Some Examples

While clients contact us initially to address one area of concern, it often turns out that there is a combination of issues affecting their health. We seek to uncover the various factors leading to their particular states of dis-ease. Oftentimes, we will use a combination of approaches in the same session to address the issues that arise. Below are some examples.

Please note that names have been changed to ensure privacy and confidentiality.

Chronic Anxiety

 A bright, accomplished training consultant in her early 40’s, Nancy wanted help with a series of issues. She was diagnosed with “General Anxiety Disorder”. However, she stopped the medication due to its side effects and her concern that it wasn't helping her.

Her complaints included insomnia, stomachaches when anxious, as well as pain in lower back, hips and knees, and regular flare ups of dermatitis on palms and fingers. Nancy was also stressed about starting a new job that required a lot of traveling and was concerned about her physical stamina. In addition, Nancy had a history of not getting along with coworkers, and she was worried about getting along with her new boss and colleagues.

Over the course of treatments, a combination of different techniques was used to address her emotional and physical issues.

• Through BodyTalk, Nancy came to understand that her anxiety and her defensive, aggressive, “in your face” behaviors were related to past experiences of competition with her brothers, her father's criticisms, fear of failure in college, a constant need to prove herself, and a belief that she will be in control if she is quicker and better than others.
• Her emotional angst about her father favoring sons and a past, mercurial relationship with a co-worker was reduced significantly through Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT).
• Reiki and Sound Healing were used to help her reduce anxiety, facilitate calm, relieve pain and increase energy.
• Nancy was coached on conflict management skills. We role played various scenarios to gain insight into the impact of her assumptions, reactions and behaviors.
• She learned to relax her body, still her mind and gain focus & clarity through some movement and meditation exercises. She then continued meditation and yoga sessions at a facility near her home.

At the end of 9 sessions, Nancy's anxiety was dramatically reduced, and she felt simply a normal level of work stress that she was able to handle successfully. She communicated with others in a more collaborative manner and was less aggressive in her interactions.

Her stomachaches and tension due to anxiety were gone, and she was able to fall asleep without sleep aids. The pain in her lower back, hips and knees were also gone. Dermatitis flareups had diminished, and when her hands itched occasionally, she used hand cream to help with the symptoms. 

Emotional Roller Coaster

Jane, a woman in her early 20's, was seeking some way to manage disturbing feelings that would unpredictably arise at any time. She was frustrated, helpless, hopeless, anxious, angry and depressed at the end of the day. In addition, she had trouble sleeping through the night, and her menstrual period had stopped about 6 months ago.

She was trying to juggle too many things: college, taking care of a younger brother who was being caught between divorced parents, and trying to sustain a good relationship with her boyfriend. Jane said she tried everything she could possibly think of, including medical & gynecology check up, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, herbal supplements, therapy.

Jane had three sessions, and progress was made each time. After the first session, she reported that she slept through the night and woke up very rested and refreshed... a first in several years! Her menstrual period returned two days after that session.

Jane's anxiousness, frustration, anger and depression decreased over the course of the next two sessions. In the end, Jane was excited about an internship she received, and she was motivated to finish college. She felt that life was now more manageable. She was able to get past thoughts of “previous mistakes & hurts” without getting really upset or depressed. Jane was also more realistic about her responsibility for her brother. Overall, she was feeling more accepting of herself and looking forward to the future.

More Examples of "Emotional Stress"

Neck Pain & Depression

Cindy, a single mom of teenage kids and a well-respected educator, came to see me about ongoing muscle tension and pain in her neck and shoulder areas. The pain often radiated down both arms to her thumbs. She also had trouble sleeping and was feeling depressed for quite some time. 

After the first session, Cindy's shoulder pain decreased from a rating of 8 to 3, and after the third session, the pain was gone. Subsequent sessions alleviated the stress on her adrenals, and long standing feelings of sadness, worry and anger were reduced.

She came to recognize the unrealistic expectations and heavy load she was putting herself under, and how she relinquished her wants and needs. Cindy discovered what triggered her, and we identified strategies in dealing with them. By the sixth session, the pain in her arms and thumbs were gone, and she was sleeping better.

Cindy also began to carve out time to pursue her own interests and passions, and she made some adjustments in how she was working. She was feeling hopeful, more peaceful, and no longer depressed.

Pain, Be Gone

A young man in his 20’s wanted to alleviate excruciating pain in his feet, especially his left foot. He had been on disability for two months, with a diagnosis of multiple inflamed nerves in his feet. An MRI and other tests proved inconclusive. Tim had tried a series of 3 Cortisone shots, but after each one, his feet felt numb, swollen, and the pain returned a few days afterwards. He wanted to try something that might help him avoid surgery, his doctor’s next recommendation.

At his first BodyTalk session, Tim had to lie down most of the time and could not stand on the left foot nor walk without crutches. Even a sheet over his left foot caused pain. With each subsequent session, Tim's foot continued to improve, decreasing in pain each time while extending the length of time he could walk with comfort. After 6 sessions, he was able to return to work without having surgery, and felt he was “basically back to normal”. 

Through BodyTalk, Tim gained insight into some of the things that were causing him stress. Treatment had helped him feel more centered. His sessions focused on optimizing circulation in his legs and feet, balancing kidney chi deficiency, releasing anger and fear from various parts of his body. He was able to identify and balance specific stresses at work, and reduce the overwhelming feeling of responsibility for others.

More Examples of "Physical Issues"

Wants to Get Ahead

Sally, a top-notch technical specialist, was motivated to get promoted to a management position. Based on performance feedback, Sally sought coaching to improve her interpersonal skills, team collaboration, conflict management and presentation skills. Based on specific feedback from her boss and peers, we crafted a development plan and targeted specific milestones and objectives in each of the improvement areas. This plan was re-calibrated at each milestone to ensure that we were moving in the desired direction.

Positive changes in her approach and behavior were noted by her boss and peers in seven months after implementation. After 10 months of continual progress, Sally was given a leadership position to lead a strategic and complex project. With this experience in hand, she realized that what she wanted was more leadership responsibility and not necessarily management responsibility. Ultimately, she was happily promoted to a senior project leadership position.

Intimidating Others

Joe, the director for a group of software engineers was perceived as aggressive and intimidating by his manager, co-workers and direct reports. He was a very talented contributor, but people did not like working with him. He himself experienced anxiety, difficulty in holding back his opinions, and embarrassment for disruptive interactions. He wanted help to stop being so reactive and in managing conflicts more productively.

After three sessions, Joe recognized what factors triggered his reactiveness and how betrayal by a previous boss, several difficult and "impossible" assignments, and lack of support from his family contributed to his behavior of "defend and attack first".

By applying more productive communication and conflict management skills, Joe was feeling more comfortable in his interactions with people at work. Joe also agreed to do some meditation daily to calm and center himself and to apply some stress reduction techniques whenever he started to feel defensive. Others commented on his change of demeanor and interaction style and noticed positive improvements.

More Examples of "Personalized Coaching"