Teresa Dellbridge of THE CALMNESS CLINIC chats to us a little about her journey as a counselor/hypnotherapist and how she came to practice and offer holistic therapies as an integral part of her Calmness Clinic.
When was your Wellbeing clinic created and why?
The clinic has actually evolved naturally over the years. I have been a counselor/hypnotherapist for the last 35 years and I have come to realize that so many of the ills that we tend to suffer from come from being over stressed. This is why I gravitated towards calmness focused therapies, although I still practice a lot of counseling, because it is so beneficial for self-awareness.
I actually began my career by training to be an astrologer and a counselor. However, as I went into private practice with counseling I felt that counseling only took a client so far, and subsequently trained in hypnotherapy to add further depth, insight and dynamism to my work. I have since then qualified as a Reiki Master and in Emotional Freedom Technique and I also do Indian Head Massage. I work on Zoom a great deal, offering counseling, hypnotherapy and Reiki.
Teresa, what can you tell us about your spiritual path and development?
I am a Wiccan High Priestess and am also a Druid. My spiritual path is therefore very Pagan. ‘Pagan’ is a word that is often misunderstood. It means ‘nature worshiper’, and it is a positive, loving and caring approach to life and the planet. I feel that deity is immanent, i.e. ‘indwelling’ in nature. The top down approach of the monotheistic religions I find to be quite soulless and uninspiring. I believe this can contribute, in a subtle way, to disrespect for the earth.
I believe in opening out to that spirituality that is everywhere, and opening out to loving the natural world and to being loved by it, connecting with trees and the earth. I am very passionate about bringing this message to people, and have written many books on ‘alternative’ subjects. My Little Book of Nature Blessings is the latest, and is available through my website.
Do you find that people are, generally speaking, more open to holistic therapies these days?
Definitely. Although, I suppose, it is quite hard for me to say as I only come across people who are open to it. Even mainstream people seem to accept Reiki these days, and it has found its way quite successfully into the establishment.
I think the findings of Quantum Physics are slightly filtering into communal consciousness, and people are starting to believe that the world is not what we thought – it’s not all mechanical cause and effect. There are subtle energies, and the mind has power.
Do the holistic treatments you offer tie in with your approach to counseling?
Yes of course they have to, even though this was, and still can be, a little difficult. As a psychodynamic counselor, the boundaries are quite tight. My clients do not need the burden of knowing about me and I rarely divulge anything personal about myself, unless I feel it will help my client. I am a sounding board for my clients – and am there to help them, not vice versa.
Things changed with the arrival of the internet. Now people can see that I do Reiki, hypnotherapy and Astrology. Clients who come just for counseling now have an image of me before coming to me for counseling, but this is something I now blend comfortably. I find clients who come just for counseling, initially, will often choose to have hypnotherapy also.
How do you feel the pandemic has affected humanity as a whole, and do you see this as a positive shift?
I think the younger generation has been affected in a big way. There are many concerns around the vaccine which often results in alienation within families. Isolation has had a huge impact on the younger generation and generally with society feeling in many respects different from what it was before.
I feel that a climate of fear has arisen from the pandemic, but then again it’s all relative. Somebody who lived through the blitz may feel that the last couple of years has been a hiccup, by comparison. I think keeping a sense of perspective is beneficial for mental health.
How much of our ‘dis-ease’ do you believe to be fear based?
A huge amount. Firstly, fear reduces the immune system and I am a firm believer that reaction follows thought. For example, I do believe that all this fear that has been instilled in us over the last couple of years is simply feeding the virus.
How do you proceed with your clients – is there a set formula?
I start by explaining what I do, either over the phone or zoom, and I’m happy to answer any questions. If they are keen to proceed, we will make an appointment. I will send them my contract – I have one for counseling and one for all the other therapies. People generally decide what treatment they will be having themselves, after our initial discussion. Hypnotherapy and counseling tend to cross over most of the time, but Reiki is pretty much a session on its own. Above all I like to make sure my client is at ease and feels welcomed.
