What is Bodymind Health Coaching?
Due to the requests of people outside of the San Francisco Bay area, Bodymind Health Coaching has now expanded nationally and internationally by phone, email, Skype, ichat, or in-person. Drawing from bodymind healing traditions from the East and West I coach you to become your own healer.
Each of our bodily symptoms is a call to learn to read its language. The awareness of our primordial self is tested with each ache. Is our body saying that we have a serious problem that is there to teach us to let go of our self-healing arrogance and rely on the advice of a medical professional who can help us to deal with an early warning sign of cancer or liver disease. Or, on the other hand, are we giving away our power to the medical propaganda machine that benefits from convincing us that every ache is a call to go to the temple of Western medicine for relief?
“Qigong and Behavioral Medicine:
“An Integrated Approach to Chronic Pain,”
Michael Mayer,
Qi Journal of Western Health and Fitness, Winter 1996
Certainly in the former case above we should go to a Western doctor. I am here to help you to the extent possible when, on the other hand, learning self-healing methods are useful and appropriate. I am also part of a multidisciplinary team of health care practitioners which includes Western doctors, acupuncturists, bodyworkers, chiropracters who I call on to give me and you well-rounded advice when needed.
Specialties and Areas of Focus for Bodymind Health Coaching:
- Anxiety Disorders/ Panic Attacks
- Arthritis
- Back and Neck Problems
- Chronic Diseases
- Chronic Pain
- Headaches
- Hypertension
- Insomnia
- Musculo-skeletal Problems, Joint problems, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Preventative Bodymind Medicine
- Trauma: Developmental trauma and PTSD
- Coaching and Case Consultation for Healers-Bodyworkers, Mental Health Professionals, etc.
See Dr Mayer’s book, Bodymind Healing Psychotherapy, for Chapters on each of the above conditions, available for download. This has been released as a trade paperback called Energy Psychology(North Atlantic/Random House, 2010)
Methods of Bodymind Health Coaching:
The range of methods that I will use in Bodymind Health Coaching are based upon my assessment of your needs, and are mutually agreed upon. I draw from over 25 years of training and practice of various healing arts including hypnosis, Qigong, and Acupressure.
- Self-healing Movements & Postures from Bodymind Healing Qigong
- Self-touch Methods from Acupressure
- Hypnotherapeutic and Guided Visualization Methods
Please see the store section of this website where you can purchase emailed chapters from Dr. Mayer’s new book on anxiety, hypertension, depression, insomnia, chronic pain, etc.–only $5.95 each.
Your responsibility: Self-healing requires your active involvment and practice of the methods you learn in our coaching sessions. Your job is to tell me if anything in these methods feels uncomfortable to you. This open honest communication is important to reduce injury and respect your body’s limits. The basic idea in Taoist healing is not to create excess stress or pain. If any practice I advise you to do goes beyond your limits back off a little and remember to breathe and relax.
What can you expect? Healing versus curing: With more severe conditions it is important to be aware of the difference between cure, the absence of symptoms, and healing, cultivating an attitude of working on and with your physical/psychological issue as a teacher. We will emphasize this healing awareness which emphasizes an attitude of “illness as a teacher” and your path as one of learning to be a “wounded healer.” In the process you may learn to open your heart to your dis-ease.
After a session or during a session there may be times that you do not “feel better.” It is important for you to listen to your body and ask yourself, or me, the meaning of this. Sometimes a session brings up material for you that needs to be processed on the level of mind or body. During this process, you may not “feel good” as you are transmuting an old pattern. Learn to read your body as to the meanings that are held there or ask me to help facilitate your process about this. At times you may need another health practitioner such as a chiropractor, Western Doctor, acupuncturist etc. Please feel free to get the assistance you need, and discuss this with me.
My Philosophy: Psychological issues and bodily disease are divina afflictios giving us opportunities for psycho-spiritual growth and finding the source of healing.
Disclamer: It should be clearly understood that I am not a medical doctor, nor am I practicing medicine. Bodymind Healing Qigong or other complimentary health treatments should not be viewed as a substitute for medical attention when needed. The treatment you will be exposed to in sessions is meant to compliment other forms of medical care and not be a substitute for it.
Clarity about potential dual relationship: I have been a practicing psychologist for many years. However, my Bodymind Health Coaching is separate from my psychotherapy practice. Though I may use some of my knowledge and background from being a psychologist, the self- healing work that we will do should be viewed a separate from psychotherapy. For example, while we are doing energy healing work, insurance cannot be billed under psychotherapy. If a desire or need to engage in psychotherapy arises, I will refer you to another therapist. If, in a rare circumstance, you desire to change the nature of our relationship to psychotherapy, I will recommend that you discuss this choice with another psychotherapist. If you then choose to do psychotherapy with me, we will negotiate a separate agreement to avoid any pitfalls, dual relationships or conflicts of interest. In this later case, we will not return to doing energy healing work.
One of the potential dangers of complimentary forms of treatment is that a consumer may forego diagnosis or treatment by a medical doctor. You are agreeing to be responsible for your own health care and make choices about the type of health care you need.
Fees: Payment is made before our sessions at the rate of $300 per 50 minute hour or $150 for a 25 minute session. You can pay through Pay Pal to drmichael@bodymindhealing.com, or discuss another payment method.
$300 per 50-minute session
25-minute coaching session $150.00
Please click above to reserve your Bodymind Health Coaching Session; then follow up with an email to drmichael@bodymindhealing.com requesting two possible preferred times. You will be contacted confirming one of those times or with a suggested alternative.
Dr. Mayer’s background
Michael Mayer, Ph.D., the originator of Bodymind Health Coaching, presents his integrative approach to bodymind healing at hospitals, universities, national/international conferences and workshops. The First World Symposium on Self-Healing gave him an award for outstanding research and contribution to the advancement of mind-body medicine. He was the first person in the country to train doctoral level psychology students in the integration of Qigong and Psychotherapy. Dr. Mayer co-founded and serves as part of a multidisciplinary medical team called The Health Medicine Center, which practices integrative healthcare. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Integrative Medicine; and has been certified by the American Tai Chi &Qigong Association as a master instructor. Dr Mayer has authored twenty publications on bodymind healing, including six books, audio-tapes on cancer and chronic disease and articles on chronic pain and anxiety. His peer reviewed article on Qigong and hypertension appeared in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, and is updated in the book Healing Intention and Energy Medicine by Dr. Wayne Jonas, former Director of the National Institute of Health, Office of Alternative Medicine. Dr. Mayer’s Bodymind Healing Qigong DVD synthesizes ten Qigong systems for a lifetime preventative medicine practice.