Conversations with Safe Harbour Therapy

As a society, I think we are obsessed with knowing. As human beings, we want answers to all our questions. And, we demand that we find answers quickly, to save us from having to sit in the unknown which may feel uncomfortable. We’re taught from an early age that not knowing the answers is “bad” – that we’re inadequate if we don’t know. When we know all the answers, we feel safe and most importantly, in control. Most of the answers we come up with, especially the ones that we rush into, come from the mind, not the heart, the gut, or our deep wisdom. We think our way into knowing. And, we feel more comfortable when the mind, the thinker, is in charge. The mind comes up with the answers and then steers our body and spirit around according to its plan, regardless of whether its plan matches our inner truth.

A fundamental tool used in Access Consciousness is living “in” and “as” the question. It’s about exploring all possibilities. When you are open and have curiosity, everything becomes possible and anything you desire to create or change can show up with ease.

Being curious and

asking questions empowers us to uncover what we inherently know as opposed to

coming up with “the answers” which may disempower us. Living “in” the question,

involves a shift from knowing to listening. It gives you permission to not have

to go out and make the answers happen or create them from your mind. Living

“in” the question means that you can allow the truth to unfold. With being in

the question, you don’t have to be in control. All that living in the question

means is agreeing to be awake and aware or “woke”; to be present and discover

the answers as you go, and, to stay open to the answers changing. Living in the

question allows us to open to the infinite possibilities, life unfolding in its

own way, with us as part of it, along for the ride….to be open to being part of

a larger universe which is not in our charge.

What do I mean by being in the question? Whether you connect more to a universal energy or believe in God, you are asking a higher power for help. I will share with you how I first discovered being in the question. I was trying to figure out what path to follow. I had already gone to university for a few years but I didn’t connect with what I was studying. Feeling lost, I sat at my kitchen table and asked out loud, “can you please help me choose? I don’t know which way to go for my future”. I remember feeling a total surrendering to this question, then I heard a message “massage therapy”. I thought to myself “is that even a career?” This was 23 years ago before massage therapy was as well known as it is now. I looked it up in the phone book and I was surprised to see three schools in Winnipeg. I called one school, got an interview the next day, and started the journey to becoming the healer I am today. I look back to that moment often. I wonder if I hadn’t asked that question that day, would I have found the path I am on now? What if we could truly let go of control and always asked the universe for help, what infinite possibilities could show up?

I am not a religious person but I have been told

that in the Bible it says… ask and you shall receive. It is a very old concept

that most people are not in the habit of choosing, because most of us have

never been taught to live in the question.

One of my favourite questions, which comes from Access Consciousness,

that I ask all the time, is “who does this belong to?” This question is based

on the premise that most of our thoughts and feelings are not our own. They may

have originated from hearing our parents, siblings, friends, people in our

community. We are aware of other people’s thoughts and feelings and sometimes

internalize them as our own.

When I first learned this question about 10 years ago, I had a hard time believing that I could be picking up other people’s “stuff”. One day I was on my way to the gym feeling just fine, but when I go

QiGong means energy training or energy work. It is a form of exercise that includes Tai Chi, and is one of the five pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The easy moves are based on the body’s ability to co-ordinate movement, breathing, and mental focus for personal healing and health.

There are several different types of QiGong that we offer, the first being Therapeutic QiGong. This course consists of slow, deliberate and focused exercises that include stretching, light aerobics, massage and acupressure. They increase slowly and gradually to target muscle groups and isolated joints. Designed for recovering trauma patients, the movements are easy to adjust for people of all abilities. Because these exercises coordinate with breathing, the internal organs get constant stimulation and the entire body feels the positive effects of increased blood, oxygen and energy flow.

We also offer QiGong for emotional balance. This set may help with anxiety, depression, high stress caused by emotional imbalances, and panic attacks. These exercises stimulate the body’s energy channels and circulatory system to remove stagnation and blockages, and facilitate positive energy flow. They also stimulate the brain to help with the brain’s chemical balance.

Another type of QiGong is combined brain and body exercise. This set of exercises helps energy and blood flow through the entire body, loosens muscles and joints, enhances brain-cell communication and activates cross-activity between the left and right sides of the brain, and promotes organ harmony.

If you have any questions about QiGong, or if you’d like to register for a class, click here.

Art can take us beyond language, to our unconscious and can permit direct expression of our hopes, fears, losses, dreams, fantasies, and other unexpressed inner experiences which we can have difficulty expressing with words.  Art therapy uses art and the creative process and the healing and self-reflective aspects of that process to address issues we […]

Art can take us beyond language, to our unconscious and can permit direct expression of our hopes, fears, losses, dreams, fantasies, and other unexpressed inner experiences which we can have difficulty expressing with words. 

Art therapy uses art and the creative process and the healing and self-reflective aspects of that process to address issues we as human being face in our lives. Art therapy has value with individuals of all ages and backgrounds. 

This unique form of therapy has its roots in psychodynamic theory and developmental psychology. Art therapy uses art and the creative process to explore and traverse emotions, build self-awareness and self acceptance, develop new coping strategies, reduce anxiety, move through grief and loss, and increase self-esteem and self-worth. 

Through the Art Therapy process, individuals develop a relationship with their creativity. Through this deeply personal relationship, they can build an identity as a creator and learn to see life challenges as creative challenges, which they would then have the tools to endeavour upon. 

In addition to Art Therapy, Jessica has 10 years experience in talk therapy and offers this as a stand-alone service in her practice. For more information on this process or to book a private session with Jess please click here.

Quarks are the building blocks of the universe, the energy behind everything that exists. This energy is everywhere, constantly flowing and evolving. As humans, we have our own energy fields surrounding our bodies. Sometimes, our energy can become blocked or unbalanced due to injury or trauma. Healing Touch is a gentle, non-invasive energy therapy that […]

Quarks are the building blocks of the universe, the energy behind everything that exists. This energy is everywhere, constantly flowing and evolving. As humans, we have our own energy fields surrounding our bodies. Sometimes, our energy can become blocked or unbalanced due to injury or trauma. Healing Touch is a gentle, non-invasive energy therapy that promotes relaxation and can work to clear, energize and balance our bodies.

We are equipped with energy centers called chakras. When our energy is blocked or unbalanced, these chakras become congested, which can cause illness if left untreated. Practitioners of Healing Touch consciously use their hands in an intentional, heart-centered way to help clear this energy congestion. In this caring relationship, the practitioner and the client come together energetically to facilitate health and healing. This gift of touch influences the human energy system, which in turn has benefits for the clients’ physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health.

Healing Touch treatment is typically administered while the client lies on a massage table with their clothes on. With your consent, the practitioner uses their hands to assess your biofield and proceeds to clear and balance it as needed using either off body touch (near body but no direct contact) or a gentle (still) touch over various areas of the body.

Healing Touch works as a complementary therapy and can be combined with traditional therapies, it may restore harmony and balance in the body’s energy system, which creates an optimal environment for the body to self-heal. This is a helpful tool for taking care of our energy fields and restoring the balance in our lives.

To learn more about Healing Touch or to book an Appointment with Safe Harbour’s Healing Touch Practitioner, click here.

Feel better now! If you struggle with food this is why you want to explore Natural Eating with me! You’ll eat to feel better, physically and emotionally. Scarfing down a box of chocolates on the couch because you’re sad, lonely, mad or tired just won’t make sense anymore. What will make sense is figuring out […]

Feel better

now! If you struggle with food this is why you want to explore Natural Eating

with me!

You’ll eat to feel better, physically and emotionally.

Scarfing down a box of chocolates on the couch because

you’re sad, lonely, mad or tired just won’t make sense anymore. What will make sense is figuring out what

that craving and urgent need to eat and only eat is really telling you. Finding

the space in the urgency to figure out what you really need to find peace

again. This is how that chocolate bar doesn’t turn into three and a bag of

chips to boot.

You’ll stop thinking about food all the time.

Hunger will be but a body cue, not a crisis like

dieting has drilled into us. You’ll stop fearing hunger because choosing to satisfy

that hunger IS natural eating! Once your body has the repeated experience of

knowing it will get fed and satisfied, hunger won’t feel so urgent and scary

anymore. You won’t fear losing control because your body will be nourished, not

in that starvation state that leads us to eat uncontrollably once we “give in”.  This is feeling in charge of your eating.

You’ll never count calories or points again.

Internal wisdom, hunger and fullness signs will be

your natural guides for when, what and how much to eat. You’ll feel your body

has different needs on different days, depending on a bunch of things that

you’ll come to notice. You’ll know to consider how you need to fuel yourself

for the hours ahead, you’ll know which foods relax you, energize you and help

you think better and choose accordingly. You already know the difference

between a baked potato and a French fry and you’ll use that knowledge, only in

a gentle way – a way that says you can satisfy that French fry craving on

occasion without guilt.

You’ll get why a child leaves half a cookie behind without looking back.

One day you’ll forget to eat half a cookie. (Prepare

yourself, it will freak you out when you find a half eaten cookie in your bag

or desk.) You’ll begin to trust you can stop eating anything if you decide more

won’t leave you feeling good – physically or emotionally. You know (and I mean really believe) you can have more of

anything later when you’re hungry again (or not). It will never be your last

cookie eating opportunity.

You’ll choose veggies because your body feels and works better when you do.

Sometimes you’ll choose an extra helping of veggies at

dinner, because it’s going to leave you feeling better and you WANT to, not

because you’ve run out of points. You’ll enjoy a small salad again with

dressing and other tasty toppings, instead of stuffing yourself with bags of

naked lettuce. Savouring your vegetables prepared in a tasty way (yes that

usually means some fat) will turn them from just zero point foods to stuff

yourself with to foods that you choose and appreciate for nourishing your body.

You’ll lose the guilt around eating.  

Sometimes without any guilt at all you’ll choose

dessert without considering skipping a next meal, running around the block a few

times or vowing it will be the last piece of cake you have. You might check in

halfway through savouring your cake and realize you’re satisfied with half and

decide to stop. And because it just tastes so good you might decide to eat the

rest of it. Either way you’re at peace and moving on to something else. You’ll

see how eating what you really want and savouring it leads to less food and

more pleasure naturally. Food you love eating!

You’ll enjoy living freely and peacefully not worrying about how to manage your eating everywhere.

Let’s face it, where there’s food there’s fun (unless

you’re on a diet, then there’s only stress). You won’t be tempted to stay home

and miss out on life because of the food. Natural eating principles and mindful

eating tools are portable, always handy. Eating out, drinks with friends,

family events, potlucks, trips, buffets and holidays won’t require strategic

planning or dread becau

I often hear people tell me “I don’t think I can be hypnotized” or ask “will I lose control of my actions?” What I tell them is that they may experience hypnotic phenomena everyday. Have you ever been driving your usual route home from work, only to arrive at home and realize you don’t remember […]

I often hear people tell me “I don’t think I can be hypnotized” or ask “will I lose control of my actions?” What I tell them is that they may experience hypnotic phenomena everyday. Have you ever been driving your usual route home from work, only to arrive at home and realize you don’t remember anything about the drive? Or perhaps have gotten lost in a book’s story line to the point that an hour has passed by in what feels like five minutes? These may be examples of experiencing a hypnotic state.

Our mind is comprised of a conscious and unconscious. Our unconscious stores all of our past experiences, memories, beliefs, habits, patterns, values and accounts for around 95% of our mind power. On the other hand our conscious mind (our critical/analytical mind) only accounts for 5%. Our conscious mind is the goal setter and the unconscious mind is the goal getter. It is our driving force behind everything that we do. This mean that if you have limiting beliefs about yourself, are living your life from someone else’s value system, or have negative habits that are keeping you restricted, the work you may want to focus on is this unconscious shifting.

The great thing is that through the use of self-hypnosis we may create better communication between the conscious and unconscious mind so we may achieve more of what we set out for ourselves. In this way the conscious and unconscious mind are in alignment. 

We naturally go into and out of trance like states through out our day but the most effective times to use self hypnosis are the moments right before falling asleep and the moments after waking. During these moments our brain waves are naturally in a theta state, which is what we want to achieve when using hypnosis.

Why might you want to use self-hypnosis in the first place? Perhaps you have set a goal for yourself and for whatever reason are not able to achieve it. Maybe you have been dealing with uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, or behaviour patterns. Consciously, you know you want to change but your unconscious mind may be running the show. You may be experiencing limiting beliefs about your capabilities. 

Here is a very simple and effective form of self-hypnosis that I encourage you to use before bed each night and first thing in the morning:

Find a comfortable position, whether seated or lying down. Relax your body completely from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, even scanning through the body and relaxing each muscle. Begin to slow down your breath, breathing in for 3 counts and out for 6 counts. Focus on the breath and imagine the breath as a wave of relaxing energy that washes over you each time you inhale and exhale. Once feeling a greater sense of relaxation begin to countdown from 10 to 1 with each exhale. Say the words “I am going deeper” with each number you count. So for example, on your first exhale count 10 and say; “I am going deeper” and repeat this until you reach the number one. Once you reach one begin repeating a mantra or phrase of affirmation with each breath you take. For example on your inhale breath state quietly to yourself “I am” and on the exhale use a phrase that  resonates with you and want you want in the present tense such as “successful”. Repeat this breath and mantra practice for up to 21 rounds. From there begin to visualize yourself doing what it is you want to be doing, feeling the way you want to be feeling, acting as you want to be acting, interacting with others as you want to be. Visualize this as if it were happening in the present tense as you were looking out of your own eyes. Make this as vivid and life like as possible. Take your time here in this place getting a real felt sense of it.

The thing about our unconscious mind is it does not know the difference between something real or imagined, it just accepts things as facts. This is where you create that communication between the conscious and the unconscious and you learn that you