Like yours, my life has had many crossroads.
My three biggest (aside from becoming a ‘mom’) were : recognizing my deep love affair with creativity; discovering that I was an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), and its impact on my life/work; and third, the day I met Donna Eden, the amazing woman behind Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) (www.innersource.net) on a sand beach in the Bahamas.
For three days, I followed the simple exercises Donna Eden taught. And my energy changed. I felt lighter. Somehow every aspect of my life started to get a whole lot easier, more fluid.
Who am I? A woman who has always had a love affair with energy. Since my 30’s I was fascinated by the energy of place, i.e., Feng Shui, insisting that my portrait studio’s energy be soothing to all.
To be truthful, I never thought too much about the energy within myself, or that it could change massively. Yes, I did yoga and Reiki, and got certified. Yes, I did appear to be ‘calm’ and ‘in control’ on the outside, but the inside was not always so. Happiness could be illusive.
But Eden Energy Medicine (EEM) shifted me. Once I started using Donna Eden’s techniques, I began to feel more cohesive, stronger… More the true self I really was. I got happier.
Over these many years, I became a successful portrait photographer with a thriving studio. I love to capture the essence of people with my camera. I wanted to empower my clients so that they will see their beauty, sacredness and greatness via their artwork. (www.portraitsofyourlife.com)
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also teach workshops in creativity and The Art of Seeing (photo workshops), helping people come home to the juice that ignites their spirit (www.workshopswithheart.com). I also mentor others in this same process (www.kindmentor.wordpress.com).
At first, I could not figure out why I was so fascinated with learning EEM (although it made me feel very good). Or, for that matter, why I was so passionate about obtaining EEM certification.
Finally I got it: Eden Energy Medicine, for me, is simply another tool to help me gently empower people.
What is Eden Energy Medicine?
Developed by this insightful woman, Donna Eden (now in her 70s) Donna became seriously ill at a young age. By her twenties, the medical profession told her to put her house in order (not easy to do with babes in arms). That’s when she started to look elsewhere to heal her broken body.
EEM is the result. It draws upon techniques from TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), acupressure, Brain Gym® (educational kinesiology), Touch for Health® (energy kinesiology), to name a few, (not to mention Donna Eden’s innate ability to see people’s energy) all wrapped under the header of EEM (Eden Energy Medicine).
EEM has touched the lives of millions—mine included. What I love most about Eden Energy Medicine? It is how I learned that I can change/retrain my body’s energies so that they work optimally.
Defining a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
In my portrait work, I photograph many people. I can tell when an individual is a highly sensitive. I recognize it in them because I am one.
How does this play out in my life? Being an HSP defines how I work with people, where I work and why I am intensely impacted by things/people/experiences.
It is a gift being “sensitive.” It allows me to see deeper, to understand a person more readily and to know what I need to do to bring out the subtle qualities of that individual within a portrait session.
Elaine N. Aron’s wonderful book, The Highly Sensitive Person, brought it all to light. I read it when I turned 60. It clarified that I had this gift, but one that comes with drawbacks.
HSPs live with heightened awareness. They have a deeper depth of perception than the other 80% of the world, i.e., we pick up subtleties that others usually miss. We are easily over-stimulated (e.g., bright lights, noise, large crowds, etc.). We also have a greater empathy for others. And often we can “pick up” other people’s energies whether we intend to or not.
This “gift” can be exhausting. If you think you are a HSP – do view Aron’s website www.hsperson.com.
Reading her book validated who I was, but also made me recognize that I needed to take special care of myself to function optimally. It also reaffirmed that my work would be different from the norm. And it is.
Just after I realized I was a HSP, EEM marched into my life like a bright shining star. That work strengthened me to my very core, to the point where I thrive in my wonderful and busy day-to-day creative life, have lots more energy, and I sit (most of the time) on the edge of joy.
So in my work I seem to attract many HSPs, and I approach them in the same way I would myself: with a little more care, more kindness, more sensitivity. But I probably do that with everyone.
Why call this website, Energies of Joy? Perhaps because I believe we need more of it in the world. Possibly because Donna Eden defines one of the 9 energy systems as Radiant Circuits, aka Energies of Joy! But ultimately, I think, it is because EEM gave me easy, powerful tools that connected me directly to joy. And that joy doubled as I learned from Elaine Aron that being a highly sensitive person was a great way to live! Thank you both from the bottom of my heart.
Helene Anne Fortin, Wakefield, Quebec, Canada
Creativity for Highly Sensitives 