... intuitive healing dance in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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well, guess who the universe conspired me to meet after so many years-- none other than that amusingly flamboyant, animated, spontaneous, artistic, right-brained creature of a man named bong dela torre.
.since i incorporate movement as a therapeutic tool in my psychotherapy sessions, i was excited to discover that bong was developing a healing modality which he calls "intuitive healing dance." bong allowed me to experience a bit of what his intuitive healing dance was like and all i can say is that it was fun, liberating, cathartic, and energizing. well, he better come up with his workshops soon because i'd certainly like to be the first to enlist!

... holistic healing class in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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people deserve more than just a quick and cold prescription from their doctors. holistic healing deals with the "total person." This means that the healer should address not only the patient's presenting problem, but all the other factors which cause, trigger, influence, compound, or aggravate the problem. for healers to be truly holistic, they must also consider the physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, energetic, and relational aspects of the patient's problem because all these aspects interact among each other.
.one of my joys as a holistic healer and integrative medicine practitioner is that i get to teach and train people in the science and art of what i do. in this way, i create extensions of myself and therefore get to help thousands of patients i would never reach if i worked simply on my own.
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... oryoki meals in a zen sesshin ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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a zen sesshin (which literally means "touching the heart-mind") is an extended period of intensive zazen (or zen meditation). 
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the last sesshin i attended lasted for 5 days and it was a different experience for me because we took our meals in the form of a japanese ritual called oryoki. oryoki is japanese word for "just enough." in this ritual, we would eat from 3 laquered bowls and fill them up with "just enough" food to avoid left-overs. the meals were eaten mindfully and with an attitude of gratitude for all forms of life which contributed to making the meal possible. after each meal, we would pour hot water into the bowls, swirl the hot water to clean the bowls, then finish off by drinking the water from the bowl. the bowls were then wiped dry and wrapped in a kerchief-sized cloth, ready for use for the next meal. oryoki proved to be an eco-friendly , no wastage manner of eating.
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for me, the zen sesshin was a welcome experience. it offered me the chance to be more aware, more "in-touch," more grounded from within. it is always difficult to describe a felt experience, and so the closest i can liken my zen experience to is "a peaceful homecoming to a state of 'just being.'"
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... libre tuli: tis the season to be bloody ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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now that it's summer, i've been invited again to participate in those "libre tuli" medical missions..unlike in previous years, fewer kids showed up this time (just around 40 kids). i asked the organizers about this and i was informed that it was election time and many politicians were offering "libre tuli" as part of their campaign strategy.
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hmmm, funny (and sad) how politicians will show that they care for the poor simply to get their votes.

... ericksonian hypnotherapy in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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the philippine society of life coaches (pslc) was honored to have as its guest ms. hannah weik, a psychologist from germany. having had her 6-month internship at the milton erickson institution of heidelberg, hannah was very enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge and experience to anyone who was willing to learn.

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in her workshop, she taught the participants how to do ericksonian hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis. participants reviewed the workshop as very informative and they were excited to practice their newly-learned hypnotherapy skills.

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her friendly demeanor was simply very hypnotic for us filipinos and now that hannah is back in germany, she is sorely missed by all of us!

... sports psychology in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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as an avid tennis player since my high school days, i am very aware of how tennis is a mental game as much as it is a physical one. this has inspired me to dabble into sports psychology and become a certified sports psychology coach, certified sports hypnotist, and a certified mind-body fitness coach.
.what i do is teach recreational, amateur, and professional athletes the necessary psychological skills needed to become mentally tough in their training and in competition. i particularly enjoy being a life coach to athletes, helping them overcome their life problems so that they can focus more sharply on their sport. moreover, i've also been hired by athletes for the holistic wellness therapies which ensure their physical and psychological health.
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recently, i've been hobnobbing with fellow enthusiasts of sports psychology like hans pe and aikee enciso. hans is an elite triathlete and director of total athlete network- a christian community of sports-loving people. both hans and aikee are connected with anthony pangilinan's businessworks which also has an athlete development program.
.though sports psychology in the philippines is still in its infancy, i am glad that more and more sports persons are realizing how it can help them unleash their fullest athletic potential.
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... guess who crawled up my back ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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hmmm... i thought i felt something crawl up my back... 
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well, now lookee here... what a surprise!
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it's not a creepy crawly, it's the little miracle boy santino! 
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.zaijan jaramilla is sooo wickedly cute, if he were any tinier, he would make a wonderful keychain! 
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... SoulCollage in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

the philippine society of life coaches (pslc) recently held a SoulCollage workshop facilitated by u.s. certified life coach, lydia cabasco.
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for me, the SoulCollage process was a a creative journey of self-discovery which allowed me to deepen my understanding of myself and my life in general. here's the collage i made:
.i strongly recommend SoulCollage to anyone in pursuit of self-discovery and personal growth.

... bioenergetic exercises in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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bioenergetics is a type of holistic psychotherapy which uses body movements to surface, release, and express emotions which are "trapped" in the body. over time, these trapped emotions result in muscular tension and rigidities, postural distortions, restrictions in movement, and dysfunctional breathing patterns.

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at times, as in the above photo, i teach bioenergetic exercises as ice-breakers in seminars and workshops. however, while bioenergetic exercises can be fun to do, they can also result in a powerful and profound emotional catharsis wherein deep-seated emotions from way back childhood are released. generally, bioenergetic exercises allow participants to experience deeper respiration, a sense of "grounding (i.e., feeling more connected with the earth and with one's body)," a greater sense of self-awareness and aliveness.

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... treatment of phobia in the philippines ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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just very recently, i served as resource person on "aha!," a gma tv show hosted by drew arellano. the topic was on phobias.
.the episode aimed to expose drew arellano's fear of snakes. here's the python that was meant to scare the wits out of him:
.patani, a previous participant in the reality tv show "survivor" also guested on the show to face her fear of roller coaster rides.
.a bonus for me was meeting iya vilania, the gorgeous girlfriend of drew arellano. i just found it odd though that for such a pretty lady, her voice was unusually husky and deep.
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