Coaching
Did you know that people who work with a Coach are 75% more likely to reach their goals whether those goals are for work and career, health, relationships or spiritually related. Coaching helps you to set realistic and achievable goals, helps to keep you accountable while supporting you to release obstacles to your success.
Areas of specialty:
Coaching Fees
You can get four sessions for $75/each, when you pay the entire amount up front ($300).
Spiritual counseling services are based on the premise that we are all here to learn and grow through our experiences in life as a way of deepening and expanding consciousness. Each of us has a path that is unique to us and offers a lifetime of opportunities to examine and explore all that we experience. Healing is necessary for everyone and is absolutely possible regardless of the wound.
Areas of specialty include:
Spiritual counseling and mentoring can help you discover the answers to important questions such as, “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?”. Explore and enhance your relationship with yourself through healing unresolved past issues, processing feelings, rediscovering your inner child, and much more. Email me to schedule your first session.
Spiritual Counseling Fees
You can get four sessions for $75/each, when you pay the entire amount up front ($300).
Flower Power
The scent you smell when you lift a flower to your nose is referred to as the essence of the plant. When some plants are processed through distillation that essence which comes from specialized glands or cells in the plant produces oil, an essential oil. These oils are highly concentrated and contain the chemical composition of the plant therefore offering therapeutic properties unique to that plant. Essential oils are also referred to as "Plant-based medicine." The compounds are natural to the earth and life itself. The therapeutic properties of plants have been used as long as man has been on the planet to observe their benefits.
Here's another interesting fact. The olfactory sense, the sense of smell, is one of the main pathways through which aroma, i.e. aromatherapy can enter the body. The olfactory sense is the strongest sense that humans have with the potential to make the most impact. Why? Because it directly affects the limbic system and the cerebral cortex. By the way, it is the only of our five senses that does. The limbic brain is the seat of automatic emotions in humans and is directly connected with memory. The cerebral cortex is the seat of the higher functions of the human brain associated with language and complex tasks. As Andrea Butje, the founder of Aromahead Institute so eloquently said, "The cortex gives us the ability to use our minds and bodies with great skill in uniquely “human” ways, while the limbic system gives us the motivation and desire to do so." One of the things that make essential oils so powerful is that their aroma can immediately affect these parts of the brain with the potential of relieving stress and anxiety, etc.
The Science of Aromatherapy
The science of aromatherapy involves study of the chemical and therapeutic components, plant parts (flowers, roots, resin, stems, etc.,) and aroma characteristics of plants. There are hundreds of essential oils that can be used to address the effects of pain and inflammation, fight bacteria and fungus, improve various conditions on the skin and to provide non-toxic, natural cleaning solutions for the home, and that is just the tip of the iceberg of what is possible with essential oils.
Essential oils provide a natural and very effective alternative to many medications without the side-effects. This is what attracted me to them. However, there can be issues with drug interactions and skin sensitivity. In addition, there are also a lot of essential oils being sold that are not pure, therapeutic grade oils. You need to know what you're doing. That is why I decided to become a certified aromatherapist.
Guided Imagery
A picture is worth a thousand words! This famous saying indicates the power and meaning that is conveyed by images.
It turns out that the body doesn’t know the difference between something that is real and something that is imagined and the major physiologic systems in the body can understand and respond to the language of imagery. Increasingly, guided imagery is being used in healthcare because of this fact. It is much more effective to help people conjure relaxing images in their minds than to tell them to relax.
Guided imagery often utilizes “safe place” exercises, supporting people in conjuring pictures with their imaginations that are peaceful, relaxing and help them feel safe. When that happens people calm down and their bodies show it. One of the things that makes this type of exercise effective is what is known as “evocative” imagery which refers to imagery that utilizes the senses and evokes a more realistic experience in the imagination. For example, if you imagine yourself at the beach, evocative imagery would include imagining the smell of salt in the air, the sound of the waves crashing and the bird noises. It might include noticing the color of the sky, if there are clouds, where the sun is in the sky, what temperature it is and what time of day. All of this helps the mind/body to believe it is really at the beach and the body responds to the belief that it is in that peaceful, relaxing scene.
In truth, there is so much more that can be done with imagery by utilizing it through Interactive Guided Imagery.
Interactive Guided Imagery
Science is showing us that the two hemispheres of the brain have different languages. The left hemisphere of the brain and commonly dominant (for most people) typically uses verbal language and is linear and logical. The right side of the brain is typically where imagery, emotion and symbolism are used. Scientists believe that dreaming occurs in the right hemisphere and that in fact, it may be the location of the subconscious mind.
I doubt there would be any argument that humankind has come a very long way by employing intellect and reasoning. These have substantially contributed to the sciences and advances in technology. We wouldn't be where we are right now if it wasn't for these left brain functions. Of course, we are whole brained beings and the vision and creativity supplied by the right brain are just as important.
The main distinction between the two, however is that the left brain is often the source of our interactions with the outside world, whereas the right brain is the mediator for our internal communications. The left brain communication we are aware of as the on-going thoughts going through our heads that we may give voice to or not in our interactions with other people and the world. Right brain communication happens with" intuition, emotions, feelings, memories, drives, motives, goals, appetites, aspirations, ambitions, values, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions." (Bresler, Rossman "Interactive Guided Imagery, 1999)
If, as we were growing through the first 20 years or so and our need to be seen, heard and understood in our interactions with others was not fully met, we typically split off any painful feelings that resulted. Splitting off refers to a defense mechanism that enables us to continue on in our life and simply push away uncomfortable feelings relating to our experiences. Eventually the unresolved and unprocessed feelings develop into separated parts that float around our subconscious. By the time most people reach middle age, there is a significant accumulation of these parts.
Internal Systems theory states that these internal parts interact with one another like members of a family. Imagine a typical day in your family as you were growing up. If you had siblings, like I did, each one of us had our own needs, desires, and perspectives and interacted positively and/or negatively (think sibling rivalry) with each other. Our internal parts act just like that inside us. The end result is that we have parts opposing each other. In its simplest form, it's like having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.
These hidden parts are acting upon us all the time. They are the parts that sabotage our success and interfere with the ability to complete a task, the parts that prevent us from establishing viable relationships and business ventures. Or they can simply haunt our nights and days with memories and negative feelings that won't go away. They can prevent us from moving forward in our lives like having one foot on the gas and the other on the brake.
Interactive Guided Imagery is one of the most effective and powerful tools to help resolve this inner battle. It is an incredible catalyst for self-awareness and growth. The power of interactive guided imagery is in the fact that it enables us to give voice to and hear perspectives from these battling parts of ourselves that have been hidden beyond the level of our awareness.
It differs from “guided imagery” in that the individual is guided to interact with the images they are seeing in their imagination and in fact, partner with the subconscious mind to understand the inner battle that has been waging.
It is an incredibly powerful process that can be used to do inner child work, and the healing of memories. It can also provide insight into health challenges and so much more.
When I decided to sign up for life coaching, I really didn’t know what I was signing up for. All I knew was that I was in desperate need of change in my life and I was really hoping I could discover what I was looking for. With her positive encouragement and support, Jaqui has helped me to pursue my dream as a freelance writer. I’ve gained so much from my sessions with her…more than I could have hoped or imagined. With Jaqui’s help I’m now facing my fears and following my dreams! Thank you Jaqui!
Brandi-Ann UyemuraJaqui is hugely inspiring because SHE IS INSPIRED. She’s motivating because SHE IS MOTIVATED. I’m glad she’s in my corner. Through her own experiences and her keen power of intuition and observation, Jaqui clearly has tapped into the wisdom and compassionate understanding of LIFE with all its complexity and all of its simplicity.
Karen PrisellJaqui’s class brought many things to my attention; who I am, who others are, and ways we can deal with each other. Practicing and developing a new way to deal with people will be hard, but it feels good to start by being aware.
Assertiveness class participantI’ve had the pleasure of working with Jaqui, as a trusted interactive imagery guide, consistently for the past three years. With the help of Jaqui’s astute guiding skills, along with her thoughtful intuitive awareness, I’ve been able to reframe substantial inner conflicts and clear existing barriers, thereby allowing continued forward movement toward my goals. My work with guided imagery has uncovered such a lovely, rich, and untapped potential within myself, guiding my next steps toward optimal health and well-being.
Erin