The beginning

This past May my friend Kristin introduced me to my friend, Ondre Seltzer, a leading energy medicine practitioner and gifted intuitive healer (www.ondre.com). Ondre helped me with my injured back, but more importantly he opened up a whole new world to me. It was a world I had always known was there but had been to timid to examine. Through my work with Ondre I learned to trust myself, my intuition and to look with awareness at areas in my career that I had always wanted to explore.

I've been a cognitive behavioral therapist for a very long time now, working with patients with a variety of medical illnesses. People come to see me when they are experiencing suffering of the body and the mind. Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches us that feelings come from the thoughts we think. That if we are aware of our thoughts and interpretations then the feelings will change and that this change can have a powerful impact on the body as well. That may be true. But there may be more to it than that. Perhaps our thoughts actually come from our intuition, our instinct, which we may or may not be aware of because it happens so fast and happens beyond our conscious thought most of the time. If people can become aware of this intuition, these "gut feelings" then maybe they can make better choices about what to do with the thoughts that come, the judgments they make and the perspectives they take, and ultimately the way that the feel and live their lives.

Mindfulness psychology, a growing field of research and practice based on Eastern philosophies of thought that I have also been using in my therapeutic work, teaches us that through awareness and acceptance of what is occurring in our lives and of the challenges we face, we can grow and change, make informed choices and cope with most any adversity. It appears to stop just short of considering the importance of intuition in this process, however. It does not extend to an awareness and acceptance of our innate intuition or the spiritual connection that exists beyond ourselves. Seems this could be a pretty powerful addition.

This blog will begin to address these issues and expand upon this idea of a intuitive psychology as a path to healing the mind, body and spirit. The ultimate goal is to share and grow this new paradigm. I'll look forward to your thoughts and ideas. Plus, what better day to begin this new blogging adventure than the first day of the Jewish new year. L'Shana Tova! May you have a year filled with happiness, love and contentment, where you learn to fully trust and have faith in yourself and your unique capabilities.

Be happy and well,
Sari Roth-Roemer