A feeling, an emotion, positive or negative is energy – emotional energy. Emotional energy has tremendous power over the physical and mental bodies. Primitive responses drive all our reactions in every situation, positive or negative. The emotional brain (the amygdala) stores memories and responds first to sensory inputs before our rational, thinking brain (the neocortex) can override it – until we understand how to become aware of this and become the “watcher” of our responses and gain clarity over how and why we respond in any given way in any given situation. Positive memories evoke positive responses and pleasant feelings like love and joy, negative memories evoke negative responses and feelings like anger, fear, panic and so on, along with the physical symptoms and mental anguish associated with stress – the rush of adrenalin in the fight or flight survival mode.

If you have negative emotions trapped in your emotional body it can lead to disease and ill health. The central meridian of the body – located at the naval – is where all nerve endings meet in the body. When the body is under stress, the sympathetic nervous system goes into override, which causes an overload of cortisone, which changes our DNA. Our cellular memory is with us for life – unless we change it.

The sense of smell has the most profound effect of all our senses on our emotional energy and drives our most primitive reactions or responses. Why? Put simply, because the limbic system – of which the amygdala is a part – the “emotional” brain drives our emotions, instinctive behaviour and responses, our motivational drives, our learning and our memory it can restrict us from fully moving forward in our life. The limbic system stores and can release trauma. Your sense of smell directly accesses the limbic region of your brain, where emotional memories and trauma are stored. Because of their aroma, therapeutic grade essential oils exert a powerful balancing effect on the emotions. In a deep state of relaxation experienced during a healing session, the oils help to release “stuck” emotional energy, and pave the way for clarity, insight and emotional peace and heightened awareness. Put simply, when a healing session is complemented by the fragrance of a pure therapeutic grade essential oil inhaled and applied to the body, release and healing can occur. The use of essential oils has been practiced for thousands of years to promote and support spiritual, emotional and physical healing.

Therefore a healing facilitator working with a client’s emotional energy aided by the power of essential oils will guide a client safety and gently through the process of clearing and releasing the effects of negative emotional energy like the symptoms of PTSD on the mind and body. The session is generally a deeply relaxing and nurturing experience. For some people the healing is a fast process, others take longer dependent on the individual circumstances and situation.

With clarity comes the ability to choose how to respond to stress and stressful situations. A fairly insignificant event may become a major incident to a person already suffering from the symptoms of stress. This can have a major impact on not only the individual but their families, friends and colleagues. Emotional patterns play out over and over, but they can be un-learned and re-learned at any stage in our lives. An ability to choose to respond differently and to release negative thoughts and memories through understanding and awareness – can lead to a significantly improved quality of life for the client and the people closest to him or her.

Take the first step towards healing by calling 0404 463 787 or email info@stepintohealing.com.au

September 2014

Forgiveness is a concept often misunderstood – we sometimes feel aggrieved by an action that someone has taken against us, or we feel unable to forgive ourselves for something we have done or said to someone else. We believe that we must be ready to forgive fully before we can do this.

Forgiveness is a feeling, an emotion, like all other emotions – it is energy. So if we do not feel that we can forgive but instead set our intention towards being WILLING to forgive, then we will move towards true forgiveness of ourselves and others. Every action begins with an intention, a thought, and many of us do not realise just how powerful our thoughts and our intentions are. It can take many years before our intention becomes a reality, not by thinking that we are ready to forgive, although this is of course part of the process. But when we truly feel in our hearts that we have forgiven and there is no longer any “negative” energy associated with that person or situation – then and only then have we truly forgiven. We must be willing to forgive for our own self. We do it because holding this emotion of “unforgiveness” damages us more than the other party. We do it for ourselves and everyone benefits.

If you have the emotion of “unforgiveness” trapped in your emotional body it can lead to disease and ill health. The central meridian of the body – located at the naval – is where all nerve endings meet in the body. When the body is under stress, the sympathetic nervous system goes into override, which causes an overload of cortisone, which changes our DNA. Our cellular memory is with us for life – unless we change it. To erase or heal a memory we must bring it back to our consciousness. It is important to note that all negative emotions are fear-based and the opposite of fear is unconditional love and acceptance – including forgiveness.

The use of essential oils has been practiced for thousands of years to promote and support spiritual, emotional and physical healing. Put simply, because the limbic system, the “emotional” brain drives our emotions, instinctive behaviour and responses, our motivational drives, our learning and our memory it can restrict us from fully moving forward in our life. The limbic system stores and can release trauma. Your sense of smell accesses the limbic region of your brain, where emotional memories and trauma are stored. Because of their aroma, therapeutic grade essential oils exert a powerful balancing effect on the emotions. In a deep state of relaxation, the oils help to release “stuck” emotional energy, and pave the way for clarity, insight and emotional peace or bliss and heightened awareness. Put simply, when the fragrance of a pure therapeutic grade essential oil is inhaled and applied to the body, release and healing can occur.

A technique developed from Egyptian hieroglyphs depicting the process of using essential oils to “cleanse the flesh and blood” of negative emotions, the Egyptian Emotional Clearing Technique is a gentle yet powerful modality using Young Living 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils and other energy-balancing techniques to promote a deep and sacred state of connection, an experience like an inner vision quest, or a heightened state of meditation and mental clarity.

Based on an ancient Egyptian ritual described in the Temple of Isis, the treatment is performed in silence and reverence. During a session a client will be anointed with 14 different emotional blends of essential oil. One of those blends is a specific blend for releasing feelings of unforgiveness – the Forgiveness Blend.

If you believe that you could benefit from an Egyptian Emotional Clearing Technique call 0404 463 787, email info@stepintohealing.com.au.

Presentation to parents of young children with a disability at the ARC Disability Centre –
Baby Bridges Program, February 2014.

Self-care for Caregivers
Why is it so important?

Why is care for the self so important? Is it selfish?

Do you think you are being selfish if you sometimes put your own needs first?

Only when we first help ourselves can we effectively help others. Caring for yourself is one of the most important – and one of the most forgotten – things you can do as a caregiver. When your needs are taken care of, the person you care for will benefit too. (Family Caregiver Alliance www.caregiver.org/caregiver) Eg: on a plane, you put your own mask on first.

You cannot stop the impact of the disability on your child but there is a lot you can do to take responsibility for your personal well-being and to get your own needs met. For us to be able to give 100% we have to refuel/recharge. Taking the time to look after yourself will make you a better carer and parent– start with a few minutes first.

What if I don’t care for myself?

If you don’t care for yourself you sooner or later will become:

• Sick
• Stressed
• Depressed
• Impatient

Recognise the warning signs:

• Sleep deprivation
• Irritability
• Forgetfulness
• Poor eating habits
• Lack of exercise
• Getting sick, not resting when ill and not making the appropriate medical appointments for yourself.

What is causing your stress?

The stress factors – what am I dealing with?

• Exhaustion
• Worry
• Inadequate resources
• Continuous care demands
• Emotional rollercoaster

Strategies

• Analyse it
• Identify what you can change

You cannot change things over which you have no control:

The Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

–Reinhold Niebuhr

Realise and accept that what you are doing is stressful, tiring and exhausting and there are things you can do to take care of yourself.

Take action to reduce your stress. What works for you?

Seeking solutions:

• Intellectual
• Emotional
• Physical
• Spiritual

Intellectual

Analyse the situation

Think smart – combine activities, prioritise, problem-solve.

What is the real issue? Keep an open mind!

List possible solutions, select one and try it. Evaluate the results. Then try another and compare. Use the one that best works for you and your family.

Set goals – what steps do I need to take?

Accept that in some cases the problem may not be solvable now – resolve to revisit it later.

Emotional

• Acknowledge that you may well be travelling an emotional rollercoaster.
• Allow yourself to feel the feelings – all of them – they are completely natural.
• Access counselling if you need it.
• Reach out for help when you need it – it is a sign of personal strength.
• Seek out a “personal lifeline” – someone you can trust to support you – not a partner or spouse.
• Communicate clearly about what you need – don’t expect others to guess what you need. Make a mental list of what others could do to help you.
• Join a support group or make friends with parents in a similar situation. – Build the supports around you.
• Try to think positive thoughts – I can do this – I can spare x minutes per day to……..
• Nurture your relationships –
• Quality time with your partner as often as you can, doing small things to show you love them when physical intimacy is not always possible. Communicating with each other openly and freely and often – keep the lines open and support each other fully by listening to what they are really saying – make sure you have the opportunity to express yourself and your needs too.
• Other children – give them special activities and openly communicate with them about what has been happening – acknowledge their feelings – get them to spend special time with their sibling, reading stories, etc, bonding with each other. This will give you a break too.
• Share problem-solving with the family.
• Negotiate shared responsibilities and tasks.
• Agree on accepted behaviours and how to handle them.
• Develop “strategy” words to say to others when comments are made by others.

Physical

• Get adequate rest – take the time when the children are napping or asleep to get sleep – or when you have someone helping you – don’t use that time to do more work!
• Exercise – Exercise builds endurance, increases energy, reduces tension & depression, gives strength and flexibility and helps you to sleep better.
• Take the children out to play in nature – walk in the park or the garden, walk with a friend. Don’t forget your pets.
• Do activities that nurture you and that you enjoy.
• Eat a healthy diet – make healthy snacks for the kids and eat them too – with them.

Spiritual

• Nurture your spirit – maintain your spiritual beliefs and practices.
• Remember who you are – you are not just a caregiver and a parent and wife.
• Give yourself a few minutes a day to connect with your spirit in whatever form this takes for you.
• Quiet time is important to hear your inner voice – even if it is a few minutes before you sleep.

Summary

Self-care is incredibly important in any situation that is demanding, stressful and time-consuming.

See the funny side – keep your humour alive.

See the gifts and the challenges in your situation.

Fit in time for your own daily renewal/recharge to be a full and complete human being. Give yourself PERMISSION to take time for you.

Find the resources to make it happen.

PUT YOURSELF ON THE TO-DO LIST!!!