KATE DOES

INSIGHT MEDITATION IN THE BUDDHIST TRADITION www.gaiahouse.co.uk

Jenny Heaton BA RSHom

Registered Homeopath and Massage Practitioner

Natural, holistic healthcare

07794 288172 jennytheaton@gmail.com

Take a deep BREATH...

Learn how touseyourbreath toovercomestressand re-energiseyourbody. Improveyourhealth and helpclear emotional blockages. Online 1:1 sessionsavailable.

Introductory workshops will recommence when it is safe to do so, please check the website.

Transformational Breathing Les Elms • les@breathsouthwest.com www.breathsouthwest.com 07828 566553

“Rough Diamonds” Festival of Solo Autobiographical Theatre 10-12 July Totnes Angel Studios and on-line

Directed by Agata Krajewska and Phil Barber of Stories for Change

Kate does… Online Body Wisdom Coaching

YOUR wellbeing editor Kate tries out a treatment or event or activity each issue this time she samples virtual coaching.

IN THE last issue before we moved into this strange, virtual world, I met up with Fiona Montgomery from Body Wisdom Coaching for a taster session. I was so inspired both by hearing Fiona’s story of recovery and by my brief introduction to her work that I’ve continued to work with her in the ensuing weeks and months. So, for the first time ever, this issue’s Kate Does… is a follow-on from the last. The only difference is that these sessions have been online rather than face-to-face. We’ve all faced our own challenges in adapting to our vastly curtailed freedoms. I’m not alone in experiencing personal, health, work and financial pressures and I have been very grateful for my weekly, and latterly fortnightly, Skype sessions with Fiona. To summarise how the therapy works, all of us have an emotional brain, which exists in our gut, and a thinking brain, which is the rational, reasoning part of ourselves. Body Wisdom Coaching – which is derived from Mickel Therapy – says that any physical or mental health symptoms we experience are an attempt by the emotional brain to get its needs met. In an ideal world, we would respond to messages from this deeply intuitive part of ourselves using our thinking brain. However, all too often, the logical part of ourselves overrides our gut instinct. We may become overanalytical or negative and this is where the problems start. Failure to act on what the emotional brain is telling us leads to something called a suppression neural pathway. The hypothalamus (responsible for the body’s fight or flight response) becomes overstimulated and, unable to get our attention in any other way, the emotional brain may start to create chronic symptoms within our body. Body Wisdom Coaching teaches us to reconnect with this more instinctual part of ourselves, to listen to what the body is trying to tell us and to act on these messages. The therapy appeals to me because it is dynamic and proactive. Rather than simply identifying issues, it provides a range of “keys” that you can use to address them.

The issues I face are a mix of physical symptoms – I’ve had a frozen shoulder for nearly two years and a deep ache inside my hips for a year – and mental health challenges – I’ve had ongoing depression and anxiety for a few years. Using the pain in my hips as an example, Fiona asked me to “tune into” the area to see if I could identify any particular emotion associated with the pain. I was surprised to experience a flush of hot anger bordering on rage. We began discussing what might be causing the anger and I identified a number of issues from past and present day. Over the last few weeks I have been trying to acknowledge this anger, communicated from the deepest part of myself, and respond using some of the techniques recommended in the coaching. The pain hasn’t yet gone but it is no longer constant and I’m finding it less debilitating than I did. Like any kind of coaching, the process is emotional and challenging and it can feel like a hard grind. But I am constantly inspired by Fiona who spent 12 years in bed, unable to walk and barely able to eat due to a severe energy disorder. She used the process she now teaches to heal herself and is now the picture of radiant health and vitality. When my energy starts to wane, I reinvigorate myself by watching the Facebook video of her leaping into the River Dart and singing with sheer joie de vivre. Some of that please…. l To book an online Body Wisdom Coaching session email Fiona at: fionamonty1@ gmail.com. Visit: www. bodywisdomcoaching.co.uk

Ali Morrish A FTER 10 years as practice manager of Exeter Natural Health Centre, Ali Morrish relinquished that role in October to focus on the Homoeopathic Practice she shares with her husband, Mo. Many people may not even realise that Ali is a registered homeopath with 25 years’ experience. She stepped back from her practice following the tragic death of her eldest daughter, Anna, in 2008. Ali said: “Whilst one can never get over such an event, I feel ready to return to work. Indeed, in many ways surviving such a loss augments my understanding and compassion for anyone who is suffering with trauma, bereavement and general mental health issues.” After qualifying in 1995, Ali had a busy practice. In 2005 she took up the role of homeopath at St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth as part of the palliative care team, working with inpatients and in the busy outpatient clinic. She undertook training in bereavement care. Ali took her knowledge of working with cancer around the country as CPD for homoeopaths and other clinicians. For many years she was also clinical director of the South West College of Homeopathic Medicine (formerly The British School). Alongside her homeopathy, Ali has always had an interest in Jungian psychology and working with dreams. She said: “People may not be aware that homeopathy and Jungian work are quite similar in some ways. For the past few years, I’ve specialised in this area. Having been an analysand of Julian David for 18 years, I was grateful for his endorsement as I brought my love of Jung – dreams, stories, rituals -more and more into my work.”

Julian David, who is a Senior Jungian Psychanalyst said: “I have known Ali since 2002 and have been impressed by her natural skill with the soul and its needs. I support her expansion from homeopathy into dream-work and a broad intuitive therapeutic approach.” Sometimes people see Ali purely for homeopathy. Some people choose to have a few sessions with Ali to work with dreams, even if they are an existing patient of husband, Mo. Some come to focus purely on the Jungian work, looking at a deeper more soulful exploration of the unconscious. One said: “My years with Ali as a patient of her homoeopathic practice were unquestionably enhanced by her knowledge of Jungian therapy. Her breadth of experience makes her a unique therapist.” Ali holds clinics from her home on Dartmoor and from Exeter Natural Health Centre. l For more information, to book an appointment or a free introductory session call: 01364 661397. Or email: enquiries@ thehomoeopathicpractice.co.uk www.thehomoeopathicpractice. co.uk

MANY of us may be feeling in need of healing during these difficult times and it can be frustrating to be unable to access therapeutic support when we need it most. Sound Healer, Teresa Wickstead is offering free Distant Healing for anyone who would like it. There is no need to travel anywhere as she is able to offer healing completely remotely. She explained how it works: “Modern physics now supports the ancient belief that all matter consists of vibration/sound. Physicists have found that the physical world is made up of vibrating energy (the so-called ‘String Theory’). Using clear, strong intention, I can perform a Sound Healing session exactly as though you were lying on my treatment couch. All you need to do is relax comfortably at home. Although you cannot hear the sounds I make, the vibrating energy fields targeted by my strong intention have the power to reach out across distance to you. How far this distance measures is immaterial. Normally, we have a brief chat on the phone at the start of the session, then I invite you to email feedback afterwards.” Clients report a range of benefits from Sound Healing including: a release of emotions and trauma, changing from negative to more positive thought patterns, less physical pain, relaxation, feeling calmer, and having deeper insights into life situations. Teresa reassures clients that she will be resuming face-to-face Sound Healing in her Yurt as soon as possible. l For more details about Distant Healing, or to book an appointment email Teresa at teresa@teresawicksteed.co.uk Healing from a distance

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