Article: Glowing Catalysts for Change: The Children – Christine Alisa (Is.23)

by Christine Alisa

Abstract

Glowing Catalysts for Change: The Children describes a therapeutic technique of regression therapy that can be used with children and adolescents. Ms. Alisa offers the reader an overview of her work and the importance of eliminating past pain in children’s lives. If children can heal the past life pains or early life difficulties they will have the abilities that the future will demand. Her message is to give children the opportunity to develop into remarkable human beings with clarity of spirit, who then have the opportunity to guide the new changes into the world.

How healing the past traumas of children and adolescents open their hearts and minds to the creativity and love needed in the next dimension

Introduction

While adults work through their past issues of trauma and gain insight into their lives and patterns, children deserve the same opportunity. They are the building blocks of our future. The challenges that lay ahead for our world need healthy spirits free from past trials. By being in touch with their true selves at an early age, our future adults have an opportunity many of us never had and what the world demands now: to be present in the moment and have the tools to create.

I have spent my adult career working with children and adolescents as their teacher, healer, advisor, and celebrator. As a therapist, I have carved out a process to help them obtain the memories of past hurts that enable them to “clear,” early in their lives, the affects of the traumas they no longer have to carry into adulthood. By the use of the mediums so useful to play therapists, I have incorporated sand tray, clay, puppets, drawing, painting, acting, and anger work into Regression Therapy. Children and adolescents “play out” through figures in the sand, expressing with the clay, drawing the “story” on paper or white board the trials of the past. They open their consciousness to the reasons why they feel depression, anger, or fear in their lives here and now. Any destructive behaviors begin to evaporate as they express the deep feelings of fear, shock, lack of love, and pain.

When I begin my work with children and adolescents, I find a way to “connect” with them. I “join” them in their interests, their favorite way to play, with humor and above all with respect. Our time together establishes a sense of safety, rapport, and allowance for their boundaries; they trust the work and participate within their own rhythms and abilities.

One of my favorite ways to work with a child is through the use of sand tray. I have two sand trays side by side, one for the child and one for me. The child can create their own scene made up of figures chosen from a wide selection on my shelves. While they are doing that, I ask the child questions about themselves that eventually evolves into a story. I put figures into my sand tray that match the answers from the child. I continue to ask questions and use his/her answers to build a story. It is a process of taking turns until a story unfolds. We re-enact a traumatic event, a past life, a birth, or a prenatal experience. While we “work” on the story, the child is also continuing to build their scene in their tray. He/she then tells me about his/her scene. Oftentimes their scene holds some rich exploration into their feelings and their life, which we explore as well.

Asking children about their dreams or nightmares is an example of a story line from which we build. They tell me about the dream. It might be a nightmare about people fighting and getting hurt. I make the nightmare in the sand tray scene.

They might tell me that army guys are shooting each other. They may even tell me how they “want” the dream to end; an ending where no one gets hurt. I, however, then make a scene of a war with men fighting and our dialog continues:

CA: “What is the worst thing that is happening there?”

Child: “Men are dying.”

I continue to facilitate the details.

CA: “How are they dying?”

Child: “They are getting shot.”

CA: “Is it noisy? Scary?”

Child: “Yes.”

CA: “Can you help speak for one of the men?”

Child: “The army man is scared he is going to get shot.”

CA: “If he gets shot, how does he feel?”

Child: “Sad.”

CA: “What happens to him when he gets shot?”

Child: “He dies.”

CA: “What happens to his spirit when he dies?”

Child: “He goes up.”

CA: “See him going up and leaving this battle.”

I literally take the army figure, raise him up slowly away from the scene, and tell the child that it is over, he is not there anymore, and all the fighting is finished.

I often cheerfully talk about his life here and now, the parents that love him, the fun he has now. I watch the child’s energy to see what else needs attention. Sometimes there is anger at the “enemy” and he needs to do some anger work. Sometimes, he may need to feel the sadness for a while, but mostly children just need the subject changed as an anchor to help them be in their bodies here and now.

Over the years I have been a witness to the dark places children go in order to feel healed and set free to be whom they really are. I have been there for the child as he/she re-experiences the affects of child molestation, physical and emotional abuse, birth trauma, past-life torture, murder, wars, and incidents that affect children and adolescents’ current behavior. I have guided adopted children through their pre-natal experiences with their birth mother so that they can release the patterns of their biological parent and bond more fully with their adoptive parents. I have educated and supported parents and guardians who trust the process enough to go the distance and see positive results. I am able to give children and adolescents “tools” that will help them throughout their lives. Working with children and adolescents is, to me, like the jewel at the top of the pyramid. It is where we end up when their work is completed. It is the culmination of courage, determination, and, eventually for all of us, the hope for the future.

Out of hardship we arise, heartier, fuller, and with more resilience. Many of the children I have worked with have grown to adulthood, leading full lives and participating in a more loving world. Other younger ones, who have traveled this path with me more recently, are happier and more confident. They have been set free of repeating their negative past. My dream is that the children I have worked with will look toward the unknown in ways we do not know yet. There is more opportunity for them to be who they really are. There is the possibility for them to create a better world with compassion and understanding. They may be seers and sages leading us onto paths not yet walked. They can step out into the unknown without the fears that have haunted humankind.

My joy is the work with children. It has been my path. Being able to aide a child on their journey of healing, I believe, has helped to contribute to the future of our world in this fast moving next dimension. It is my hope that other colleagues will participate with me. I am currently writing a book about my work with children, which I hope will interest others in the possibilities that Regression Therapy offers our youth.

 

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