In this resource section I cover asking for help, books to read and how I can help you.
This section is by no means complete. Throughout the book, I have said ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help,’ so I wanted to give you some understanding of what type of help there is. In my years of experience as a therapist, I have found that clients feel disempowered at times by therapists. My aim here is to give you information that will empower you to ask good questions before you make a booking, and to know your rights when it comes to therapy, so that you can make the right decision for yourself based on your own good judgement and intuition.
Many people decide to train in a specific therapy and become a therapist instead of actually going into process as a client. If you do want to become a therapist, you will become a stronger, more authentic therapist if you begin as a client and make a good start on your own work before beginning any training programmes. You will also gain the knowledge of what it is like to be a client, which enhances your personal skills if you decide to become a therapist!
There are so many types of therapies to choose from it can be very confusing. I’ve listed and categorized some of the therapies here to make it a bit easier. I have not included all the different types of therapies that exist, just the more common ones. My descriptions are not definitive; they are brief, to give you a taste of what the therapy is about. If something appeals to you, I do urge you to look further into it to help you make up your mind.
Counselling: talking with someone to help you gain perspective on your life situation, this is non-directive, no advice is given and it is driven by the client i.e. the client chooses what to talk about. Counselling usually takes about four to six sessions to work through an issue.
Psychotherapy: this can be more directive, in that once it is clear what the client is looking to do, the therapist takes a more active role; they can suggest techniques and a direction to work in, using different processes to help create transformation. There may be homework in the form of tasks to do (such as keeping a journal), so for this reason several sessions may be required.
Psychoanalysis: very intensive, where the psychoanalyst studies your thought patterns and history and makes a diagnosis over many sessions. You do most of the talking, the therapist asks questions and traditionally sits behind you, out of eye contact. This may involve going back to trauma and childhood events, talking about dreams, etc.
Bereavement Counselling: a specialized form of counselling that helps you move on from a loss in your life – any kind of loss, not just the loss of a loved one.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: this psychotherapeutic process concentrates on looking at your thought patterns and teaching you ways to change them to more healthy ones.
Gestalt: a process that uses talking and feeling to work through problems. This type of therapy works on a holistic approach, working with the emotional body; it can be very powerful and at times it may feel like the mindfulness Energy Healing exercises.
Human Givens: a type of psychotherapy that works on a framework based on the idea that people have a set of needs that have to be met.
Transpersonal Therapy: psychotherapy that works with a belief in God or something greater than us to help manage life situations.
Other forms of therapy may include: positive psychology, art therapy, brief therapy, family therapy, group therapy, play therapy, transactional therapy. You can see there are many different forms!
Therapy is really more about the relationship you create with the therapist than the type of therapy they are offering. So you do need to make an emotional connection with your therapist. Many psychotherapists use an integrative approach, which means that they are versed in several different modes of therapy and they blend them together as needed in a session. The number of sessions that are required for psychotherapy/counselling are set between you and the therapist, and it can be decided up-front or on a session-by-session basis. However, if you feel you are not enjoying the process, are not connecting with, or not comfortable with the therapist, you can end the sessions at any time.
It’s very useful to talk about the therapy process with the therapist i.e. check in and tell the therapist you’re really benefitting from the sessions, or let them know if you’re not happy. Talking about the therapy process with the therapist can dramatically improve the results as both of you are more aware of what is going on. Remember, sometimes it can be your resistance to the work making you unhappy with therapy, rather than anything the therapist is doing.
Keep in mind that a one-to-one session may be what you need if you’re feeling fragile. Group therapy is when a group of people go into process together, and not always at the same time. This means that you will become exposed to other people’s processes. If you pick up on their energies as well as the ones you are already trying to work with, it can really make things more difficult for you if you’re not ready for it.
When receiving Energy Healing there is no need for you to remove your clothing. You will typically lie down and the therapist will place their hands on or over your body, drawing down the Universal Life Force Energy into your biofield. These therapies can work over plaster casts if you have a broken limb, they can also work over distance if you cannot make it into the therapist’s office for a treatment.
Types of energy therapies include:
You can research each type of healing, if you wish to know more about it. I would also suggest that you look for a recommendation from someone who has been to the healer before. Remember, this is more about the healer than about the modality of healing; some people are born to be healers and may not even have trained formally, so they may simply offer you ‘spiritual healing’. Others who have trained for years may not be natural healers but may do a great job helping you release energies and acting as a witness for you. You will only know if you try it.
Many therapists tend to mix several therapies together and don’t usually tell the client in advance, so ask when booking if it’s pure Reiki, for example, or if they combine it with something else.
Remember everyone is different, and the training is different too. Each Reiki Master Teacher will teach in their own way, so Reiki students will all receive a different training. When looking for a therapist do your homework first – look at their website, read their blog, get a feel for their energy. Nowadays, there is online training available for Energy Healers, and you can complete the masters’ programme over a very short period of time. This does not make you a master therapist. However, some people call themselves that regardless. You need to be sure that you are going to a well-practiced professional. It’s useful to ask some, or all, of the following questions.
If the therapist gets worried or angry with you for asking these questions, they might not be the right person for you. The last question, about self-healing and self-care, is very important – as a therapist, they will be seeing many people, and if they do not look after themselves, clear and raise their own vibrations, they may be passing their clients’ energy over to you, and you don’t want that.
Psychic readings are not part of an Energy Healing session. After the session, if the therapist has information for you based on what they read in your energies, treat it as information that is true for that therapist, in that moment.
Nothing has to be set in stone. Everything can change. Sometimes additional information from a therapist is useful, such as ‘You are not really grounded in your body, perhaps you should spend some time doing that for yourself, and you’ll feel better.’ Do not deeply embrace everything you hear; only pay attention to it if it resonates with you. As you do your work, you get clearer on what your work is, and will be more empowered to decide yourself what you need to do.
The following therapies combine talking with energetic healing:
Even though they are focused directly on the physical body, bodywork therapies can really help release blocked emotions and are a great complement to any energy work or psychotherapeutic work you may be doing.
The questions to ask before booking a bodywork treatment are similar to the ones already listed above.
You can incorporate Energy Healing into body movements to create a strong, grounding practice that will keep you healthy. Healing may not always be the intention behind the class, but sometimes you will find it ‘sneaks’ its own way in. Make sure the facilitator is experienced, and you feel safe within the group. Try a drop-in class before you sign up for a whole term. This type of practice would be more about maintenance of a good energetic state, rather than a portal into doing deep transformational work. However, people have been known to experience deep healing during this type of work, even though it’s not necessarily the intention behind the class.
You might find after doing energy work that you want to change the energies in your house, or in your place of work.
You can heal yourself and then harness the power of the energy around you to create the life you’ve always wanted. Don’t take my word for it, go read what these other people say and try it for yourself! These are some of my favourite books that have helped me on my own healing journey. There are lots more out there too, so choose something that resonates with you.
E-Squared, Pam Grout (Hay House, 2013) Nine energy experiments that you can use to work with the Universal Life Force Energy for manifestation.
Frequency, Penny Peirce (Beyond Words/Atria, Simon & Schuster 2009) Getting bearings on your personal energy frequency and how to raise your vibration.
The Game of Life and How to Play It, Florence Scovel-Shinn (Waiting in the Other Room Productions, 2014) The original book on manifestation and energy.
The Heart’s Note, Stewart Pearce (Findhorn Press, 2010) There are some wonderful practical exercises in here to help you open your heart and connect more deeply to the vibration of your soul.
The Lightworker’s Way, Doreen Virtue (Hay House, 2005) A wonderful story about what it means to discover you are a healer and how it can impact your life.
Power vs Force, David R. Hawkins MD, PhD (Hay House, 2014) This book is a wonderful explanation of the vibrations of different emotional energies.
A Return to Love, Marianne Williamson (Thorsons, 1996) The story of Marianne’s journey of healing, interspersed with the philosophy of A Course in Miracles.
Shaman, Healer, Sage, Alberto Villoldo (Bantam, 2001) Full of ways to work with energy, as well as a different perspective on life.
Soul Retrieval, Sandra Ingerman (HarperOne, 2010) A remarkable book about our Life Force Energy and the Shamanic technique of Soul Retrieval.
You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay (Hay House, 2004) Reviews the different parts of the body and what it means when there is illness, dis-ease or blocks in them.
Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can, Caroline Myss (Bantam, 1998) This book may help explain any resistance you may be having to the healing process. Lots to think about here.
Zero Limits, Joe Vitale (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) How energy clearing can transform your life and change the world.
I have some free resources that you can claim right away as a reader of this book, so do come and have a look. My mission is ‘to heal the world by teaching people how to heal themselves,’ and to that end my website has many resources to help further your Energy Healing journey. Visit www.abby-wynne.com for more information.
Energy Healing for Everyone: A Practical Guide to Self-Healing (Balboa Press, 2012) Exercises and practical ideas to help you bring Energy Healing into your life.
Spiritual Tips for Enlightenment: Practical Spirituality for Every Week of the Year (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013) Practical ways to bring spirituality into your life.
I have recorded several healing meditations and healing sessions to help you as you work. Some of them are similar to the exercises included in this book, and they may enable you to work through blocks and help you to reach a deeper level. Let my voice guide you through the session, and you can experience healing wherever and whenever you feel you need extra support.
I also offer online classes, one-to-one Skype sessions and a healing circle, which you can join and then receive Energy Healing from me twice a month. Visit www.abby-wynne.com for more information.