I didn’t understand Soul Therapy. So I attended Vanessa’s Awakening Your Authentic Self Weekend Seminar and was completely surprised by the results.
Soul Therapy is something I only heard about for the first time a month or two ago. I knew I might get something out of it, but had not considered it something I really needed.
I know my knee injury needs some therapy… but my soul?
I’m an entrepreneur and sustainability professional. I spend 100% of my time trying to think about everything in my professional and personal life in a logical and analyzed way. Recently, I have been spending most of my days feeling stressed out and anxious about my startup and the very real possibility that our idea doesn’t work. I wasn’t finding happiness or peace in my days. I thought that changing my workspace, and structuring my days to include meditation was the answer to reducing my stress but it wasn’t really working...
The first day of the Soul Therapy seminar I went in completely blind to what the day would consist of. We gathered at Vanessa’s home studio, sitting in a circle however we felt most comfortable, with cups of tea and blankets. There were two other participants, and each one of us was given a booklet. In this booklet was a list of questions, divided into different categories ranging from the Mental Mind to the Soul. Under each category were questions all about self reflection… And to be honest, they addressed parts of myself I had never even thought of. We went through the questions one at a time, having an opportunity to write down our answers, then took turns to share them with the group and get feedback and guidance from Vanessa. This was the format for the entire weekend, and I still can’t believe how eye opening it was.
Not only was I able to connect with other women and learn from them, but I learned so much more about myself than I had ever expected. I shared very intimate experiences, emotions and realizations that I had never shared with anyone before (not even myself), and completely opened myself up to the experience. One of my biggest realizations was that my own mental state and thoughts are limiting my own peace and freedom. I feel on edge and stressed out all the time because I allow these thoughts to spiral out of control and distract me consistently.
“How am I going to get everything done… What if I fail… I don’t have time to meditate… I can’t relax until I get my list for the day done...”
I learned that the life I want to be living, (which is enjoying my day-to-day and being centered) isn’t about achieving that “professional success” but rather how I think about my life and my thoughts. And giving myself time to relax and enjoy the moment.
The day after the seminar, something very interesting happened. Someone in a meeting told me a completely new definition for sustainability, which was getting away from the ‘Angry Environmentalist Syndrome’ and including Personal and Spiritual well-being. I had never heard of this before and couldn’t believe the coincidence considering the weekend I had just had. I mentioned the my experience at the seminar to this professional and she replied, “It’s no coincidence… Just open yourself up to the universe and everything will fall into place. You’ll be surprised by the results”
This weekend provided me with the opportunity for true self reflection. I will continue to attend similar events of this nature, learn about Soul therapy and work on what I have learned. Vanessa told me this weekend would change my life, and she was right.
I truly believe this experience is something everyone should have. And even if Soul Therapy is something you have never heard of before, sign up and give it a try. Because as long as you go in with an open mind, I guarantee it is something you will benefit from.