My Core Theoretical Approach is Integrative:
The Connections Model I am trained to use, integrates concepts drawn from four different theoretical approaches, creating a solid conceptual framework, enabling me to tailor the most effective approach to meet each persons presenting needs.
The Connections Model views the self as being made up of four aspects, mind, body, emotion and soul. The Connections Model suggests that each of these parts may have become disconnected due to adverse and/or life stages and experiences. The aim is to help the client gain awareness of the state of connection or disconnection between these parts and to facilitate the connection and integration process, giving voice to each part in a compassionate way, so that the needs of each part may be met, providing the opportunity for a collaborative connection.
When considering the most appropriate concept or intervention to help me to understand and respond to each clients presenting needs, The Connections Model informs the choice of theory and concept to use. The theoretical approaches include, Person Centred, Gestalt, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Transpersonal.
Person Centred:
The therapeutic relationship is at the heart of the work I do. The Connections Model guides me to use Person Centred Concepts, to help develop and maintain the therapeutic relationship and to explore the relationship between aspects of the clients self. I aspire to the core conditions of empathy, acceptance and congruence in order to offer each client the relational experience of openness, acceptance and understanding. I do this because if a client experiences acceptance and empathy they may be able to eventually offer this to themselves and this is likely to have a positive impact on their mental health and wellbeing.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy:
I use CBT in a humanistic way, respecting the client's autonomy, using concepts from this approach to work with the client's core beliefs and negative automatic thoughts, helping clients to manage expectations, identify their goals for therapy and reflecting on the ways in which the client will know when the goal is achieved.
Gestalt:
The Connections Model guides me to use Gestalt to work with the clients body and emotions and to give voice to their inner world. The core of the Gestalt therapeutic process is enhanced awareness of sensation, perception, bodily feelings, emotion and behaviour with particular emphasis on working in the present moment.
During our formative years there may have been a lot that we weren’t able to speak or emotions we weren’t able to express. There may have been thoughts and beliefs that we internalised and accepted as our own, but that conflicted with our own values and internal experience.
Our bodies may have been abused or subjected to repression, and our souls authentic expression repressed or denied in order to be accepted, creating a disconnect from our authentic nature and true self expression.
Gestalt informs us that we can have unresolved business in response to having not completed our emotional or physical experience in the here and now. Unfinished business can create disconnection from different parts of ourselves, others and from our environment.
Gestalt theory also informs us about the ways in which we may be creating an interruption to completing our emotional or physical experience and helps us to understand ways in which we might be preventing ourselves from expressing our emotions.
Gestalt theory guides me to consider ways in which we might connect these fragmented parts and complete unresolved experiences, by working creatively with clients to help bring things into awareness and integrate previously disowned parts of ourselves.
Transpersonal:
The Connections Model guides me to use Transpersonal concepts to give voice to the clients soul, providing an opportunity to work with other aspects of counselling such as metaphor, visualisation and imagery.
When a client is struggling to give meaning or convey a personal experience conceptually, metaphor and visualisation can provide a really helpful insight into that which the client is struggling to understand or convey, helping to connect the client with their innate values, meaning and purpose.
The overall aim of my approach is to offer my own state of connectedness and presence to each session, focussing on each persons unique agenda in a relational way.
Our Suffering Can Be a Powerful Catalyst for Change:
Our suffering can be a powerful catalyst for change, awakening the call to seek answers from within, returning us to our own source of wisdom and spiritual empowerment.
Are you ready to understand trauma healing from a body, mind and soul/energetic level ?
I am a holistic practitioner who incorporates energy healing into my personal and professional practice, viewing energy healing as complimentary, not as a substitute for conventional medical treatment for serious health conditions.
The effectiveness of energy healing practices are primarily supported by anecdotal evidence and personal testimonials, not by rigorous scientific studies or measurable data which can make to difficult to quantify and convey.
Energy healing is based on the principles of physics, which suggests that everything in the universe is made up of energy and how you consciously interact with that energy plays a key role in shaping your reality.
Energy healing is a form of alternative medicine that suggests the human body is a dynamic system of energy and consciousness.
Some alternative Practitioners believe that by focussing intention, harnessing ‘life force energy’ (like Qi or Prana) and shifting ones consciousness, it is possible to influence the body’s physical and emotional states and activate it's self healing capacity.
Qi refers to life force or energy that flows through all living things. It’s a central concept in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts, believed to be present in all living things (including humans, animals and plants)
Qi flows through the body along pathways known as meridians. When the Qi is blocked or disrupted, it can lead to physical, emotional or spiritual problems. Quantum techniques like Acupuncture, Qigong and Tai Chi are all used to help Qi flow better.
By guiding you into deeper states of awareness and using various holistic modalities such as the use of self directed compassion, we can shift energy and support healing by way of mindful intention, allowing you to access your subconscious where the trauma is stored, feel it and release it.
Whenever we are confronted with difficult emotions about any issue in our life, we can use these feelings as a doorway to identify the root of the related issue, so that we increase our awareness of the issue that is arising and heal it using our own self directed loving and compassionate hearts.
What Is The Compassion Key ?
The Compassion Key is a manifestation tool and self directed energetic healing modality, for those who are ready to understand trauma healing from a holistic and spiritual perspective.
The Compassion Key refers to the application of self directed compassion, helping a client to identify the thoughts, feelings, sensations as they arise, creating an identified focus for the work.
The source of the loving energy and compassion is identified by the client as unique to them ie God, Source, Creation, Our Higher Self, The Universe, whichever phrase resonates for them.
The Compassion Key provides an opportunity to give voice to and work with the clients thoughts, feelings, sensations and intuitive, soulful aspects of them selves, their felt sense and inner voice, using visualisation, imagery, metaphor and dreams, helping to increase awareness of their message, meaning and purpose.
Inviting the client to visualise sending warm loving heart energy towards the wounded aspects of themselves, provides an opportunity to simultaneously validate and re integrate previously fragmented and wounded aspects of themselves back to wholeness.
That which we meet with compassion dissolves, providing an opportunity to take care of our own subjective experience and suffering with a simple and yet self empowering intention.
Embodying Presence:
When you sit with someone, you become a vessel of pure presence, you give total attention to that person. Gradually without knowing it you develop the capacity of just sitting there and give giving complete attention to another, so you gradually step out of being totally identified with a modality and become truly effective the moment you become a field of awareness or presence rather than a person simply sitting with the other.
Another person may join you in this field of presence and out of that presence healings, insights, realisations and answers may arise. If you are fully present, the right words will come up.
Some of my most profound personal healing experiences and insights have arisen during heart centred connection with nature, wildlife and horses, sentient sovereign beings who are not identified with mind, conscious beings of pure awareness, frequency holders…… I believe that true healing happens through embodying presence within ourselves while holding space for others.
If you would like to find out more about booking a personal counselling or compassion key session with me......please email: Rachel.integrativetherapy@gmail. com