Rosemary Khelifa is a Rebirthing Therapist based in Dublin. As I had never heard of rebirthing previously I invoked the help of Google once more and yet again Wikipedia came up trumps.
Rebirthing-breath work is a breathing technique that is used to heal suppressed emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, etc., it can heal suppressed emotions regardless of what point in one’s life they became suppressed.
As a yoga teacher I am used to doing various breath works and appreciate the profound effect that correct breathing techniques have on the body system as a whole unit i.e, the physical, mental and spiritual body. In Hatha Yoga I use the breath for centering at the beginning of class, as a healing mechanism via poses and relaxation at the end of class to help release and let go. I have witnessed first-hand the calming effects correct breathing has on children, the physically, mentally disabled and people stressed to the hilt from every day pressures. It is amazing to be present and physically see tension and stress dissipate and dissolve from the human body right before my eyes by just breathing correctly. The energy in the room also takes on softness with a distinct element of peace and calm which becomes palpable and almost caress able. In this atmosphere healing takes place whether recognised in conscious form or not. The rebirthing breath I have found personally accelerated the healing and clearing process much faster from my body than yoga ever did. The breathing technique used placed emphasis on the “in” breath with deep awareness and focusing full attention on the breath. This allowed my energy field to accelerate much quicker and release suppressed emotions as quickly as two appointments in.
I’ll be honest here, even with all my breathing experience and various pranayama workshops, the rebirthing breath work became quite a challenge as I realised the full extent and capacity of my lucid mind to distract, deter and prevent me from doing what it was I wished to do – breathe mindfully. I felt faint (even whilst lying on the plinth), I felt the back of my heart tighten and restrict, my knee begin to swell at an alarming rate, my fingers began to throb, pulsate and swell into what felt like alien body parts, my right leg swelled to treble its normal size, I couldn’t move it. I turned so cold I felt an affiliation with the Eskimo’s from the Antarctic! However, none of these experiences were real or physically occurring. It was a hallucination of my mind, delusion, playing control games in order to prevent me from focusing on healing by use of my breath. I learnt a valuable lesson on the extent our minds will go to in order to distract, perplex, create a story and deter us from our original mission. I learnt that the mind is the equivalent of the elusive ninja – ego, the reticent assassinator of our dreams, our hopes and desires.
The human body will do everything physically possible to heal itself on every level naturally. Rebirthing uses the breath to access this inner innate wisdom of our bodies to expel suppressed feelings and emotions if we manage to by-pass our egos. It isn’t natural for us to suppress feelings and emotions, they need to be expressed and experienced. Our body will clear these suppressed feelings from our physical, emotional and energetic body if we allow it to access and express what it is naturally designed to do.
Rebirthing is a magnificent stress management tool and there are many significant valuable qualities to practicing this therapy. People are wakening up and realising that all physical ailments and disease stem from ignored, suppressed and unresolved emotional tensions. The energy behind these emotions cannot be ignored. Sooner or later they will manifest and express themselves in some shape or form within our bodies. Think of it as steam gently building up in a pot, if that steam doesn’t have an outlet, then you better step back and watch as the lid explodes with the passing of time. At this point in time I feel it is important to share with you why I am personally undertaking all these forms of healing therapies. My Dad passed away at the age of 59 from Cancer. His father before him likewise succumbed to this deadly disease. Other members of my dad’s family also met the same fate. Everything I believe in life is about perspective, you could say it is genetic perhaps or unfortunate, I chose to look at prevention rather than a cure. Storing anger, hurt, pain for whatever reason, suppressing it has the same effect on our bodies as steam gently building up in a saucepan and sooner or later it will express itself in some shape or form.
Rosemary has helped me greatly with releasing suppressed emotions and energy blocks. To be honest I am amazed at the amount of emotions any one human being can keep suppressed and unacknowledged within their body. I also became aware of a habit I expressed on numerous occasions, apologising and saying I’m sorry. Each time I said I’m sorry, Rosemary asked me to say one thing I loved about myself. That was an eye opener! This is where the realisation of conditioning in our lives became an obvious issue. Rosemary empowered me with the use of positive mantras and affirmations and the repetitive nature of saying these mantras has had an enormous positive effect.
Rosemary’s approach is a holistic one. In her presence I felt safe, secure and protected. Under her guidance and care I stopped asking who, what, where and how questions. I began to really trust in the process of things unfolding exactly as they are meant to. I stopped incessantly searching for answers and pushing myself to seek unattainable goals.
A friend of mine graciously gifted me with a walk with a Hawk last year for my birthday. I was overjoyed, however on seeing the hawk initially I felt huge pity for this beautiful creature which was kept prisoner behind caged units and allowed to experience freedom on rare occasions to display and perform for human entertainment. However, I soon learnt via his keeper that this bird was not caged in the sense that I felt he was and I was again reminded that appearances can be deceptive. Yes indeed he had a tag and was implanted with a tracking device but if this bird chose to take off, soar, dive and glide through the air, then that is exactly what he would do and there wasn’t a thing his keeper could do about it. I learnt that he chose to entertain humans as they provided a regular supply of food and water. I was suddenly able to correlate with this bird, I wasn’t physically locked behind prison bars, but fear often kept me rooted into habitual conditioning. I too am free to choose, the only thing holding me back is myself. Once I realised this in the rebirthing session I empowered myself to stay with the fear I was feeling with the movement of energy within my body. I surrendered to the feelings and the physical release of blockages was enormous as I shook, contracted, contorted and released pent up emotions from my physical body. It was and continues to be an unreal experience. On occasions I felt nauseated but this too was good as it is a form of cleansing from the physical body. By facing the fear and surrendering to the breath energy was free to move through all of my body’s meridians allowing me to start healing at a deeper level.
I am a work in progress. I am still resisting this at some levels but again with Rosemary’s assistance and support I am getting there and slowly setting free my energy. For once in my life I am just going with the flow without wondering why and how. I am just trusting that I am capable of healing myself in the way my body needs naturally. The feeling is wonderful as I feel lighter and freer than I have done in months not just physically but mentally and emotionally.
holisto.com/therapist-listing/rosemary-khelifa
To every person who has touched my life in the past 13 months or so I say a huge thank you. You are creating and shaping the chapters of my life, unfolding my story in ways I never fully comprehended or knew possible. Thank you to those who are still shaping my life by encouraging me to move outside my comfort zones, feel the fear, grow, journal, heal and open up to my full feminine essence.
Life is a journey, a journey of discovery, both of self and life in general. Embrace it, treasure it and enjoy it, we only get one shot at it. Be present, present in whatever shape or form life presents itself to you, but more importantly than being present feel your true emotions in the moment.
I’m living my dream, I’m trying to be present and focused aware, I’m aiming to live life so I may rugby slide tackle into a grave at the end of my days whooping and hollering – “Woohoo!! What a ride”. I hope this blog shows you it is possible, it may not be easy but it IS possible and so very worth it. Om shanti & Deepest Love Noreen.
