... paghihilom through the heal-om festival ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapy, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, osteopath, quezon city, manila, philippines)

"hilom" is the tagalog word for "heal," and "om" is a hindu syllable which refers to the first sound manifested during the creation of the universe, the vibrational energy of God.   "heal-om" then is apt title for a festival that aims to bring healing to a wounded humanity.  

opening ceremony

much divisiveness and much anger have arisen because people are more loyal to their religion than to our God who transcends ALL religions. many acts of prejudice and atrocity have in fact been arrogantly committed in the name of God who ironically is proclaimed to be the God of love and compassion.  sadly, God has merely become a pawn used by narrow-minded religious zealots to prove that their religion is better than others'.  what humanity needs now is a deep healing brought about through a unified spirituality despite religious diversity.  

the inter-faith dialogue

it is a heart-warming sight to see representatives of different faiths let go of their religious differences to promote the true meaning of "kabalikat-" being "shoulder to shoulder" with each other in worshiping God, the Creator of all humanity, no matter what religion they may have.  

speaking of religious diversity, what comes to my mind is the biblical verse which declares that God shows no favoritism in showering His unconditional love and grace.  Matthew 5:45 says, "In this way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.  For he gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and unjust alike."

  

 a joyous celebration and spiritual frenzy arise in the absence of religious borders and boundaries.  catholics, born-again christians, muslims, buddhists, hindu, and people of various other faiths demonstrate the essence of spiritual camaraderie.

special number:  taichi fan dance

special number:  capoeira

highlights of the event for me: (besides meeting lydia cabasco of soulcollage, harriet hormillosa of RCW, gina lee, nino tchoi, james asprer, greg ciocson, david montecillo, and kim lopa of The Lily and Beyond)

attending an art workshop entitled PLAY! Exploring Intuitive Creativity with mimsy sermonia-jundis of mamaste.

having my palm read by bernie tiongco of ripples. 

being inspired by the story of romnick blanco, a 14-year old farmer's son who lived at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains.  he would walk 4-hours roundtrip just to attend school everyday.  through the assistance of GreenEarth Heritage Foundation, he was awarded a scholarship at the International School of Manila. 

sharing a booth with yasmin nuno, owner of ripples bookstore at robinson galleria.

and of course, enjoying the event with the life change recovery staff- jonel, may, and ms. agnes.

... psychology of satanists and satanism ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, osteopath, quezon city, manila, philippines)

mark almajose of korina sanchez' rated k, a tv documentary on abs-cbn, got my take on the psychology of satanists.  

in my clinical practice, all sorts of people consult me, and some of them have been self-identified satanists.  i am not fazed when they tell me that they are satanists, because my professional mindset is to be non-judgmental and respectful of the religious convictions of people.  and thus, i interact with them as i would with any other client.  of course, whenever i meet people with "alternative lifestyles" who espouse "non-conventional belief systems," the psychologist in me becomes automatically curious on how they came to be.  

so far, the satanists i have met aren't sinister-looking, and neither do they have the stereotyped diabolical laughter which satan is portrayed to have in cartoons and in the movies.  

as i listened to their stories, what i find common among them is that they come from troubled families wherein they experienced some degree of emotional, physical, verbal, or sexual abuse from one or both parents.  the common emotion that emanates from their stories is anger.  and they seem to have a strong inclination towards defiant, impulsive, and sometimes addictive behaviors.  it also seems that their choice of religion is founded on rebelliousness and angst, rather than an authentic pursuit of life-giving and life-enhancing spirituality. 

like any other person, my satanist clients need to heal from their deep emotional childhood wounds, to 'rise from the ashes' so to speak, and find fresh options for living a more meaningful and joyful life.  

... shakin' my booty in bali, indonesia ... (life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, quezon city, manila, philippines)

my training in multi-cultural and indigenous forms of healing brought me to the island of bali, indonesia.  here, i was introduced to the ancient healing tradition of "shaking" at the ashram of Ratu Bagus, which translates into "good king."  

ratu bagus

for the western-oriented mind, it is a strange practice that they do:  it is simply "shaking" your body for hours. it is believed that by actively shaking the body for prolonged periods, the conscious mind calms down, allowing the "Sacred Fire" within the person to ignite and heal deep emotional and even ancestral wounds.

gettin' down, shaking all over

the Sacred Fire is experienced as internal heat and sweating, spontaneous movement, and emotional releases through laughing or crying. they teach that you should persevere in shaking especially when you feel that you've reached your limit with the hope that a "breakthrough" ensues.  A "breakthrough" refers to a deeper level of emotional, physical, and energetic detoxification.  


what a privilege to immerse myself in the healing practice of this exotic culture.  

all that shaking got me hungry, so i sped off to the local market!

hmmm... i've never been to a market in the philippines that looked this aesthetic ...

bye bye ratu bagus!

peace out!

... counseling in the philippines for those with homosexual issues and other sexual struggles ... (life coach, psychotherapist, psychiatrist))

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today, i had an informative and engaging lunch meeting with benjie cruz, the national director of living waters, philippines.
. in my clinical practice, i meet a lot of clients struggling with homosexual issues, sexual addiction, sexual abuse, and other sexual problems. most of my clients want privacy and anonymity so they opt for professional and confidential counseling.
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some clients however ask for spiritually-oriented help, so this is where living waters comes in. living waters is a christ-centered ministry which offers spiritual support and christian camaraderie for those burdened by sexual struggles.
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whether in the form of professional counseling or christian ministry, hope and help is available for those in search of sexual healing and wholeness.
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... emotional release therapy ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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emotional release therapy (ERT) is a type of laying-on-of-hands therapy for letting go of one's painful emotions. ERT involves healing touch, visualization, and prayer. without having to disclose the problem, ERT is able to discharge emotional pain from one's system- gently, effectively, and fully.

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ERT was systematized in 1996 by dr. walter weston, a methodist minister and researcher who had practiced spiritual healing for over 40 years through healing touch and prayer.

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in 1996, he traveled to india teaching ERT to local indian healers. dr. weston writes, "before the workshop, the healers complained that they had very few healings and none were permanent. after the workshop, they excitedly phoned me to tell me that after doing ERT, everyone they worked with was healed and healed permanently."

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"it was then that i realized why some people were not healed. it was because if you are filled with emotional pain, somehow this blocks the effectiveness of all healing techniques. you must first remove emotional pain with ERT before any form of healing can heal effectively."

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i was certified by dr. walter weston as an ERT practitioner and teacher in 2007. since then, ERT has successfully helped numerous clients of mine to release their intense pent-up emotions such as anger, sadness, grief, fear, anxiety, and worry.

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