Published November 18, 2004 www.iberkshires.com & The Advocate"A spiritual connection to ask for guidance and learn from life, a wonderful dog because dogs are angels, a good friend — someone who loves you and understands you, satisfying work and some way to give service to other people."
Swisher, a former college English professor, has a master’s degrees in English writing and in literature. She is writing a creative non-fiction memoir, which is "80 percent finished" and makes her feel about "five years pregnant."
She also lectures and teaches writing seminars in conjunction as a healing tool. Certified in many therapies, including massage, shiatsu and breathing techniques, her current business is mainly spiritual counseling as a certified “inner bonding facilitator,” which she began in 1995.
She did not become interested in holistic healing therapies until the early 1980s, when a friend suggested she move to Kripalu to study some of the then-unconventional therapeutic techniques. The more she learned, the more she realized emotional and mental health interconnected with physical health.
"If you’re lying to your spouse every day, that’s going to manifest into physical symptoms of stress and depression," she said.
Swisher works with people "before they need the anti-depressants."
She explained, "Inner bonding is a psycho-spiritual process created by Dr. Margaret Paul, author of ‘Do I Have to Give Up Me to be Loved by God?’ I work a lot with the inner child. Though an overused term, it is really just the essence you were born with — pure light and joy that knows exactly what they want to do in life."
She is quick to point out that spiritual healing does not necessarily mean a standard form of religion.
"People are sometimes put off by the term ‘God.’ Many of my clients went through some form of abuse when they were children, and when we’re little, we think, ‘if there was really a God, He would stop them. He would keep that from happening.’"
As adults, she said, people may understand on an intellectual level that God could not intervene, but it does not automatically eliminate anger at a supreme being.
Swisher believes that "God" or "spiritual power" is the energy of love and compassion.
“This energy is all around us all the time, but we have to choose to receive it. We create our feelings, which are direct results of our thoughts,” she said. "Feelings are a backlog of our thoughts. Most people don’t catch the thoughts because they’re fast and slippery, like fish, but once we learn how to make those thoughts conscious, we have a lot more freedom to feel good."
She explained, "We choose to be in a place of love or of fear. If we are in our protection place, that’s where all our addictions come in — food, alcohol, worry, yoga — anything can be an addiction if you’re using it to disconnect from what you’re feeling. If we’re feeling really alone, sad, or anxious, which everybody does, there’s a way to use inner bonding to explore that and see how you’re creating that yourself and open to bringing love into that child inside, so to speak. People are fearful because of their survival instinct — what if their guidance tells them to quit their job? It is hard, but your spiritual guidance is not going to tell you to do something that isn’t in your highest good."
She combines her training with her writing seminars to encourage listening, feeling and discovery.
She asks her students, "What do you have to say? What is your truth? What excites you? What are the thoughts you’ve had that nobody else has ever had? That’s what I like people to write."
Her own book, which has a working title of “Umbilicus,” is also about connections, memories and spiritual healing.
"I think that is what we really all want with ourselves and other people — dogs aren’t enough," she said, turning to her black Lab and shepard mix and adding, "Don’t take it personally."
Horton, Swisher’s “angel companion,” rested at her feet throughout her interview and didn’t appear to mind.
One of Swisher’s best human friends lives in Green Bay, Wis. They conduct seminars together as a way to stay connected. She and a friend in Florida, who is also writing a memoir, stay in touch with and through their writing, keeping each other “on track.”
However, the most important thing in her life, she said, is her inner bonding work, and she has combined her knowledge with a career to provide a unique and useful service to others.
"I think the most important thing is to be honest with what I know to be my purpose,” she said. “Your sole purpose — and everyone has one — is what you’re here on the planet to do. I think if you choose healing, the universe supports you. You won’t be homeless. Everyone has their own path. I can’t say what anyone else should do. I don’t have a magic wand to make people open. If I did, I’d travel around the world and use it."
She added, "Don’t avoid your fear. If you’re avoiding your fear, you’re also avoiding your joy because all feelings are in the same box. I believe in feeling it all — the good, the bad and the ugly."
Swisher suggests people should eliminate judgment and resentment from their lives.
"That’s not easy," she said, "I would judge myself and other people, and judgment is almost the exact opposite of love. You can’t do both at the same time."
Swisher still judges herself at times, as a worrier and a procrastinator. Pointing to Horton, she said, "Horton never worries. He’s my role model."
Horton stretched and yawned. His inner child appeared to be perfectly balanced and content. He is one of many teachers in Swisher’s life. Her first teacher was her aunt.
"Aunt Margaret was labeled ‘retarded,’ but Aunt Margaret loved me,” she said. “She would ooh and ahh over me whenever I went to visit her — the way I am with Horton. How do I know how to love? Aunt Margaret taught me. And her spirit teaches me every day."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment