Posts by Valerie Varan
Dream Interpretation
Many of you wonder how to interpret your dreams, so in Living in a Quantum Reality, I devote an entire section on how to distinguish your ego’s from your soul’s dreams. I also share with you one of my favorite ways to decode the messages embedded, for you personally, within the distinct visual and feeling elements of any dream, along with many examples.
For now, know that ego dreams are dreams that stem from the three slowest, most material, vibrational centers of personal consciousness. Whereas, soul dreams originate from higher and faster frequency spheres of your trans-personal consciousness. Your dreams mirror your focus in consciousness. In any given moment, when you shift your focused awareness into other states, your dreams – or any experiences in consciousness – follow immediately.
Ask yourself, “Was my dream about worries or fears? About not feeing secure enough materially, emotionally, intellectually, in life, in relationship, or in my career?” If so, this is most likely an ego dream that is bubbling up from your suppressed subconscious, or repressed unconscious. Pay attention to how you feel in the dream. Stay with the emotional charge, and let it move you naturally to shifted states and understanding. Or, was the dream absent of fear, and more like another life on another plane? Did it feel spiritual, that is, were you learning something significant or profound, maybe given a gift or revelation of that which is not translatable into words? These are most certainly soul dreams, experiences in higher or superluminal spheres of consciousness.
If you are willing to journal your dreams, especially write down these, in as much detail as you can consciously recall. Contemplate the qualities inherent in any object, person, place or otherwise, within the dream. Write these dream elements down, and then next to them, their most outstanding quality or attribute sensed by you. For instance, let’s say a bird was in your dream. Think of what quality or meaning that comes to mind most naturally, and electrifies you when you pause and ponder upon it. Does the bird immediately bring images and a sense of freedom to you? If so, write down that quality. Or, does it bring to mind the feeling of movement, change in life, or transformation? If so, write that most fitting quality down. Do this with at least all key elements within the dream, in “chronological” order if you can. When you are done, “read” the dream qualities from left to write, or top to bottom, so to speak, as a decoding process of interpretation.
Usually, meaning pours into your awareness as you reflect upon your dream from such a relaxed state of nonjudgmental observer awareness. In a recent counseling session, I helped my client do this for a representative dream, that seemed indicative of a pattern of dreams she had been noticing, but which had puzzled her and left her curious about its message. By the time we were done, she teared with the insight that the dream was a message that she was holding onto anger at her mother, that she was blaming her for any current lack of skill she perceived and loathed within herself, that she was neglecting to perceive a sense of connection with a village of others, and that it was imperative that she forgive herself so that she could begin to forgive and heal all other relationships in her life.
If you would like me to support you in your dream interpretations, call me at 303-547-8327 so that we can schedule some time to meet. I feel honored to help!
Using Ancient Wisdom
Wisdom has been described as a loving understanding, a wise kind of love. A place in consciousness where the higher heart and mind are one. Wisdom has been handed down to us since the beginning of time. No matter how ancient, it is as fresh and new to most of us as the day it was first shared. Whether you read the Bible, ecstatic poetry of Rumi, Torah, Qur’an, Bhagavad Gita, Tao Te Ching, the teachings of Buddha, Lakota wisdom, or any other form of esoteric revelation and spiritual literature, there are golden nuggets to be mined that will enrich you with the light of truth.
As you enlighten your consciousness, you will want to read and reread these beautiful passages. For each expansion of your growth is as marked as the rings of a tree. And you will interpret any verse according to the ring of your growth. As you move from ring to ring, so will your comprehension shift its central axis, and therein lies the root of all misunderstandings.
I have grown to appreciate just how perfect a plan it is to have so many wisdom traditions to choose from. For each seems to resonate with a predominant focus of our consciousness. For example, while many religions teach how to prioritize our physical activities in life, Christianity seems to emphasize our emotional well-being with lessons of love, Buddhism instructs us in mental discipline, and the Tao invites us to explore the greater reaches and space of our beingness.
Rejecting outright all but one teaching, is like casting out every aspect of self that we fear because we do not yet understand. Discover the gems you have missed by perusing the pages of other wisdom teachings other than your own. In contrast to external religious rules put down by man, the esoteric verses across faiths are united in their focus on developing the internal sense of spirituality, the direct union with the infinite essence of All That Is we call God.
At this physical level of our being, truth for one will not necessarily be truth for another. What is true for you will electrify you, because it will resonate with who you are at your core and with where you are in your spiritual growth. Focus on that.
Transformation can occur in the twinkling of an eye. It need not take you years.
Optimal Wellness
Optimal Wellness – Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? (Forgive the pun!) Let’s face it…it’s tough to take care of ourselves in this society. All around us are pressures and constraints – work more, eat quickly, transport children, check email, clean house, do errands, spend less money, make more money, find quality time to be with family…the list could go on. Stress on your body mounts, and you feel exhausted. With time, illness follows.
Holistic counseling can help you:
- Prioritize your wants, needs, and have to’s
- Get 8 hours of sleep and still have 16 hours for your day
- Improve restorative sleep
- Eat to feel great, rather than to prevent disease
- Maintain a healthy weight without restrictive dieting
- Increase energy, as well as facilitate emotional and physical healing
- Find movement exercises that you enjoy
- Be happier in your work and social life
Call me today at 303.547.8327 to schedule your free initial 30-minute consultation and learn more.
Career Issues
Career Issues – Confused about what kind of career you want to pursue? Tired of your old job, and seeking something more meaningful? Frustrated that you can’t seem to earn the money you feel you deserve? Feeling stuck and angry that you have been passed over for promotions time and time again? Thinking of starting your own business? Or, maybe you like your current job, but are completely exhausted from the stress.
These are only a few examples of what we may experience as we transition from our teens into adulthood, from midlife through “retirement”. Holistic counseling can help you:
- Reconnect with your inner self, so that you minimize doing and maximize being
- Balance planning and goal setting activities with intuitive guidance
- Overcome the fear that keeps us stuck between a “rock and a hard place”, instead of “in the flow”
- Follow your heart, not just your head
- Receive the support you need from available resources
If you would like to learn more, call me today at 303.547.8327 to schedule your free initial 30-minute consultation!
Life Transition
Life Transitions – Most of us will face some level of difficulty as we transition into a new phase of our life. Perhaps you are adjusting to a new life without your former spouse. Maybe you are seeking a new career, or are retiring from the work you performed your entire life. You may be having a new baby, and are struggling with the changes a growing family brings. Holistic counseling can help support you through the discomfort that transition brings, and offer you new perspectives that may transform an ending into an inspiring new beginning.
Call me at 303.547.8327 to schedule your free initial 30-minute consultation and learn more.
Young Adults/Teens
Holistic counseling can help your son or daughter address concerns about:
- Anxiety or stress
- Depression
- Self-esteem
- Divorce or separation
- Insomnia
- Nightmares
- Bullying
- Aggression
- Trouble with the law
- Poor school performance
- Trauma
- Distractibility, short attention span
- Hyperactivity, impulsivity
- Identity struggles
- Eating issues
- Life skills
- Relationships
- Teen parenting
For Parents:
- Improving your relationship with your teen
- Structuring activity as well as down time for children
- Preventing video game, internet, cell phone and other technology addictions
- Learning how brain plasticity, nutrition, and exercise affect mental health
Call me today at 303.547.8327 to schedule your free initial 30-minute consultation and learn more.
Severe Depression or Aggression: If your son or daughter is suicidal or homicidal, please call 911 for immediate medical care since I do not provide emergency services. I provide only outpatient level of care. I do send you and your family special blessings for healing and love. Know that sometimes we do need to intervene on behalf of someone we care about, and that sometimes we need the blessing of medicine, hospitalization or residential treatment during critical moments.
Caregiver Stress
Care-giver Stress – Your loved one has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and your life has changed. You worry and grieve, and shift through a myriad of emotions. You begin to wear down, feeling overwhelmed and stressed. You may have rescheduled your days or reprioritized your goals. Likely you have spent much time researching possible treatments or alternative options for extended care.
If you could use help during this stressful time, holistic counseling can:
- Support you through your grief
- Provide stress-reduction and relaxation techniques
- Discuss complementary treatments that integrate with conventional care
I would be honored to be there for you, to help you process the guilt we often feel for attending to our own needs, and to offer you ways to renew and reenergize. Bringing back balance in your life will ultimately be of higher service to the one you love.
Call me today at 303.547.8327 to schedule your free initial 30-minute consultation and learn more.
Severe Physical Illness
Whether you have a severe illness like cancer, or a variety of medical conditions that are adding up to a huge stressor, life is now centered around taking care of yourself.
Holistic counseling can help:
- Support you as you cry and grieve for the losses in your life – sometimes we hesitate to tell family and friends how we really feel, especially when they are trying to help
- Explore various ways to reduce stress and allow the body to relax into a healing state
- Talk with you about spiritual concerns that may arise
- Discuss complementary options that integrate into your traditional medical treatment plan
- Assist you with resources for integrative care or treatments that you choose
Complementary options I provide that target mind-body communication, reduce stress, and increase relaxation include:
- Mindfulness meditation
- Guided imagery
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Body-focused or somatic meditations that help you tune into the body’s messages
- Artistic/creative expression
- Bioenergetic methods
Other therapies to explore:
- Restorative or therapeutic yoga
- Nutrition support
- Acupuncture/Acupressure
- Massage or other body-based techniques
- Reflexology
- Music therapy
- Aromatherapy
- Other energy-based methods
Call me today at 303.547.8327 to schedule your free initial 30-minute consultation and learn more.
Spiritual/Transpersonal Issues
Spiritual Trans-personal
Namaste! I love this Sanskrit greeting which means The Light of God in Me recognizes and honors the Light of God in you, and in that recognition is our Oneness.
Do sayings like that ever provoke in you the “aha!” experience? Do you ponder about the meaning and purpose of your life? Do you wonder about whether or not there is a higher force? Have you ever had experiences that you could not explain, and worried that others would think you were “crazy”? Perhaps you find yourself questioning your beliefs and want to discuss them with a “neutral” person who would understand and not judge. If you seek nondenominational spiritual counseling, I would be honored to support you as you contemplate these mysteries.
Spiritual/Trans-personal Approaches
I can help if you are seeking treatments for mental health concerns that:
- Are based upon universal spiritual principles
- Have been found to facilitate transpersonal (i.e. beyond the personal realm) experiences
- Consider symptom origins from a transpersonal perspective
- Understand the difference between psychotic and transpersonal symptoms
Philosophy
My own journey into spiritual questioning led me beyond my Christian upbringing into a quest for the common truth universally taught across all of the world’s wisdom traditions. I continue to explore them all, and to seek further experiences of sacred states of consciousness. I am fascinated by scientific findings from quantum physics, prayer research, remote viewing and distant healing studies, entanglement experiments, spiritual/energy healing, and inquiries into the nature of consciousness and the power of intention. And I persist in reviewing what these investigations reveal. For perhaps the first time in history, due to the benefit of increasingly sophisticated technology, science is beginning to confirm what the wisdom teachings have declared for millennia. Love is a powerful uniting force. Love crosses mysterious boundaries. Love heals.
Call me today at 303.547.8327 to schedule your free initial 30-minute consultation and learn more. Namaste!
Relationships
Do you feel that you are constantly repeating the same old patterns that lead you to feel empty, hurt, frustrated, depressed, angry, maybe even abused? Do you feel like you’re walking on eggshells? Always fighting? Perhaps you notice you have lost yourself or are overly focused on pleasing others. Maybe you and your partner simply want help to improve communication and understanding, and return harmony to the relationship. If you said yes to experiencing these or similar situations, holistic counseling can help!
Philosophy
I provide individual, couple and family therapy using a systemic and holistic approach.
- My systemic approach works best if partners or family members each receive their own personal therapy, try to implement at home what they have learned, and address needed issues together in couples or family sessions you may want to decide whether you prefer that your individual therapy counselor be the same or someone different from the therapist who facilitates your couple or family sessions
- If my clients request that I provide both individual and family therapy, it will be important to know that I believe that relationship difficulties are ultimately created from inauthentic individuals coming together and blaming each other in various ways for unhappiness; as individuals improve their ability to live authentically and in alignment with their inner being, they will be happier and healthier in their relationships
- Since we are interconnected with each other, a change in one person effects changes in the way others respond. Couple or family therapy will help all persons in the relationship adjust to these changes
- As M. Scott Peck, MD has described, I believe that we truly love another when we want for them what they want for themselves. Relationships begin to heal when we allow ourselves and each other the space to grow, when we mutually nurture each other with healthy boundaries, and when we care enough to really try to communicate in a way that we each feel heard and supported
Approaches
You can benefit from:
- Spiritual approaches that care for the inner soul and foster authentic ways of being
- Improved skills in communication, boundaries, etc.
- Bioenergetic and somatic approaches that help you release as you gain insight from your body about the type and place of held emotions
- Artistic expression and dream analysis that informs you of unconscious feelings or motivations
- Intention exercises that help you focus and attract the qualities you envision in relationship
Call me today at 303.547.8327 to schedule your free initial 30-minute consultation and learn more.