What is Spirituality?

Since you are here, reading this article, you’re either spiritually ‘oriented’ or are at least curious about it.  For those whose curiosity is getting the best of them, let me shed some light on what spirituality really is.

So, what IS this illusive thing that people go looking for called Spirituality? 
Well, Spirit is a  life force, it’s the vital energy that makes us alive, it’s the spark of the Divine Source that is in every living thing. Spirit has consciousness of it’s own.  We are all uniquely distinctive souls but the one commonality we all share is the spiritual force.  Confused?  Well, envision it this way:  Imagine an automobile of your choice.  The outside shell of the car is your physical body; the driver is your soul that steers the vehicle in different directions; and the gas that fuels the vehicle is your spirit.   By the very fact that we are alive, we are already spiritual; we do not have to go looking for it.

How many times have you said “I have this hunch”, or “I have a strong gut feeling”,  (don’t deny it, you know you have).  It’s the ‘knowing’ we all have but refuse to listen to, only to hear ourselves say ‘I knew it’ when it’s too late.  No, it’s not your gut talking to you (unless of course you have a talking gut, in which case I want to interview you), no, it’s your intuition.  Your intuition is how our soul communicates with us.

If we are already spiritual, why then do so many people spend a lifetime looking for spirituality and they never find it?   You cannot find what is not lost or already is. What these people are really looking for is spiritual awareness, an awareness of that which gives us life and mobility; an awareness of self.   When you become aware of your intuition, you are aware of your spiritual self.  You can deny it all you want, it’s there regardless.  Your spiritual awareness begins when you decide it does.  We are all spiritual beings in a physical body.  Your spiritual awareness can be developed consciously but your spirit is already complete as is. 

You will not find your spirituality in Tibet or high on the mountain or in the hut of some spiritual guru. There is no place to look for it, because you are already there. The awareness of spirituality comes with the desire to be spiritually aware. Once you decide that it is what you want, all of a sudden opportunities will come to you to learn more about it.  So, if all of a sudden you find yourself interested in spiritual material like books, authors, etc., congratulations, you are communicating with your soul!

March 11, 2010  No Comments

Do You Live The Life You Desire?

There comes a time in every person’s life when you look at yourself and wonder what became of all your dreams and plans for the future. What happened to that future? Is it too late now? Can I create a meaningful lifestyle?

I read in the paper about this man in a small town who had been working in the same office since he was young and now at 55 he discovered he never really wanted to work there. And so he opened his own little bakery, which had been his childhood dream, and started a completely new and more satisfying life.

If this ordinary man could do this, you can too. You have the power to make changes. What do you want to do with your life? The possibilities are waiting round the corner. It’s never too late to take the first step towards a different and better future.

Don’t let anyone ruin your dream!

Yes, it is scary. Taking a jump into the unknown takes a little courage. You know what you have but not what you get. You have to be brave. People around you are going to ask questions about the changes in your life when they start noticing those changes. Are you prepared to face their curiosity? Some of those people will be doubtful and maybe even advise you not to do what you have decided to do. They will tell you it’s a bad idea and suggest you are acting unwisely. But they don’t know the whole story behind your decision. You are the only one who can tell what is right for you. If you have decided to make a change, then stick to your plans and be careful as to whom you talk to about them. Keep it a secret from most people at the beginning. You will notice that some people’s reactions will steal your energy, and that is not what you need at this stage. What you need is encouragement.

Don’t let anyone ruin your dream. Tell your plans only to a few people who are able to encourage you. Maybe they are your old friends; maybe they are new contacts and associates. Your closest friends are often more likely to feel a little threatened by your new ideas and would prefer it if you didn’t change. But they will get used to it eventually.

“To dare is to lose your foothold for a moment; not to dare is to lose yourself.” This is not, as many believe, a Kierkegaard quotation. But still as true.

What were your old dreams? Maybe you have forgotten all about them. If they still are important to you in any way, you owe yourself the possibility of bringing them into the light again. It’s possible to fulfil some of your dreams. Why not take your first step today?

I have promised myself never to stop planning for my dreams to come true. And planning is more than dreaming. It’s the first step to actually seeing it happen.

Author: Ingela Berger

August 19, 2009  No Comments

The Mystery of Hypnotherapy

Most people have all sorts of ideas about hypnosis, usually gathered from the press and entertainment, including movies and stage hypnosis – totally understandable but mostly wrong………..

What then is hypnotherapy you ask?

Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnotic techniques (hypnosis) to utilize states of deep relaxation.  Durring this state, the therapist assists clients to understand their issues and concerns in order to enhance self-growth and personal effectiveness. The Hypnotherapist facilitates physical, emotional and/or mental health in individuals who fail to respond to other therapeutic interventions. Hypnotherapy focuses on the causes and effects of symptoms, unravels the causal mysteries of physical, emotional and behavioural symptoms to reduce and/or eliminate them.

Hypnotherapy helps change attitudes, which is the key to changing behavior. With hypnotherapy, the client is empowered, and made independent enough to solve his/her own problems. With the help of hypnosis a person can change behaviors that would otherwise seem difficult, if not impossible, to change.

Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not a state of deep sleep.  During hypnosis, clients experience enhanced state of awareness and remain fully aware and in total control of their surroundings and situation.

It is important to note, however, that hypnotherapy is not talk therapy, and does not include advising, diagnosing or prescribing. That would be the domain of other professionals.  The primary aim of hypnosis itself is self-healing, and self change. The hypnotherapist’s  job is to assist the client to achieve those natural states of mind where healing and change best happen. Hypnotherapy is especially useful for tapping into that awesome power of the human mind and one’s inner resources.

How does it work?

Hypnosis works by altering our state of consciousness in such a way that the analytical left-hand side of the brain (also known as the conscious), is turned off while the non-analytical right-hand side, (known as the subconscious), is made more alert.  The conscious control of the mind is inhibited, and the subconscious mind awakened.  Since the subconscious mind is a deeper-seated, more instinctive force than the conscious mind, this is the part which has to change for the client’s behaviour and physical state to alter.

Have you ever found yourself daydreaming or concentrating on something that the world around you just seemed to disappear?  If you answered “yes”, then you were in a state of natural hypnosis.  We experience it every day of our lives while driving, reading an interesting book, intensely watching a movie, etc.

How can hypnotherapy help me?

Hypnotherapy can be applied to many psychological, emotional and physical problems.  It is used to relieve pain in surgery and dentistry and has proved to be of benefit in obstetrics.  It can shorten the delivery stage of labour and reduce the need for painkillers.  It can ease the suffering of the disabled and those facing terminal illness, and it has been shown to help people to overcome addictions such as smoking and alcoholism, eating disorders, weight management and stress, to name a few.

Children are generally easy to hypnotize and can be helped with nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting) and chronic asthma, whilst teenagers can conquer stammering or blushing problems which can otherwise make their lives miserable.

Phobias of all kinds lend themselves well to hypnotherapy as well, and anyone suffering from panic attacks or obsessive compulsive behaviour, and stress-related problems like insomnia, may benefit.  Conditions exacerbated by tension, such as irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis and eczema, can be addressed using these techniques.

It is very important that the client wants to change some behavioural habit or addiction and is highly motivated to do so.  Client must want the treatment to work, and in order to do so, must establish a good clinical rapport with the therapist.

Whatever your goals are, hypnosis can help you achieve them more easily and more quickly. Many people don’t realize the awesome power that their subconscious mind has over their lives. The causes of so many “bad habits” are rooted in memories or perceptions that may be forgotten by the conscious mind but retained in the subconscious. Hypnosis helps to access the subconscious mind and effect the desired changes more easily and more quickly.

When choosing a Hypnotherapist, it is important to be sure they are affiliated with the Association of Registered Clinical Hypnotherapists (ARCH)

“Our subconscious mind is an amazing mechanism and while being extremely complicated, it holds all the tools necessary for self-healing.

July 31, 2009  No Comments