How I work spiritually with the Bengston Method
What does the word “spirit” mean to you? You may have noticed that word in my work such as spiritgate.com, Spirit Gate Cancer Support Facebook Group, suzanne@spiritgate.com, and more. The word “spiritual” means different things to different people, usually referring to the non-physical realm of our experiences. I find that making a distinction between mental, imaginative, psychological, emotional, spiritual and religious aspects influences the practice of energy therapy and the Bengston Method, ultimately impacting the results achieved.
I explain to people that my practice of the Bengston Method incorporates spirituality. I think certain elements within it are inherently psychological, while others are inherently spiritual according to my own definition of “spiritual.” From my perspective, the term “psychological” encompasses imagination, emotion, belief and astrality. On the other hand, “spiritual” encompasses thought devoid of sensory input, inspiration, logical scientific thinking, God, Source, Divine Grace, and other concepts that transcend emotion, imagination and the physical realms.
Spirituality possesses a more detached quality, whereas the psychological realm is more malleable and often responds to physical, spiritual, or ego-related stimuli. Within the framework of the Bengston Method, it makes sense to use psychological tools when appropriate, such as when constructing a Rapid Image Cycling list. Then use spiritual tools during hypercycling, such as present-moment awareness, meticulous observation, and detachment from or observation of our psychological processes.
The case for spirituality in the Bengston Method
In my 15 years of doing the Bengston Method, I have seen it work, and I’ve seen it not work. I see several trends in the people who do not respond robustly to energy therapy. One such trend is to engage psychological processes, such as belief, when a more spiritual detachment and groundedness in the here-and-now approach will work better. Another trend is the failure to treat the whole person even though a central tenant of the Bengston Method is to treat the whole person. In my view, the entirety of an individual, including the body, life force (Qi), psychology and spirituality shapes the experiences of the whole person.
One of our human characteristics that we sometimes overlook in pursuit of scientific rigor and objectivity is our spirituality. Neglecting spirituality is akin to studying a fish while ignoring the water it resides in. The spiritual environment that we inhabit does affect us profoundly, and it is not hard to observe and cultivate if you know what to notice. If you were to ask fish about water, they might say, “what water?” The omnipresence of water might make it seem insignificant, much like our spirituality. Fish may not fully realize that their physical structure is attuned to the temperature, depth, and the quality of the water surrounding them. They just swim where it seems optimal, and different fish thrive in different oceanic regions. Importantly, fish do have a degree of control over the water they inhabit.
Cancer is not only a physical (involving genetics and radiation damage), nor is it only a manifestation of the Life Force (waning immune system and other body processes due to aging), nor only an emotional condition (impacted by traumas affecting immunity immunity). It is also a spiritual disease (related to the integration of the Ego or “I” into life). The entirety of an individual, whether human or pet, including their spirituality, both influences and is influenced by physical ailments.
In my opinion, discouraging spiritual engagement while practicing the Bengston Method is as short-sighted as religious teachings that promise a cancer cure through unwavering belief and strict adherence to commandments. I have discovered ways to guide my patients past both of these obstacles without negating their truths.
Cultivating spiritual health and embracing genuine spirituality is deeply individual and personal. It pertains to one’s unique relationship with the origin of thoughts and their own thinking. I firmly consider thinking to be a spiritual activity, which includes meticulous scientific observation of one’s spiritual, mental, emotional and physical processes. I teach my clients how to develop clear thinking about their healing journey and how they perceive their healing experiences through their senses and awareness.
Both of these viewpoints–archaic understandings of what it means to be a spiritual person–contain genuine spiritual impulses that aid in more accurate navigation of life. However, let’s transcend this duality and embrace an authentic spirituality.
What if there is a different way of looking at spirituality… something simple and cross-cultural and observable?
Envision adopting the role of a spiritual scientist, shedding the complexities of philosophy and religion, and simply being present in the here and now, anchored in the reality of the physical, life force, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.
Just as agricultural research wouldn’t disregard the sun, even during intricate imaginative exercises (such as Rapid Image Cycling), we should not disregard the spiritual aspect. It is the light that animates it all and it can help us heal.
One can spiritually observe and then articulate the fact that after a good healing session, one often feels positive. There is often a sense of relaxation, integrity, and rootedness. This sensation is palpable, reproducible, and genuine. One feels more like one’s SELF. This connection with SELF is a universally recognized spiritual awareness that transcends cultural and religious boundaries. It’s not a matter of belief; it’s an experiential reality crucial to the healing process. That being said, feeling positive and good during healing is not the immediate goal, as healing doesn’t always entail positive sensation; there are instances of “healing crises” when long-standing physical/emotional/spiritual structures undergo reformatting. An aware individual, with or without the guidance of an experienced therapist, can navigate through those tight spots.
Please bear in mind that these are my personal insights into how I guide individuals using the Bengston Method, distinct from the viewpoints of William Bengston. I have formulated these approaches by amalgamating my 15 years experience with his method and my 40 years experience as a holistic health professional, encompassing roles as a neurophysiology graduate student, acupuncturist, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Acutonics (sound healing) practitioner, medical intuitive and decades of personal psycho-spiritual and philosophic exploration. To gain insight into William Bengston’s perspectives, please engage in his educational programs.
Some ways that I apply spiritual principles to the Bengston Method:
- When I am making a list of things I really want, like wishes, a good sign is when the picture in my mind shows me being happy because I got what we wanted. Or just creating that mental picture makes me happy. Not only that, but the picture also makes me feel more like myself, like I’m more my SELF as a result of having this desire fulfilled. This is a spiritual sense of rightness that deepens my connection to the image, and the spiritual forces that can create it in my world.
- I assist clients spiritually program each item on their list. This is a way of accessing the supra-conscious part of ourselves to refine and tweak our images so that when we look at them in our imagination, they imbue us with vitality.
- Art connects us to our spirit. It is a spiritual activity. Use art to play with your Image Cycling list. Draw, paint, dance, sing, play music or do some other artistic activity with each item on your list. This helps the two-way living connection between you and the spiritual forces that help what you want come to you. With art, the images start feeling like friends you can’t wait to meet, rather than stuff you want.
- For those inclined towards prayer, I suggest incorporating prayer for each item on the list. Ask God to help you want what is in your best interest, and to inspire you with images that surprise and delight you. Pray to be able to visualize embodying the joy of your physical existence, as represented in the items on your list.
- I advocate for fostering a spiritual relationship between clients and their desires. This relationship is living, creative, dynamic and enjoyable. The relationship goes both ways. You want your wishes to come true, and those wishes also want to be a part of your life.
- When practicing image drilling (the image image image exercise) it can feel mentally tense or weird in your head. I compare this challenge to breaking the bonds between emotions and images that subsequently breaks the energetic matrix of disease. This can help students embrace the challenge of this part of Image Cycling. Images happen out of time, but emotions happen in time. Usually they happen together, but in this image-image-image drill, we are breaking the connection between emotions and images. You have time to see the images but not enough time to feel the feelings you so carefully embedded into them. I reframe this uncomfortable rupture as if the time-space matrix that is holding my reality in place is opening so that Source can penetrate and inform a healthier freer expression of me.
- During hypercycling, I encourage personal research, heightened self-awareness, independent contemplation to fine-tune various aspects of the cycling process. There’s no compulsion to believe in the efficacy of hypercycling; rather, the focus shifts to contemplating and observing the physical, life force (energy/qi), emotional, and spiritual transformations taking place.
- When giving a treatment, I instruct clients to observe not only the physical and life force and emotional shifts, but also spiritual shifts. To draw from the fish analogy, we notice shifts in water clarity or opacity and adjust our approach accordingly to promote healing.
- It’s not about doing it right (which would be akin to a belief in a method), but fostering a living and authentic connection to the process.
- I ask for and receive ideas and suggestions that help my clients. These often arise intuitively during a session. I also often come upon uncannily helpful information right before or after a session. I experience these as spiritual responses to my asking. Some part of existence knows the answers and I can tap into that knowledge by inwardly asking. Another way to say this is that I stay very curious, and I actively wonder how I can be helpful…the suggestions always come.
- I encourage spiritual exercises that help clients how to be in the present moment, right here and now, without judging what is happening. Often a client’s personal philosophy and/or religion includes such exercises and they do what animates and inspires them. When they do that, they experience hypercycling in an expanded, spacious and relaxed way, even while reading, thinking, or talking. Click here for a popular training from Eckhart Tolle that helps many people.
- There’s a lot more I could say about this, and with my private clients, the perfect spiritual nuance for the moment at hand usually shows itself.
My most successful clients possess (or want to possess) the capacity for this approach, frequently encompassing well-educated, psychologically attuned, artistic individuals. Those who enjoy delving into profound psycho-spiritual depths while remaining practical and no-nonsense tend to resonate with my approach. For such individuals, anything less may feel routine and superficial, failing to penetrate the profound depths of transformation they believe are achievable.
If you feel like I could be of help, please go ahead and schedule a complimentary get acquainted call. If we seem like a good fit, we can plan for a single session or a series of sessions, tailored to your needs. I can perform distance healing while guiding you in learning how to use the Bengston Method on yourself. We can also involve your friends and family so they can help you with energy-healing sessions. I love to train pet parents to cool down hot cancerous tumors on their fur-buddy to comfort, reduce medication and possibly extend their life.
I’m usually able to find the perfect approach that suits you best. My main goal is to empower you and your family to become self-reliant on your healing journey, while knowing that I’m here to support you whenever you need guidance. People usually choose me for my expertise in distance healing, my clinical experience with the Bengston Method, which saves them from doubting if they’re doing things right. Single sessions are great if you are already familiar with the Bengston Method and you want to pick my brain or simply experience what it is like to have me help activate natural healing forces in you or someone you love.
Feel free to share these ideas, giving credit to me, and you’re welcome to share the entire article as it is. To find out more about my work, you can visit my website https://spiritgate.com or check out my YouTube channel.
May your healing journey be filled with light and joy as you untangle yourself or your loved one from the matrix of limitation.
Suzanne Clegg, RDN, LAc
Bengston Energy Healing Method® practitioner
Author: There Is Another Way: Energy Medicine for Pets with Cancer
Founder, Octave Resonance Healing Approach™
New York State Licensed and National Board Certified Acupuncturist
Former Senior Faculty at the Acutonics Institute of Integrative Medicine
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
