What is Intuitive Counseling?

We all have it: that inner voice deep inside that we often have a hard time hearing above the noise and distraction of daily life. An intuitive counselor speaks directly to you as a spirit and helps you access your own deep well of intuition.

Intuitive counseling — also known as intuitive therapy, intuitive readings, or intuitive coaching —complements other elements of your self-care regimen, including everything from traditional therapy to workouts. It aids in your physical, mental, and emotional balance and growth by shining a light on stuck energy and giving it permission to loosen its grip.

Be Seen as Never Before

Many of us think of our spirit as something separate from us, from our body and mind. But in truth, we are spirits with bodies rather than vice versa. We are made of energy – and we exchange energy with others every day. People are beautiful as spirits. We all have the spark.

We often hold onto energy that keeps us stuck in a loop of habits, thoughts, and actions that don’t serve us. There is no negative in this; it’s just how we humans are drawn.

Intuitive counselors have honed their intuitive or psychic abilities to tune into your true self to address the roadblocks in your life at their source. Sometimes, even the act of shedding light on these challenges is enough to help your energy shift in a positive direction.

At the Core of an Intuitive Counseling Session: Energy Reading

An intuitive session includes looking at you as an “energy being,” reading your aura and chakras, and bringing awareness to blockages in your flow that you might not even know you had. In other words, that thing you “can’t quite put your finger on” that keeps you trapped in old patterns and emotions shifts out of the darkness and into the light. This infuses you with the power of clarity and self-awareness to make positive changes happen in your life.

An Enjoyable Path to Healing

When was the last time you had a “fun” talk therapy session?

We spirits are playful in our natural state, and it often happens that the images we broadcast during intuitive counseling are somewhere on the continuum between joyful and hilarious. So, part of what makes an intuitive reading so effective and impactful is that it is usually just plain fun.

Of course, there can be heavy moments. But many of the “ah-ha!” moments in intuitive counseling sessions come with humorous “mind pictures” received by your counselor that help illustrate complex and deep insights and realizations in a simple, gentle manner.

You’re in the Driver’s Seat

Think of your intuitive counselor as a conduit. A translator.

While it’s true that they “guide” the session, your counselor’s role is to open themselves to you spirit-to-spirit and then mirror back what you show them. This includes things that are not present in your conscious mind.

So, in other words, in your session, you are in control. Yet, at the same time, there’s no real work involved in this session other than opening your energy up to be broadcast and received.

Untangling the Complicated

Life gets complicated. It’s just the reality of our world – plus the sometimes complicated landscape of our emotions – that many things are multi-layered and seem hard to tease apart.

This is why it’s often good to come into a reading with a specific question, topic, or goal in mind. But you can also walk into an intuitive counseling session with an open mind and let your counselor’s training in reading spirit energy guide the session.

Intuitive Counseling Can Provide Guidance

• Relationship challenges: Gaining clarity on patterns, communication issues, and unresolved conflicts.

• Navigating transitions: Exploring options, overcoming self-doubt, and making fulfilling decisions during times of change.

• Personal growth: Identifying limiting beliefs, developing self-acceptance, and pursuing personal goals with greater clarity and purpose.

• Spiritual exploration: Deepening connection to your inner wisdom and seeking insights into your life's purpose.

• Healing from trauma or emotional pain: Processing difficult experiences, releasing emotional blocks, and cultivating self-compassion and resilience.

A Holistic Well-Being Practice

More and more people are exploring wellness approaches that go beyond traditional medicine or talk therapy and incorporate holistic and alternative methods. So, it’s perhaps no surprise that intuitive counseling has gained popularity in step with practices such as mindfulness, meditation, energy healing, breathwork, and body-centered therapies like acupuncture.

Interest in these approaches is often driven by a desire for a more holistic understanding of well-being, incorporating not only mental and physical, but also spiritual aspects. It’s common for individuals to seek alternative therapies when they feel that traditional counseling or medical interventions do not fully address their needs… or when they’re seeking greater balance of mind, body and spirit in their lives.

What to Look for When Choosing an Intuitive Counselor

There are a few key characteristics that skilled intuitive counselors possess:

• A strong intuitive sense enables them to tap into their inner knowing and receive intuitive impressions that can provide guidance and insights for their clients.

• Empathy and compassion, which assure a safe and supportive space for exploration and healing.

• They consider the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit.

• Respect for client autonomy: They empower clients to make their own choices and guide them toward self-discovery rather than imposing their own beliefs or agendas.

Consider their training, certifications, length of time in the practice, and their client reviews.

Shannon Brown ND LAc is a naturopathic physician, licensed Balance Method acupuncturist, and practitioner of intuitive counseling at Astra Lucentia. He’s a graduate of the Berkeley Psychic Institute’s Clairvoyant Training Program (1989) and earned his ND degree in 2001, and his Masters Degree in Oriental Medicine in 2006, both at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. He currently provides intuitive counseling sessions at Quercus Natural Health in the Opening to Life building in SE Portland.