidance Developing a relationship with God will provide you with guidance for making decisions and solving problems. God has a universal wisdom that goes beyond what you can accomplish through your own intellect. In traditional religions this has been referred to as the "divine intelligence." Through connecting with God, you can draw upon this greater wisdom to help you resolve all kinds of difficulties. By learning to ask God for guidance, you'll be surprised to find that every sincere request sooner or later is answered. And the quality of that answer generally exceeds what you could have figured out through your own conscious intellect or will. Here, God is like your co-pilot. God is always available in the instant of need to those who have made a habit of waiting quietly before Him for insight and guidance. Follow these guidelines for an effective relationship with God: Be quiet, patient, and open before God Be confident that he will communicate his wishes and help you execute them. Do not tempt God or make terms with Him. Gandhi said, "Not until we have reduced ourselves to nothingness, can we conquer the evil in us. God demands nothing less than complete self-surrender as the price for the only real freedom that is worth having. And when a man thus loses himself, he immediately finds himself in the service of all that lives. It becomes his delight and his recreation." Be willing to accept what God provides. He knows best. "Thy will, not mine, be done." Have full trust in the wisdom of God. Ask for God’s help. Do not instruct him on what to do. Let God speak to you through his Word. Read spiritual and religious books such as the Bible and learn about the rules of victorious living. These are some of the characteristics that define a close relationship with God. All of them can significantly contribute to your personal healing process. The extent and sincerity of your commitment will determine the degree of personal healing you experience. Outside Help: Healing Practitioners, Intercessory Prayers, etc. Healers: Healers believe that everyone has a healing mechanism that flows as an energy force around the body, mind and spirit to keep them in perfect order. Unfortunately, stress, an inadequate diet, a negative attitude and other adverse factors can block our healing mechanism so that it cannot function correctly and we get ill. Spiritual healing provides the energy needed to crank our own healing mechanism back into action. When a healer lays his hand on you, he acts as a conductor or channel for the healing energy which he believes has the "intelligence" to go where it is needed.  Healers say that all of us have the power to heal, if we choose to develop it. However, some do seem to have a healing gift. Healing does not always work at a physical level; the illness may remain but the ability to cope with it improves. Sometimes it does not work at all. This may be because the sick person "blocks" the healing forces - some people subconsciously prefer to be ill. It may also be because we "need" to remain ill. Healing is not just about living well, but also dying well. People healed when they are dying may die more peacefully. Typically, to begin the treatment the healer will attune with the healing energy. Then he may scan your body, with his hands hovering just above you. This scanning is to take a reading of your body's energy levels and to locate areas of low or blocked energy where healing is needed. How long the healer spends on each area is determined by your body's needs. Generally, the session lasts about an hour. All healers work in this way, but some employ additional healing tools such as visualization, past lives therapy, aura healing or they may concentrate on using the "chakras" the seven main energy centers of the body. During the treatment you may feel heat coming from the healer's hands, although some people feel a draught, a tingling sensation, pins and needles, or a feeling of fight-headedness. Afterwards, most people say they feel relaxed and peaceful, although you might feel thirsty or sleepy. Leave a few days or a week between sessions to give the healing time to work. Intercessory Prayers: Many Christians ask saints and others to intercede on their behalf. People pray for others. Your chance of healing can be improved substantially if you can get others to pray for you. The scientific evidence for the efficacy of such prayers is described elsewhere. Which problems can Spiritual Healing help? Spiritual healing can help with any problem, mental, physical or emotional. Healers are especially effective for musculo-skeletal problems. such as frozen shoulders, stiff necks and bad knees. The medical problems which were healed by prayer are described elsewhere. What Can You Do To Develop Your Spiritual Life You can deepen your commitment to spirituality through any of the following means: Regular participation in church or your preferred spiritually based organization. Regular reading of inspirational literature of your preference. It's good to do this at least once per day, either upon awakening, during your lunch break, or before retiring. Regular practice of meditation. Regular practice of prayer or spiritual affirmations. Get help from others (Healing practitioners, intercessory prayer, etc.) Join a prayer group or get involved in a 12-step program that is relevant to your needs. (The 12-step programs offer many people a well-conceived and effective approach for healing addictions. Although they began with Alcoholics Anonymous 50 years ago, they now include a wide range of programs such as Emotions Anonymous, Co-Dependents Anonymous, and so on. Consult your local chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism for a list of 12-step groups in your area.)