Counselling Melbourne 

What is Holistic Counselling?

Holistic Counselling focuses on the entirety of the individual – considering the persons mind, body and spirit. Usually, when one aspect is out of balance it can throw other parts of the system out of balance too. For example, when we feel mentally depleted and low this can lead to our physical bodies feeling lethargic and heavy, which can then lead to a spirit that is lacking vitality and motivation. 

Holistic Counselling offers a no-judgement and loving approach to help individuals bring their body, mind and spirit back into balance. 

With a mind-body-spirit approach, Ash is able to collaborate with you on a deeply personal level to address personal obstacles, life challenges and help you strengthen your connection to yourself, through your mental, emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. 

What can Holistic Counselling help with?

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Fear
• Grief/Loss
• Low self-worth/Low Self-esteem
• Relationship Issues
• Procrastination
• Overwhelm
• Lacking Motivation
• Life Purpose
• Confidence

What can you expect from a Holistic Counselling session with Ash?

Ash is able to combine traditional Psychology (having completed her Degree in Psychology at Deakin), Counselling and different forms of Breathwork/Meditation to allow individuals to explore the positive and negative thoughts, personal beliefs, habits/patterns and actions that influence their present reality.

Meditation and Breathwork are extremely helpful techniques to implement into your life to assist individuals to calm their nervous system and understand that they have the ability to regulate their emotions. 

Breathwork helps in connecting more consciously, fully and deeply to your breath. Understanding the strong connection between the breath and the mind allows you to see that your breath is a mirror of your mind. If you are able to take a moment to focus on being intentional about breathing, you become more aware if how you take in life energetically (Inhale), and how you can let things go gracefully and easily (exhale). This will translate through life in how we live, think and feel. When our breathing is full, deep and conscious, our diaphragm is able to move through its entire range – downward to the liver, the stomach and other organs and tissues below it, and finally upward to massage the heart. 

When we practice breathwork, this creates a conscious rhythm for our internal organs to dance to. 

The downward and upward movements of the diaphragm, along with the outward and inward movements of the stomach, ribcage and lower back, massage our inner organs, detoxify them and promote blood flow. It allows the sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze response) state to quieten down, and allow the parasympathetic state (rest and digest) to switch on. 

Ash aims to focus on the person in their whole experience and allows the space for the individual to feel empowered and inspired to find their own innate wisdom to heal. This integrated approach can help individuals to identify behavioural patterns that may be holding them back in their life and help to guide them to integrate change and grow to the person they wish to be.  

Holistic counselling allows space for the person to gain self-awareness and self-acceptance, allowing them to live optimally on all levels of body, mind and spirit.

What is Mind/Body Energy Work?

“Human beings and all living creatures are innately connected to one another in mysterious ways and we all respond miraculously to the energy generated by love and care”. 

The basic assumption of mind/body energy work is that humans are open systems, into and out of which flow constant streams of energy, producing an equilibrium and symmetry within the body. An imbalance within the body can manifest as dis-ease, physical pain or mental pain which can cause the energy to be disrupted, resulting in energy blockages.

By definition, energetic healing is a method of healing that alters the subtle energy systems of the body with the goal of ensuring the mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing of a person is operating optimally. The human body is a complete energy system in tune with the Universe. Any imbalance in the body can create obstruction in the flow of energy. Getting to the ‘root’ cause or addressing all facets is important as a healer. Basically, energetic healing is trying to ensure that the energy flow within the body moves unobstructed. And this can have a ripple effect on our health as a whole.

This particular mind/body energy work focuses on working with the areas of ease within the body – not the areas of fixation or blockages. Through light touch along the spine and throughout the body, we are able to allow the energy to flow more freely and leave the individual feeling calm and lighter.

Clients will leave a mind/body energy healing session feeling calmer, content, more secure and less fearful in their daily life. 

Meet Your Practitioner, Ashleigh Hodgson 

Ash is a natural when it comes to helping others, she has a high sense of intuition and compassion that enables her to connect to others with ease.

Ash is an avid reader, with a keen interest in self-development, spirituality and psychology.

Having completed her Bachelor in Psychology and Cert in Holistic Counselling, Ash is keen to expand her knowledge base and will be undertaking a course in Emotional/Metaphysical Kinesiology throughout the year which she will be incorporating into her sessions. 

As a Holistic Counsellor, Mind/Body Energetic Practitioner and Meditation/Breathwork Facilitator, Ash is passionate about bringing your spiritual, mental and emotional health into balance. Through her own interactions along her holistic healing journey, Ash understands the ups and downs we all go through, and offers a sincere and genuine approach to her sessions with clients

Ash has a variety of techniques and tools that assist with easing and controlling anxiety, silencing negative self-talk & belief patterns, overcoming intrusive thoughts and trusting in your relationship with self and with others.  

Ash offers clients a warm, calm and nurturing approach to build confidence within themselves to overcome the challenges, obstacles or boundaries being faced and achieve their full potential spiritually, emotionally and mentally. Ash will be there with you every step of the way and offer clarity when life can feel foggy.

Through her holistic approach, Ash looks at the whole person and the environment that they’re in. in order to achieve balance and a sense of fulfilment in her clients life.

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