From Webster’s dictionary: “Enlighten”- To make clear to the intellect or conscience; to shed the light of truth and knowledge upon; to furnish with increase of knowledge; to instruct; as, to enlighten the mind or understanding.
The Mind, Body, Emotions and Soul are all a part of one thing - the person we are, and wish to become. Traditional therapies too often only address one of these three aspects of being. But, it is better to connect them all. By using some unique methods of connecting with our own higher levels of consciousness we can move through problems and personal evolution in a way that is far easier and more direct than with other methods. And the changes, though seeming to occur very naturally, can be quite profound. To some degree, we are all isolated within our own unique ‘realities.’ Yet, powerful methods of bridging the separations have been known by a few for centuries, though they were almost never understood or practiced by the "professional" helpers of mankind. Even in the recent past, such techniques may have been considered as verging upon mystical, when in actuality they were based upon principles governing the essential nature of all life in the universe - principles that each and every person can and does have access to at almost any moment in their lives. Even modern Physics is now reaching the inescapable conclusion that mind and matter influence and connect to each other, in ways never before imagined. The precise techniques for accessing and using these principles are currently being re-awakened and applied within the model that I use and continue to develop. Though we seldom think of it, we live in a virtual sea of consciousness. There are billions of people, each with their own thoughts, fears and intentions, and all living near to us every day. Whether viewed physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually they all have the potential to interact with us at any moment - sometimes for our good, and sometimes not. In an ideal world these interactions would all be in the open and obvious, but, unfortunately, a great many are subconscious, at best. And, frequently, the more hidden levels of interaction are the ones that affect us most dramatically, and without us even being aware of what is happening. If you’ve ever just felt someone’s anger, even though they were seemingly smiling and pleasant, then you know some of what I mean. Good therapy can help us to not only to identify, but to understand both the nature and the results of these and other unseen interactions, especially the harmful ones.
Its History This thing we call consciousness is, without a doubt, the most truly amazing aspect of our reality. Its power and influence over life is just beginning to be understood. Unfortunately, there has been a long history of ignorance of its basic operating principles, and it has too often been misused. Changing this may take some time. In the last century or so, we have seen many technological changes. But, they have resulted from the application of only one simple aspect of consciousness, logic. Development of other aspects is still in its infancy. Even the science of Psychology has just barely scratched the surface of what may be possible in the future. But, at last, things are changing. Our modern approach to healing the mind was introduced by Freud in the early 1900’s. Since then, evolution in psychotherapy has been slow and deliberate, as evidenced by the fact that many are still practitioners of his techniques almost a century later. In the meantime, several other ‘styles’ have been introduced, each with its own set of ‘tools’ to offer. Yet, when viewed objectively, none of these have shown themselves to be outstandingly effective in assisting with personal transformation. It seems that most people have simply tended to choose a technique that felt most comfortable, and with which they were able to remain long enough to see some results. In fact, comparative studies have repeatedly confirmed that it is not the type of therapy, but the client-therapist relationship that most often influences outcome.
A Definition of E.T. What exactly is Enlightened Therapy? Well, for one thing, it’s not Freudian - quite far from it. It does, however, take into account much of the study and work that has been done up to the present. Within it, one will hear terms like Engaged Detachment, Tuned Awareness, Somatic Processing, the Observer Effect, and Somatic Resonance. The approach is not New Age. It is actually ageless, primarily in the way in which it works with the essential nature of the human body, mind, emotions, and soul. It recognizes the importance of seeing the mind, body and soul as inseparable parts of one “being.” Conventional psychotherapy works almost exclusively with the mind. Simply put, this is often a mistake and can even tend to prolong the process, while making it less effective overall. Of course, behavioral techniques can be made to show results, but so can drugs. And, unfortunately, many techniques still actually fail to encourage true personal independence, or, more importantly, the sense that our life is exactly the right one for us. Yet, these are precisely the goals of Enlightened Therapy. Remember the client-therapist relationship spoken of earlier? It remains essential - in fact, even more so within this kind of practice. There are some things that can only be adequately communicated in a special, comfortable and protected setting. One could tout the enhanced effectiveness of such newly emerging techniques as Somatic Processing, EMDR, Somatic Resonance, Engaged Detachment, etc. But, until one has experienced them, they are mostly just words – like trying to describe the feeling of climbing Everest to someone who is only a casual hiker. There is much more within good therapy than putting a variety of ‘band-aids’ on mental problems. The ideal outcome should be nothing less than living the life we love. That doesn’t mean that we never again face problems. It means developing inner confidence, strength and adaptability, so that no problem will ever disable us for long. In my experience, this can be done even after decades of other types of less-than-effective counseling. Good things can happen when we people work together for a common goal – such as a much better life. And, often, it is not difficult to experience significant transformation in a relatively short period of time. This is usually enhanced by us being open to essentially limitless possibilities, both for us as a client and as a therapist. Because such an approach knows few bounds, it will use whatever is safe, effective and precisely tailored to the needs of each participant in the process. That is why the rate and nature of the resulting successes can sometimes be outstanding.
