What is your personal theory of therapy?
Just as we would hope that each of our clients lead a unique life and discover their own creative solutions to the challenges that they face in life, so too am I a sum of all the different experiences that I have had and my therapy and my ideas about therapy reflect that. For me to honestly face who I am and what I am about in my work even if that is different from others. This self validation is the also a core of my theory.

As I come to the therapy room I bring the whole of my past and present experiences and my self with me as does the client sitting before me. I trust that out of the meeting of these two (or more) selves something new will develop. Sometimes I describe myself as a Magpie, which is an Australian bird that has a great voice or warble and collects treasures. So I’m always on the lookout for treasures and I pick them up and put them in my box. The thing about magpies is that they see treasures where other people wouldn’t think of looking, a scrap here and an old bit of something or other there and in their case they build their nest out of it. I became interested in therapeutic approaches that were deep and that could be brief and which could be used within a long term, developmental model of therapy or within a brief therapy format. In my search for those special treasures, I found approaches that bring the heart back into therapy. Seeing things as a whole, or the whole of what is, through the eyes of the spiritual heart is alchemical.

I have come to understand that the heart has its own magic which I refer to as its alchemical properties. The heart’s qualities include trust, space, courage and gratefulness plus many others. Alchemy is the science that is concerned with finding ways to turn base matter into gold or higher states and another definition is the science of finding a medicine to cure all diseases. Psychologist have become very good at explaining away everything and are trained to see problems or pathology not people, or as is increasingly common, to just see the solutions. These approaches can be very effective. But an alchemical approach would suggest that you live within the mystery of the life and creates vertical not just horizontal change. There are several major types of what I call alchemical approaches that I use. The main ingredient is that it must contain the problem and also may contain its opposite. The catalyst is simply one of the qualities of the heart. The heart is like any muscle, as we exercise it, it grows. And from this the problem can dissolve and the new arise on its own. Whatever psychological or mind-body tools I utilize are captured within this frame.

Do you apply holistic approaches in your work with clients? What are the approaches?
My approach is holistic in its essence. The approach is holistic whenever I use a combination of any of the mind-body-spirit techniques that I have trained in or developed. These include a wide range of cognitive-behavioral, systemic, hypnotic and alchemical approaches.
I am always attending to:

1.What developmental phase the person is at
2. What is the current emotional, psychological state
3. Their physical state and
4. Spiritual state.

Specific holistic approaches that I use include the alchemical psychotherapy and hypnotherapy approaches. Alchemical Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy utilizes the powerful keys of acceptance of what is and the courage of the heart. In this approach these ancient tools of the mystics are blended with the powerful discoveries of modern therapy such as modality/ sub-modality work (vision, feeling and sound), time-line work and solution-focused ratification of changes. These approaches are generic and can be used for a wide variety of emotional, relationship, somatic or behavioral difficulties since they are not so much change techniques as tools of transformation. The approach assumes that, as E. Rossi outlines, the therapist’s main role is to assist clients in getting unstuck in the creative process. A lot of emphasis is place on a healing atmosphere being created by the therapist and these approaches can be used in an individual or group format.

How did you get started applying these approaches?
My original training was in fairly traditional cognitive Behavioral therapies at Latrobe University, Melbourne, Australia, It was certainly a very sound basis for my future work as a Clinical Psychologist and I often return to these basic tools of facing the underlying beliefs and social learning theory. I also at the same time trained in structural, strategic and systemic family therapy approaches at a one of the local training hospitals in the area so I was introduced to a wide range of approaches early on in my training. After initially working in community Psychology/Psychiatry for a few years I worked in a Psychiatric crisis team under the mentorship of an Ericksonian therapist. Ericksonian therapy, a la Milton Erickson, developed hypnotherapy into a therapeutic art form. He was based in Phoenix and the Ericksonian Foundation is still there today. In his approach everything about the client is utilized (this is simply called the utilization approach) so that everything that he observed about the client became part of the potential solution- this includes the physical, emotional, psychological and developmental aspects of the person. So in a way he was a "holistic" therapist before his time. However several of the other post-Ericksonian therapists (E. Rossi, S. Gilligan) also include aspects of the spiritual dimension. In Rossi’s case he links this to specific biological processes as the new sciences are demonstrating that psychological change and growth of consciousness actually have biological correlates not only in increased synaptic and dendrite connections but in actual neurogenesis (new neuronal growth) which in the past was thought to not to be able to occur in adult brain tissue.

I began exploring meditation in 1990 in Thailand and visited India a number of times in the 90’s while studying at Osho Commune International Pune, India which is a center for meditation and personal growth where I studied in the Mystery School. In this approach the alchemical possibilities of the spiritual heart are explored and experimented with. The heart contains the qualities of compassion, space, silence, love, courage acceptance of what is and many other qualities that, if utilized, can transform the nature of problems. So this is the major lens I use today in my work what ever other brief or depth therapy approaches I am utilizing. For me holistic therapy isn’t just about mind-body approaches, or about counseling someone on their nutrition or spiritual needs. It is about being able to see the whole person, it is about the word holy. Seeing beyond the psychology of the person and the problem to what is more than that. The possibilities, the unknown, the mysteries. So this is a very different approach to a goal orientated, outcome orientated psychological approach. But I must say that I still get good results and my approach is highly effective! It is challenging to adapt this approach to a wider range of problems and I am currently exploring how to adapt this to traditional cognitive and hypnotic approaches to sexual dysfunctions, eating disorders and marital therapy.

What training did you receive to be able to apply these approaches?
In my basic training in undergraduate Behavioral Science we study a broad range of topics namely –Sociology, Biology, Psychology and Mathematics (for research purposes and interpretation or scientific reports). So already I had a broad based training in the social ( criminology) and hard sciences ( genetics, zoology, botany, physiology and nutrition) as well as intensive training in diverse areas of Psychology which included, learning and memory, psychopathology, social psychology, developmental theory, philosophy of science and research. It is only after studying these basics for 4 years that one is allowed to begin the study of Clinical Psychology in Australia.

I have studied meditation and the transformative potential of the heart since 1990 and I have participated in a wide range of group processes including primal therapies and tantra in terms of dealing with childhood and relationship issues. On more transpersonal issues I have participated in past life groups. In regard to Psychology of the Buddha’s I did this specifically in Sedona, Arizona in a course entitled Beyond Psychology.

In regard to healing and energy work while I am not a “hands on” healer or body worker I have studied Reiki since 1991 and I have also studied other types of energy work including Prana. Within the mystery school training their was also a lot of study in regard to charkas and understanding the energy /belief systems of different charkas- similar to what Carolyn Mace is now presenting to the Western world.

More recently, over the last 5 years, I have become increasingly interested in the work of Bert Hellinger whose work can be described as transpersonal in that it works on the soul level and with intergenerational family and societal systems. This work has given me additional insights and techniques into the greater forces at work that effect the body-mind-soul of individuals.
Therefore my holistic model includes aspects of biology/general health, psychology/individual development and thinking, awareness of psychiatric issues, understanding of energy systems and family and social systems including transgenerational, and beyond psychology to the spiritual self or soul.

How do you know when to use these approaches with clients? Do you also always use the holistic approach?
How I determine which aspects of a holistic approach to focus on relies on my initial assessment as well as the person’s request. It is my experience that when a client and a therapist get together that something greater than either of them, the therapeutic mind, appears. So while I keep very up to date with the latest effective therapeutic approaches and techniques in the field of psychology and have a broad based knowledge I have to say that at this point of my career I often don’t “think” in the traditional sense while working. My mind is quite silent and this co-created therapeutic mind guides both the client and myself in the work. The beauty about developing the qualities of the heart is that work and decisions become easier if one simply allows oneself to pay exquisite attention and follow the guidance offered. Different people are requesting different things when they come to meet with me. For some it will be a very brief and interesting meeting, for another it is the beginning of a longer journey of self discovery. Different techniques along the way can help facilitate the learnings. I always gather information regarding medical history and current medical problems and often will refer people to medical or alternative health practitioners for further assessment and treatment. Many clients I see in Tokyo are already doing some form of yoga or meditation or become interested in this during treatment. While I do not impose any specific meditation or spiritual practices I will help guide the person to discover what might be suitable for them, though usually they find this outside of the therapy itself which I think is appropriate.

What ethical issues do you see incorporating these approaches in your practice?
In 2000 I went to the Evolution in Psychotherapy conference in Anaheim, California. This is a conference which is held by the Ericksonian society every 5 years in which all the most esteemed therapist/trainers are present. I was surprised to hear so many therapists say that spirituality has no place in therapy and that it should be kept distinct. And these were the gestalt therapists! So I am at a loss to know why things spiritual are such a hot topic or how in fact I could avoid including these issues in therapy. In my work in Japan I so often find that people are searching for some spiritual sustenance. For myself I do not see any ethical issues, if I give someone meditation, nutrition/physical advice I also qualify when it is outside of my professional area of competence or expertise and refer them to an appropriate practitioner. It is important for practitioners to always qualify their field of expertise, range of experience and make that clear to the person. Clients are typically understanding and don’t expect all things to be delivered by one person.

What benefits do you see by using these approaches?
The main benefits for me in using an alchemical lens is that therapy flows more easily, it is less tiring for me and truly surprising things happen. The approach reflects more the nature of reality which is one of interconnectedness between all things. To have a broad based knowledge is essential as it can be helpful, for example to recommend to someone to explore nutritional counseling for panic attacks related to mineral or hormonal imbalance so that the immediate symptom can be assisted. I guess I learnt this in my psychiatric training in which organic causes of psychiatric symptoms always need to be excluded first before one treats it psychiatrically/psychologically i.e. hallucinations can be caused by infections or brain tumor for example. Though there is a distinct connection between body and mind it is a mistake just to treat the mind. Sometimes if one treats the body, the mind follows too.

What limitations are there in using these approaches?
One problem might be that there are a lot of different aspects to focus on in any given moment and of course at times I might give too much attention to one at the cost of another. But usually things even out and I trust that things will work out even if they are not done perfectly. In general I would say that most so called holistic practitioners are not really so. They have not received enough psychotherapy training to be really advising people in that area of their life and should advertise themselves as body workers rather than counselors so as to avoid misrepresentation.

What else would you like to share about being a holistic therapist?
This interview has given me a chance to examine what being a holistic therapist means to me. One of the best things about seeing people as a whole rather than just their parts- whether it is their body, mind or problems -is that my work becomes a place of meditation for me when the space and silence of the heart can be with that of another and the resonance can echo throughout mine and the client’s life. It is truly a self nourishing approach and I am truly blessed.

When seeing things as a whole, the whole mind relaxes and the heart is able to function more freely. The heart qualities of intuition, space, courage and possibilities are able to surface. Seeing people or things as parts is stressful, tension inducing and limiting. This sort of awareness can be very focused but is inherently critiquing what it sees, analyzing, looking for improvement. Seeing things as a whole allows things to transform and develop organically and creatively.

And I love telling stories in therapy.
“ They say that in the life of the great Sufi mystic Farid that a King came to see him. He had brought a present for him: a beautiful pair of scissors, golden, studded with diamonds-very valuable, very rare. He brought those scissors to present to Farid. He touched Farid’s feet and gave him the scissors. Farid took them, looked at them, and gave them back to the king, and said, “Sir may thanks for the present that you have brought. It is a beautiful thing, but utterly useless for me. It will be better if you can give me a needle. Scissors I don’t need; only a needle will do” The king said, “I don’t understand. If you need a needle you will need scissors too” Farid said, “Scissors I don’t need because scissors cut things apart. A needle I need because a needle puts things together. My whole teaching is based on love-putting things together, teaching people communion. I need a needle so that I can put people together. The scissors are useless; they cut, they disconnect. Next time when you come, just an ordinary needle will be enough”