Change, Forgiveness And Healing

Sally Churgel, a Bay area teacher/healer recalls a woman who came to her Integrated Awareness® session one winter afternoon and made a life-changing discovery. "She came to me because she felt the creativity in her life was stuck in low gear," she said. "She told me she had cancer this past year and a hysterectomy. As I touched her I sensed her womb indeed felt empty but it had a much deeper, colder sense to me, unyielding. It felt as though the ‘void’ there was also a place of ‘a-voiding’." nnA month or so later, the woman returned to say that she had felt very relaxed after the session. (This is a very common, if nearly universal feeling.) She also told Churgel she felt as though not much progress had been made. At the time of the session, the woman neglected to share 30-year-old details of a pregnancy, birth and subsequent giving the baby up for adoption. A few weeks after the session, she got a surprising call from this client. "The woman said she received a call from the son she never knew. He told her he now has a family of his own and wanted to be in her life," Churgel said. "How do I explain a connection like this? I don't. Yet the timing seems unmistakably connected. Now she is ready to be open to him in ways she maybe could not have before." nnAlthough a story like this is stunning, Integrated Awareness healing, which began in California, is becoming more mainstream. A description of the work is hard to define but here’s what occurs in a typical session: "I begin a session with the client stating a wish, or a series of wishes that he or she wants to fulfill," Churgel said. "This can be healing on any level -- physical, mental, spiritual, emotional or relationships. During a session my hands, touch and awareness follow the body so if my client is receptive mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually they will make some change. Most people who are ready to change do so on a deep level. It is akin to a wound that is not stitched, but is left open so it can heal from the inside."nnA combination of gentle touch, the body's energy and awakened awareness aids the healing and growth. This is achieved by addressing these multiple levels of consciousness simultaneously. She said once this congruence is re-experienced by the body, then it is infused on all levels.nn"Once we are harmonious in our body, we are also harmonious emotionally and mentally with the earliest thoughts and decisions that formed the early stages of the concern," she said. "This harmony brings about new possibilities and new choices that can be felt immediately or within hours for a physical discomfort or illness. An emotional pattern or habit of behavior is more apt to lie dormant until an outside event becomes the catalyst for change. In many cases days or weeks after a session the individual may notice that Mom doesn't make them so mad anymore, they are arguing with their boss less, or they are less afraid. Restoring movement where it has been inhibited and re-integrating aspects of ourselves, which have been separated, are at the heart of Integrated Awareness."nnChurgel knew from her first session nine years ago this she was onto something that would be pivotal in her life. "I went to a healer {Integrated Awareness} because I was suffering neck pain for several years and there was no specific medical problem except stress," she said. "I knew instinctively after the first session that I was facing deeper issues such as low self esteem, feelings of inadequacy and deep anger. It was scary to face these fears but I knew I had to uncover them to get any satisfaction in my life." nnShe continued the sessions and classes but her neck continued to hurt. Then eight months later an amazing thing happened-- she noticed her neck hadn't hurt for three days. nn"I was astonished because I realized that my original request was related to all these other deeper emotional issues and I was healing beneath the surface," Churgel said. "I have noticed that many people come with a physical pain that has become anchored and linked in an emotional issue or early life decisions." Making a decision to change your life can be frightening but Churgel said although most of her clients are ready those who don’t want to change just don’t take that step. nn"Unwillingness to change is the biggest obstacle to a healing process but fear of responsibility and vulnerability are close seconds," she said. "Healing is an embodiment of acceptance. Therefore, if a person is unwilling to forgive then they are not able to accept and healing and peace may allude them." nnwww.sallychurgel.comn