There is no competition on the spiritual plane. What is rightfully mine is given me under grace.
Landscape picture 003There is no need to ever be envious of anyone else. Everyone is promised what is theirs by Divine Right: Their perfect Love, perfect Home, perfect Wealth and Prosperity, perfect Work and Self-Expression, and their perfect Health. You never need worry when it seems like those around you are getting something you are not, and you feel the need to compete with them to “win.” What is yours, truly yours, will come to you and there will be no need to compete. When you compete, you have the mentality of “there is only one and I need to beat someone to get that one.” And this is an opposing premise to Abundance. The truth is, there is more than enough for everyone, and you must know that if you do not get that one, ie, the job, the person, the position on the team...it just means you have something else or someone else more perfectly suited for you that will bring you true happiness, divinely selected, that is coming to you. Imagine missing out on what you think is the perfect job on a cruise ship, yet what you may not know is that cruise ship is the Titanic. Never be envious….all that is yours is already perfect and will come to you, in perfect timing. Be patient, be thankful…..it will come.  
Spiritual Counseling
In addition to traditional psychiatric practices and pharmacotherapy, I can also provide spiritual counseling. I am not formally licensed as a spiritual counselor in a conventional manner with the endorsement of a specific religious church sect, but I enjoy discussing spiritual topics and offering advice in this regard, in both traditional, non-denominational Christian topics but also non-traditional spiritual studies and readings. If a patient would only like spiritual counseling, and I will not be functioning in the capacity of a Psychiatrist/Medical Doctor [ie, no prescribing, no formal psychiatric diagnostic interview/mental status exam, and no patient/doctor relationship], then I will be happy to move forward in the role of a spiritual advisor. We can also incorporate spiritual counseling as a component of formal psychiatric treatment as a psychiatrist as well; in this instance, the same M.D. rates/terms would apply based on length of session desired.

What do I mean by Spiritual Counseling?

I have had many patients ask me what the difference is between traditional formal psychotherapy and spiritual counseling. At times, they may seem similar in that they both look at the perspective and perception of each individual person and how they view the world, and how that person integrates how they see themselves fitting into this paradigm and how they actually live day to day, how their relationships fit into this paradigm, their goals, their beliefs about their future, etc., and ultimately their belief about their purpose and place in this world.

Spirituality, according to Webster’s dictionary, among other things, is defined as “things of a spiritual, ecclesiastical, or religious nature.” It can be related to attending church, but more so, it is a facet of human nature when someone looks beyond their five tangible senses to issues involving more philosophical, sometimes esoteric natures...i.e., why am I here? What is the purpose of my life? Is there a God, or some force outside of myself guiding and directing me? How do I relate to others….what is the meaning of life in this world? What happens when we die? Do I have a soul, and how does that fit into the mind/body paradigm?

Often religiosity and spirituality go hand in hand, but not always. One can be spiritual and believe in a “higher power” outside oneself, but might not necessarily espouse to a belief in a traditional concept of God. For myself as a practitioner to say that I am a spiritual counselor, I think it is only fair to inform patients of my own personal beliefs as we go into and navigate this often murky and mysterious territory together. My family was Lutheran, as my mother is German and we are from the mid-west….but I did not grow up in a traditional church-driven manner, as my mother worked and most of the time we did not make it to church on Sundays. My family, however, was very strong in their belief in God, so I was always told to “talk” to God, keep Him in my heart, say my prayers and believe I was always being watched over. I did this, from a very young age on, growing up in a very spiritually free manner, i.e., be kind to others, treat others as you wish to be treated, forgive, love…..without any of the traditional sense of “sin,” or “damnation,” or “guilt.” I always saw God as being ever present and loving and available and protecting, never judgmental or harsh or punitive. Then, I attended a Catholic high-school and learned more formal means of prayer, and had a greater sense of how religion interpreted God and separated the concept of God at times, which I thought had to be confusing, especially to a 5 year old who then grows up with a sometimes loving but sometimes fearful sense of God. In the end, I realized it truly is the relationship between this entity that I call God [one can say, “Divine Love,” “Higher Power,” “Infinite Spirit,” “Supreme Intelligence,” whatever is most comfortable to each person] and our own hearts and minds that should be the core of how we experience Divinity. A church is wonderful if it is a sacred place that allows a person to feel closer to God, but I also believe one can reach this same inner space on their couch in their own home. There is no limit to how we can access God, no limit to the ways we can feel “spiritual,” or connected to others…..God is Love, and we can feel Love in a myriad of ways we still are discovering. I believe different religions are all buses traveling to the same place, even if they do not realize it. Most religions converge in their ideals across many arenas, but people can get trapped in the rituals of religious practice and lose a sense of the true meaning of the journey and the power of spirituality that we all possess to transform our lives in amazing ways.
My goal with my patients when I say spiritual counseling is not to act as a psychiatrist, but rather as a guide into the metaphysical world, where we can begin to understand spiritual laws and invisible principles that exist in this Universe and can truly and fundamentally change our lives and our relationships in miraculous ways. I often quote the Bible, Buddha, Jesus, Gandhi, Albert Einstein, and many others who grasped these concepts and practiced them in a way that literally changed the world and continue to touch us thousands of years later. I will offer readings and authors that are inspirational and can interpret difficult spiritual literature and biblical passages in ways that become tangible to us, and this is how we begin to change facets of our lives in previously unimaginable ways, and truly live the life of our dreams and obtain the desires of our hearts, as we move closer to fully understanding ourselves and the Universe we live in.
“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind……” Romans 12:2.
I look forward to starting this journey with you…..may the force of Love always be with you.
I am Now deluged with the happiness that was planned for me in the Beginning. My barns are Full, my cup flows over with joy.

talk 2

I want to explain about this affirmation, one of the many wonderful ones that can be found on www.florence-scovel-shinn.com. This is speaking of several principles, primarily that God works in the NOW…..NOW is the appointed time, TODAY is the day. To work outside of this means that we are not being mindful….there is only Now, and when we think of our good tomorrow or in the future, it will always be one day ahead of us and we will sit in angst and anticipation but never Feel the actualization of whatever it is we are hoping/praying for. So, be mindful and feel like “TODAY is the day my good comes to me…..this very moment!” Now, the other principles this affirmation encompasses is the idea of Destiny….”before I even called I was answered.” God knows our steps before we take them, and has multitudes of blessings and promises in store for us before we are even aware of them. But this is the entire idea….once we become aware in our consciousness of the blessings and promises, when we begin to even imagine them….this is exactly what moves them toward manifestation in our physical world. My barns are Full implies that our prosperity is abundant, we are ‘stuffed’ with supply and all of our needs are met with divine surplus remaining. My cup flows over with joy again implies that we are filled with expectancy and fulfillment internally with then flows unobstructed into our physical world. Feel prosperous and subsequently be prosperous. This is a wonderful affirmation that begins to imprint upon the mind the idea of never-ending Prosperity and Abundance, of both supply and happiness. Say this many times to yourself over the course of the day, until you feel that ‘your supply is overflowing and plentiful, and your spirit is overwhelmed with joy.’
 
Before we begin…
Before we begin, I just want to make it very clear that I enjoy working with all my patients, who have many diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, and are from various religious backgrounds and belief systems. My goal is never to convert anyone to my belief system or religious beliefs, but rather to work with everyone in aligning them in a harmonious way with the world around us all, with our loved ones and neighbors, and ultimately with ourselves. I encourage everyone to embrace who they are and help them to synchronize in ways that make sense to them, whatever their belief system, and never want anyone to misunderstand when I speak of God or the Universe, that I am imposing my belief system on them. I see God in a very unique way, Metaphysical to be precise, and when I speak about God, I am both speaking about the Judeo-Christian God that many of us grew up to understand, but I am also eclectically speaking about God in the sense of a Higher Power, or Supreme Intelligence, or Mother Nature, or a mass of Energy or Love, like the Sun, that shines on us all. I encourage each person to foster whatever they accept and feel comfortable with, in traditional or non-traditional ways, but more importantly to understand and work with this Principle outside of ourselves that weaves its way through each person and unites us all….I call this entity God but please know, it is a unique perception and relationship for everyone, throughout all religions and belief systems, and I think the most important aspect is to accept whatever version of this Divine entity fits and feels good to think about and believe in. Ultimately, spiritual enlightenment will only work if it is believable to each of us in our own ways.

 

Greeting Letter to Patient
Dear New Patient:
We would like to welcome you to Awakenings, an online clinical telepsychiatry practice.  We have designed a unique and convenient new format to perform face to face psychiatric evaluations in real time, via computer Skyping, an online application that allows for us to communicate via computers in our own private settings, eliminating the need to travel to a physical location. 

Read more: Greeting Letter to Patient

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