Seemingly beyond the scope of our physical eyes, we can feel, sense, and even see the expression of subtle energy, which is the expression of a person’s vital force. While counseling and psychotherapy focus on a person’s mental and behavioral health, honoring a client’s subtle energy expression creates a more complete container, where the present moment experience becomes the entry point into deep healing and transformation. When a therapist stays in the realm of thought-based reality, a client attempts to change their mental state from the same state of consciousness that causes their distress. When a therapist attunes to the subtle energy expression of a client, the opportunity for co-regulation is amplified by listening to the movement and stuckness of the vital force.
When a person’s nervous system is regulated, their mind is clear, their physical body is well, and they are fully present and responsive to life. From this state of regulation, their vitality flows with ease and they have access to higher consciousness. When a person is dysregulated (in hyper or hypo-arousal), their mind is looping in thought, their physical body is tense, and they are being motivated by unresolved experiences from the past. From this place, a person’s vitality is thwarted and they are reacting from their stress and trauma response.
Stored energy that blocks a person’s vitality is known as psychic dirt or emotional energy pollution (EEP). EEP is often felt by clients in their energy centers, specifically the energy centers that overlap with the vagus nerve (the throat, heart, and solar plexus). When a therapist becomes present with the body and the stored EEP that is blocking vitality, a client learns to become available for themselves in moments of dysregulation. In real-time, a client can find their way into natural catharsis, where they metabolize the unprocessed energy from the past while simultaneously regulating their nervous system.
As a therapist, our attunement to the subtle is also a valuable contribution to the therapeutic container. Our witness of the most subtle expressions of the client can create openings that will allow for deeper transformation and bigger breakthroughs. Here are a few ways to bring your attunement to the subtle energy field into a session:
- Begin by naming observable physical expressions of a client. For example, if the client seems to tense their shoulders while they talk, you might say to them, “Your shoulders seem to tense up as you share that with me. What do you notice there?” By following your observation with this awareness-based question, you can allow your awareness to interact with your client’s awareness and discover what is true for them.
- Begin by naming emotions. For example, if your client seems to have a wave of sadness bubbling up, you might say to them, “I see some emotion arising as you talk. I want to invite you to let that wave move through you.” The last part of this example is a directive that is designed to follow the client’s energy and support them in moving through their emotions.
- Begin by noticing stuck points in their breath. For example, if your client seems to exhale with a heavy sigh, you might say to them, “There seems to be some heaviness (on your heart, with that exhale, etc.). What do you notice about your heart/breath?” This level of attunement and witness is an act of co-regulation.
- Begin by noticing stuck points in the body. For example, if your client seems to be holding in their emotions at their throat, you might say to them, “It seems like you’re capping your emotions off at your throat. What do you notice there?” These patterns of holding typically began at a very young age, and witnessing the client in this non-judgmental, attuned way is deeply reparative for clients.
- Begin by listening to your body as a point of resonance. Anything that you feel in your body as you sit with a client that you didn’t feel before sitting with them is a good indicator of what they might be feeling. Instead of bringing attention to you and your sensations, use this feedback as an invitation to be curious about this same place in your client’s body. For example, if you feel tension in your solar plexus, you might ask, “What do you notice in your solar plexus right now?” Even if the client feels nothing there, bringing this part of the body into the awareness field creates a fullness. It’s not about being right–it’s about increasing awareness.
- Begin by noticing a release of energy. If your client seems to have just moved through some aspect of their pattern and arrived at greater peace and clarity, attune to that. For example, “You seem more present and clear now, like you just let go of a heavy weight. What do you notice about yourself right now?
To learn more about the use of questions in transpersonal gestalt therapy, you can refer to this article as a resource.
To learn more about training with us, follow this link: https://thespirituallyaligned.com/trainings/
To listen to our podcast, follow this link: https://thespirituallyaligned.com/awakened-therapist-podcast/
To learn more about Harmony’s books, follow this link: https://thespirituallyaligned.com/books/