Spiritual Counseling: As taught by the National Interfaith Seminary, in St. Paul, Minnesota, a ministerial approach that embraces chakra therapy (chakra healing), inner child work, and Totem Psychology.

(See also: Spiritual Counseling, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

SPIRITUAL COUNSELING

Is practiced by those who are well connected to their intuitive nature, insight and an awareness of universal laws, together with the precepts of Universal Love and Compassion.

(See also: SPIRITUAL COUNSELING, Alternative Health, Holistic Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Exit Counseling

A less coercive program of deprogramming designed to "save" members of spiritual groups that are considered false, harmful, or dangerous.

The program usually involves a two to three day voluntary counseling session emphasizing education and dialogue, often with a licensed mental health professional, a former member of the group, and/or a specialist on cult dynamics.

The approach stresses true personal and religious freedom in the context of providing additional information and full disclosure, which facilitates more informed decision-making. Family counseling and intervention techniques may also be incorporated.

(See also: Exit Counseling, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

psychic counseling

To give a private reading on a one-to-one basis pertaining to the personal information desired by the client

(See also: Psychic counseling, Body Mind and Soul)

Transpersonal Psychology / Transpersonal Counseling

A school of psychology that aims at integrating Western science and Eastern thought by moving beyond Humanistic Psychology and its focus on the self or ego. Its orientation is a holistic one that focuses on the integration of mind, body and spirit and has ultimate psychological growth and well-being as its goals.

(See also: Transpersonal Psychology/Counseling, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Transformational Counseling / Transformational Therapy

Counseling techniques associated with transpersonal psychology that are aimed at promoting selfrealization at the personal level and planetary brotherhood and consciousness at the global level.

(See also: Transformational Counseling/Therapy, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

integral counseling psychology: A form of psychotherapy taught at the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco. It encompasses bioenergetics, Gestalt therapy, holotropic therapy (see Holotropic Breathwork), Integral Yoga, psychosynthesis, spiritual mind healing, Taoism, and Theosophical Therapy. One of its principles is that one can help humans to contact and activate their inner organizing center for holistic living.

(See also: Integral counseling psychology, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

inner peace facilitation (inner peace counseling): Approach to spiritual counseling marked by the goal of increasing clients' awareness of inner spaciousness. An inner peace facilitator is anyone committed to discovering and melting obstacles to the natural radiance and transforming power of the spirit dwelling within.

(See also: Inner peace facilitation, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Nutritional Counseling: Nutritionists counsel clients on a wide variety of issues ranging from proper levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to weight loss, food allergies and optimal health. Many follow a "whole foods" approach to proper diet.

(See also: Nutritional Counseling, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Holistic Counseling: Practitioners focus on the whole person, with a special emphasis on how the mind is connected directly to the body, and how a person thinks and feels affects him or her at a cellular level.

(See also: Holistic Counseling, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Body/Mind Counseling: Body/Mind Counseling covers a number of techniques intended to change negative patterns learned from infancy. Counselors in this field tend to use a less structured process than psychotherapists, utilizing bodywork techniques, lifestyle counseling and even nutritional advice.

(See also: Body Mind Counseling, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Transformational Counseling (ASAT Transformational Counseling): Holistic system of facilitation taught by the American Association of Alternative Therapists (ASAT), in Rockport, Massachusetts. It encompasses Biogram Therapy, dream therapy, Parts Therapy, progression/regression therapy, and Psycho-Neuro Integration (PNI). the main premise of transformational counseling is that beliefs are the real cause of mental, physical, emotional, and etheric problems. (See ASAT C.O.R.E. Counseling.)

(See also: Transformational Counseling, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

biblical counseling (nouthetic counseling): Use of devotional instructions in the Bible to treat psychological problems. Proponents equate psychological and spiritual problems and claim that all such troubles are solvable merely by cultivating obedience to Jesus Christ.

The term nouthetic derives from a Greek word, noutheteo, which means to admonish or warn. Promoters of Calvinist fundamentalism introduced biblical counseling in the 1970s. Hybrids of the fundamentalist mode and folkloric ostensive psychology have largely superseded biblical counseling.

(See also: Biblical counseling, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Shamanic Counseling: Derivative of shamanism that encompasses power animal retrieval and listening to prerecorded chanting and drumming. Its theory posits wise, helpful spirits.

(See also: Shamanic Counseling, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

macrobiotic counseling: Conducer to adoption of a macrobiotic diet of whole grains, vegetables, edible seaweed, and seeds. The design of macrobiotic principles of cooking is to synchronize one's eating habits with the cycles of nature. (See macrobiotics.)

(See also: Macrobiotic counseling, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Christian counseling: Variation of biblical counseling. Behavioral issues, social factors, and theological principles that affect physical and psychological health are its apparent foci. The Melton Book Company series Resources for Christian Counseling includes the title Counseling the Demonic (1989).

(See also: Christian counseling, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

basic Polarity counseling: Part of Polarity Therapy. Basic Polarity counseling borrows from bioenergetics, Gestalt (see Gestalt therapy), and NLP. Its focus is the body/mind relationship.

(See also: Basic Polarity counseling, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

intuitive nutritional counseling: Nutrition-centered form of clairvoyant diagnosis and remote diagnosis offered by Robin Lee of New York City.

(See also: Intuitive nutritional counseling, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

astrological counseling: Psycho-spiritual mode of psychotherapy practiced by author Laurie A. Baum, M.S.W., C.S.W. Its basis is astrology.

(See also: Astrological counseling, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

A Dictionary of Spiritual Terms. From Acupuncture to Zoroaster.

Please note that all words in grey, like "yoga", "enlightenment" or "kundalini" are hyperlinked to archives further explaining the term. At the corresponding archive you will also find articles related to the term.