By Walter Ang
August 11, 2009
Manila Bulletin
"Not discounting genetics, pollution, diet, drugs, and other physical factors, there are a lot of, what we call, 'toxic emotions,'" says David Montecillo.
"We have to deal with frustration, anger, low self-esteem, unforgiveness, a sense of feeling trapped, of feeling hopeless. There are valid emotional roots to these situations."
David and fellow healer Claudine Mangasing are the proponents of Sattvah Wellness Center, an intimate space along Xavierville Ave., near Katipunan, that advocates a kind of healing that doesn't deal with medicines.
"It's a mind-body-energy center, the first of its kind, that aims to help people deal with their problems," say David. While the pair receives clients who have physical conditions or disease, they mostly get people whose lives "seem to be going fine but they can't find a reason why they are not happy."
The thrust of Sattvah Wellness is energy healing. "Our bodies emit a natural bio-energy that traditional Asian therapies call chi. It's called by different names, such as in ki in Japanese and prana in Yoga traditions, but all the terms point to the same thing," he says.
"Chi is known to reflect and influence our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This is the basis of acupuncture, a number of massage therapies, and other traditional therapies."
Flow
The pair explain that there is health in mind and body when chi energy flows in the body but that stress, negative thoughts, and emotions can prevent the flow of chi in the body, resulting in physical sicknesses over time.
Conversely, happy, positive, and balanced thoughts and emotions create better chi flow for the person--influencing better health.
Sattvah Wellness does not advocate energy therapies as a substitute for conventional medicine. "Energy healing can be an excellent complement to modern medicine, psychotherapy, and counseling," says David.
"We use a mix of different energy healing methods like Brahma Satyah Reiki, and Qi Gong, among others, to glimpse who our clients are and help them find a sense of balance," says David.
The usual procedure is that the client shares a bit of what is going on in his or her life for the pair to better assess what particular chakras of the client may need healing or unblocking. The client is then made to lie down and the pair will start waving their hands over the client's body "where energy blockages are released to facilitate a sense of relaxation and inner calm." There is no massage nor pressure in the touches.
Clients report different sensations when they undergo an energy healing session. Some feel warm, some feel cold. Some feel "electric sensations running up and down" the body. Some clients start crying uncontrollably during the sessions while some feel very hungry or thirsty afterwards.
"We see ourselves as helping people's bodies and hearts 'jumpstart' their own healing. Letting go of accumulated negativity can be very cathartic and tiring," David says. Some of their past clients have willingly shared their testimonials at www.satvahwellness.com.
Sharing
The methods they use have been taught to them by experts. David has trained with various masters and is now a meditation instructor under the Dudul Hung Nak Mebar Ling Tibetan Vajrayana Center founded by His Holiness Orgyen Kusum Lingpa of the Tibetan Nyingma tradition.
He is a level three reiki healer and teacher under the Brahma Satya Riddhi Healing System as taught by Guru Deepak Hardikar. David is also affiliated with the International Sheng Zhen Society as an instructor of chi gong, a system of exercise similar to tai chi, as taught by head teacher Master Li Jun Feng.
David's own life went through a turnaround of sorts when, despite "having no problems at home, a 'pretty okay' job in marketing and banking, and a 'normal' lifestyle," he had gone into "a downward spiral of non-contentment."
He says, "It was like the world just didn't offer the same old fascination anymore. It came to a point that the job I thoroughly enjoyed before became a struggle."
David was introduced to a meditation class that helped him greatly and led him towards a path where he wanted to share his experience with others.
In 2003, he became involved with Green Light Works, a company that conducts stress and wellness management seminars and workshops for companies and corporations. He started Sattvah Center in 2006.
"I wanted to give the public a chance to learn solutions for their particular needs. There is a wealth of long standing methods used for hundreds of years that people have become disconnected with, such as meditation, chi gong, and yoga.
These traditions hold information that western medicine practitioners may not know of yet because they haven't done much research on them yet," he says. "Actually, there is a bit of research already and they use terms like 'vibrations' and 'electrons' but basically, it's all really all just energy."
For details, visit www.sattvahwellness.com.
Also published online:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/215133/complementing-modern-medicine