Excerpt: Healing Presence
CHAPTER TWO (Nature, Experience and Varieties of Healing Presence
My (Deahs) personal experiences of healing presence have primarily been in the domain of the felt sense, beginning with a vague knowing that was more a set of uniquely meaningful palpable somatic qualities than an articulatable event. As I learned to pay attention to the feel of this subtle energy, I began to be able to distinguish more subtle levels and qualities. I also began to distinguish between the felt sense of healing presence, and other subtle felt sense perceptions that were not healing presence experiences (Curry, 2001a). The majority of my story is told in Chapter 10.
So far, while Deah has usually experienced healing presence as kinetic and gentle, Steve has experienced healing presence kinetically, visually, auditorally, and forcefully. His experiences have at times been overwhelming to both mind and body, and both frightening and releasing to his spirit. Several of Steve's more dramatic healing stories are told in Chapter 7.
Our research shows experiencings of healing presence to fall within this continuum from nearly imperceptible to powerfully overwhelming. It is possible to experience healing presence through all sensory modalities, and not necessarily the modality that may be particularly strong for other uses. Both of us have had profound transformative effects from these experiencings, as did all of our interviewees.
Some participants in our studies have a felt sense of lightness or joy that is experienced as a shift out of suffering and into increased well-being. Others have had experiences of presence that are ultimately healing, but that are initially experienced as frighteningly, somatically powerful, or somato-psychospiritually overwhelming.
Witch1---in interaction with large bodies of active water and the Old Ones, as she calls old growth trees---gained a deep sense of reassurance that provided her a transformative change of mind. Although initially her experiences were unexpected, in time she began to seek them out. Her experiencings were visual and tactile, and what we could call gently powerful. Witch1s story is told in Chapter 7.
Sheila---during a SHEN bodywork session---had a bodily felt sensation of being energetically separated from another person, like a peel is separated from a banana, by disembodied hands, accompanied by the direct knowing that she is not her mother, information that was known by the mind but not by the heart and spirit. Her experiencing we could classify as primarily kinetic and intuitive, as well as gently powerful. Sheilas story is given in Chapter 11.
Rose---while praying with her 12 step sponsor---experienced an embodied surrender to her higher power and gained a transformative change of heart as she knew for the first time in her life that she was not alone, and that she did not have to suffer. Her experiencing was primarily intuitive coming as direct knowing, and fell closer to the imperceptible in the moment on the healing presence continuum. Roses story is told in Chapter 3.
Patrice---who read the assertion that we learn as children that there is something to be gained by being a victim---felt an instantaneous shift in self understanding and had a lasting transformative change of heart in relation to some instances of abuse in her past. Her experiencing might be described as auditory-intuitive first, in terms of coming as an inner voice with a message of direct knowing, then kinetic in how the knowing created somatic responses. It would fall in the gently powerful range. Patrices story is detailed in Chapter 11.
O'Rion (who prefers gender-amorphous pronouns)---during a visitation from a mysterious ball of light that scanned hir body---felt profound somatic sensations s/he described as at first a mental, and then a full body, orgasm which was accompanied by a direct knowing message that told hir: you are beloved in this universe and when you need to remember this, you will. Hir experiencings are classified as kinetic first, then intuitive, and overwhelmingly powerful. ORions story is given in Chapter 8.
Patricia talks about physical and emotional circumstances that, when combined with a particular way of being seen by her health care providers, illustrate a type of predisposition to experiencing healing presence. Her story is told in Chapter 3.
Lindas story addresses some of the factors embedded in clinicians behaviors that promote a healing presence experience in the clinical setting, and how she experienced those factors in her own body. Lindas story is given Chapter 4.
Alianna details many of the factors that can occur in clinicians behaviors that block healing presence from being experienced by clients. Her story helps us distinguish between working with a good clinician, and the extra qualities that allow healing presence to be experienced. Aliannas story is told in Chapter 5.
Ruth speaks to the co-creational, interactive aspects of the healing presence experience, and makes the point that something is required from both client and clinician---or in the non-clinical setting, from experient and catalyst---in order for the healing presence event to occur. Her story is given in Chapter 6.
Nancys story illustrates the connection between empathy, compassion, suffering, and how healing presence experiences can go beyond all this to be felt as a deeply spiritual encounter. Her vignette is provided in Chapter 9.
Norms story is a good example of how people can process the healing presence experience to understand what has happened and what it means, and how it fits into their worldview. His healing presence experience is told in Chapter 12.
Sarahs story is an exemplar of how experiencing healing presence can bring lasting changes and transformations of heart mind, or body, and how the power of healing intention, and focused, caring presence on the part of a clinician can have life altering impact on a client. Sarahs story is given in Chapter 13.
Carols experiences illustrate the connection between the vital force and healing presence when the will to survive is put to the test. Carols story is told in Chapter 14.
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