Holistic healer, psychotherapist and author, ROBERT KIRBY explores the benefits of spiritual healing workshops living in congruence with the energy of the human heart…

“When I stand before thee at day’s end, thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing.” – Rabindranath Tagore, Indian Poet.

Spiritual Healing Workshops

When we begin to live in truth, our hearts look inward to our essential knowing. Indecision drops away. Miester Eckhart, a medieval mystic said “when a person no longer centres on the outer world and turns inward to their own heart, there they become aware of a living light”. Our spirits are then no longer satisfied with this contact; it presses on even further into the vortex (whirlpool) and primary source in which the spirit has its origin.

The connection is to your eternal soul. It is a light that is always on and awaits us – even in our darkest moment. This is the beginning when the union of your inner and outer becomes solid. It?s reflected in your personality. It’s the same with healing. If your process is not integrated into your personality – then the same issues will resurface under stress or crisis. Accordingly, the personality is the most accurate barometer of our evolution.

The light in your soul grows little by little in increments that you can handle. Your personality can then assimilate these increases in your capacity to love. First to love yourself with humility – not arrogance or pride. Secondly, love of all creatures and thirdly love of the creator. You cannot possess one without the other. The attainment of this progressive light within your soul is undeniable. Others cannot help but notice the transformation beaming through your personality. Your eyes become alive with presence and compassion. The soul goes on a journey into purification (return to origin) and you become fired up as the spark of your soul emerges. The human aura and chakra system also transfigures. It simply mirrors your freedom from pain, trauma and emotional and spiritual toxicity. Your aura frequently includes an etheric double, a powerful replication of precisely how your field surrounds your body. The stronger the purification (correction to the Godhead) the more visible you appear to the observer. Therefore, spiritual healing workshops will exude your authentic self; integrity, truth, passion for life, trust of self, respect for others and the just treatment of all creatures.

This gradual increase in the frequency of your vibration (energy system) modifies what you attract from the web of life or divine matrix. Your frequency adjusts to your higher vibration in both energy and consciousness. The quality of life changes. The law of attraction reflects this in your outer world or reality. These refined experiences and events come through you not to you.

Port of Entry

These manifestations constitute the longing of every soul. To be bathed in divine light, live in truth and know oneself deeply is achieved only by some people. Is the cost too high? Where does one begin? You don’t want to be a saint do you? What about fun and exploration of the dark side? What blocks the masses from entry to the light? Of course there exist many paths to God. People have become discouraged by religion, meditation, medication and therapy.

Some of the most common roadblocks are negative beliefs; lack of faith, lack of self-trust, lack of humility, lack of energy flow and defensive behaviour (reactive personality). To deal with all of these issues simultaneously is no easy task.

One consideration is to begin or continue exploring your body. The body is the laboratory of life because it is enveloped by your eternal soul (aura). The psychospiritual and psychosomatic elements are all woven together by your energy system and can be integrated with your personality. This approach leaves nothing to chance on your journey into wholeness.

The best place to begin in to mobilise your body and energy field through exercises like yoga, pilates, martial arts, bioenergetic exercises and body-mind exercise classes. Embodiment is the immediate shift obtained from these exercise that changes your reality.

The main causes of a lack of inner life are blocks to the flow of your body to the heart. Chronic muscular contractions hold the experiences of pain caused by trauma, abuse, neglect, rejection and criticism. These unresolved experiences have tumultuous consequences. It blocks us from living in the present moment, distorts our reality (beliefs) and reactions; stimulates negative thinking and self destructive behaviour. Master healers believe these energy blocks or defences are in place to protect the heart from more pain. Although the intention is noble, the actual result is that the heart does not get to heal, transform old beliefs or inspire the courage needed to love and create from your passionate will. The holding of pain at the cellular (body) level also generates rage that emerges from the unconscious. This dynamic described by John A Sarno MD, is known as T.M.S. and generates chronic pain or physical illnesses that generally does not respond to normal medical treatment. It’s your fear of the unconscious rage and its subsequent suppression that causes a withdrawal of blood from a specific area of the body.

Accordingly, in order to heal psychosomatic illness and psychological and spiritual crisis, the transformation of the character structure is a truly worthy undertaking. Old beliefs begin to drop away and your positive intention (or will) creates new beliefs and values that are congruent with the truth of your soul’s journey.

What is Character Structure?

Character structure theory was developed by Wilhelm Reich, MD in response to his own clinical research and that of his teacher, Sigmund Freud, MD. Its composition was originally based on childhood mind-body dynamics needed in order to survive in the world. Later, Reich observed a bioelectric energy field that appeared to flow or stream effortlessly in healthy people. In neurotic or sick people this flow is impeded by chronic muscular tensions described earlier and sexual dysfunction.

Reich’s theory has been corroborated by modern scientists, Candice Pert and Valerie Hunt. Neuropeptides communicate between the body-mind and energy system. When your body-wide psychosomatic network is out of balance, pathology is fuelled and illness prevails. The unhealthy symptoms of the character structure can be transformed into healthy ones. The character structure is therefore never eliminated but instead purified and integrated.

We have access to our beautiful and dynamic qualities at all times. When our energy is streaming our spiritual evolution accelerates. When your unhealthy structure is dominant, the energy blocks contract our capacity to love and create. Most people recognise themselves in specific unhealthy categories and also beautiful qualities category. Your character structure, according to Reich, is in place by the 4th birthday and tends to be reinforced thereafter. The good news is that they are neither permanent nor represent your heartfelt divine expression.

Reich’s theories have been further developed by two psychiatrists, Alexandra Lowen, MD (Language of the Body) and John Pierrakos, MD (Core Energetics) who brought characterology into group process. Most people have at least two categories of character structure that dominate their personality. They typically feel relieved when the diagnosis of their early family life helps them to understand lifelong painful behaviour patterns. It also gives them hope that there is a way out of suffering (contraction) moving and flowing towards a passionate life (expansion).

Moving On

Many people get caught in a rut where they feel they have tried everything and still feel stuck. Life does not flow so they feel thwarted. There are very specific things that you can do for yourself to facilitate moving on:

  • Set intentions in writing about what your wanting to shift. Be specific.
  • Mobilise your energy to charge your system with energy (or discharge). Hiking, rock climbing, home DVDs on Yoga, pilates or Body-Mind Exercise. Stretch every day and breathe deeply to open energy and consciousness.
  • Meditate/pray about letting go and letting be at least 10 minutes per day. Read 1 hour per day as many books as you can on personal development, healing, recovery and spiritual evolution.
  • Eliminate smoking, drugs, coffee, alcohol and junk food until you feel much better. Do a detox (from books in the Library). A toxic liver will not release anger and resentment.
  • Keep a journal. Put the cause of all your problems inside yourself. Take your power back. Observe those people whom you cannot forgive from the past or present . Those are the people you have hurt. You have projected your rage onto them. Forgive yourself for blaming that person, giving your power to that person and remaining entangled with that person. Give yourself permission to move on. Thank that person for the lessons learned and move on.

Ask your family and closest friends to support your recovery.

Individual and Group Support

If you choose to hire a highly trained healer or therapist to support you, choose wisely. More than 50% of your healing and spiritual development is based on this subjective relationship. It should be a dynamic, fluid and loving exchange. The rest is the objective skills employed by your spiritual healing workshops facilitator and your own determination to become whole. This is exciting because you have lots to do with the outcome. Trust yourself, keep your intention clear and have faith in the process. The following elements could be included:

  • Discuss the amount of trauma you have sustained in-utero, birth, childhood, adolescence and adulthood. What would be your healer’s plan to release this material from your body-mind and energy system?
  • What areas of overcharged and undercharged energy does your mind-body hold? Will you be guided through a process to release your energy bocks to facilitate the streaming of your life force?
  • If you have chronic illness or exhaustion, will the psychosomatic (mind-body) component be addressed in your healing?
  • If you have chronic depression or anxiety will your unresolved anger (rage) be discharged in a healthy manner?
  • Will a psychodynamic assessment be employed to analyse how your childhood pain inhibits your present time fulfilment?
  • Will you be given an opportunity to embrace your own darkness (shadow material) and claim your life and creativity?

Character Analysis: Will your character structure be assessed along with an energetic body reading?

Not all practitioners possess the background to address these issues. Do your own research. Be sure your core issues will be appropriately addressed in your sacred evolutionary process.

Robert Kirby is a Sydney-based author, psychotherapist and energetics therapist.