Tag Archives: Wellbeing

Healers

Nourishment essentials for healing professionals

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Healers come in all shapes and forms, they can be nurses, doctors, counsellors, psychologists, naturopaths, kinesiologists, energy healers or they can be the friend who listens.    Having known many healers, as well as being one myself, it is my experience that most healers are so busy  focussing and caring for others that they tend to “forget” to care for themselves.

There are many ways for healing professionals to care for themselves such as eating small meals frequently, exercising regularly, connecting with nature and/or mediation.  However, due to the work they do and the transfer of energy that occurs healers often deplete essential nutrients.

Whether healing professionals are conscious of this or not, any interaction with another involves energy transmission.  Healers transfer energy, which could be chemical energy, electrical energy, thermal energy, light  or mechanical energy.

Yet too, depending on the strength of their boundaries, protection and cleansing, practitioners can also find themselves with taking on energetic residue from their clients.

Our nervous system is a collection of fibres and specialised cells which transmit signals between the brain and other parts of the body.  In addition to it’s physiological functions, the nervous system is also the pathway used to distribute and receive subtle energy.  Hence the importance of specifically supporting this system.

The following are suggestions as to what we consider to be nourishment essentials for those in the healing field, however as a Kinesiologist we do not diagnose, treat or prescribe so if in doubt please refer to your health professional.

Spirulina
Spirulina is a cyanobacteria, which refers to the colour of the micro-organism, cyano being blue.  It is a rich source of numerous vitamins such as B-1, B-2, B-3, B-6, B-9 (folic acid) as well as vitamins C, D, A and E.

Spirulina is also a source of various minerals  including  potassium , calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus,  selenium, sodium and zinc.  In addition to these beneficial nutrients it also contains essential and non essential amino acids, chlorophyll and carotenoids.

Due to Spirulina’s nutritional make up, it assists us our body to convert food into fuel, supports our nervous system as well as aids the detoxification process by binding with heavy metals and free radicals for removal.


Magnesium
Magnesium (as well as other minerals) play an important role in the body by regulating glands, muscle and nerve function, protein synthesis, blood glucose and blood pressure regulation.   In addition magnesium is critical for energy production, building hormones and maintaining cells.

Magnesium is important in metabolising nutrients into usable energy, allowing ions to move in and out of our cells.   Due to the role magnesium plays in conduction of nerve impulses, it aids the nervous system with sending messages.

Stress is known to deplete our magnesium stores.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is critical for our immune system in its resistance to  pathogens, aids our healing processes and as an anti-oxidant it also helps limit the damage from free radicals..  Vitamin C also aids in the formation, as well as use of collagen in the body (which is the “glue” that holds our body together and gives strength and elasticity to our skin, muscles, joints and ligaments).

Cortisol, a hormone released during stress, competes with collagen for vitamin C, hence why when under any form of stress it is important to ensure you are digesting vitamin C.  Noting as it is water soluble our bodies cannot store vitamin C, hence another reason it is important to ensure we ingest vitamin C daily.


Calcium
One of the better known benefits of calcium is that it gives our bones and teeth strength as well as shape.  However the nervous system also needs calcium in order to effectively transmit messages.

It aids in maintaining appropriate blood pressure and adequate calcium also helps balance our mood and pH levels.  pH balance is important as too much acidity can provide an environment for harmful organisms to flourish.


Water
Approximately 60% of our body composition is water and nearly all of the body’s systems depend on water to operate, so it makes sense that in order for the body to function effectively it is essential for it to be adequately hydrated.

Our body uses approximately 2.5 litres of water per day, however it is important to note that when we are under “stress” (whether nutritionally, physically or mentally) we use more water.   This includes the additional demand we put on our system when giving healing energy or mental focus to others.

Author of  ‘Your Body’s Many Cries for Water’, Dr. Batmanghelidj, indicates that the optimal daily water intake is 1.5 litres per 50kg of body weight.  Electrolytes assist in hydration and a natural way to boost your water with electrolytes is to add lemon, lime or sea salt to your water.

Oxygen
Oxygen is the most essential nutrients we need, we can’t exist without it, our basic building blocks (cells) need oxygen for energy and growth.  Breathing, particularly deep breathing, increases the oxygen in our blood as well as aid in releasing toxins.

Breathing nourishes our nervous system and thus reduces tension and stress, increases energy and stamina, strengthens our posture and improves energy flow to the brain aiding attentiveness, focus and clarity.

When the healer adequately cares for themselves, they can minimise (if not eliminate) burnout.  Thus ensuring they have an abundance of vitality and stamina not only for others, yet most importantly for their own body and soul.

Kinesiology, Healing

Healing ~ your body holds the key

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In today’s world there are a plethora of healing modalities available.  Some rooted in ancient philosophies and teachings, whilst others which have been developed from our growing knowledge of the workings of the human body.  Each modality has their advantages and downsides, so whilst in some circumstances one modality may be best (or better) for a person or situation, it could be that another modality could be more ideal.  Its a matter of what works for you and moves you towards your goal.

Kinesiology is healing modality which combines many techniques which has lead to Kinesiologists being referred to as “energy medicine specialists”.  Kinesiology includes both body work and verbal discussion in order for a client to be re-balanced and move them towards their goal.

One of the main things I love about Kinesiology is that the “guess” work is minimised as muscle testing is used to determine what the cause of the stress or imbalance is.  Your body really does hold the key, which means a client can’t hide the truth, to the practitioner or themselves, of what the cause truly is.

How does muscle testing work?  Muscles are able to move due to working with various other body systems, notable the nervous system.  Our conscious mind transmits a command to our central nervous system which converts it into electrical impulses. The electrical impulses are then transported through the somatic part of our peripheral nervous system to the nerves responsible for controlling the necessary muscles.

When a client processes information that is beneficial for the them the muscle remains strong, however where the information causes a stress the muscle goes weak, thus identifying energy blockages or stress related information.

Using muscle testing the kinesiologist will find an emotion and then work with the client to discover how that emotion relates to them.  While the client is considering how the emotion is relevant, the kinesiologist can use muscle testing to confirm the right  information, so instead of wondering whether “x” is the issue, the Kinesiologist can confirm if it is “x”, “y” or even “z”.

This information the kinesiologist is accessing is data that is stored in our bodies, at a cellular level, due to the emotional responses a person has to situations and information.  The brain releases peptides which connect to the peptide receptors that are throughout our body.  Dr. Candace Pert [1], a neuropharmacologist, explains:

“A feeling sparked in our mind-or body-will translate as a peptide being released somewhere. [Organs, tissues, skin, muscle and endocrine glands], they all have peptide receptors on them and can access and store emotional information. This means the emotional memory is stored in many places in the body, not just or even primarily, in the brain. You can access emotional memory anywhere in the peptide/receptor network, in any number of ways. I think unexpressed emotions are literally lodged in the body.  The real true emotions that need to be expressed are in the body, trying to move up and be expressed and thereby integrated, made whole, and healed.

Dr. Pert says “Let the emotions bubble up. Let the chips fall where they may…the process of catharsis is not complete without saying things as the first step to experiencing things…To feel and understand means you have worked it all the way through. It has bubbled all the way to the surface. You’re integrating at higher and higher levels in the body, bringing emotions into consciousness. Once integrated, the natural wisdom of the receptors ( a take on Walter Cannon) will release interrupted healing and restorative and regenerative processes can take over.”

“By simply acknowledging emotions, they are expressed. In being expressed, emotions can be released, even old emotions stored in body memory.  Allowing my emotions to surface into awareness and to be able to name my emotions is the beginning of emotional exploration.  I am moving forward, trying to find my position within the family, within the community, and in life.”

Kinesiology, using your body, determines the emotion stored in body memory, the associated event or situation and then via muscle testing determines the right technique (correction) the body needs in order to release the stored information and bring it back into alignment.

Often kinesiology can be an effective way to healing and restoring health and wellbeing.  If you feel kinesiology would be beneficial for you then click here to make an appointment:  https://www.theinnersageaustralia.com/appointment/

[1] “Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine”, Candace Pert.
http://candacepert.com

Shattering the Fear Barrier

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There I was kitted up with safety gear and connected to our Tree Top Adventure at Yarramundi, NSW (near Sydney), trying to take the first step…I’m not sure why it had never occurred to me that our adventure would involve heights, you’d think the name of this adventure park would have given it away, however not once did it cross my mind and I found myself literally frozen to the spot.

I couldn’t move, the communication from my brain to my legs was blocked with negative chatter which was causing me neurological stress, stopping me from not being able to gather my thoughts.

If you have ever experienced immobilising fear then you will understand how your heart rate increases, your body temperate rises, you can’t think straight and your legs become jelly with no strength to move, feeling like you are stuck to the spot.

So there I was experiencing all of these symptoms, with my beautiful eight year old off and away making her way through the course.  Firstly I tried to coax her to come back, suggesting we go do the easy kids option, yet she couldn’t hear me (or wasn’t listening) .  Then I discovered, due to the way the safety gear works, once your hooked on to the wire the only way to get off (apart from finishing the course) is to call for the supervisor to unlock you…and in that moment there was no supervisor in sight…so there seemed to be only one way to deal with my fear and that was to face it head on and move forward.

The power of our mind is a truly marvellous thing and reminds me of a time when at the dentist.  Due to an abscess I required a tooth extraction, the thought of the pain involved with this procedure was so overwhelming for me that the dentist’s only option was to do the work with me “zoned” me out.  I was given a drug that relaxed me to such a deep level that I had no conscious awareness of what was happening.

A few weeks later I was back to have my teeth cleaned and the dentist commented how he couldn’t understand how I could have my teeth cleaned without any support (to zone me out).  I told him “oh that’s easy, in my mind having my teeth cleaned doesn’t hurt”.

What an epiphany that laid within that response, the key words being “in my mind”.

Whilst our bodies may respond physically, the fear of a situation (or (most) people, places or things) begins in our mind and we make whatever we are telling ourself so real that our body responds to support our thoughts.

As I stood high up above the ground on that wire, with limited choices, I acknowledged my fear and decided that being a positive role model for my daughter was more important.  In that moment I realised that what I was telling myself was not real, it really was False Evidence Appearing Real.   So I took one step and then another, and then another AND it was exhilarating.

The brain has a natural tendency to seek out negatives, inherited from our cavemen ancestors whom such thinking and being “on guard” was critical to their survival, however their amgydala response reactions which imprinted, are still inherent within us.

The emotional part of our brain is the amygdala, which regulates our fight or fight response.  It monitors situations and determines what our response should be and is often engaged even before our neocortex (rational brain) has awareness of what is happening.

In order to change this we need to re-train the amygdala and put in practice ways to calm the amygdala and engage the neocortex.   Here are some ideas that you can work with to achieve this:

  • Breathe
    With mindfulness and intention focus on deep breathing.  Breathing in through your nose, counting to ten, so your ribcage rises as you expand your chest.  Now breathe out slowly through your mouth or nose if more comfortable.
    This techniques gives your neocortex time to catch up with the amygdala and therefore give you a rational option for response, yet too it increase the oxygen in your body stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and promoting a calm state.
  • Focus
    Change your focus to something you can appreciate or see as a positive about the situation, as it is difficult for the brain to experience two emotions at the same time.
  • Awareness
    If you can do this in the moment, even better, however afterwards is fine.  Consider your response and what the trigger was that prompted your response, because when we know the trigger then we can consider what a more appropriate response is to it and how you would like to act in future.
    To embed the new response you can use NLP Swish response or even a simple visualisation of yourself acting in the new way to the trigger.
  • Creative Activities
    Any creative activity such as imagination, meditation, visualisation, art, cooking, dance, singing stimulates the frontal lobes of the brain where the neocortex is located, making it easier to remain focussed and be in charge of our your reactions.
  • Regulating Fear
    This is one of my favourite bits of advice, to do something you find fearful (which is safe and within reason) on a regular basis.  When we do this we train our brain that it is OK to feel fear and to not be disabled by it.  We are also practising courageousness and creating new neurological connections.

Lastly I have found not only personally yet also with clients Kinesiology to be a wonderful modality which aids a person to bypass their conscious mind and re-align their neocortex (as well as energy centres) so they can more easily move towards what they want.

In the immortal words of Susan Jeffers “Feel the fear and do it anyway”.

Dead Sea Salts v’s Epsom Salts

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Dead sea salts are a mineral salt harvested only from the Dead Sea, which is located between Jordan and Israel. The Dead Sea is in fact a saline lake located 400m below sea level and its waters have a salt content of 33% compared with usual sea water which has a salt content of 3%.

For thousands of years the Dead Sea has been known for its therapeutic qualities. Its water has a rich mineral composition that contains high concentrations of magnesium, phosphates, calcium chloride, zinc, iodine and bromides, which is the same mineral composition of amniotic fluid.

Epsom Salts were originally discovered in the English town of Epsom, however their source can vary. Epsom Salts are a naturally occurring mineral compound that contains high levels of magnesium, sulfur as well as oxygen and water.

Benefits
Both Dead Sea salts and Epsom salts have therapeutic benefits.

Dead Sea Salts, when heated in water, create negative ions which connect with our positively charged bodies to promote healing, creating balance, relaxation and feeling renewed. Other benefits include:

  • Relieves sore joints and muscles, as well as a muscle relaxant
  • Skin Conditions ~ Eczema, Psoriasis, acne, dry skin
  • also softens and recharges skin
  • Encourages natural body cell repair
  • Calms nervous system
  • Relieves Rheumatic conditions
  • Relieves allergic reactions
  • Speeds up healing and recovery
  • Cleanses and charges our physical, mental and energetic bodies
  • Grounds and centres
  • Uplifts you to transcend your current vibration and be in alignment with source energy

Epsom salts is a natural product with a multitude of health benefits as well as household uses. Health benefits include:

  • Increases magnesium levels, thus helping with:
    – sleep
    – concentration
    – proper muscle and nerve function
    – increases energy and stamina (by encouraging the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
  • Reduces swelling and inflammation
  • Ease muscle tension and cramping
  • Aids with relaxation and being able to sleep
  • Relieves arthritis symptoms
  • Is a Natural laxative
  • Draws toxins out of the physical and spiritual bodies
  • Grounds and centres
  • Raises our energetic vibration

You can also enhance your salts by using a few drops of a Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil, we recommend oils from the doTERRA.

Warnings
Always follow safety precautions when soaking in a Dead Sea salt or Epsom salt bath. Use caution when getting into or out of the tub and avoid water that is too hot.

Always use caution, as skin sensitivity, rashers, allergic reactions and respiratory distress may occur in some individuals, in particular avoid using Epsom salts if you are sensitive so Sulfur. If unsure please seek the advice of your physician.

When using essential oils, check for any contraindications to determine if they pertain to you and if unsure contact a qualified Aromatherapist or physician.

 

Kinesiology

Demystifying Kinesiology – The science behind the practice

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“Kinesiology encompasses holistic health disciplines which use the gentle art of muscle monitoring to access information about a person’s well-being. It combines Western techniques and Eastern wisdom to promote physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Kinesiology identifies the elements which inhibit the body’s natural internal energies and accesses the life enhancing potential within the individual.” — Definition approved by the Australian Kinesiology Association (AKA), 1999, amended 2006

How Kinesiology Found Me

A few years ago I was “kicked” out of the corporate world — my time was up. I had a strong urge to study, though I had no idea what. All I knew was that it was my year for it. Then one day a client said to me, “I noticed you do Kinesiology.” I replied, “No, I don’t right now — however I am going to!” And that is how Kinesiology found me.

I signed up for the course and on day one sat there with absolutely no idea what was involved or how it could help people. What unfolded changed everything.

So, What Is Kinesiology?

Kinesiology is a healing modality that is becoming increasingly well known and sought after. It is considered one of the truly holistic modalities because it works on all aspects of a person — making it genuinely three-dimensional in its approach. Most healing modalities address only one dimension of a person, or at best two (typically the mind or the physical body). Kinesiology works across all three: body, mind and spirit.

Kinesiology works on all levels: Physical, Mental, Emotional

The word itself derives from the Greek kinesis, meaning movement, and kinein, meaning to move. Kinesiology can therefore be understood as the science of movement — and in the context of energy kinesiology, this refers to the movement of energy through the body’s meridian system, chakras and auric bodies, which in turn supports movement through the physical and mental bodies.

This draws on the ancient Eastern medical philosophy: Bu tong ze tong, Tong ze bu tong — “If there is no free flow, there is pain; if there is free flow, there is no pain.”

Kinesiology is an energy-based healing modality with strong roots in both Eastern philosophies — such as the Chinese meridian system, acupressure points and chakras — and Western principles, including coaching methodology and the study of Anatomy and Physiology.

A Brief History: From Applied Kinesiology to Touch for Health to PKP

The foundations of kinesiology as a healing system were laid in the 1960s, when Dr. George Goodheart DC discovered that muscle testing could be used to gather information from the body. He called this system Applied Kinesiology, and it led many chiropractors to embrace Chinese medicine techniques, utilising acupressure on points of the meridian system.

In the early 1970s, John Thie DC built on Goodheart’s work to create Touch for Health — an accessible version of Applied Kinesiology designed for everyday people, not just those in the medical or chiropractic fields. This was a pivotal moment, opening the door to kinesiology as a widely practised complementary health modality.

PKP Kinesiology

The next major evolution came through the work of Dr. Bruce Dewe MD, a New Zealand physician. Dr. Bruce Dewe researched and further developed the concept of kinesiology into a specialised modality called Professional Kinesiology Practice (PKP) in the 1980s. PKP draws together all the work and systems of Applied Kinesiology and expands it into the most holistic of all natural therapies, focusing on bringing the body back into balance to allow its own innate healing ability to best care for itself.

PKP is a system of addressing issues on the physical, energetic, mental, emotional, biochemical and spiritual level, based on a hierarchical system of priorities. Dr. Dewe researched and documented over 300 finger modes — balancing techniques used like a menu during a session, navigated through muscle testing to identify what each individual needs. He also researched and added over 100 more muscles into the realm of kinesiology, including muscles acting on the shoulder, hip, and upper and lower limbs.

PKP classes were taught during the 1980s and were an exciting, evolving method of combining emotions, nearly 100 muscles, hundreds of finger modes and modern healing techniques. The system has continued to grow and evolve ever since. In 1999, Dr. Dewe and his wife Joan founded the International College of Professional Kinesiology Practice. The four-year professional qualification was a world first, bringing professional discipline and quality to the teaching of kinesiology. The syllabus is now taught in institutes and colleges across 16 countries, creating an internationally recognised standard for the discipline.

The Role of Muscle Testing

The most well-known tool in kinesiology is muscle testing — also called muscle monitoring. Muscle testing involves challenging the biofeedback mechanism present in all muscles to reveal imbalances within the body. At its most simple, it involves gentle pressure on a midpoint of any particular muscle.

Muscles work in close relationship with the nervous system. Our conscious mind transmits a command to the central nervous system, which converts it into electrical impulses. These travel through the peripheral nervous system to the muscles responsible for carrying out the required movement. When a client processes information that is beneficial or resonant for them, the muscle remains strong. When that information creates a stress or conflict, the muscle goes weak — providing the kinesiologist with a clear biofeedback signal.

Muscles can be thought of as filing cabinets for the subconscious mind. Muscle monitoring gives instant access to holistic information held by the core operating unit of the entire body-mind system — the subconscious — which holds all our memories, information about physical, emotional, mental and energetic states, and also determines our muscle tension.

The muscles have also been shown to reflect unprocessed tension and stress, meaning they can hold the memory of experiences for many years. Such stored stress can eventually manifest as physical dis-ease, aches and pains, sabotaging behaviours or emotional crises — or be triggered by life events that bring it to the surface.

What Happens in a Session?

Kinesiology, Healing

Kinesiology is far more than muscle testing. Together, the client and kinesiologist set a goal for the session. Through muscle monitoring, the kinesiologist identifies what is creating energy blockages or sabotages that are preventing the client from reaching that goal. Each session is an individual experience, tailored entirely to what that person needs in that moment — which can vary from session to session.

The kinesiologist works from a broad toolkit of techniques known as “corrections” — a mix of tried and proven energy-based approaches — to address these blocks and bring the body, mind and spirit back into alignment. The real goal of any kinesiology balance is to identify the bottom-line cause of any imbalance and then resolve it. The imbalance may be nutritional, emotional, structural, psychological, energetic or even spiritual — something as simple as an attitude, or a forgotten memory.

A kinesiologist will not diagnose, treat or prescribe. Instead, they work with the client to balance what the AKA refers to as the “triad of health” — the chemical/nutritional, mental/emotional and physical/structural dimensions of wellbeing.

What Can Kinesiology Help With?

Kinesiology has been known to improve both emotional and physical wellbeing, bringing about a calmer and more relaxed state of being, reducing pain, and improving self-esteem and confidence. It can assist with:

  • Increasing confidence, self-worth and self-belief
  • Developing internal validation rather than seeking it from others
  • Alleviating anxiety, fears and stress
  • Trusting your own decisions and supporting yourself through challenging changes
  • Increasing energy levels and maintaining a positive outlook
  • Overcoming past traumas and hurts, including support through grief
  • Enhancing performance — focus, clarity and energy
  • Improving brain function, learning and comprehension
  • Refining and boosting creative flow
  • Easing physical tension and pain
  • Improving sleep quality and restfulness
  • Assisting with digestion and autoimmune concerns
  • Supporting the Law of Attraction

To book a session with me please use this link: www.theinnersageaustralia.com/appointments — mention this article in the notes to receive a 10% discount.

Kinesiology v's reiki

Living in Balance

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Life in its entirety is about balance, living in equilibrium between the opposites and extremes.  It is about the dualities that make up such equilibrium and need to find and maintain the balance between them.

Consider the dualities that surround us, good/bad, black/white, happy/sad,moon/sun, male/female and so on.

In the instance we do not keep the balance then life will find it’s way to ensure we are forced to.  How often has you heard or seen someone who has lived at an extreme, perhaps a workaholic, only to be brought back into balance by a force not under their control, such as retrenchment or illness?

Newton’s Third Law of Motion, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”, when we are imbalanced it is natural law that we will experience the opposite reaction in order for balance to be restored.

The familiar Taoist symbol of the yin/yang demonstrates this perfectly.  The yin/yang symbol is a symbol of dualities, dualities that create the whole.  It reminds us that every aspect of life has an equal opposite.  Such as male, female; sun, moon; earth, water; good, bad and positive, negative.  One aspect cannot exist without it’s reverse.

So often in our Western society we have been taught only to view life via one aspect, the good/positive or what was once known as the “Pollyanna outlook”.  Consider most of the early personal development books, they were chiefly about maintaining optimism and that being negative was a “wrong” thing to do.  Yet this in itself creates a pressure and imbalance that can only be reinstated via the equal and opposite reaction…..negativity.

Yet even if we take this symbol and chose to only look at one section, let’s say the white which representative of heaven, light, positive, bliss, masculine, penetrating etc you will notice that there is a reminder that the opposite still exists as in the small dark circle.  This too if you take the other section the black, representative of dark, negative, passive, female and absorbing – the light still exists denoted via the small white circle.

Put simply what this means is that whether you are in a positive or negative experience the opposite energy still exists.  For example if I am feeling really, really amazing I could easily trigger another’s inadequate feelings, yet too if I am feeling low it might be the catalyst for me nurturing myself.  Actually quite a lot of talented people have created their best works when in a low phase, Spike Milligan is a prime example.

It is interesting that in mathmatics when we have a positive and a negative (or equal amounts of each) that they negate each other and are brought back into a neutral position.  Doc Childre, CEO and Founder of HeartMath LLC explains this position of neutral quite eloquently:

“Neutral is a state where you are not jumping ahead too quickly or moving too slow.  Neutral does not mean being inactive, complacent or passive.  It’s about a calm poise that allows for new information and new possibilities to emerge before taking further action.  When in neutral you actually increase your sensitivity and intuitive intelligence.  Neutral is fertile ground for possibilities to grow from”.

Therefore if we wish to live life in a state where we have peace, happiness, unconditional love, balance and neutrality then we simply need to ensure we are in equilibrium and do not have attachment to either the positive or negative.  Uncertainty and disorder occur when one is outweighed by the other.