Healing Without Effort: Energetic Boundaries

by Yuliya Cohen

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Yuliya Cohen, Healing Without Effort: Energetic Boundaries. Energy Restructuring Institute 2007.   77 pp   $39     

You may have had any of a variety of experiences that relate to the boundaries between yourself and other people. You might have felt the good vibrations of a person near you, perhaps eliciting a smile or producing a warm glow. You may have felt negative vibrations when someone approaches you, perhaps producing a feeling that they are being too intrusive in your personal space. Conventional psychological thought is that these are purely social phenomena, cued by non-verbal communications such as smiles, frowns, and social norms for acceptable interpersonal distances.Have you ever felt frustrated in not being able to manifest the positive experiences you want to have in your life? Have you ever felt helpless to change your life situations? Conventional thought is that these factors in your life are the results of your genetic endowments, over which you have accrued layers of life experiences that shape and limit your capabilities to manifest that which you want in your life. Other conventional wisdom suggests that what happens to all of us is much more a matter of chance than of our own willed manifestations.

Yuliya Cohen suggests that there may be more helpful ways of understanding ourselves and our relationships with others in our lives. Cohen is a healer, energy restructuring coach, psychic and spiritual teacher. She is the originator of the Energy Restructuring System of effortless healing.  Lest you think she is one of the cadres of ungrounded intuitive, wishful promoters of 'think-good so you'll feel good,' I must add that she was formerly an engineer and computer science researcher, prior to developing her Energy Restructuring® System. And it is a delight to read this book, which presents her personal and clinical observations, experiences and theories on the biological energies and intuitive awarenesses that shape and guide them in our lives – all through the keen, analytical mind of an engineer.

This book will guide you through descriptions, theoretical explanations and experiential exercises to perceive, understand and be able to adjust your biological energy fields for greater peace, satisfaction and success in your life. You will also gain understandings of how these fields can be helpful in clearing personal and interpersonal challenges that lessen the quality and enjoyment of your life.

You will learn to
          identify your personal energetic space
          develop affirmations that shape, strengthen and protect your personal space
          create a sacred, nurturing personal space
          connect with and open more fully to the nurturing, loving energies of the universe
          use these approaches to clear yourself of negativity

Some interesting further energetic possibilities include:

Epigenetic alterations of one's body, through intentional enhancements of the functions of your genes: Cohen suggests new ways that you can understand your genetic potential. From an energy perspective, genes are not just programs for development of physical structure and fixed physiological functions. They contain energetic inherited memories that can be altered through energetic interventions. Therefore, your capacity to enhance your life may have fewer limitations than you and I were taught to believe in our conventional western education.
Identification of past life residues that may be warping one's current life experiences.

A sample visualization suggested by Cohen has many applications.

Sense the energetics of negativity of something you are experiencing in your life that you feel is a hardship, and how it cramps your sense of your personal space.
Invite the negativity to leave your space, sealing your personal boundaries after it departs.
Reconnect with and strengthen your awareness of the Sacred Space.

This sort of powerful imagery and energy field manipulation becomes an ever stronger, empowering tool the more you practice this exercise. Many further exercises are suggested by Cohen for enhancing your personal power.

Numerous helpful clinical examples illustrate Cohen's discussions. Cohen's innovative exercises are helpful for clinicians in their work, as well as for clients.

A lovely suggestion is for practicing 'scaling' (harmonizing) your field to the field of another person with whom you are interacting. Cohen suggests a novel way of applying this: When you anticipate a challenging interaction with someone you find it is hard to get along with, you can pre-harmonize your field with theirs, so that your upcoming interaction can proceed from a more harmonious starting point. Just think of the difficult people in your family, social, work and other relationships with whom this could be helpful! I can guarantee you that Cohen has more suggestions than you can imagine for the helpful applications of this and other exercises she offers in this excellent book.

There are very few criticisms I can muster in my wish to be thorough in this review. Cohen's origins in a culture that was not English speaking is occasionally apparent in slightly stilted languaging of what she shares. There are also occasional items of content discussed very briefly that I felt were slightly misleading, that left me wishing this book had had a tighter editing. For example, a critique of qigong is made for teaching that there are only three chakras. As this is but one of several thousand examples of qigong, and as most of the others acknowledge the full seven major chakras, Cohen's criticism comes across as unfair. These are but minor issues, however, that do not diminish in any way the great value of this book.

In closing, I would add that Energy Restructuring offers an excellent complement to many other therapies. I will be using many of Yuliya Cohen's suggestions in my own practice of WHEE: the Wholistic Hybrid derived from EMDR and EFT.

Daniel J. Benor, MD
IJHC Editor
Author of Seven Minutes to Natural Pain Release

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