Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: healing

  • The Adventures of a Hypnotherapist

    The Adventures of a Hypnotherapist

    ‘‘Was I Under?’’

    Hypnotherapy is something that has fascinated people for a very long time and was for many years used as a form of entertainment but there is a vastly different side to this discipline, that of healing and issue resolution.

    Steve Burgess has been practicing the art of Hypnotherapy for thirty years using it to help heal traumatic issues and in a number of a cases making a very real difference between life and death.

    Trained by Wilf Proudfoot, Ernest Rossi and Gary Craig, all men who have made a serious contribution to the work of Hypnotherapy, Burgess even after three decades of practice, still classes himself as a ‘jobbing therapist;’ a man with much to still understand and learn.

    In his fascinating book The Adventures of a Hypnotherapist he shares some of the more amazing past life regressions that have helped heal and restore so many people. He states this is a book for entertainment, not a manifesto, nor to educate, simply to share the amazing stories he has been privileged to be a part of over the years.

    All he asks as you read through the chapters is that you keep an open mind, as everything he has written is true, names have been changed and while some of the events recorded are more than astonishing, these people are alive today to be able to tell their stories, lead a happier life and understand in detail what was causing the issues in their lives.

    The first chapter deals with a life and death situation that had a positive outcome with the client alive and well 26 years later. Each chapter visits a particular trauma with one chapter detailing with his own experience with letting go, allowing emotion to heal and understanding the healing power of hypnotherapy on a personal level.

    If there are chapters that simply don’t appeal, move on and enjoy the many fascinating past life regressions that have been captured in this more than entertaining book about helping to heal, sharing so much of life’s journeys along with some of the many past life influences that make everyone individual but still a part of humankind.

  • The Formula of Life: Go Deeper, Rise Higher

    The Formula of Life: Go Deeper, Rise Higher

    Rena Harvey has spent many years on the spiritual pathway seeking not only enlightenment but a way forward to a life of health and a happiness; Over those years she became a teacher, Reiki Master and Healer amongst many other disciplines. 

    Working as a healer she noticed her style of therapy was having very positive and profound effects on her clients. Deciding she needed to reach further she made the decision to share the six stages of The Formula of Life in book format

    She openly discusses the dysfunctional and abusive family background in which she grew up, her seeking of spiritual guidance to try to discover who she was as a young adult and the innate wisdom gathered on her journey.

    Rena Harvey in her words ‘dusts of the woo, woo’ from the subject of self-discovery and asks only that you be honest at every one of the six steps set out in the chapters, as she gently guides you towards understanding, as well as discovering, who you really are.

    Setting out very clearly the way forward she considers the six powerful principal of Connection to Source, Reprograming Childhood Wounding, Positive Thinking and Creating Alignment, The Light and Dark side of your being, Feminine and Masculine power and Relationships and Soul Contracts form the basis of living life to the highest levels of fulfilment.

    Each section requests deep personal honesty, a desire to be happy in life and commitment to what will be an epic journey of self-discovery, of empowerment and acceptance that you are a most special and powerful person who is absolutely more than the sum of disparate components.

    The Formula of Life is a very comprehensive and practical guidebook to help and encourage you to discover the real you, to embrace your consciousness, to help heal old wounds by offering a pathway to a deeper, richer understanding of your purpose here on this earth and your particular soul journey.

  • Kitchen Therapy

    Kitchen Therapy

    Food can often be the one commonality which in times of celebration and crises draw people, community family together to create, produce, and to feed; to nurture one another with love and comfort.

    As Charlotte Hastings, in her role as a psychotherapist, discovered through her love of food, cooking and nurturing, it is also a wonderful way of being able to break through barriers, to offer someone a neutral ground where they can relax, chat and discuss their anxiety or distress in a positive, productive manner. Creating a meal or enjoyable treat is therapeutic, relaxing and a delightfully relaxing way to begin to accept so many of life’s little lessons.

    Kitchen Therapy has taken more than twenty years to evolve and over that time Hastings has built into the narrative so many wonderful aspects of conscious living, life lessons, along with a keen understanding of the human psyche, drawing on her own life experiences to illustrate the carefully made points of self-care and understanding.

    Set in three definite sections the first deals with The Departure – moving away from the normal and learning to view time spent in the kitchen as therapeutic, essential and enjoyable. There are several case studies which make interesting reading and how food, or rather the creation of delicious recipes, has helped people move towards a healthier, happier lifestyle.

    The Enchanted Kitchen which for those who love to cook or desire to understand far more about holistic, conscious cooking is an absolute treasure trove of fascinating information broken down into the four seasons of the year.

    Continuing on with the seasonal theme the final section The Return is full of wonderful recipes which are broken down into wonderful ‘bite sized’ pieces, each one with a backstory, Who it is and then a gentle message from the ingredient used to form the tantalisingly, must cook dish.

    Built around a platform of psychotherapy, cooking and a love of family, Kitchen Therapy is a wonderful book for anyone who desires to expand their love of all things culinary, but would like to add a further few layers of understanding about the importance of good food well cooked and presented.

  • Send Love To Everyone (Heal the Divide)

    Send Love To Everyone (Heal the Divide)

    Simple words, combined with a simple melody create a powerful message delivered by Song Gardeners Mary Gospe and Corrie Dunn, in their latest single release Send Love To Everyone.

    Reminiscent of the 1960’s and ‘70’s peace movement, when the folk ballad style of protest song became popular, many singers and songwriters used the power of music to send a strong message for peace and love in the world of then: it is truly a sorry reflection that there is still the need to put into the healing vibration of music, what is now a time old plea for World love.

    Mary Gospe and Corrie Dunn have created a delightful style in what could be considered a Folk New Age Pop Fusion in this multi layered single of blended harmonies and gentle instrumental additions.

    The words, ‘Send love to everyone. We heal the divide when we stop taking sides,’ are in the form of a mantra that can be used at any time of the day, with the entire set of lyrics, also able to be used as a form of longer meditation or chant.

    The first verse was sent to Mary during meditation, the second was written by Corrie to compliment the sentiment sent from the Divine. Layering and additional vocals have been added by Zach Gospe, with Mike Gospe on mandolin, James Butler on percussion and David Schreiber on synth and guitar.   

    Send Love To Everyone is a must add to your collection.

  • All This Healing is Killing Me: A Memoir 

    All This Healing is Killing Me: A Memoir 

    The opening words to the first chapter of this heartbreaking and courageous Memoir from Gabrielle Pelicci, All This Healing is Killing Me, say ‘Nobody tells you how to become an adult’, which is absolutely true. If you have parents who guide you through the trauma of growing up, you are very fortunate: if not you have to find your way through what frequently becomes a battle ground, littered with bad choices, failed expectation and the detritus of human life.

    In Gabrielle Pelicci’s case, she grew up in a horrifically traumatic family with a father who was at the very least a homicidal maniac. Her parents eventually divorced and her mother died at a young age, leaving her bereft; an emotionally delicate woman in her early 20’s.

    From an ethereal or out of body experience at her mother funeral, to a serious rift with her brother Joseph, she decided the way forward was to study Psychology, which lead onto her study of many more subjects such as Energy Healing, Massage and over the years, many areas involved within the healing modalities.

    She staggered from one toxic relationship to another, each time destroying a little more of her fragile self-belief. Over the years she saw a raft of therapists who all encouraged her to face her fears; basically face her truths about her childhood, the trauma associated with this and by doing so beginning to heal.

    Fearful and terrified, she moved from one needy relationship to another, changing locations often, depending on what she was studying, either learning or involved in various healing disciplines, each time believing she was on the pathway to happiness, only to be cast aside once again, until she could go no further. She reached the end of her various routes of ‘escape’ and had, with the help of a very skilful therapist, to face her demons; to begin to heal.

    For anyone who has walked the challenging pathway of destructive relationships, mental and physical health issues, substance abuse and much more, Pelicci’s words will offer hope and understanding, as can only come from someone who has already travelled the pathway of self-destruction.

    Beautifully written with no sense of self-pity at any stage, All This Healing Is Killing Me is an unflinching Memoir, which shares the hard work, challenges and immense courage it takes eventually to walk away from a destructive life pattern and be able to live a freer and happier life.

  • Spirituality, Healing and Me

    Spirituality, Healing and Me

    In her second book Spirituality, Healing and Me, Ilana Estelle once again uses her personal journey to share the wisdom she has gathered as she has faced the many challenges of growing up and living with Cerebral Palsy, which she was not diagnosed with until she was in her forties.

    Having made the decision not to focus on the negatives that life can bring, she began writing to try and understand better her pathway in life and perhaps more importantly, begin to learn about who she was and what she really wanted to do with her life.

    In an abstract manner, Spirituality has or has always been a part of her life. As a child she understood there was something around her that was different, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. It was not until she decided she need to make some serious changes to her lifestyle and ventured down the Spiritual pathway, she really began to understand the true beauty and richness that can be life and living.

    Spirituality, Healing and Me could be considered as a hand book for those about to embark on a voyage of personal discovery, as Estelle has set out each of the sections with an introduction to the subject matter to be offered within the Section, then subheadings dealing with everything from Understanding Spirituality to, interestingly, the effects COVID has had and is still having on our lives and society structure, which makes a somewhat fascinating conclusion to the Book.

    As the pages turn, she shares her thoughts on so many of the everyday aspects we all ponder over and frequently wonder about, such as Accountability, The Law of Cause and Effect, The Loss of a Loved One, Mirroring Internal Thoughts and so very much more.

    Perfect for the person beginning their Spiritual Journey Spirituality, Healing and Me can be read in sections, dipped into to seek an alternative point of view, to bring healing and understanding, or read from cover to cover and then returned to relevant areas to select the piece that resonates.

  • In the Shade of Olive Trees

    In the Shade of Olive Trees

    Heartbreaking and heart-warming In The Shade of Olive Trees has been beautifully written and captures perfectly, the absolute desolation that can occur when life dishes up the unexpected.

    Julia Brooks’ world is turned upside down on her wedding day. Will, the man she was to marry finally arrives at the church and informs her he can’t marry her, as it would not be fair; he is and has been having a long term affair.

    She is shattered and in false bravado, fuelled by a considerable intake of champagne, makes the decision to carry on with the carefully planned ‘honeymoon’ trip to Italy, a place she has always wanted to travel too. Her carefully prepared itinerary will make the journey easy, or so she considers, from her state of grief!

    On the flight to Florence, Italy she meets Harriett Morris, a woman she finds she relates to, who as it turns out, runs a retreat for ‘Widowed Travellers’ at Porto Venere. She invites Julia to come to ‘Olive Haven’, handing her a card and glossy pamphlet which details what she offers, created especially for women who are lost in grief and need to heal.

    After a series of devastating events and a chance encounter, Julia finds herself travelling to Olive Haven with Alex, a dear friend of Harriett’s and so begins the cathartic, confrontational, healing journey back to discovering who she really is and what she wants from her life.

    It is very had to credit this is a debut novel from Kate Laak, as the characters are beautifully portrayed, the setting of Florence, the countryside of Italy and Porto Venere have been skilfully created. The vibrancy of Italy enchants, as do the wonderful people Julia meets along the way that try to help her heal a broken heart!

    She has also, with great skill, woven into the story the many layers of grieving and healing that take place as time moves steadily onward.

    Captivating and difficult to put down, have a box of chocolates, a box of tissues as well as a glass of Champagne handy and join Julia as she bravely tackles her ‘honeymoon’ journey as a solo traveller, all the while beginning to understand so much about life, herself and what she wants in her future.

  • The Kitchen Witch’s Guide to Healing and Self-Care

    The Kitchen Witch’s Guide to Healing and Self-Care

    Maggie Haseman has for many years been a ‘witch’ in the best sense of the word and decided that her particular ‘space’ in her home would be the kitchen. It would be a space of peace, healing, relaxation, meditation and creating good food with both healing and therapeutic properties, along with all the feel good vibes that come with preparing good food with love and enjoyment.

    The Kitchen Witch’s Guide to Healing and Self-care has been styled as a book for beginners. Haseman has carefully set out the chapters to offer clear guidance and understanding about herbs, healing, even the use of tea leaves or well-constructed teas, to aid healing and relaxation and the ability to be able to create holistic remedies from produce easily sourced or grown in a home garden.

    Although the title The Kitchen Witch’s Guide to Healing and Self-care indicates it may only be for those who are interested in witchcraft, ‘hocus pocus’ and more, it is not. It is for anyone who has a curiosity about the healing, health benefits and the spiritual aspects of wellness and basically, a range of food items.

    She is very clear about this in the first section of the book where she details the art of ‘kitchen witchcraft’, making it accessible for anyone from the more advance spiritual seeker to the newcomer.

    One of the more intriguing aspects of the book, once you get past the food aspect, is the section on self-care, something we are all wont to neglect, which does not just relate to Witches. She spends time setting out how this can be done with very little effort but with very great benefit to body, mind and soul.

    There is a huge amount of information contained within the chapters on herbs, plants, spells – only if you want too- and much more which takes some time to read, but makes this a book that is an excellent reference, as well as recipe book.

    Captured within the pages there are some delicious recipes that are not only mouth-watering but easy to prepare as well. Some may already be firm favourites and others seriously tempting enough to try out with their healing benefits listed with the recipes.

    The Kitchen Witch’s Guide to Healing and Self-care is the perfect guide to encourage a refreshing return to the magic and holistic properties of not just your kitchen space, but a whole new regime of self-care in your special place in your home.

  • THE SPACE BETWEEN THE STARS

    THE SPACE BETWEEN THE STARS

    Bittersweet, emotional and beautiful, Indira Naidoo takes grief out of the darkness and brings it into the light as her tribute and farewell to her beloved sister Stargirl, in The Space Between the Stars in a manner that is both cathartic and healing.

    Indira Naidoo is a woman who uses words as her daily currency. She uses this skill to share her journey in a very gentle and personal way, as she struggled emotionally and intellectually, to accept or explain the death of her sister, a woman who was at the top of her career pinnacle, successful, fun and working in a world she loved, that of Media.

    What was it that caused Stargirl to take her life one dark night at the beginning if the COVID pandemic? She blamed herself as the older sister; she should have seen the signs that something was so wrong. Her grief was debilitating, unimaginable and isolating. The blame was palpable.

    As the days passed, her grief knew no bounds. On a morning jog, in the fresh, brisk breeze off Sydney harbour, she jogged up Mrs Macquaries Road passing through a grove of golden wattle, the sounds of a City in motion slowly dispersing; two figbirds were cooing high in the branches and a soft gentle sound, a whisper of the leaves asking her to come in closer, come in, come in was mesmeric.

    Although she had felt the vibration of this sacred place before, a place of suffering and regeneration, this time she stopped, finding a place to sit on the grass, a time to simply be. When she took note of her surrounding the first thing she noticed was a tiny spiders web in the grass, glistening in the morning light.

    Looking up she realised she was under the branches of a very old Morten Bay fig, a tree that had witnessed much over its long life. Very slowly she began to feel she could simply be; to be there nothing asked and nothing given, just space and time.

    Each of the chapters is based on a memory of the three sisters, Indira, Dreamcatcher and Stargirl growing up in a family that moved countries several times, their parents in search of adventure, their lives made richer for the experience. A year apart the girls were as close as they could be, each full of mischief, loving the challenge of growing up.

    Vignettes capture moments in time that are funny, naughty, captivating with each bringing back many memories of growing up in a world less troubled, far more freedom being given to children and the many adventures there to be had just by simply being children.

    As a broadcaster Indira Naidoo had interviewed many people on a wide variety of subjects, but found, as the days and weeks passed, often with time spent under the Morten Bay fig, she began to truly wonder what secrets nature held that were helping her healing begin.

    She reached out to horticulturalists, ornithologists’, astrologers, and many more people all in touch with the earth and nature, in an attempt to understand why so many of the small things in nature meant so much to her, and how they were helping her in their gentle, unobtrusive way, begin to put back some of the pieces of her life.

    A beautiful chapter, amongst the many, is Uber Goodbye, about the magic and mystery that truly does surround, that reaches out when there is a desperate need, a deep grief to be soothed.

    In the final chapter Indira Naidoo addresses the issue of grief and its place in her life. She uses Ernest Hemmingway’s advice, ‘Write hard and clear about what hurts’, reflecting on the lessons learned and bravery discovered by spending time in nature, learning to listen to what is freely there to be discovered.

    Grief is a journey everyone experiences very differently: The Space Between the Stars is her journey.

  • PLANT SPIRIT MEDICINE

    PLANT SPIRIT MEDICINE

    A GUIDE TO MAKING HEALING PRODUCTS FROM NATURE

    Plant Spirit Medicine is one of the most useful books to have arrived on the Healing booklist this year. Nicola McIntosh has put her many years of practice as a healer and herbalist into book format, carefully constructed to appeal to both the beginner herb nerd, and the more accomplished practitioner.

    She says from the first page, this is a book about doing things with natures abundance, with a little factual back-up which will appeal to the seeker looking for a way to ease the stress of modern day life without resorting to a quick short term fix.

    Over the years Nicola has qualified in both Western and Chinese Herbal Medicine. While studying she realised there was something missing which was the spiritual connection to the plants, a connection that made her love of things herbal come alive.

    As the chapters unfold the knowledge is presented in a gentle, informative manner with personal anecdotes dotted throughout, along with lessons learned and when required a word of caution. Beautiful photography helps break the sections up, highlighting the information contained in the pages, which also adds to the journey of discovery.

    Many of the chapters also have simple exercises to encourage a better style of communication with nature, allowing grounding and healing to commence.

    Understanding and working with Spirit Plant Medicine is not something that can be done in a hurry as it is a whole body experience, from collecting the required herbs, working with the plant spirit through body and mind and allowing healing to commence.

    An excellent chapter on the Law relating to the use of herbal medicines and plant identification is one which, should you be taking this journey for the first time, not be skipped but carefully read and understood, especially if you are considering using the herbal tinctures and ointments on a commercial basis.

    Basically the simple truth is plants and their amazing ability to heal have always played a very important role throughout the ages. Somehow over time, we have lost touch with this element of our very being and it is time to begin to reconnect.

    Nicole McIntosh, by creating this beautifully presented guide, Plant Spirit Medicine, is holding out a hand saying, now perhaps more than ever, it is time to begin to reconnect, to balance our lives with simply measures; to learn to reconnect to our untapped resources: to take the time to slow down and really do begin to enjoy ‘smelling the roses’, in your life.