The Work

 

How I work with Clients:

I work with clients using a variety of experiential practices. We work within a rite of passage structure that engages imagination, the body, and liminal states. Some of the ways I work with clients include breath work, dreams, journaling, art, meditation, and eidetic imagery.

My current model and the various modules supporting the in-session work are based on my graduate research, most of which is highlighted in my thesis paper: Imagination in Liminality.

what is an eidetic image?

Eidetic, from the Greek word eidos meaning form, is a particular type of image that Akhter Ahsen calls a gift from the gods. Ahsen’s development of the theory of eidetic imagery engages the fields of consciousness, psychology, and systems theory. Eidetic imagery is typically used as a modality in a professional therapeutic practice and as a training component for therapists and counselors. 

Akhter Ahsen, the father of eidetic imagery, describes an eidetic image as “a psychical visual image of unusual vividness” (p. 14) that is seen on the screen of the mind and shifts consciousness. Eidetic images are experiences that can be accessed over time and offer the seer new perspectives, connection, and resources. Images are partial or incomplete, but because they are holograms the whole can be completed from the part. Being in eidetic images moves the seer both into consciousness and the sensual body, into the holographic representation of the wound or event (Ahsen, 1977).

How does it work?

Eidetic images invoke a kind of mythological, embodied imagination. In this way, using imagination in the form of an eidetic image, the seer exists in the liminal state inside her own imagination. Here, imagination and images are a spontaneous, holographic, and somatic experiences. Ahsen considered images to be the first language of the mind, and imagination to have “unitary, original, and first manifestation” (Ahsen, 1977, p. 29), qualities that are inherent in all human beings.

Eidetics offers theory, methods, and concrete practices of imagination as a means toward transformation. Eidetic imagery contributes toward deep imaginal states in the liminal state of transition. Eidetic images seen on the screen of the mind initiate sensations in the body. What happens in an eidetic image is real. These vivid image experiences create new neural pathways in the body. These neural pathways open up potentials and new resources for the client.

Sometimes, through development, traumas, or events, we are cut off from vital resources. Eidetic imagery is a pathway to reconnect with or develop these internal resources. The more often an image is revisited or engaged, the more we develop the neural pathway and resource. Sharing or drawing the image support this type of second order change of the system. The image will continue to develop over time to reflect the transformation.

Why I use Eidetics?

These images work from an internal place of resource and do not re-traumatize. Eidetic images also have a way of opening up larger patterns within consciousness and providing access to beneficial resources beyond the initial event that prompted the personal work. Eidetics accesses consciousness through imagination and the body allowing meaning to arrive through experience. It can pinpoint a disconnection from resource and provide a pathway toward connection.

If you are interested in more on eidetic imager, please follow the link on the button below.

 

The Wonder

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Wonder and curiosity

My curiosity and imagination were gifts in childhood that have continued to propel me forward both through difficult times and creative endeavors. Finding wonder in the small moments and at the edges are ways to discover possibilities and see the situation from a new perspective. Bringing curiosity and imagination into my work and personal life prevent stagnation and increase my ability to be present.

education and experience

I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Houston with a BA in Sociology and have masters in psychology in Consciousness and Transformational Studies College of Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. For over 20 years, I have worked in the social service sector and in nonprofits in both the program and development arenas. My early experience includes organizations and clients with programs and services related to HIV/AIDS, single parents, at-risk and homeless youth, mental health, art education, mentoring, and basic needs.

The Beginning

In 2004, I found myself the single-parent of three young children. Having been steeped in the nonprofit social service world since high school and facing dramatic transitions in our family, it became clear that I needed to find a way to return to work that also allowed me to be present in my children’s lives. With the support of a wonderful network of colleagues and the experience of having worked both in the program and development arenas, my consulting company, NewBloomz, was born.

I began consulting with nonprofit organizations providing programatic infrastructure, outcome measurement tools, prospect research, grant development, and donor reports. In addition, I facilitated workshops and training for boards and staff most often in the area of vision, mission, and strategic planning. Helping small to mid-sized organizations find new possibilities were the foundation of NewBloomz for nearly 8 years.  As my company evolved so did I, and so did my family. I relocated, married again, and had two more children. With five children, three teens and two toddlers, NewBloomz took a 5 year sabbatical, only serving a few clients. A period of great change, loss, grief, rebirth, and growth occurred for me personally during this time. Today, both my company and I are the beneficiaries of that deep experiential learning.

The Present

NewBloomz, in its current incarnation, works with individuals, families, for profit, nonprofit, and community collectives from a systems perspective on issues of transition, change, and loss. Every system is as unique as the relationships with in it. I work with my clients to identify areas of imbalance, disconnection, and loss. Together, from a creative state, we imagine new possibilities to move through difficult transitions.

Certifications and Specializations

My training and education support my work. I have studied Eidetic Imagery at The Eidetic Institute since 2005, and continue to utilize this experiential process to increase my own potential and that of the individuals and groups with whom I engage. In 2015, I completed my Reiki II training and became a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist.

Personal

My five children have been my greatest teachers, and are my favorite people. I embrace the adventures I have been invited into as their mother. I am an artist and writer. I enjoy long, meditative hikes in beautiful places, and am grateful that I live in one. I appreciate the time I was gifted and spent with my husband regularly. We learned to love each other unconditionally and created a beautiful partnership. His recent death has impacted our family profoundly, and has, remarkably, deepened my work with clients. As we continue to grieve, we are so grateful for the community’s support.