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The Therapist’s
Portable Paradise
Portable Paradise
Cultivating bliss and success in your
therapy business practice
Cultivating bliss and success in your
therapy business practice
By
Leisa Millar
James Ketub Golding
By
Leisa Millar
James Ketub Golding
Published 2011
By Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding
Copyright © 2011
Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding
www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
1st Edition
Introduction
This eBook is for therapists across all modalities who want to cultivate
bliss and success in their lives and therapy work. It explains an
evolutionary way for therapists and health practitioners to work and
live – a way that focuses on self-enquiry. Recognising the ups and
downs of working as a therapist, we have compiled practical advice
from more than 20 successful therapists about how to make it work as a
therapist and how to use self-enquiry in your therapy business practice.
Imagine what it would be like to have a state of mind of deep inner
peace and serenity – feeling joyous, content, calm, abundant, centred,
grateful, inspired, prosperous, supported, secure, invigorated, carefree,
creative, and blessed. Self-enquiry is an approach that helps you to
foster a state of mind and a way of life that feels like paradise. And this
state of mind can be with you anywhere, anytime, no matter what
external situation you face. In other words, it is a portable paradise.
We share this eBook for free with therapists everywhere so others can
benefit from self-enquiry in their therapy practice and create their own
portable paradise. Enjoy your way!!
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
The reason your internal shifts transform your business or therapy work
is that you start to react less to the situations that arise and thereby you
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
become more relaxed, present, healthy and positive. Other people (for
example, potential clients) begin to „feel‟ this within you. They feel your
relaxed state of being and become inspired to see you. They continue to
see you because of the way you make them „feel‟. It is „this feeling‟ that
inspires them to make the changes needed for their own health and
wellbeing.
One aspect about following the 10 Actions to Use Self-Enquiry
explained below is that you do not need to „sell‟ your therapy to
convince people to see you. You become the living product of your
therapy work and people see and feel this – not just when they are sitting
in front of you, but every time they think of you they will feel your state
of being. It is this feeling that they will then share with others when they
go out into the world. They will tell others about you and others will
notice that they have changed and ask about you too. In other words, if
you do the self-work, the universe works for your self.
This does not mean you never take any action such as running seminars
and workshops, advertising or marketing; however, it means that your
state of mind when you do so is not dominated by fear, neediness, doubt
or negativity. Instead, your mind is focused on authentically sharing
what you do and what you know because you wish to inspire not
require. Practising self-enquiry dissolves the incessant longing for:
money, security, an identity or feeling useful. Eventually, you start to
realise that if you share your passion, serve others and „take inspired
action‟ (as explained in the 10 Actions below) you will be supported
financially, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually.
Self-enquiry is an ongoing process. It does not mean that you need to
wait until you have it all figured out before you start practising. There is
no need to be perfect. As Chris Neill, kinesiologist (Chapter 11),
explains, a therapist is “responsible for their honesty, actions and doing
the best they can with what they have”. Likewise, self-enquiry does not
mean spending all of your time consumed by the mind, analysing every
single thought, action and word you say. It is a practice of awareness
that increases over time helping you to create a state of mind that
enhances each and every word and action.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
1. Enjoy your work and have fun – to be full of joy, enthusiasm and
warmth creates an attractive energy field around you. The healing
process can often be challenging and daunting, so when you have
fun and enjoy the process, it is more likely that your clients will too.
Joy is infectious and loves company – it can spark a fire of effective
healing outcomes and referrals.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
It can be very easy to „talk‟ about how to live but when you are
practising it yourself it gives immense strength to your words when
you suggest to your clients that they make changes in their lives.
Practising what you preach also means increasing your awareness of
when your external actions are out of sync with your intentions,
thoughts and teachings. Bringing unity to your thoughts, words and
deeds is a true art form and has the power to harmonise you within
and inspire others to make drastic changes in their life.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
away and truth and inner wisdom comes to the surface – motivating
you to take your healing arts deeper and deeper.
5. Care for yourself – how you care for yourself is how you care for
others, so take responsibility for your own wellness first. Making
everyone and everything else a priority above your own needs may
appear admirable but in the long-term it will not be sustainable.
Eileen Hall, yoga teacher (Chapter 6): “Do you serve without
attachment to the outcome? Do you take care of your spiritual,
emotional and physical needs so you are prepared to teach? Only
first by serving yourself can you begin to serve others. If you are a
compassionate and committed teacher, there is often the drawback
of giving to others and forgetting self. This will, of course, make
you a gifted and caring therapist with many grateful students, but it
may be short lived as you could be the one that falls ill.”
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
A therapist can only authentically care for and inspire their clients
when they are taking care of themself (see also Action 3: Practise
what you preach). When a therapist is balanced and harmonised,
they reflect this state in the work that they do with their clients,
thereby affecting their clients‟ attitudes, behaviours and motivations.
Self-care helps a therapist to cope with the pressures and demands of
their therapy work and in doing so they are more likely to prevent
burnout. Scheduling adequate breaks between clients, eating healthy
meals, knowing when to say „no‟, and creating space for stillness
each day are some simple ways for a therapist to take responsibility
for their own wellbeing.
Having a structured and daily self-practice is also essential in
assisting therapists to cultivate a balanced inner state. A self-practice
may include meditation, tai chi, qigong, reiki, yoga or mantras. A
mindfulness activity could be an effective self-practice too – for
example, surfing, music, painting, gardening, walking in nature or
any activity where you feel fully present in the moment and you feel
connected to the greater natural flow of the universe.
Taking responsibility for one‟s own health – physically, mentally,
emotionally and spiritually – is an ongoing practice and requires
diligence and willpower. In challenging times, a therapist‟s
consistent self-practice and self-enquiry assists them to maintain
balance, health and wellbeing, leading them to greater awareness of
how to take care of themself. However, self-practice is not only
essential when challenges arise. It is necessary at all times as it helps
increase awareness of one‟s inner world and divine purpose.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
Often when people face challenges in their life they are inclined to
do more to fix, avoid or control the challenges to make them go
away. However, if they were to spend more time on their self-
practice they could approach challenges with greater calmness,
clarity, insight and confidence. They may then find that the external
challenges transform and are not as difficult or insurmountable as
they first thought. The challenges may even naturally disappear.
The more support a therapist has for themself, the greater the support
the therapist can give to their clients. Some therapists may believe
they can do it alone and do not need support or guidance from other
therapists or mentors. Whilst a select few may progress well in this
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
way, for the majority of therapists this attitude will not serve them or
their clients in the long run. Continuing to cultivate a beginner‟s
mind, as mentioned in Action 4, is an important attitude needed to
dismantle the sense of being „too proud to ask for help from others‟.
There is truly nothing wrong with asking for help. This is one of the
most powerful pieces of advice for any therapist regardless of how
long they have been practising. It shows tremendous humility and
courage to work as a therapist and to ask for help. This is the same
humility and courage it takes for a client to change their life and seek
health and wellbeing. Therefore, when therapists seek their own
support, they become a living example for their clients.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
Clients often mirror and highlight the issues that are necessary for
the therapist to deepen and continue their own healing path. When
therapists begin to see each client from this perspective, gratitude
flows freely between therapist and client. This then dissolves the
illusion of an authoritative hierarchy and fosters mutual respect,
thereby contributing to the healing process.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
Christos Dorje Walker (Chapter 3): “Work for the love, not for
the money. If your mind is on the money, you‟re not seeing the
person in front of you. Live to serve and you will be supported. If
you are good at what you do and your heart is in the right place
money will come naturally to hand.”
Dawn Charlton, lomi lomi teacher and practitioner (Chapter 10):
“My love for lomi lomi and my personal desire to give from a self-
less heart is one of the key factors why lomi lomi has become such
a success for me. I never needed to advertise my services as it
transpired naturally by word of mouth. The biggest factor in this
successful manifestation is I‟ve never treated my work as a
business. Instinctively, I have always centred my focus on giving to
others and being of service.”
Expressing your passion as a service does not mean that you will not
earn money or make a living from doing what you love. Instead, it is
your beliefs about and your attachments to money that restrict the
flow of money. Such beliefs and attachments may include: „It‟s
wrong to receive money for what I do‟, „I don‟t have enough money
to pay my expenses‟, or „I need to charge my clients more as I can‟t
afford to live‟. Self-enquiry helps you gain greater awareness of your
beliefs and attachments relating to money.
A simple question to ponder further is: Would I offer my therapy
work regardless of whether I got paid for it? There is no right or
wrong answer to this question, just a need to be honest with yourself.
The question merely raises your awareness of any beliefs that may
be potentially blocking the flow of money. It may also lead to insight
about your passions, what service means to you, and whether your
current path is right for you.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
share what you love and what has helped you in your own life. The
intention is not, for example, because you want to make money from
the action or you want more clients. Taking inspired action is
unconditional and without any expectation.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com
Together, they form a way to help you evolve into the therapist you
would love to be! But more importantly they help you become the
person you would love to be. Applying the entire 10 Actions can have a
powerful, holistic affect on your life – not only in the business domain,
but also in the domains of family, intimate relations, friends, parenting,
social life, recreation, spirituality and community. All relationships in
these domains can be transformed by following the 10 Actions and all
parts of your life can become an inspiration for others. Self-enquiry
helps you build a life, not just a therapy business.
If you resonate with creating a Portable Paradise through using the 10
Actions to Use Self-Enquiry we invite you to:
Start following the 10 Actions today
Circulate this free eBook to all therapists or therapist groups you
know to share the message.
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The Therapist’s Portable Paradise © 2011 Leisa Millar & James Ketub Golding www.thewayofthenaturaltherapist.com