June 2025 Blog Embrace The Power Of The Arts.

June 2025 Blog   Embrace The Power of the Arts

Have you ever heard someone say, I can’t draw to save my soul.  So, if someone is not what we think of as “artistic”, then how can art help them?  Don’t I have to be somewhat of an Artist in order to gain something from Art or to even understand it? What is the power of the Arts as a therapy?  What does the word therapy really mean and how can the therapy of using arts make a difference in your life.

According to Health.com, “Art therapy is psychotherapy that uses the processes of making art to express emotions and improve mental and emotional health”. According to Wikipedia, “art therapy” is defined as “cognitive, behavioral, and humanistic types of therapies, along with creativity, reconciliation, self awareness and personal growth through the use of art.

In my nutshell and summarized by me according to the world-wide web; Touro University: “Cognitive” therapy is all about our thoughts and the changing of the thoughts can change the behaviors.  “Behavioral” therapy is about the brain /behavior connection and conditioning one to change a behavior. “Humanistic” therapy is about understanding and supporting, providing choices to help one in making choice for their best life.

So for those who think because they “aren’t an artist or they can’t” do art, that it can’t help them; it is not really about the art as a whole dynamic itself that is produced.  What it is about is that art is providing an internal vision into who they are as an individual, what makes them tick, through the “unspoken” and “internal communication” and insight and or perceptions” that the art provides to them. It can cause one to have an “ahha” into what they think and even why they think what they think. It provides a way to communicate not verbally, but subconsciously, through the art. All facets of arts are important, for example; colors have meanings, numbers have meanings, and even shapes have meanings.

For example, in my art therapy and then subsequent training, I had to sketch an inanimate object that described how I felt about myself at my lowest point. I sketched a vase but it had a crack drawn into it. That imperfection was because my perception was that I was broken. Know that your perceptions are really your reality, but that perceptions can be changed through therapy using art. Let go of your fears of not being an artist and embrace the healing potentials that therapy using ART can bring to you and communicate for you. But also, don’t forget about using all of the arts as a tool to heal.

Blessings, Light and Love!

Immerse Yourself In The Energy

May 2025 Blog    

What is this energy everyone talks about...specifically, what is this “Reiki” energy how can it heal me.  Where did it come from? The energy of Reiki resides in everything and is everywhere. It already is within us all and it resides there until we take ownership of it.  It can also be within our intention to learn it and use it, for ourselves and maybe to share with others. Some of us can feel it, can see it, and even hear it. But can we even understand it?

Just a brief how it began: Commonly referred to as the father of Reiki (Shiki Ryoho) Reverend Dr. Mikao Usui founded Reiki, the USUI System of Healing, in Japan in the early 1900s while on a 21day spiritual retreat. The Japanese word Reiki is made up of two words, Rei (rey) means present everywhere and Ki (key) means life force energy (chi). This is just a tiny bit of how it began and who had a hand in it, and there are also different teachings of Reiki besides USUI. Also, there are discussions and doubt about Reiki; Wikipedia says Reiki has also been identified as a pseudoscientific and likened to be no more effective than a placebo. But times are changing, for example, the VA Hospitals are now using Reiki, because it works and because it can also be used to complement mainstream medicine and it has very few contraindications or risks as a healing modality.   

As a certified Level 111 Reiki Master/Instructor, I can tell you that the Wikipedia theory is so wrong that it is unreal. Reiki is one of those healing modalities that you just have to try it. You don’t have to believe it for it to work. During the beginning of my training, I sometimes would have doubts about if I was doing it correctly, questioning if someone could even feel the energy…then one day it happened... In the quietness of practicing, I could actually hear the energy, it was like the tiniest of hums. Along with the tiny hum, I felt the energy when I brought my hands together and then apart. It is like a magnetic pull from yourself to within yourself.

As I evolved in my training, so did my Reiki. Then came the heat emanating from within my hands and finally, it was felt by not only me but by people I shared my Reiki with. Some Reiki’s use actual physical touch but I will rarely physically touch someone, and I keep my hands about 2 or 3 inches above the body. The energy knows where it needs to go within you to bring you back to your center. All Reiki’s do their treatments somewhat differently and each have their own subtle gifts they bring.  I balance your 7 energy centers, known as your chakras, to ensure there is no blockages and they are all spinning correctly. Sometimes messages will come in.

 I liken a treatment to being surrounded and immersed by white light, embraced in the warmth of our combined energy, then letting go to acceptance of the Universal Energy (pure LOVE) that you are feeling and the healing that it brings to you.

If you want to try or learn Reiki, reach out… Take a chance and give some real thought to the power of the energy that is our own, lies within us, and gives us the potential of self-healing.               

Blessings, Light, and Love!

The Power of Therapy

April 2025 Blog   

What is the power of therapy?  What does the word therapy really mean and how can therapy make a difference in your life. According to Oxford Languages, “therapy” is defined as “treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder”.  Therapy (English) comes from Latin therapia from Ancient Greek and means “healing”.  The four most commonly recognized and practiced types of therapy are:

Cognitive, Behavioral, Humanistic and Integrative/Holistic.

In my nutshell and summarized by me according to the world-wide web; Touro University: “Cognitive” therapy is all about our thoughts and if we change our thoughts, we can then change our behaviors or reactions. “Behavioral” therapy is about understanding the brain and behavior connection and using conditioning through that connection to change a behavior. “Humanistic” therapy is about understanding and supporting, to help one in making choices to live their best life. “Integrative/Holistic” therapy brings together all the other therapies to provide one with treatments personalized just for them.

To some “therapy” can appear to be a dirty word, something unwanted, because it can cause one to open themselves up, share one’s vulnerabilities, speak their unspoken thoughts and share their internal dialogs with someone.  They can feel violated, even judged, and that makes one not want to pursue any type of therapy.  It is like going from the light into the darkness!

But to others “therapy” can also provide a cleansing of sorts, causing one to feel a lifting and the lightness of letting go of their vulnerabilities, a sharing of their load of hurts, angers, or anything else that is weighing and holding them down. They feel accepted. It is like coming from the darkness into the light!

Start at the beginning, if you are yearning to understand, let go or embrace more, consider therapy as a way to heal that yearning.  It doesn’t matter what type of therapy you choose; it could be one type or multiple types. It is important that whatever therapy you do, it should resonate with you to your core.  What does that mean? To me, your core is who you are, what makes you tick, excites you and makes your heart sing. An example, I am an artist. When I sought out therapy for a specific issue, I used a traditional therapist, but it really did not seem to help me to grow in or understand my real issues. My then Therapist retired and turns out my new Therapist was an Art Therapist. Because Art communicates to my core and makes my heart sing, my therapy became life changing for me.  

Do not be afraid…know that your perceptions are your reality, but they can be changed through therapy. Let go of your fear and embrace the healing potentials that therapy can bring to you.

Blessings, Light and Love!

It All Begins With A Yearning

March 2025 Blog  

It all begins with a yearning… March begins to wake us up to the notion that Spring is not too far away from us...we feel like we can see it and feel it and that starts the yearning.    We still cannot touch it...because maybe you feel like something is missing in your life.  Maybe you want to feel happier, more hopeful, or even better, an healthier version of yourself. Maybe you have heard of holistic healing, but you have no idea if it is even a real thing or just something made up. But the yearning makes you want to reach out and learn more about this holistic healing, but where do you begin...

Start at a beginning, educate yourself about some of the different healing modalities. There are so many different ones...but know that not all of them will resonate with you. As you learn about each one, the yearning within will let you know which ones you want to know more about and then potentially embrace.

What speaks to your mind, your body, and your soul separately or all together?  A good place to start is with a book...a good book to start with is a book I co-authored called “Healing Together, 30 Stories Of Personal Transformation Through Holistic Healing Modalities”. It can provide you some personal insights into some different healing modalities through 30 real-life stories from everyday people who gave into their yearning to bring more into their lives... jumping fully into their own healing journey to not only embrace positive change in their life but to change the very course of their lives.

Posture yourself to embrace any learning opportunities that come your way. Attend some informational talks on all of the different topics of holistic health and healing, peruse the Internet, or go to a Holistic Fair. Most of us know about the basic ones, like Massage, Acupuncture, Pilates, and Yoga. These listed below are some of the ones that we currently offer and what we may offer in the future but there are so many more that you could learn about.

Reiki, Reflexology, Auriculotherapy, Art Therapy, Coaching Breath Work, Aromatherapy, Bach Flower Therapy, Crystal Healing, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

So if you are in your season of yearning, take a chance and give some real thought to the power of holistic healing. Find what resonates with you and makes your heart sing.

Blessings, Light, and Love!