Many of us and our clients have unfortunately experienced traumas in this life or past lives that may include but are not limited to natural disasters, rape, abuse, warfare, deaths, accidents, childbirth and health difficulties. Many conventional approaches to healing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) seem just as traumatizing as the original events because the techniques force us to face painful issues that our bodies, minds, and spirits are not ready to handle.

Join Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., to learn about holistic methods to be used in conjunction with traditional therapy that can help approach traumas in a way that will minimize the new trauma of healing. Topics to be discussed include the body-mind-spirit connection, chronic illness, depersonalization, anxiety, depression, past lives, energetic beings, tapping, energy medicine, intuitive healing, meditation, and more.

This seminar assumes a belief in a higher power outside of oneself which can be anything from qi to god(s). While the content will be directed at psychotherapists, healers in other fields are welcome to attend.

The seminar will be held:
Sunday, April 24, 2016
10:00 a.m to 1:15 pm
3400 Kerbey Lane (in the studio)
3 CEU credits available for LCSWs and LPCs
$50 through April 22; $75 at the door if space is available 

Parking is available on the street and across the street in the office complex or at the school. Lunch will not be provided, but you may bring your own food. Tea and coffee are available. Some of us may go out after the seminar for lunch at Taco Deli to continue the discussion. 

Please note that the studio has several steps to get into the room. If this obstacle makes the seminar inaccessible for you, please contact me, and we will work out arrangements to make sure you can attend. If you have other accommodation needs, please note them in the "comments" section of the registration.

Out of respect for those who are chemically sensitive (including Elizabeth Galen), please refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, aftershave, or other highly scented body products to this seminar. Essential oil products used in moderation are fine.

Registration closed.

When I opened my email a few days ago, I was greeted by a notification of a post from someone on Pinterest who had told me what an idiot I was to believe in the content of a picture I had repinned. The woman was very clearly someone who worked from a victim’s mentality, the exact issue that post was working to change in people who use that approach to justify any and all of their behaviors, even ones that they are very clearly responsible for. This type of person believes that she is a victim to her genes, her environment, her upbringing, and her education. She does not believe that she has any power to overcome those things. She thinks she is justified in any failings in her life because “they” made her do it.

My response to these posts is pretty simple: I delete the nastiness, and then I hit the block button. I have a zero tolerance policy for such abusive behavior. People who want to engage in intellectual debate of an opposing view? That’s fine. But when the other side attacks me personally, calling me an idiot for my beliefs, there is no learning going on. There’s only abuse. The person has absolutely no desire to learn or grow, only to lash out at a total stranger.

This woman then used my post as a platform for her very maligned views, ones that are exactly the type I help people work through and heal once they are ready. It’s not a view I will let stand as “truth” on one of my pages. She’s welcome to post her opinions on her own pages, but I won’t tolerate that kind of attack on me or others who are my clients.
​
These types of posts are rude, and they aren’t helpful to the person who put them up or to the person who received them. I don’t have to put up with that kind of behavior, and neither does anyone else on most social media. To try and convince her of another view would merely have been a waste of my breath and energy. I hope that one day she gets the healing she needs so she is not such a bitter unhappy person, but I will not be the healer to help her along the way.

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

Thanksgiving Day Gratitude Labyrinth Walk

Canceled due to lack of interest.

Last week I received a message through Meetup from a (now former) member of the group I lead there. It was titled, “too expensive.” She wrote in the body of the message, “I thought that this meet up was free. Asking for 10.00 every time healers, myself included come together to do work for the planet is a little much to as of people. Too bad money trumps light workers from coming together and doing there work together as a community.” (All errors are from the original author.)

This person was one who had been a member of the group for about four weeks but who had not attended any of the actual meetings. She’s an owner of a local retail store in a non-spiritual field but is not a professional lightworker from what I can find on the internet. I have never advertised the group as totally free, so that was her error for which she was holding me accountable. I have advertised meetings as costing between free and $25 with most being $10. Clearly she read what she wanted to in that sentence.

As I mentioned this to my kids, they asked, “Don’t you have to pay for the space you are meeting in?” Correct! My high school aged children were able to do the basic math of running a meetup group in a way that this business-owning woman could not. Meetup currently charges $180 per year for the first group one runs (and two “free” ones after that). One then has to find space to meet in. Many of the “free” spaces around town require a minimum member of attendees and/or a minimum purchase of food that is often unhealthy and/or filled with gluten. Since 75% of my group has issues around food (including me with gluten and egg sensitivities), that type of option doesn’t work well for us. Many public places also don’t allow for privacy which is necessary for the type of group I lead. Hence, we meet in private spaces to create an atmosphere that is appropriate to the healing work we do. Finally, I do a lot of reading and prep work for the group and give out handouts. All of that creates expenses as well. Even the federal government recognizes that business expenses exist and allows them to be deducted!

If this woman had actually attended my group, she would realize that it isn't actually a group of lightworkers coming together to heal the planet. It's a personal growth group as one might expect from the name, "Your Personal Healing Journey of Austin." People are getting my guidance in a group format for a hugely discounted rate. Instead of paying $100 per hour, they are paying $5 per hour to learn from all I can teach them. That’s a pretty hefty discount and makes my resources and guidance very affordable to those who can’t afford to work with me on a private basis. Most similar groups in Austin charge anywhere from $10 to $25 per session with the majority being in the $10 to $15 range. I am definitely not pricing outside of the market value. Furthermore, if one stops and thinks about it, $10 for two hours of guidance that leads to extensive personal growth is a bargain compared to spending $10+ for two hours to see a movie which one may or may not benefit from at all.

I have encountered others like this woman before on other healers’ sites and discussion groups, so I was prepared for this to happen to me. They subscribe to a false ideology that believes that energy workers don’t deserve to be paid for the work they do. If they do deserve to be paid, then it should be an absolute minimum, and the healers should be struggling to get by. Only unholy people should be comfortable in life. Those who are truly sent from God will live on miraculous multiplication of fish and loaves just like Jesus did. These judgmental people somehow think that energy workers’ electric bills and rents also can be paid with holiness (and not money) as well.

All of that is simply not true. Everyone deserves to be paid a living wage. I am a huge believer that the minimum wage needs to be $15 or greater in metropolitan areas where $15 an hour isn’t enough to support a family. That’s $600 per week or a little over $2400 per month. In Austin, finding a two to three bedroom apartment or home for a family is hard to do for less than $1200 per month in the suburbs; closer in it’s impossible. Clearly a single parent won’t be able to take care of a family on that amount without public assistance even if s/he/ze is working full-time.

The same is true of an energy worker who, when it all boils down, is a worker trying to pay bills just like the rest of society. We all work in different ways as we’ve been gifted. Some of us are teachers. Some of us are engineers. Some of us are salespeople. And some of us work with healing and energy. If the healer is a doctor, s/he/ze will bill starting at $300 per hour. Psychologists in Austin charge anywhere from $75 to $150 per hour. While people may grumble about these rates, no one doubts that these healers deserve to be paid for their work. So too, do energy workers deserve to be paid for their time, energy and skills.

As I have discussed this incident with other healers I know and respect, we’ve all come to the same conclusions. Those who truly need sliding scale and reduced fees approach us with very different attitudes and behaviors than those who are just not willing to pay for the healing work we do. Every one of us has stories of people who have pleaded for sliding scale or free work and then have shown up in a brand new car or had stories of exotic vacations taken weeks before or made exorbitant purchases that are clearly beyond the means of someone who actually can’t afford but desperately needs healing work. The bottom line is that they don’t want to budget their funds in such a way as to pay for what they need. Hence, they want their healers to earn less so that they can live a more luxurious life, not realizing that by not paying their healers the full price of their services, many of those same healers then have to make cuts to their own budgets to accommodate the person asking for financial help. It is completely different than people who are truly low income and in desperate need of help but who cannot possibly stretch their budget any further.

When healers don’t charge for their work, they create an energy imbalance in the universe. All of our transactions with others in life involve an energy exchange. You massage my back, and I rub your feet. You give me groceries, and I give you money. I help you solve problems with your health, and you give me money. In the olden days, you might have given me two chickens and a gallon of milk instead. In other societies, it was a handful of sea shells. However, in our society, we use money as a currency of exchange, and it has come to represent our energy exchange. Every healer I know and respect agrees that there must be an exchange of energy in every single transaction in order to keep things balanced. When interactions occur without an exchange, one part of the equation becomes imbalanced. Hence, as healers, we do charge for our work as we feel is appropriate to the situation in order to keep balance in our lives. In some cases, $5 is the appropriate amount. In other cases, it’s more. All of us do need to charge something for every exchange, though.

I hope one day this misguided woman will understand her value and will start charging for her services to others just as she does for the objects she sells in her storefront. I hope she will also come to understand what kind of imbalance she creates in her life by asking others to give to her for free when she offers nothing but a verbal barrage in return.

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

A kinder, gentler path to healing trauma

Many of us have unfortunately experienced traumas in this life or past lives that may include but are not limited to natural disasters, rape, abuse, warfare, deaths, accidents, childbirth and health difficulties. Many conventional approaches to healing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) seem just as traumatizing as the original events because the healing techniques force us to face painful issues that our bodies, minds, and spirits are not ready to handle.

Join Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., to discuss holistic methods to be used in conjunction with traditional therapy that can help you approach traumas in such a way that you will minimize the trauma of healing yourselves. Topics to be discussed include dissociation, anxiety, depression, energetic beings, tapping, the body-mind-spirit connection, energy medicine, intuitive healing, and more.

Sunday, September 20, 2015
Casa de Luz, Serena Room
1701 Toomey Road
Austin, Texas 78704
Doors open at 7 pm
Seminar is from 7:15-9:00 pm.

This seminar requires a belief in a higher power outside of one’s self which could be qi or a deity. 

Out of respect for those who are chemically sensitive, please refrain from wearing chemically based perfumes, colognes, and aftershaves. Essential oils used in moderation are fine.

Please fill out the reservation form below or reserve your space on Meetup.

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

Have you been told by a doctor that whatever is happening in your body isn’t possible? Have you valiantly fought a disease for years but are only maintaining your health, if that? Do you feel like everything you are trying for improving your health is not helping? Are your health care providers, both mainstream and alternative, puzzled as to what might help you because everything they have tried has failed to bring relief?

Join us as Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., explores the mind-body-spirit connection and how it relates to treating puzzling health issues. This seminar presumes a belief in a higher power such as qi or a diety. Past life issues will be discussed as well. 

Sunday, August 30, 2015
The Auditorium at Casa de Luz
9:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Doors open at 9:30 am

Please RSVP below or at http://www.meetup.com/Your-Personal-Healing-Journey-of-Austin/.

$15 per person. Mature teenagers dealing with health issues are welcome. 

As a courtesy to those who are chemically sensitive, please refrain from wearing synthetic fragrances such as perfume, cologne and aftershave. Essential oils in moderation are acceptable.

Tonight's Integrative Health Practitioner seminar has been canceled due to low enrollment. 

I'm pleased to announce that I have started the Spiritual, Single and Social Meetup. 

The Spiritual, Single and Social Meetup is an open-minded gathering in Austin, Texas, where we support each other without judgment in understanding our experiences in life. We view being single as a time in our lives when we can focus on growing and healing as individuals. For the purposes of this group we define these terms to mean the following: 

Spiritual: We all hold a belief in a higher power greater than ourselves. All traditions and belief systems are welcome as long as they are open to others having different beliefs. We work together to find common ground for our spiritual beliefs to help improve our individual lives and the world. 

Single: We are single (never married), separated, or divorced. We are not in committed relationships with anyone at this time. Those from all parts of the sexual, gender, and orientation spectrums are welcome. This group is aimed towards those who are in the 30-50 year age range. 

Social: While we might work hard on our personal growth, we’re not opposed to serious relaxation either! We meet for a variety of purposes and activities including but not limited to meals, book groups, discussion sessions, meditation sessions, hikes, and games nights. 

As a courtesy to those in the group who are sensitive to fragrances, please refrain from wearing synthetic perfumes, colognes, and aftershaves. Essential oil based scents are fine in moderation. 

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

Monday, September 28, 2015
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM  
North Village Branch Library  
2505 Steck Ave., 78757  

Please RSVP using the form below or on Facebook as space is limited. Light refreshments will be served including vegan and gluten free options.  Please bring your non-alcoholic beverage of choice with you.

As a courtesy to those attending who are sensitive to fragrances, please refrain from wearing synthetic perfumes, colognes, and aftershaves. Essential oil based scents are fine in moderation.

This session is directed towards acupuncturists, massage therapists, rolfers, reiki practitioners, rolfers, chiropractors, and other light workers or body workers. If you are not able to attend the session designated for your particular professional group, you are welcome to attend one of the other sessions with the understanding that the presentation will be geared towards a different group of healers. More information on the individual presentations can be found at http://www.greenheartguidance.com/classes.html.

Please join Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., of Green Heart Guidance, LLC, to learn more about how she can assist you and your clients or patients in their quest for emotional, physical and spiritual health. Through her skills as an intuitive, Dr. Galen contacts higher powers to help pinpoint issues for those who may be struggling to heal through common paths. Dr. Galen will also relate how her intuitive gifts helped her fight a seemingly hopeless 12 year battle with late disseminated Lyme disease because of the emotional and spiritual traumas that were preventing her immune system from functioning correctly.

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

Please join Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., of Green Heart Guidance, LLC, to learn more about how she can assist you and your clients or patients in their quest for emotional, physical and spiritual health. Through her skills as an intuitive, Dr. Galen contacts higher powers to help pinpoint issues for those who may be struggling to heal through common paths. Dr. Galen will also relate how intuitive healing helped resolve stored trauma from the stillbirth of her first child.

Please RSVP using the form below or on Facebook as space is limited. Light refreshments will be served including vegan and gluten free options.  Please bring your non-alcoholic beverage of choice with you.

As a courtesy to those attending who are sensitive to fragrances, please refrain from wearing synthetic perfumes, colognes, and aftershaves. Essential oil based scents are fine in moderation.

This session is directed towards midwives, doulas, and obstetricians as well as their support staffs. If you are not able to attend the session designated for your particular professional group, you are welcome to attend one of the other sessions with the understanding that the presentation will be geared towards a different group of healers. More information on the individual presentations can be found at http://www.greenheartguidance.com/classes.html.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015  
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM  
Old Quarry Branch  
7051 Village Center Dr, 78731  

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

Please join Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., of Green Heart Guidance, LLC, to learn more about how she can assist you and your patients in their quest for emotional, physical and spiritual health. Through her skills as an intuitive, Dr. Galen contacts higher powers to help pinpoint issues for those who may be struggling to heal through common paths. Dr. Galen will also relate how her intuitive gifts helped her fight a seemingly hopeless 12 year battle with late disseminated Lyme disease because of the emotional and spiritual traumas that were preventing her immune system from functioning correctly.

Thursday, July 23, 2015  
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM  
Old Quarry Branch  
7051 Village Center Dr, 78731

Please RSVP to Elizabeth via the form below or on Facebook as space is limited. Light refreshments will be served including vegan and gluten free options.  Please bring your non-alcoholic beverage of choice with you.

As a courtesy to those attending who are sensitive to fragrances, please refrain from wearing synthetic perfumes, colognes, and aftershaves. Essential oil based scents are fine in moderation.

This session is directed towards professionals including medical doctors, chiropractors, naturopaths, osteopaths, dentists, physician assistants, nurses, and pharmacists who practice integrative medicine or who support their patients' use of complementary medicine. If you are not able to attend the session designated for your particular professional group, you are welcome to attend one of the other sessions with the understanding that the presentation will be geared towards a different group of healers. More information on the individual presentations can be found at http://www.greenheartguidance.com/classes.html. 

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

This event is for those who work as mental health professionals. For other upcoming events and classes for the general public, please see http://www.greenheartguidance.com/classes.html.

Please RSVP to Elizabeth using the form below or on Facebook as space is limited. Light refreshments will be served including vegan and gluten free options. Please bring your non-alcoholic beverage of choice with you.

As a courtesy to those attending who are sensitive to fragrances, please refrain from wearing synthetic perfumes, colognes, and aftershaves. Essential oil based scents are fine in moderation.

Monday, June 29, 2015 
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM  
Old Quarry Branch  
7051 Village Center Dr., 78731 

Please join Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., of Green Heart Guidance, LLC, to learn more about how she can assist you and your clients in their quest for emotional, physical and spiritual health. Through her skills as an intuitive, Dr. Galen contacts higher powers to help pinpoint deeper, unresolved issues for clients. Once these issues are released from the body, physical and emotional healing can happen in ways that were previously impossible. Dr. Galen will also relate how her intuitive gifts helped her fight a seemingly hopeless 12 year battle with late disseminated Lyme disease because of the emotional and spiritual traumas that were preventing her immune system from functioning healthily.

© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC

Just a reminder that Green Heart Guidance has two Christmas playlists on Spotify:  An Energetic Christmas playlist which is almost three hours long, and a Mellow Christmas playlist which is over 14 hours long.  I continue to add to the playlists as new albums are released, so there are songs that are new this season.

Even though I'm not a Christian any more, I still love listening to Christmas music, and I hope you enjoy these playlists as well.

© 2014 Green Heart Guidance.com

In the past several weeks since I first started my Pinterest account for Green Heart Guidance, I have continued to add new boards.  Now there is not only a board for the archives of my inspirational mantras, but there are also boards on spirituality, health challenges, mantras from others, crystals, fun metaphysical stuff, jewelry, spiritual humor, metaphysical humor, holistic life coaching humor, relationship humor, and healthy recipes.  Please come check it out!

© 2014 Green Heart Guidance

The archives of my inspirational mantras and thoughts are now on Pinterest for those who enjoy using it.

© 2014 Green Heart Guidance

One of Amazon's daily deals for Kindle today (Wednesday, October 15, 2014) is The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.  I am currently working on a review for this book, but you can get some basic information about it from Aron's website.  As she states:

• Are you easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby?
• Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?
• Do you make a point of avoiding violent movies and TV shows?
• Do you need to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation?
• Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?
• Do you notice or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art?
• Do you have a rich and complex inner life?
• When you were a child, did your parents or teachers see you as sensitive or shy?

If you fit this profile or your child(ren) do, then it's well worth your while to read Aron's seminal work on the topic of highly sensitive people.  Aron includes a great number of helpful coping and adapting tips for those who are highly sensitive.

The book is widely available in public libraries, but the Austin Public Library does not have it available in digital form at this time.

© 2014 Green Heart Guidance

I'm happy to announce that Green Heart Guidance now has a Spotify account which includes numerous playlists for your meditation and listening pleasure.  I am constantly updating the playlists to add additional material as well as creating new playlists.  Many of these playlists would be great for massage therapists and other bodyworkers as they are 40+ hours long, allowing the primary person listening to the playlist not to hear the same song all week long.  There is no real organizational order on most of the playlists as I hit the shuffle button when I am listening.

Playlists currently include:

• brainwave music
  
• Celtic inspired meditation music
  
• chakra meditation music
  
• chant
  
• crystal bowl music
  
• education tracks
  
• extended play Indian inspired meditation music
  
• extended play new age meditation music
  
• flute meditation music
  
• goddess meditation music
  
• guided meditation
  
• Indian inspired meditation music
  
• instrumental meditation music
  
• medieval style meditation music
  
• mellow Christmas music
  
• metal turtle music
  
• Native American inspired meditation music
  
• new age meditation music
  
• piano meditation music
  
• shamanic drumming
  
• spiritual vocal meditation music
  
• upbeat Christmas music
  
• upbeat meditation music
  
• vocal meditation music
  

© 2014 Green Heart Guidance

I am happy to announce that the archive of my inspirational mantras is also available on Flickr now.  You can follow Green Heart Guidance there as well.

© 2014 Green Heart Guidance

Green Heart Guidance is now on Goodreads for those who would like to follow my reading related to my business interests. 

Green Heart Guidance is now active on Twitter for those who prefer to follow there.