Lidia González Alija: "We are more than a body and a personality"

Historically, everything related to psychology has been associated with a concept that is as used as it is complex: the spiritual. The fact that each individual has their own consciousness and subjectivity has been the basis of many debates. philosophical and also scientific in the field of psychology, neurosciences and other disciplines Similar.

But what exactly is that link between the mind and what we know as "spirit"? It is clear that there is no definitive and agreed answer about this, but there are interesting and informed points of view about it. In this interview we will know the point of view of the expert in Zen Coaching Lidia González Alija.

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Interview with Lidia González Alija: the spiritual dimension in therapy

Lydia Gonzalez Alija She is a coach specialized in Zen Coaching and, from a humanistic approach, she offers her services mainly through the online format through her Inner Exploration platform. In this interview, he talks to us about the way in which therapies oriented towards emotional problems are linked to the concept of the spiritual.

Is there a tendency to assume even today that the body and the spirit are two radically separate substances?

Our body is our physical vehicle through which we can interact in this world. Normally we tend to over-identify with him and with our mind, since in this illusion of reality physical they are what we perceive that we are and, therefore, what we perceive that defines us, in a way superficial. This is, in fact, the source of most of our suffering.

But the good news is that we are much more than a body and a personality system anchored to it. We are an absolutely limitless entity with infinite potential.

In your opinion, when you talk about the fact that in therapeutic processes you have to look beyond the material and take into account the spiritual, what aspects of life are you referring to?

To our essential Being, to that unlimited entity. Our ego or personality is built based on our past experiences and those of our family lineage. We carry a very large load of defense, adaptation and evasion strategies that have been created throughout our history to help us survive in a world that we perceive as hostile.

These are all cloaks, masks, armor that take the form of behavior patterns, limiting thoughts, and automatic reactions. Initially we create them to protect ourselves and, in the long term, they block our unlimited potential and nature and hide our ultimate truth, that essential Being.

What does the Zen Coaching proposal consist of, and how does it adapt to each person and their subjectivity?

It essentially consists of creating the ideal space to be able to go through all those layers of personality or ego that are separating us from our true nature and potential.

We do this in the sessions incorporating the meditative attitude, that is, positioning ourselves as observers. aware of our inner experience and as a place of friendly reception of all our inner experiences, as as they are.

In this process, I also incorporate humanistic therapy techniques, systemic therapy, art therapy, somatic experiencing, visualizations... that help us bring any emotional experience to the present moment, so that from there we can welcome and process it.

There is tremendous healing power in processing our emotional experiences through feeling the physical sensations that manifest in our bodies. This makes the stagnant energy that blocks us have permission to be mobilized and flow again, and it is also a path that leads us to our true Being, crossing at our own pace those layers of personality that separate us from he.

How is meditation related to the concept of spirituality?

Meditation consists of observing all the experiences that occur in the present moment, becoming aware of them and accepting them as they are. That is, it consists of positioning ourselves in a constant yes to life as it comes, and as we feel it.

When we meditate we can observe our mind, our bodily sensations, our perceptions and emotions. If the body and the mind are the object of our observation, what is the subject? There is the key. The subject is that true Being, it is you and me, we are all, beyond what is visible and palpable. This is the spiritual dimension.

Through meditation we connect with our immaterial and unlimited nature because it gives us the opportunity to take enough distance from the physical reality with which we normally we identify.

And what role does the spiritual play in personal development in general?

It is difficult for me to conceive of personal development without a spiritual dimension. What we usually look for in personal development is to satisfy our essential needs to feel more fulfilled. And those essential needs are our essence, what we already are deep down (under all our layers of ego/personality). So it seems that what we are really looking for is to connect with that essence, with that deep self from which we feel separated.

Personal development is, in my opinion, the expression to name the path that leads us to reconnect with our Being true and with the unique potential that is in it, and to bring it with integrity to this material reality in which we operate. And that is exactly my intention when I walk people through my sessions.