P.O. Box 145Chakra Therapy (Mind/Body Counseling)
The
Mind/Body Connection
It is widely accepted that the mind and the body are united. In 1972, Dr. Candace Pert, a neuroscientist and research professor at Georgetown Medical Center in Washington, DC, discovered the existence of "opioid receptors," chemicals in our bodies that form a kind of information network linking the mind to the body. She also noted that high levels of these receptors closely correspond to the location of the seven major energy centers, or chakras, in the body.
Once we understand this mind/body link, it is easy to accept how psychological problems can be linked to the body and physical problems can be linked to the psyche. For example, illness can be a way of telling us what the unconscious mind knows, but our consciousness has ignored.
The Chakra System
The word chakra means wheel or disk. A chakra is a spinning disk of bioenergetic energy that receives, processes, and expresses our life force energy.
There are seven major chakras, or energy centers, in our bodies located in a column from the base of our spine to the top of our head. As we go through life, our energy responds to deal with the various traumas and challenges we experience. As a result, we often develop "coping strategies" or patterns of behavior that affect the free flow of energy in our bodies and can result in physical problems, such as migraine headaches, digestive disorders, arthritis, or fibromyalgia; or emotional problems, such as stress, depression, fears, or phobias.
I work with my clients by understanding the psychology of the chakras and how this energy is expressed in their bodies. I then incorporate techniques such as yoga, movement, and breathing exercises into the work to help bringing unconscious messages to awareness, releasing the negative effects of these messages, and allowing the mind/body to return to wholeness.
Click HERE for an article on the Psychology of the Chakra System.