Holding space, creating a safe container, invoking sacred space. These are all ways to describe the atmosphere in which we heal. The more safety, coherence, and support that is offered, and held for the client, the more their body and nervous system can open to the process of healing. It is a fundamental component of my practice and of many others, in many fields of therapy. It is a non-physical but tangible experience that can be called by many names. Safety, protection, compassion, kindness, even love are feelings evoked in such a space.
Creating a safe space can include the physical atmosphere but is truly an intentional practice of energetics and sincere offering. It is a centered and concise landscape that first exists within the practitioner, consisting of personal resources and rituals. When a client is invited in, a collaboration begins, adding and altering but not changing the integrity of the space. The practitioner can welcome in the inherent wisdom of the client while offering their resource\
s to work in tandem with the space. The client is truly witnessed, reflected, and supported just as they are.
To describe a stark difference, imagine walking into a clinic setting that was cluttered and messy, with loud distracting music, and florescent lights overhead. Your practitioner greets you in a hurry, appearing unsettled, asking blunt invasive questions, and dismissing your experience of your body all while using anatomical jargon to correct you. This would not set the stage for a pleasant treatment. As such you may not be comfortable relaxing and receiving the work. The opposite scenario would be a clean, warmly lit space with plants and soft music playing. Your practitioner would welcome you with a calm, inviting demeanour, patiently asking you to describe your needs, actively listening and reflecting what you are sharing. The experience of being seen and acknowledged begins the process of opening to the possibility of healing and receiving a depth of treatment that you may not have consciously been seeking. Holding space includes skilled guidance, moment to moment, with the clients' consent. Respecting boundaries and offering support to what is present.
Sacred Space is a loving home, with delicious scents in the air and memorabilia decorating the shelves and walls. The space holds stories of life, past and present, and the community that grew together in it. It is a place where relationships were born and worn and mended. Where friendships and love were nurtured. A place where individuals come together to live in the complex truth of their histories, supporting one another in the pursuit of their dreams.
At Healing Connections Wellness Centre we strive to uphold the meaning and intention of our name. Each of us came here to foster our gifts of service and support but also found a dwelling in which we could be ourselves and flourish as human beings. As a community of practitioners our doors remain open to extend that invitation of healing to our community of clients.
Love,
Joshua
