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 it works with the essential nature of the human mind, body 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 that can even 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 this independence and rightness are precisely the goals of Enlightened Therapy.
Remember the therapist-client relationship spoken of earlier? It remains essential - in fact, even more so within this kind of practice. There are some thngs 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 descrbe the experience 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 less-than-effective counseling.
Good things can happen when 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. That is why the rate and nature of the resulting successes can be outstanding.
