It means diving into the deepest areas of one's soul, and feeling one's feelings, thinking one's thoughts, and speaking and acting from this authentic core.
Those who say they are spiritual and do not acknowledge their emotional/psychological being, are, in my mind, only activating part of the pie of the BIG SELF.
Anger, frustration, loneliness, jealousy(a juicy one), competition, hurt, aggression, manipulation, violation, and depression are all part of being human and living in a body in the world. As much as we find them uncomfortable, "negative sanctioned" emotions, they are still real, and need to be acknowledged,, before they can be released.
Any spiritual group who would tell you that anger is bad, or we choose how we feel at every waking moment is simply superficial. They, are ultimately counter-productive for anyone who is working on transcending the uncomfortable emotions. It's sad that our culture is so quick to find "quick fixes": for one's hair, make up, clothing, and working out to have super sexy abs but clueless to promulgate a process orientation towards one's inner imbalances.
That is where holistic natural healing can be facilitated. A person comes in tired, wired, angry, sad, feeling very alone. They receive a massage, one on one yoga, have aromatherapy, (in bath and massage oil), and blockages are, over time released. Talking therapy is a very good adjunct to body work to support the person's balance and well being. This is not an overnight transformation, but a process oriented, client centered practice.
To honour any person's spirituality is to acknowledge their physical, psychological, emotional, mental well being. This is done with utter respect, as we honour everyone's autonomy.
Like watching a beautiful flower bloom, it indeed is a great joy working with others, facilitating change, and witnessing their inner and outer growth. A flowering!
~Kate Lamberg BA, LMT
Director of Tadasan, Center for Natural Healing
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