Healing Awareness Week is dedicated to promoting Healing and Wellness for all; a week filled with ideas and information to help everyone achieve a more positive and healthy lifestyle.
Healing Awareness Week is on Monday 1st to Sunday 7th May 2023
Everyone is welcome to get involved; whether you’re a healer, someone who has benefited from Healing, or just interested in finding out more.
Funds raised during Healing Awareness Week help us to raise awareness of the benefits of Healing and its positive effect on wellbeing.
Sylvan Healing is, of course, involved in helping raise awareness of healing and its benefits. We will be participating in healing awareness week by giving a talk and demonstrations: ‘Healing, meditation and breath-work (talk and practical session)’.
We invite you to join our one-hour session which is to include a talk about Healing, meditation and breath work, as well as a group meditation and healing session.
An informative talk about healing, meditation and breath-work and the work we have been doing at the Sanctuary for over three decades!
We will conclude with our highly experienced healers taking everyone through a beautiful meditation and a group healing as our gift to you all.
Healing Awareness Week is supported by the Healing Forum, a collaborative group of organisations dedicated to wellness for all through a network of healing practitioners trained to the highest standards and following a robust code of conduct.
Energy healing is a holistic and non-invasive practice that aims to promote healing and balance in the physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies by channelling and balancing the body’s energy flow. It has been used for centuries in traditional healing systems and is now gaining more recognition and popularity as a complementary and alternative therapy.
Energy healing works on the principle that all living things are made up of energy and that this energy is in a constant state of flux. When the flow of energy is disrupted or blocked, it can lead to physical, emotional, and spiritual imbalances that can manifest as pain, illness, or disease. Energy healing techniques aim to clear these blockages and restore the natural flow of energy in the body, promoting healing and well-being.
There are many different types of energy healing techniques, each with its own unique approach and benefits. Some of the most popular include Reiki, acupuncture, acupressure, Qi Gong, and chakra balancing.
Reiki is a Japanese healing technique that uses a gentle touch or non-touch approach to transfer energy to the recipient. The practitioner channels universal life force energy to the recipient, helping to clear blockages and promote healing.
Acupuncture and acupressure are based on traditional Chinese medicine and involve the use of fine needles or pressure on specific points in the body to balance the body’s energy flow.
Qi Gong is a Chinese practice that combines movement, breathing, and meditation to balance the body’s energy and promote healing.
Chakra balancing is an energy healing technique that focuses on balancing the seven main chakras or energy centres in the body. Each chakra corresponds to a different aspect of our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and balancing them can help to promote overall balance and harmony in the body.
So, what are some of the benefits of energy healing?
Relieves stress and anxiety
Energy healing can be a powerful tool for reducing stress and anxiety levels. By promoting relaxation and reducing tension in the body, energy healing techniques can help to calm the mind and reduce feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.
Boosts the immune system
Research has shown that energy healing can help to boost the immune system by stimulating the production of white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting off infections and diseases.
Reduces pain and inflammation
Energy healing techniques can be effective in reducing pain and inflammation in the body. By promoting the natural healing process and reducing tension and stress, energy healing can help to alleviate pain and discomfort in the body.
Improves sleep
Many people struggle with sleep issues, such as insomnia or restless sleep. Energy healing can be effective in promoting restful and rejuvenating sleep by promoting relaxation and reducing stress and anxiety.
Enhances emotional wellbeing
Energy healing techniques can be effective in promoting emotional well-being by helping to clear emotional blockages and promoting a sense of calm and balance. This can help to improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Increases energy levels
Energy healing techniques can help to increase energy levels by promoting the natural flow of energy in the body. By clearing blockages and balancing the body’s energy, energy healing can help to increase vitality and promote overall well-being.
Promotes spiritual growth
Energy healing can also be a powerful tool for promoting spiritual growth and development. By helping to clear blockages and promote balance in the body’s energy, energy healing can help to promote a deeper connection to the self and to the universe.
Energy healing is a powerful and effective tool for promoting physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. By restoring balance and harmony to the body’s energy flow, energy healing can help to alleviate pain and discomfort, reduce stress and anxiety, boost the immune system, and promote overall health and vitality. If you are interested in exploring energy healing as a complementary therapy, it is important to remember that there are no promises of cures. The experience is such that you can feel very happy and relaxed.
Many of our visitors have reported physical, emotional and spiritual malaise much improved after energy healing at The Healing Sancturay.
“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit”
One of Christine Hills favourite inspirational quotes comes from Napoleon Hill – Author of many world famous books such as ‘ Think and Grow Rich’ and ‘The Law of success’. He was also one of the pioneers of the New Thought movement and inspiration behind works such as The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.
It’s no coincidence then, that having studied psychology, sociology and spirituality for a lifetime, Christine has always felt called to work in personal development roles.
Her early career after graduating was spent in the corporate world in human resource management, training and teaching. Like many of us, she left the corporate world when she realised that what she really wanted to do was to be a healer, to help those who are stuck or struggling in their life.
So, she retrained in several holistic healing therapies and for the last 20 years ran a private practice as a Hypnotherapist. With a specific focus on helping clients to take back control of their life and reach their full potential.
If you are new to Hypnosis it can be used to resolve many issues both physical and emotional and is particularly good at guiding you to identify and reach your personal goals particularly when combined with a technique called guided imagery. You can check out one of our amazing free Self-Hypnosis sessions here – guided by the wonderful Dr Richard Smith who uses it regularly in his practice and clinic.
Christine told us there is nothing more rewarding and satisfying than someone thanking you for giving them their life back! So she jumped at the chance when we asked her to design and create a unique short course for The Sanctuary Community. Very kindly agreeing to pull some of her years of training and experience together to help produce…
A THREE-PART GUIDED IMAGERY TECHNIQUE COURSE to help develop your own self-healing skills
A simple and yet powerful set of techniques and tools for use in everyday life to help you:
Quickly and effectively reach a place of calm and relaxation at anytime.
Set in place a ‘confidence trigger’ that can be used time and time again to overcome obstacles and that nagging internal voice that can zap confidence.
Let go of old wounds and difficult memories and reveal your true, authentic, confident self that was there all along.
You will essentially have a set of skills that you will be able to use throughout life – to overcome past, present or future issues.
Christine has specifically designed the programme so that even absolute beginners and those relatively new to the world of healing and personal self development can master the techniques and for those with more experience, you’ll find that undertaking the programme will serve to augment and support your ongoing healing journey and equip you with greater control over your own personal self healing.
Each pre-recorded session lasts approximately 1.5 hours and covers one of the three core topics, all of which are different but that connect effortlessly.
In each session Christine asks for an initial element of preparation or intention setting before beginning, but other than that all you need to do is listen, be guided and learn!
On subscribing to the course, you will be sent a link to all three recordings and can access them at your leisure – we do suggest you leave a week between each session to allow yourself time to practice and reflect on the guided sessions and learnings. Remember to keep the link or email safe so that you can refer back to it whenever you need
Many people can honestly say they do not know how to relax, and they can’t even imagine what it would feel like. Relaxing the body and mind is an integral part of successful Guided Imagery and meditation, so it is an important skill to learn. Why is it a common problem to find it hard to relax? Often it is because an earlier negative experience, although over now, has left a habitual state of anxiety. This session will teach simple physical techniques to guide your body and mind into relaxation. Continued practice will enable you to create and develop the skill to experience a calmer state during your normal day and to access your inner being for self-healing work.
Skills
Calm breathing and why it works
Experience how your body listens to you
Create a trigger to guide your mind and body into relaxation
(optional) Connect with your own concept of a higher power.
SESSION 2: REACTIVATE THE BEST VERSION OF YOU
Every baby is born confident and expecting their needs to be met – they don’t hesitate to ask loudly.! Over time, with the challenges of life, that confidence can be eroded. This session will help you to build your future based on your past successes and restore your confident self.
Skills: Your Ring of Confidence
Guide your body and mind into relaxation
Create a special trigger to activate your personal ring of confidence
Preparation
Choose a future situation in which you would like to be more confident.
SESSION 3: RELEASE THAT EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE THAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK
By the last session you will have created a positive trigger to access a positive, confident feeling. That trigger is in your control and you can use it whenever you want. Unfortunately, life experiences sometimes create negative triggers which can be activated outside of your control, making you feel an unhelpful emotion, often quite unexpectedly and at a most inconvenient moment! This session will help you to let go of these stuck emotions so that you can release these blocks to being the best version of you.
Skills
Self-relaxation
Guided imagery to release emotional blocks in the privacy of your own mind
Preparation
Identify one or more negative beliefs or events that you want to release. Do you not recall the details – give it a neutral code word such as “The blue memory”. Your subconscious mind knows what you mean. Set your intention to let go of whatever it is, as it no longer serves you. Your brilliant mind wants to do whatever you tell it, but you must be specific and 100% committed. Even a fragment of doubt means: ‘don’t do it!’
There is a small charge for the course of £30 all of which goes towards funding the Sanctuary overheads and ensuring our healers can offer their services for free to those needing healing. We are a non for profit registered charity and operate on a donation basis. Any contribution is gratefully received – you read more here
Christine’s Qualifications and training
Honours Degree in Psychology and Sociology
Chartered Member of The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
Practitioner Diploma in Clinical Hypnosis LCCH
Certificate in Advanced Hypnosis (5-PATH®)
Certified 7th Path® Self-Hypnosis Teacher
Master Practitioner Neuro Linguistic Programming
Master Practitioner Time Line Therapy
Certified Practitioner of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
Certified Practitioner of HypnoBirthing® and HypnoFertility®.
We are delighted to introduce one of our resident experts and good friend of the centre – Cobi Campbell
Cobi is a qualified Yoga teacher an avid fan and practitioner of Yoga Nidra.
Cobi first came to the healing centre as a child. Her mother used to attend regularly ( Mum is also a trained and expert healer) and from time to time Cobi would attend with her and receive healing herself.
Having seen first hand how beneficial energy healing can be she continued using the modality as part of her self care practice both during difficult times in her life and as a general maintenance tool.
So what is Yoga Nidra ?
Put simply it’s a guided practice to lull you into deep rest. Yoga Nidra is translated as Yogic Sleep or Sleep Meditation and is a highly restorative practice where you are guided into a state between sleep and waking. All you need to do is find a comfortable place to lie down, get cosy and let yourself be guided.
Like Yoga itself, Yoga Nidra is both a process and a state. You can be in the “state of Yoga Nidra” which is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. Yoga Nidra is also a set of techniques put together to help you get into that state. There are many different techniques in the Yoga Nidra “toolbox” so a practice can be for different purposes such as simple relaxation, getting to sleep at night and unlocking creativity.
In addition Yoga Nidra is a form of meditation we normally do lying down. When we are lying down it is easier to access that “in between” state we can experience between waking and sleeping. There are times when lying down is not possible or comfortable so then it can be done supported in a comfortable seated position.
How can Yoga Nidra support our self healing practice
Aside from being deeply relaxing, restorative and restful, scientific studies have shown that a 45-minute Yoga Nidra session is equivalent to three hours of sleep. During each session the body is said to maximise its ability to take in nutrients, regulate hormones and glucose levels, and boost immunity. By stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest & digest system”), the mind quiets and your body begins to heal itself, naturally.
As a regular practice (many practitioners recommend a weekly session – initially under the guidance and support of a teacher)
Yoga Nidra can help with:
Stress reduction and physical restoration
Build immunity
Improve sleep
Psychological rest from internal chatter and external stimuli.
Develops a capacity to respond to life rather than react.
In short Yoga Nidra is an empowering self-healing practice that assists us in restoring our health and wellbeing.
What to expect during a session
Yoga Nidra starts with the body placed in Savasana (a relaxed and comfortable lying down position you’ll be familiar with if you practice Yoga) The teacher will direct their students to move and rotate their awareness through the different parts of the body, relaxing each part in turn whilst remaining motionless. There is no right or wrong, you may fall asleep (this is ok) and you are likely to experience different things during each session.
It is often helpful to set an intention for the practice, especially if you feel the need to address certain aspects of your life. You might therefore come into the practice knowing what you would like to work on or you can simply relax and go with flow, seeing what comes up for you during each session. There are no hard and fast rules. You will find you have a space to explore what you need in the moment, as well as an opportunity to work on releasing any long-held emotions
The beauty of Yoga Nidra is that you are able to experience an emotion and come “face to face” with what you want to overcome, without “diving into it” completely—meaning without feeling the emotion so completely that you become overwhelmed.
So, now you know! Yoga Nidra is an accessible meditation practice that focuses on cultivating multiple levels of well-being. Practiced with consistency and awareness, you may likely discover that you can find a good amount of peace in a short period of time.
If you would like to find out more about Cobi check out her FB and Insta profiles
Cheryl and I, as Sylvan Trustees, have been working really hard behind the scenes both to change and enhance the way we work and to enable us to continue to bring healing to you.
What an unbelievable roller coaster we have been on over the last 3 months – so much anxiety and worry but, happily, we have all survived and found ways to cope. After what has been happening in the world, I’m sure we are each different in our outlook, how we see ourselves, family and friends and how we have managed through this time.
For myself, having spent quite some time working with many of you via Zoom, I can say that the levels of anxiety that I experienced from people in the first few weeks has definitely settled and I see that this time and space has afforded us all an opportunity to re-evaluate what we want for ourselves and, dare I say, for our lives.
We have recently launched our new website: www.sylvanhealing.org It is by no means finished and I am sure that there will be changes, updates and improvements as we go along. Please feel free to give us your opinions. We are happy to receive critical thoughts as well as good ones as they can be really helpful!!
We will be making available in the next week or so an online booking system so that you can see who is available and at what times individual healers are available either by a telephone (WhatsApp or phone) link or Zoom. When it’s up and running we will send another message to let you know and explain how to use the system.
We will reevaluate restarting contact work at the Sanctuary at the beginning of September. However, as it is highly likely that we will not be back in situ until the early part of next year, please be patient as it’s clearly of paramount importance that we keep both you and our healers safe.
I must say that healing by Zoom, WhatsApp and also telephone has been different but proved to be really effective. Despite the absence of the warmth of human contact, all the healers agree that healing in this way certainly brings something new to the process.
For those of you who have not yet experienced our guided meditations, you are welcome to join us on Thursdays. The first is at 5pm and the second at 9pm. These offer healing in a different way and have proved to have great value to relieve anxiety and bring a deep inner calm.
If you would like to give them a try, you can sign up to receive your invitation to join the session by adding your email on our website here: https://sylvanhealing.org/what-we-offer
We have also just launched our Facebook Page and we’d love it if you could connect with us there by liking the page: https://www.facebook.com/SylvanHealing/ Feel free to share it with anyone you feel would be interested in Sylvan.
We’ll be sending newsletters from time to time on topics many and various but relating to healing and well being. If you have any specific interests or queries that you would like us to consider via a newsletter, do please feel free to contact us.
If you would like to subscribe, we have a subscription form on the homepage and if you decide at any point that you would prefer not to receive our newsletters, you can unsubscribe by clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ button at the bottom of the emails.
Finally, I would like to say thank you for your trust in us, for your support and for your interest in our work.
The answer to this question is, as often is the case, both “yes” and “no.”
Yes, there is still a debate
On one side, there are Healers who make outlandish claims about healing cancer or diabetes, in some miraculous manner, through a mysterious power. Some people have had negative experiences with doctors or hospitals and have demonised both of them. There are also charlatans who trick people for financial gain, or fame.
On the other side, there are doctors and other health professionals who discount anything they don’t understand as false. Some don’t look at the facts, but only at the people on the other side of the debate, and throw it all out together.
For both of these parties, the debate is usually very high in emotion, and low in substance and fact.
No, for many, the debate is over
For a while now though, a growing group of people on both sides have been able to follow the data, and identify some positive results. These people see that there are two things that have been established:
· We know that Healing works.
· We don’t know why or how.
We know it works
People who combine Healing with standard medical care recover more quickly form injury and illness, and report lower pain levels during the period of recovery. Terminal patients report a greater degree of physical and emotional comfort during palliative care.
The NHS has responded to this by approving placements and funding from SBSHT for Healers to play supplementary roles in NHS institutions and care facilities. Healers are now part of the team in many NHS facilities. Coverage and availability are still better in some areas than others, but it is a step in the right direction.
Just as with medical treatment, sometimes the results are stunning and quick, sometimes they are slower, and seem less effective. The statistics are clear though, the cooperation of standard medical care and Healing, helps patients to be healthier, more comfortable, and have quicker recovery periods.
We don’t know Why
Still, there are people who will struggle with the fact that we don’t know why Healing works. This struggle in unnecessary though, if one considers a few of the other things that we don’t understand, but still use on a regular basis. For example, even scientists who specialise in such areas do not know how gravity works. We can see what it does, but we don’t know why… yet! Likewise, Newtonian physics and Einstein’s relativity theory are mutually exclusive, and yet the one gets us into space and the other makes GPS work.
So what do we do?
There are lots of things we don’t yet understand, but it makes no more sense to throw out Healing, than it does to throw out your GPS or mobile phone. Scientists continue to study all of these areas, and maybe one day we’ll have answers – but in the meantime, we know that this practice makes the healthy less susceptible to illness, the ill more comfortable, aids in recovery where possible, and reduces anxiety in the dying.
So what should we do? Try it. Receive the benefits. We’ll figure out how it happens later on.
