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FAQs
The questions on the minds of many
FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to do anything to mentally prepare?
Not at all. Just show up. The body will take us on the journey it wants to take. We will follow it's lead.
Do I need to prepare technically?
The only thing you'll want to check is that you'll be able to hear me and I that I'll be able to hear you from wherever you'll position the computer or tablet. People have a tendency to fall into a whisper when they are deeply relaxed. You'll be telling me what you see in your visions and I'll need to hear that. If you have a headphone with a good mic that might be nice but it's not necessary. Just a good computer position is usually fine.
You'll also probably want a pen and some paper around to take notes afterwards when I summarise what happened. It can be a little blurry afterwards.
Can I choose what I want to work on?
We can definitely encourage the body to take us in a particular direction on a voyage. We can ask an opening question in the conversation with the unconscious. Often times we can delve into a feeling that has been bothering you and get specific information about that. Sometimes, however, the body will completely ignore the topic we present it and take us in another direction. The body decides what it deems most important in the moment. Usually it will still have something to do with the original question but from a previously unconsidered vantage point.
Should I be lying down or sitting up?
You'll want to be in a comfortable position that allows you to relax deeply without falling asleep. I've never had anyone fall asleep but occasionally the body uses sudden deep fatigue as a way of blocking the path to a particular answer. If that happens, we'll just redirect. Most people like to be on a couch or a bed. Some prefer to be upright in a comfy chair.
Will you need to see me?
I can do this work rather profoundly even over the phone but it's better if I can see you. I get clues about where you are in the experience from watching your breathing patterns and it can sometimes help me to know how to guide you more accurately.
What's a session like?
A session is really simple on the face of it. We connect via Zoom. We chat a little bit and get to know each other. You decide if there is a specific thing you would like to work on and tell me about it. Then, you'll get into a comfortable position and close your eyes. I'll talk to you to help you to relax deeply. When I see that you're sufficiently relaxed, we'll check in and see what's happening in the body. I might suggest that you ask the body the question that we had agreed upon during our chat. As things evolve, you'll describe your experience to me and I'll know where to suggest that you go based on that. When we're done with the trip, you'll come back to the room and we'll chat about what happened -simple but profound.
Are you trying to get me to think a certain way or come to a particular conclusion?
No way! Never. My role is to safely bring you to a place where you can hear your own guidance, whatever that may be. We are each here for our own purposes with our own experiences and belief systems. It's not my role to judge that or disturb that in any way, shape, or form. I try to be as unobtrusive to your interior makeup as possible. You will actually lead me during your journey. I just bring you to the realm and hold the space for you to create your own voyage.
How many sessions will I need?
That depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
If you just want to experience it, you can try it one or two times. Some people need a couple of times to have the stronger "tripping" experience. Most people have some kind of visual experience on the first try. Some folks need a second session to get the hang of it. For those who find it difficult to trust others, they may need a session just to check me out and decide if they feel safe enough to let themselves go in my presence.
If you've already tried the technique and you are experiencing something very acutely uncomfortable and overwhelming, this method has the potential to bring you down off that ledge in one session. It can help soften the pain, soothe you, and create a little space so you can feel less overwhelmed by whatever it is. You might want to have a session when you are in some acute pain. (Of course, this is also the time to get in touch with your mental health practitioner. This is not a substitute for professional mental healthcare.)
If you have a chronic issue that has been uncomfortable for you for a long time, you may need 5 sessions or so to feel satisfied that you are truly reaching and unraveling the relevant underlying story.
If you are trying to find out what your core theme is, the central story of your personhood, that will take various sessions. The number depends on how deeply you've hidden away your true self. Those who have placed many layers of protection and complication between their true feelings and who they portray themselves to be can take a bit longer to sort out. On the other hand, sometimes people come to me when they are at their breaking point and ready to drop the whole facade, in which case, they move very quickly.
If you are using this to deepen your exploration of altered states, or to enhance your prayer or meditation or shamanic practice, or as a source of inspiration for your artistic endeavours, you can come back at your pleasure.
How often should I do this?
You can return as often as it gives you pleasure to do so. There are no negative side effects. You can have fun with it and dabble and enjoy the ride, or, you can have a specific goal and want to come back frequently. It's up to you.
Most people start off with weekly or biweekly sessions as they usually have some chronic discomfort they are trying to work out quickly.
I also have clients who come on a monthly basis and find benefit from that.
I have clients who seek me out only when they are in a crisis.
It's up to you. Whatever feels right to you is fine.
How is this different from mental healthcare?
Mental health professionals will diagnose and treat mental illness. They can spot subtle problems, they have definitions for those problems, and they have specific goals for your mental health and stability. They want to ensure that you are not a potential source of harm to yourself and others.
The Inner Journey is an experience that does not assume that kind of responsibility. It has no predetermined goals or measuring stick of health and disease. Everything that arises is considered 'good'.
My training as a physician and previous experience working with clients in dual diagnosis treatment facilities enables me to have a good sense of what is a safe space for a person and what is a responsible mental health relationship. However, during this experience, I do not intend to define you, diagnose you, treat you, or look at you through a medical lens which is necessarily on the alert for possible pathology.
When we enter space of the Inner Journey, I have no agenda or plan for you other than to allow you to experience the state of your own previously unconscious place of bodily knowing. Many times, the relief and wellbeing that occur after entering this state might feel like having been treated for a pathology, however, it is not a treatment. It's just the natural untangling that occurs when we give the body a chance to do so.
Do you have other burning questions?
Feel free to contact me.