Technology meets Transpersonal Counselling

By Aine Marron

I like computers and technology and I’m so old I can still remember when they revolutionised the admin world and rendered dull pen and paper work, not to mention the messy handling of carbon paper in typewriters, extinct!  I was convinced that part of their purpose was to make a boring job more fun!  Computers were supposed to save us time and increase communication but I am not totally convinced that they succeeded in these objectives. Companies and individuals need to hire IT experts to ensure smooth operations, there is much talk of the addictive nature of social media actually reducing face to face communication skills and it turns out we will say things in emails or on social media that we would never say to someone’s face, or even in a hand-written letter – so cyber-bullying has become a new source of suffering in Earth school.

Nevertheless, technology has its place in the therapeutic realms. I offer a psychosensory technique called Havening Touch which can alleviate the symptoms of trauma, anxiety, phobias and stress. Based on neuroscience, it raises one’s delta waves and they have now invented a device/app that allows us to measure this process.  I’ve always been a fan of bio-feedback as it helps us identify which of our limited beliefs or negative thought patterns are contributing to symptoms. I'll be putting one of these machines in my letter to Santa this year!

Last November, I went to an IFS training in Florida and I was inspired by the many therapists I met who work almost 100% online with clients. I’ve taught meditation online but traditionally counselling was thought to require the verbal and non-verbal cues that are best observed by physical presence. However, what I have discovered is that online therapy has many advantages that can help counter-balance this disadvantage. Apart from the obvious carbon neutral convenience of the client attending from the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, I am finding that for some people, the challenge of therapeutic intimacy can be alleviated. Clients have reported that “going inside” can be easier with the therapeutic “witnessing” or “guidance” being offered from a distance. They feel less self-conscious and dis-inhibited. The presence of another human being, however caring, can sometimes inhibit our inner explorations whereas in an online communication, the prompting and witnessing can still occur but it does not disturb the inner-reflective tracking. So Skype or Zoom counselling is a growth industry and I enjoy how it enables me to offer my services Australia-wide and even World-wide. Call me if this is something you think might work for you.