Discovering the Magic of your own Energy

Integrating the Body, Mind, and Spirit

This year I've been focused on sharing foundational principles and practical frameworks and models from the world of personal development, coaching, psychology and leadership. My aim has been to share how practical things can result in magical outcomes. 

As we enter this transformative season, I find myself reflecting on the balance between practical frameworks and the more ethereal aspects of personal development. While many of us are familiar with conventional therapies and coaching, there's an entirely different realm of healing modalities that can open up pathways for profound personal change. This month, I invite you to explore the magic of energy and healing practices that connect us beyond mere words.

In the materialist paradigm we live in - where “seeing is believing”, and validation comes from statistics rather than our own personal experience, it can be very easy to miss out on the magic that lies within, and all around us. My clients already know that I work integratively across modalities, as I don’t believe any one approach is the answer for everything. In this issue I aim to share a little about my personal journey and the key learnings I have taken from each modality, all of which are applicable to daily living whether you choose to explore that modality or not. 

Exploring Modalities for Personal Growth and Healing

Unfortunately in our modern day societies, as we are measured and judged by rational and cognitive markers, we tend to focus on developing (or shaming ourselves) in these areas at the expense of acknowledging and valuing the many other abilities, capacities, forms of intelligence and systems we possess, not least our incredibly complex and powerful bodies. 

While words and stories do indeed shape a huge amount of our life experience, modalities where talking is the key ingredient (often referred to as “top down” in their approach) can also all too easily lack the context of the energetic environment, the nervous system, and what is contained within our subconscious mind (which is ninety five percent of what is directing us daily to meet our needs!). 

Because of the weight our societies place on words and thinking, it is very easy for those who lack a sense of physical and emotional safety to use words and thinking as their main interpersonal protection and way of connecting. Ultimately this leaves us stuck in our heads, avoiding being in our bodies due to what we might feel (unsafe, unloved etc). I certainly found myself very disconnected from my body and sense of “being” due to childhood experiences, and a large aspect of my healing and growth journey has been to find ways to dethrone my intellect and learn to inhabit and honour my own body (which is entirely necessary to truly flow and take up our rightful space in the world). 

Our energetic and emotional systems are intricate, and to harness their full potential, we must acknowledge the interplay of the various dimensions of our existence, including our bodies, what we put into them, our senses, and the environments of all kinds that we inhabit (interpersonal, physical, energetic, societal, etc). 

In short, my personal journey with less wordy and also wordless modalities has taught me the importance of recognising, valuing and integrating all parts of our human experience into the mix when we are moving towards growth and healing. 

The Spectrum of Growth and Healing: More Than Words

The depth of experience that we can access beyond the cognitively spoken word is pure magic. Below I share some personal anecdotes and a few (of the incalculable) learnings I took from my studies and experiences with each modality. (I am excluding top-down modalities like coaching but let it be known I think they can too be magical). 

I will add, there are plenty more excellent modalities out there that I have not mentioned because I have not felt drawn to study them myself (yet!) - e.g. acupuncture, breathwork, yoga etc. Yet from my own personal experiences of them, there is the same common thread that unites them all - they are all (as are the modalities below) interconnective tissues that bridge different aspects of our lives. Put another way, they are all different doors to the same room. The room being everything - our souls, our bodies, our planet, the universe! 

Hypnotherapy

When I studied Neuro-Linguistic Programming many years ago, I became very excited to explore the true roots of what Bandler and Grinder had developed - Hypnotherapy. Over the course of 192 hours (yes this was no 2 hour online certificate!) I was fascinated to discover the huge power of suggestion, via words and also environment, movement etc, on the subconscious. For example - stage hypnotists are scanning the crowd for the people who are most actively nodding/laughing/responding as they are the most suggestible. These cues give the hypnotist the sign that the person is (subconsciously) a willing participant ready to enter into the moment, and will therefore be fully on board with the night's entertainment. 

The power of suggestion is also present in medicine via the well known power of placebo, which has been rigorously studied for many years and is still used to test drugs today. I have seen videos of people undergoing surgery without general anesthesia as a result of hypnosis, which illustrates the enormous power of the mind. It was also in Hypnotherapy that I learned about the concept of secondary gains. This is where someone wishes to quit something, but the often invisible/un-thought-of gains they receive from the thing outweigh the theoretical benefit of quitting. For example, smokers don’t just get nicotine when they smoke, they get deep breaths, time away from work, self soothing, social interaction etc. 

Useful lesson: Remember we humans are constantly driven by our subconscious to be meeting our needs. Look around the presenting “issue” at what potential upsides there might be to gain from something that is seemingly only harmful. What needs is it meeting beyond what seems obvious? 

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

I have found the IFS model to offer a wonderful potential bridge between mind, body and soul. (I say potential as with all kinds of therapy, healing and personal development, not everything will suit everyone). Central to the concept of IFS is that nobody is a single entity, rather we are a collection of different parts with a central core. This explains why humans encounter internal conflict - we all have more than one voice / opinion / experience inside of us, and some voices are louder than others. IFS calls these ‘parts’, and each human has a whole internal ecosystem of parts inside them which co-exist along with the person's central “self” energy. I find the nuance in this model to promote great compassion, and it is a very rich model for exploring our inner landscapes. ‘Parts’ can be experienced in myriad ways, including visual presentations such as colours, shapes, characters, and also somatic sensations and expressions. Parts become more or less active depending on the state of our nervous system. For example if we are tired and low on resources, parts of us carrying fear might be more active because they sense our potential vulnerability. When we feel resourced and good, joyous parts of us may be louder. 

Useful lesson: There is no binary of good or bad; people are complex systems made up of experiences, energy, inherent characteristics, societal programming etc. There are no “bad” parts, only parts of us that are acting from pain or fear, and parts that may seem disruptive are always carrying a positive protective intention towards our system - however hard that can be to believe at first glance. Much like the Hypnotherapy lesson, this means looking beyond the presenting issue to which parts might be driving the seemingly unwanted behaviour, and learning more about what they need. The other useful lesson from IFS is that we can only move at the speed of the most reluctant part of our system. Just like a camel train, while we may have strong, speedy parts ready to race ahead, we have a duty of care to all parts of the system. We need to respect the speed and needs of the more fearful or weaker parts of the system in order to move forward as a whole. 

Somatic Modalities

Like mother earth, our bodies are incredibly complex, naturally occurring phenomena that deserve our deepest respect and gratitude. They support life in many forms and are vehicles for energy. Somatic practices emphasise the body’s role in processing experiences and emotions. Through the body, we can regulate the nervous system, which is the landscape in which our feelings and experiences live. This happens by bringing awareness to our posture, gestures, orientations and (even subtle) physical sensations. 

Somatics is a very broad category which includes practices like movement, breathwork, and mindfulness, as well as many different therapies. I will refer here only to my in-depth trauma informed Somatic Coaching training (I will be completing my Brain-Spotting training in January, so perhaps there will be another Practical Magic coming on this topic!). Somatics introduced me to the world of Polyvagal Theory and the excellent Window of Tolerance model, which I have previously written about.

Working with the body is often an untapped area of astounding wisdom, insight and truth. We tend to disrespect our bodies, judging them by how they look and how they perform according to what society tells us is “right” or “normal” or “good”. The beauty of working with the body is the suspension of the “stories” that we hold about ourselves, our identities and the world via words. 

When we work the body, we are able to witness the truth of what our nervous system believes, versus what anyone else would have us believe (including ourselves!) about how we feel. Somatic practices are ultimately aimed towards helping people feel safer in their own bodies, which means greater integration and alignment in general. For those who have experienced trauma, this doorway may feel firmly shut, and so needs to be opened ever so gently over time, at a pace that is right for you. 

Useful lessons: 

There are two important concepts in Somatics which are applicable in many ways. The first is titration. This term is taken from the field of Chemistry, where substances are added slowly to find balance. For Somatics this means we process overwhelming experiences (like trauma) in very small, manageable increments. Imagine a bottle of coke that has been shaken up. When we take off the lid in one go, it spews everywhere and is undrinkable. Take that same bottle and gently release the pressure by slowly repeatedly twisting the lid and letting a little pressure escape. After a while it is drinkable. This does not just apply to working with trauma or stress. Any big project needs to be broken down into smaller steps to become doable. Just like we chew food in order to be able to digest it. 

The other concept spoken about in Somatics and coined by Peter Levine, is pendulation. Similar to titration in its gentleness and alternation, pendulation is a process whereby you gently move your awareness back and forth between uncomfortable sensations (where we tend to contract) and pleasant (expansive) ones, or neutral ones (where we may not feel pleasure but we do feel resourced). This soft swinging movement helps the nervous system self-regulate and build resilience without getting overwhelmed. This approach is helpful when we are in pain, and just as useful and relevant when we are doing a difficult task, or learning something new. 

Reiki

My path into the world of energy healing began unexpectedly during a personal development course. At the age of 29, I experienced a completely new and unexpected sensation in my hands. I felt that my palms had become energetic portals, they felt tingly, hot, electric and wide open. This initial experience prompted me to explore Reiki further, ultimately leading me to train extensively in this beautiful energy healing practice. While my aim was to study both Usui and Holy Fire Reiki (which I did) and become a Reiki master so that I could harness and direct this healing energy toward my clients, a wonderful surprise has been my experiences using self-reiki, and Reiki mediations, which have come to give me an experience akin to a mix of reiki (energy healing) hypnosis (trance), IFS (the emergence of new parts of me) and somatics (subtle and not so subtle sensations in my body) all rolled into one! 

Reiki is unique and beautiful in its wordless essence. It allows us to tap into our own innate healing capabilities (the ones we all have, the reason we are able to cut our finger and then heal it over). Alongside the physical visible body, we have our biofield which is electromagnetic, and are swimming in a larger informational field. Reiki has deepened my appreciation for the electromagnetic nature of our being and the informational field we all exist within. (I will share some telepathic experiences another day).

Reiki can do no harm, only humans can. As Reiki is in essence life force energy, it is in a sense neutral. The human holds the intention for the direction of healing energy, the Reiki itself moves to where it knows it is needed. Reiki is in essence the practice of making an agreement with the client that they are open to you as a channel, and then getting out of the way so that the universal energy can do what it already knows how to do. It was through my interest in Reiki that I came into proper contact with Crystals. Prior to my Reiki training I had thought Crystals purely to be an aesthetic choice - beautiful yes but for decoration and symbolism only. Then I found a (life-changing for me) podcast called The Telepathy Tapes, and subsequently read a book by a non-speaking autistic man (who is telepathic and very sensitive to energy) where he recounted (via spelling on a letterboard) how he could feel the crystal's energy. This led to me using my Reiki hands to hover over crystals and hold them in my palms and sure enough I can indeed feel their energy, just as I feel people's energy. This was amazing to me and has opened me up to a far less sceptical and more open mindset when it comes to what might on the outside appear like a shallow show of spirituality. Yes, some people do use spiritual rituals and symbols for show, but dig a little deeper to the origins of these practices and we find a whole world of forgotten natural resources. 

Lessons from Reiki: I find Reiki incredibly beautiful and humbling due to the practice of dropping ego and expectation. Simply holding the intention, knowing it is never “me” that is healing the person, I am simply channeling intelligent energy towards them which they can then use for themselves to whatever degree they are open to it. The great lesson in this can be used anywhere in life. Respecting natural intelligences that live within and outside of ourselves, accepting that we never know everything (and often know nothing!), divorcing from attachment to an outcome or holding any expectation. Our simple task is to intend in this moment to be as good to ourselves and others and our environment as we are able, and to act accordingly. 

Current and upcoming studies

I am blessed to be my own boss and set aside a healthy amount of time and budget to continue my professional and personal development by exploring and studying modalities that sing to me. 

I am currently studying with the College of Sound Healing, learning how to use Crystal and Himalayan sound bowls for one-to-one healing, and also to facilitate sound baths. I am already learning so much and hereby commit to updating you by writing about my findings once I have finished my studies and graduated. For now I can tell you that using sound for healing is a technique that utilizes resonance to realign our energy centres (our chakras). Sound is wonderful as it can serve as a bridge for those who may struggle with the abstract concept and invisible nature of Reiki. The vibrational power of sound offers a very tangible means to access deep relaxation and nervous system regulation, opening the door for healing and alignment. 

I am also very excited to be studying Brainspotting in 2026. This is a wordless and somatic alternative therapy that uses spots in a person’s visual field to help them process trauma trapped in the subcortical brain. I will share much more about this when I am (and feel!) qualified to do so. 

Embracing the Unseen: Practicing Awareness

In our fast-paced world, it's easy to overlook the subtle signs that inform our lives. I encourage you to start noticing moments of synchronicity - those instances when you're thinking of someone, and they reach out to you, or when you experience gut feelings that guide your decisions. Often, these experiences serve as reminders that we are all interconnected through unseen forces. You can even ask for specific signs and answers and look out for them. By tuning into these moments of seemingly disparate connection, we can cultivate a greater awareness of our biofields and the energies around us, ultimately expanding our capacity to heal and grow. Embrace the wonder of these occurrences, and allow yourself to revel in the magic that surrounds you daily. (Kate Bush wrote a song called Strange Phenomena which is a nice reminder of this). 

Your Path to Connection

As we close out the year, I invite you to explore different practices for yourself. Consider scheduling a Reiki session or listening to The Telepathy Tapes, or holding a crystal and feeling for the vibration. Remember, the journey of healing and creation is as unique as each individual, and I hope you find your own path to explore the depths and nuances of your being.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season, may you continue to discover the magic that resides within you in 2026 and beyond. 

Freya Blom