Fighting the Violent Rabbit of Change

Posted on by riverflowhealing

A lot of us talk about doing our inner work. Working on ourselves. Our mindset. Our health. We all have work we need to do, absolutely. Life is an ongoing process of change and growth, and to change and grow, we need to do the work.

But how many times do we say, “I’m going to work on this,” and it becomes busywork? The work becomes what we do to avoid the work. We say we’re going to do the work. We make lists of the things we’re going to do. We put it in our calendar. And then we look at the lists and calendar notices and say, “See? I’m working on it!”

Working on ourselves, doing our inner work, is scary. We’re conditioned to fear change. In some ways, we’re created to fear change. Our ego sees change and yells, “Change! Auughh! Run away! Run away!” It’s like change is that violent rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and we’re the knights running away.

So our egos come up with every possible way to make us feel like we’re doing what we need to do, and feel like we’re making the changes, and think that things are happening, when they’re not. All we’re really doing is covering up the work we need to do with the busywork we’re doing so we can say “See, I’m working on it.” I know I’m guilty of this over and over again, and it’s something I’m trying to be better about.

Think about it. If you say you’re doing work on yourself, are you really? If you are, that’s great! But there’s no shame in saying, “I’m going to do the work,” and then having your ego convince you that you’re doing the work when you’re really not. That’s human. We’re human; we have egos. That’s what happens.

But sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the inner work we say we’re doing, at the inner changes we say we’re making, and decide, “Are we really doing this?” Or is our ego saying, “Look, I put it in the calendar! Look, I made a list! I’m working!” so it can keep running away from that violent rabbit of change?

Facing that violent rabbit is easier with support. Talk to friends or loved ones. Get professional help if you feel it’s warranted. Energy healing can also help bring up possible changes to make, and give you the clarity to make them. I have openings for new Chios clients now; please comment here or visit my Chios Energy Healing page for more information.

Benefits of Balance

Posted on by riverflowhealing

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been talking about what happens when your energy system is out of balance and what might cause that imbalance. Today, I’d like to share some of the benefits you might experience when your energy system is in balance.

It’s important to note, as I’ve done in the previous posts, that energy is not everything. Energy healing is not a substitute for medical or mental health treatment, and any physical or mental symptoms should be discussed with a professional to ensure that illnesses or injuries are treated effectively before looking toward energetic treatment.

If your energy system has been out of balance, you have probably experienced some negative effects, as I discussed in my February 14th post. When your system is back in balance, here are some positive results you might see. No results are guaranteed, but these are some that I myself have experienced after receiving energy healing treatment, and that my clients have reported.

  1. You might feel more rested and find yourself sleeping better, particularly if you have also received treatment for underlying causes of exhaustion or poor sleep.
  2. You might find it easier to focus your attention on tasks you want to complete, whether those are work-related, household chores, or simply things you want to do for yourself.
  3. You might find that things that have stressed you out don’t have as much of an effect on you.
  4. You might find yourself better able to effectively and constructively express and manage your emotions. (If you are experiencing emotional or mental distress, please seek help from a professional.)
  5. You might experience an increase in positive emotions.
  6. You might feel more energized or motivated.
  7. Your sense of well-being and connection to yourself might increase.
  8. Other aspects of your life might become better or more easily balanced, such as your work, family, and social life.
  9. You might gain more clarity on situations you’ve been trying to address.

These are only some of the benefits I’ve experienced or have been told about by clients. Again, nothing is guaranteed, and while you may also experience health benefits, energy healing is not a replacement for traditional health care.

If you’re interested in seeing what benefits you can receive from an energy healing session, I have openings for new clients! Visit my Chios Energy Healing page for more information.

Six Signs of Energetic Imbalance

Posted on by riverflowhealing

Energy is a tricky thing. We talk about feeling low-energy or high-energy. Some of us say things like “Their energy just didn’t feel right.” But we don’t always realize the effects our lives have on our energy systems, or that our energy systems have on our lives.

Each person’s energy system is a delicate balance of flow. Too much flow, and people might feel overwhelmed or out of control. Too little, and people might feel exhausted or angry without knowing why. And it doesn’t take much to imbalance that flow.

Next week, I’ll talk a little about some of the things that might cause energetic imbalance. But first, let’s look at some signs that your energy might be out of balance.

  1. You feel “off,” but can’t express any more specifically what that means. You just don’t feel right physically or emotionally. You aren’t sick; it just feels like you aren’t quite in step with the world.
  2. You’re experiencing pain in part of your body. To be clear, if you’re experiencing any physical pain, the first thing to do is talk to a medical professional to rule out any physical causes. Energy doesn’t do everything, and energy healing is not a substitute for medical treatment! But, for example, if you have a dull ache in your throat, you have no physical illness (like a cold), and you’ve seen a doctor to rule out other possible causes, it may be that your throat chakra is blocked. A headache that isn’t related to a physical illness might be a sign that your third eye chakra is overactive Again, check for the physical causes first!
  3. Things that usually don’t faze you are stressing you TF out. No amount of deep breaths or meditation or whatever tool you usually use helps. Stress seems to want to be your new best friend, and it takes very little to set it off.
  4. You’re exhausted. It feels like every step you take is through quicksand. All you want to do in the evenings is hide under the covers and sleep. This is another case where seeing a medical professional to rule out other causes first is important. Exhaustion can be caused by physical or mental illness, and you’ll want to be certain that isn’t what’s going on before you decide it’s an energy thing.
  5. Your emotions aren’t cooperating. Your emotional responses to certain things are more intense, or less intense, than usual. You feel frustrated when you would usually feel happy. I can’t stress this enough: Talk to a medical or mental health professional to rule out other causes first. But this can definitely be due to an energetic imbalance.
  6. Your instincts are telling you your energy system is out of balance. You know you better than anyone else does. If you strongly feel there’s an energetic imbalance, there probably is. Trust yourself.

There are other things that might indicate an imbalanced energy system, but these are the most prominent signs I’ve seen. Always check in with yourself to assess how you’re feeling, and always check in with a medical professional if you’re concerned or have physical symptoms. But energy is intertwined with physical and mental health, so even when there is a medical cause and you’re receiving medical treatment, something energetic could also be going on. It’s worth finding out.

If you’re wondering whether your energy system might be out of balance, schedule a Chios session with me! All sessions begin with a 15-minute consultation during which I will tell you honestly whether you’re dealing with imbalances and whether I think you should consult a doctor as well. Visit my Chios Energy Healing page for more information and to schedule a session!

How to Learn Energy Healing

Posted on by riverflowhealing

If you’re interested in learning energy healing, hopefully you’ve done some research as to the different modalities that exist. If you haven’t, I strongly suggest you do. There are a number of different types of energy healing, and what works and resonates for one person might not work or resonate for someone else. Don’t choose instruction in any specific modality solely because it’s the one you’ve heard of. Do some online reading. Ask people you know who receive energy healing sessions, or who practice energy healing. If you choose to learn healing–actually, if you choose to learn anything–for no reason other than that someone else said you should, or it’s the one thing you know about, you might find yourself learning something that doesn’t resonate for you and therefore doesn’t work for anyone with whom you practice.

Now, let’s say you’ve done the research, and you’ve decided on a modality. For the purposes of this blog post, since I practice and teach Chios, I’ll use that as the example.

So you want to learn Chios. You’re really excited about it. You can’t wait to get started. The Chios website has a list of Certified Chios Master Teachers, and you’ve found one in your area. Sounds good, right?

Maybe. Maybe not. There are some things to consider when you’re choosing an instructor.

First, how and where do they practice? Some Chios Master Teachers, like me, have a business that includes giving Chios sessions and teaching Chios. Others do it as an occasional thing. Still others do it as a hobby. There isn’t anything wrong with any of those, but you’ll want to choose an instructor who is somewhat aligned with what you want to do with Chios when you’ve learned it. The way we practice can influence our teaching; if, for example, you want to start a business, but your instructor is of the opinion that no one should charge or accept money for energy healing, you might find yourself at odds with them and therefore not learn as effectively.

Second, how much experience do they have? A Certified Master Teacher has worked their way through all three levels of Chios instruction, hopefully under the supervision of another CCMT. So they are more than likely to be qualified to teach. But someone who has not had students at all is still refining their instruction method. You might be okay with that, or you might prefer someone who has a track record with other students. Either is fine, but you’ll want an instructor who matches what you’re looking for.

Third, what do you actually get from them? All instruction isn’t created equal. Although Chios states that instructors should not just give attunements and then set their students loose to learn on their own, some do exactly that. Some are available to answer a student’s questions while the student is learning, but don’t do any other instruction. Some have regular meetings with the student to discuss their progress, but the student goes through the material at their own pace.

Personally, I (and I’m sure other instructors as well) offer the “at their own pace” option, but I also offer directed instruction, and that’s what all of my current students chose. Some people find it easier to make progress with an instructor who gives them specific assignments. I meet with my students once a week to go over their progress and assignments and give them the following week’s assignment, and I’m always available by email to answer questions or address concerns. I also teach some additional information about the human energy system.

My new students are required to have a Chios session before I give them their first attunement, and an additional session before they complete Level 1; those are part of the instruction so don’t cost the students anything extra. Students also get a discount on any additional sessions they have while they’re my students. If a student is certified as a Healing Practitioner (Level 2) or CCMT (Level 3) and goes into practice, I’ll link to them on my website and will refer clients or students to them if my schedule is full or if I feel like they would be a better fit.

I don’t only teach Chios to my students. I also work with them on their mindset, helping them identify and work past blocks that might prevent them from learning, or accepting what they learn, or that might hinder them if they plan to go into practice themselves. Energy healing doesn’t exist in a vacuum; both having healing sessions and learning to give them requires more work than just lying on a table or reading a book, and I support my students through all of those pieces.

There are a wide range of possibilities of what you’ll receive from a Chios instructor. It’s important to find one who teaches the way you need to learn, and offers what you need.

What an instructor charges might also be a consideration for you, but bear in mind that the investment for working with any given instructor might be based on what they offer for instruction and on how much experience they have.

Fourth, and the most important consideration, is whether you and they are a good fit to work together. In addition to the things I’ve already mentioned, personality plays a role. Some people just plain rub each other the wrong way. You may want to work with someone whose ethics and philosophies are similar to yours. You’ll want someone who explains things in a way you can understand.

You’ll also want someone who feels like a fit. This is energy work, and energy and “gut feelings” matter. If you speak to a potential instructor and leave the conversation feeling angry, or out of sorts, or like you’ve been punched in the gut, that probably isn’t someone you want to work with. Everyone has their own energetic vibration, and when you’re around someone whose vibration is too far off from yours, it can be painful, uncomfortable, and frustrating. It isn’t a wise choice to try to learn healing from someone around whom you feel that way.

I don’t enroll any students until I’ve had a phone call or video conversation with them, or an in-person meeting if that’s feasible. That’s the best way I’ve found to make sure we’re a fit energetically and as instructor and student. If I don’t feel that someone’s a good fit with me, I tell them and offer them resources to find a different instructor.

Learning energy healing can be very rewarding, and it can be fun as well. But it’s important to make sure you know what you’re getting into, and with whom you’re getting into it.

I have two openings for students currently. If you’re interested in finding out more, please go to the Chios instruction page to sign up for an inquiry call.

How I Learned Chios

Posted on by riverflowhealing

As a child, I was very clumsy. I didn’t have much body awareness, so I constantly walked into things, or tripped and fell. I have scars on my knees because I skinned them so often.

Cuts and bruises hurt, obviously. But when I was four or five, I realized that if I put my hand over a cut or bruise, my hand got warm and the injury didn’t hurt as much. It also usually healed faster.

The adults around me told me that was just my imagination, so, as with a number of other things, I pushed it away. I didn’t want people to think I was weird or crazy, and I definitely didn’t want to annoy my parents. Besides, adults were the ones telling me the warm hand thing wasn’t really happening, and when you’re a child, you pretty much believe adults know everything.

When I was about 35, I became friends with someone who practiced yoga, Chios energy healing, and channeling. Over time, he started sharing these things with me. The first time he did a Chios session with me, I had some pretty intense results, and I decided to start learning Chioswith my friend as my instructor.

In Chios, one of the first things you learn to do is call in the energy, which means opening yourself as a conduit for the healing energy to flow through. You don’t use your own energy to heal others; you allow universal energy to go through you into the people you work with. My friend warned me, and I’d seen for myself, that when that energy flows, it brings heat with it. What I didn’t expect was that one of the first times I called in the energy, my hands got so hot that the wedding ring I had at the time left a burn mark on my finger!

That was when I started remembering the warm hand thing from when I was a child. It hadn’t been my imagination after all. It was energy healing.

As I went on learning Chios, I didn’t feel like I was gaining new knowledge. It felt a lot more like someone was reminding me of things I’d already known but had forgotten. Regaining that knowledge was exciting, and so was seeing the results I was able to bring the people who let me practice on them while I was learning.

I don’t know whether Chios, or something similar, was something I learned in a past life, or just instinctive knowledge I’d had as a child until I let the adults around me convince me to shut it away. But I definitely feel like it’s natural for me. And I still get excited when clients tell me what they experience during and after healing sessions. That’s why I started River Flow Healing, so I could bring Chios to others.

The Good Chios Does

Posted on by riverflowhealing

Before I get into the benefits of Chios Energy Healing, the obligatory disclaimer: Chios is not a substitute for medical care. It is not intended to diagnose or treat medical or mental health conditions. I am not a licensed medical or mental health professional. No results of Chios are guaranteed. The results I report below are either what I myself have experienced or what clients have reported to me.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…

I learned Chios thirteen or so years ago because a session I had, done by a close friend, brought me clarity on some traumas from my past that I hadn’t so much buried as locked in a metal safe and shoved to the back of my brain so I wouldn’t have to deal with them. Obviously, denying trauma is not the best way to heal from it. Even though having those memories re-enter my conscious mind was unpleasant, I had plenty of support and caring from my friend as I dealt with them. Ultimately, because of that and subsequent Chios sessions, I was able to work through things I’d ignored for decades.

That’s just one of the benefits I’ve seen of getting a Chios session, and it’s the most prominent result of the sessions I’ve received. My clients have pointed out other positive results they’ve experienced after having sessions:

  • A few clients have reported feeling less angry and irritable after sessions. One child I had as a client showed a huge reduction in the number of tantrums they had.
  • Several clients have told me they find it easier to focus on tasks after sessions, and are more motivated to tackle those tasks.
  • Clients who have experienced recent surgeries or injuries have reported a decrease in pain and faster healing. (I wasn’t treating the injuries or surgical sites; this was a beneficial side effect.)
  • Some clients have slept better after sessions.
  • Some clients have been able to communicate more effectively with certain people in their lives after sessions and some follow-up work with their fifth chakra.
  • Every client I’ve worked with has reported feeling relaxed and refreshed after sessions. Several have also said they felt less stressed, and better able to manage the stressors in their lives.

Since Chios works with the human energy system, and energy impacts a lot of other facets of our lives, as the healing energy filters through, positive things happen. Obviously not everyone is going to have the same experiences, but in general, energy healing has definite benefits.

My Favorite Things About Chios

Posted on by riverflowhealing

Last week, I told you a little about the history of Chios Energy Healing, the type of energy work I practice. (If you missed the post, find it here.) As I said in that post, I can’t compare Chios with other energy modalities, because Chios is the only one I’ve learned. I have tried learning a couple of others, but they didn’t stick with me. My brain simply wouldn’t hold onto the information. With Chios, I didn’t have that issue, which told me that for me, Chios was the right choice.

One of the things I enjoy about Chios is the focus on working with guides. While that isn’t a requirement, for me it’s a bonus. Guides are beings with higher energetic vibrations than humans, who work with humans for our benefit and, often, for theirs as well. These beings include angels and spirit guides, among others. When Stephen Barrett developed Chios, he worked with a group of guides, though he also did a good amount of his own research and refinement of the techniques.

Not everyone believes in guides. I do, and have been working with mine as long as I can remember, though as a child I didn’t realize they were guides. They were just my “invisible friends,” and as I got older, I didn’t really understand why I didn’t outgrow them the way most kids outgrew their imaginary friends. I didn’t learn until I was an adult that it was because they aren’t imaginary.

I have a guide who works with me specifically on healing, my own and the healing practices I do for others. When I do Chios healing sessions, I also communicate with the guides who introduced Chios to Stephen Barrett. For me, this is a benefit, because it gives me even more confidence in my skills. I know I’m good at what I do, and that I know the techniques, but having backup from these guides is reassuring. Besides which, sometimes there’s a need to vary the sequence of techniques I use, or use a technique that isn’t as common, and my guide tells me when that’s the case.

Another thing I love about Chios is the benefit I see my clients receiving. When a client tells me after a session that they’re feeling calmer or more focused, or that another problem they’ve been having has either cleared up or isn’t as bad, I’m excited for them. I feel really good hearing that something I’ve done has helped them. I don’t consider myself to be the one who’s healing them; I’m just making their healing easier and more accessible to them. But it’s still incredible to be part of someone’s healing.

Obviously, I think Chios is pretty awesome. It’s been thirteen years since I first learned it, and even though I’ve gone through stretches of time where I didn’t practice it, I’ve always come back to it. I would love to talk with you more about Chios. If you’re curious, leave a comment, or visit the Chios Energy Healing page for more information or to schedule a healing session.

A Little About Chios

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People sometimes ask me what the differences are between Chios and other types of energy healing or energy work. The truth is, I can’t answer that accurately, because Chios is the only healing modality I’ve learned. Other people have told me that Chios has certain similarities to and differences from other modalities, but I can’t speak to those for myself. I only know what I’ve heard from others, and I would rather err on the side of caution and not repeat those things just in case I’ve misunderstood or someone gave me inaccurate information. So I can’t tell you what Chios isn’t, but I can tell you a little about what it is.

Chios Energy Healing is relatively new when compared to some other healing modalities. At least, it’s new as far as how long it’s been available to the public. Chios was developed over a period of about twenty years of research, testing, and refining by Stephen Barrett. Mr. Barrett was given the basis of Chios by a group of guides, beings who are not human but communicate with humans. These beings presented Mr. Barrett with information and knowledge, which they encouraged him to develop further by doing scientific research into energy, as well as testing healing techniques with other people. He didn’t start teaching Chios to others until he had done years of research and development. (This background information comes from the official Chios Energy Healing manual.)

Chios includes specific techniques for balancing energy flow through the chakras and energy field, as well as removing energetic blocks, providing possible supplementary relief from certain health conditions (diagnosed by a medical professional), becoming more grounded and centered, and addressing energetic damage from past injuries or traumas. Some of the techniques might appear similar to those used in other modalities, but most are unique to Chios.

(Disclaimer: Chios is not a substitute for medical care or attention. Unless they’re also licensed medical professionals, Chios practitioners are not qualified to diagnose or treat medical or mental health conditions.)

Personally, I found Chios much easier to learn than the other modalities I’ve tried to study. The Chios manual explains the techniques clearly and step-by-step, and while there is a physical version of the manual available for purchase, you can also read most of the manual’s text on the Chios website. The symbols that are used in Chios healing are very simple and straightforward. The time from the beginning of my Chios study until I reached the Certified Master Teacher level was about six months.

Nothing works for everyone, of course. I’ve known plenty of people who are enthusiastic about praising other forms of energy healing they’ve learned or in which they’ve had sessions, and have told me about some pretty amazing results. On the other hand, I’ve had students and clients who have tried other modalities and have either not had results at all, or have found that the other things they tried didn’t resonate for them.

If you’re curious about what a Chios healing session is like, leave a comment, or visit my Chios Energy Healing page for more information and, if you’d like, to schedule a session.

“How Dare You Charge?”

Posted on by riverflowhealing

I haven’t heard the exact words I used for the title of this post, but I have heard similar. A number of times. There are plenty of people out there who believe that someone who practices energy healing, or channeling, or readings, or anything along those lines has no right to ask others to pay for their services. After all, those skills are a “gift from God,” right?

Well, sort of. First of all, that’s presuming a practitioner believes in God in the first place. I believe in a higher power, but not in “God” the way some religions mean. I don’t belong to any of those religions. Nor do some of the other practitioners I know. The person from whom I learned Chios and channeling in the first place didn’t believe in any higher power at all; he was a staunch atheist. It’s worth remembering that not everyone believes in the same things, even among people who practice the same things.

Second, maybe the ability to practice energy healing, channeling, etc. is a gift, but that doesn’t mean a person who possesses those abilities is automatically able to offer them to other people. I believe you need to learn how to effectively use those abilities if you plan to make those practices into your life’s work, just as someone who’s born with a talent for singing won’t make it to professional level without vocal training. The ability might be a gift, but you need training and education to have the skill.

Some people spend years learning the skills they need to offer their talents to the public. Even those who don’t spend quite that long still devote time and energy to learning effective ways to do what they do, and the best ways to offer those things to others.

If practitioners choose for themselves not to charge for their skills, that is entirely their choice, and there’s nothing wrong with it. The issue comes when those who choose not to charge start vilifying those of us who do because we’re “dishonoring” our gifts.

The thing is, money, at its base level, is an energetic exchange. We are exchanging our gifts for abundance energy in the form of pieces of paper, or other types of currency. If we give our energy with nothing in exchange, a vacuum is created, and negative energy loves to fill vacuums. But if we receive some form of exchange, whether that’s money or a massage in return for an energy healing session or whatever, there’s no vacuum.

Practitioners don’t have to charge outrageous sums of money. Some do, but some keep their rates lower, and some accept barter in addition to money. The point is to have that exchange.

Everyone’s different. Everyone has a different view of the things they’re able to do. And, as far as I’m concerned, no one’s choice is wrong as long as they aren’t taking advantage of their clients. It would just be nice if we could accept each other’s choices instead of having loud debates and insults when we disagree.

Disclaimer

Posted on by riverflowhealing

This post is not a disclaimer. Though the previous sentence might be.

As a holistic practitioner, I have to be very careful about what I say on my website, to clients, and in marketing materials. Laws in my state–and in most states, I believe–regulate holistic practices to some extent. If you claim to be something that falls under those laws and you aren’t licensed, you’re going to run into problems.

More importantly, the government regulates websites, and one of the things they look for is a claim of medical practice by someone who isn’t a doctor. There have been cases of energy healers and other practitioners being sued, either by clients or the government, because wording on their site implied or flat out said they practiced medicine.

Someone asked me why I repeat the phrase “energy healing is not a substitute for traditional medicine” so many times on my site, along with stating that I am not a medical or mental health professional. The possibility of being sued or accused of fraud is why. I’m not a doctor. I’m not a licensed anything. I am a Certified Chios Master Teacher and have a diploma in Life Coaching, but that doesn’t make me a trained medical or mental health professional. It makes me someone who has studied to the point of knowing what I’m doing, and more importantly, knowing what I can’t do.

One of the testimonials on my Chios Energy Healing page is slightly revised, with the client’s consent, from the version I received. Their version included the word “diagnosed,” as in “Kim diagnosed an issue I was having.” (That isn’t an exact quote.) That’s a red-flag word; diagnosing is something a doctor does. So I had to rewrite it.

I’ve also had to change some of my website copy. I have had a client tell me their blood pressure dropped to normal for a few days after a session, but I can’t say that on my site, because that implies I’m practicing some form of medicine. Instead, I have to focus on the other effects, such as feeling calmer and more relaxed.

To some people, it might seem like I’m going overboard with the disclaimers on my site, but I don’t feel that I am. Chios and other techniques I’ve used help my clients. I want to be able to continue to give them that help. And that means being careful about who and what I say I am.