The first question is easier. My telling her about the image gave her hope. It was not surprising to her- she later told me that she always knew there was a part of her that was unfulfilled. She knew that her life has untapped potential. And this feeling of hope was the first subtle shift.

But deeper healing requires a deeper shift in perspective. When every level of her being (even the parts of her that don’t feel very good about herself) realizes that she is, in fact, the butterfly, then she will be healed. That’s the goal of my work with her and, really, my work with anybody: the realization that each of us is whole, complete, and healed in our own right.

The other “how”- the mechanism for this shift- is difficult to explain, because it is the domain of the innate healing power of each individual. I don’t “fix” anyone. I help their own brain and being come to terms with what needs to be let go in order to uncover their true, healed self. Then I identify what physical damage needs to be repaired and on what level it needs to be repaired. The “letting go” and the “repairing” that is done is done by the patient, not by me. I provide the space and the intention and the understanding of many of the connections between the mind, body, and spirit. The wisdom, and miraculous power, of the human body does the rest.

So, the shift in perspective that was started by the image of the broken butterfly is facilitated by my ability to communicate to the patient the state of her energy.