Vortex Healing workshops targets mental energy CAIRO: Linda Noorlander has always known that she had a special gift. "Even as a child, I was able to sense energies that other people couldn't. I always knew that I would end up helping people one day with this ability that I have. What she didn't always know, though, was that she would end up doing so in Cairo. After coming to Egypt from her native Holland as a tour guide, she liked the country so much that she decided to stay. "And then I thought, why not use this gift that I have here? So five years ago, she set up the Insight Inside center in Mohandiseen. The center's aim is to "help people in their process of personal growth and self-development on all levels, the emotional, the spiritual and the physical. The center's courses and workshops range from meditation and Pilates to treatments based on traditional Indian and Chinese practices. Noorlander says that the center uses any technique that can "help people gain awareness. She estimates that there are equal numbers of Egyptians and foreigners amongst her clientele. "Especially in the last two years or so, I've noticed a lot more awareness of complementary treatments. "People are watching satellite TV and using the Internet, and also traveling more, and all this has increased their knowledge of the alternatives that exist to aid their growth. The center currently employs 17 people and operates from a converted flat in Mohandiseen, but will be moving to a new purpose-built site in Maadi in a few weeks time to allow for further expansion. Has the center ever encountered problems from people who disagree with these treatments? "Obviously there are people who don't believe in it, but that's their choice. We've never had any trouble with anyone. Noorlander is keen to stress that the center is "not related to religion, it's open to people of all faiths. We relate to divine energy too, but in a different way from religions. Among the courses at the center, several ones deal with energy healing, which aim to channel positive energy into the person taking the course. The most effective course, according to Noorlander, is vortex healing. "If you divide the body into layers, with the physical being at the top and the mental being below, vortex healing goes right to the bottom. "Other treatments can only deal with the first three or four layers; they only mow the grass. But vortex healing is much more intense; in just one session you can achieve the equivalent of 20 sessions of reiki [a Japanese spiritual healing practice that works on energy]. Clients seek to resolve an array of problems through vortex healing. "It could be something physical, explains Noorlander, Or there could be mental or emotional issues like grief or over-activity in the mind. "A lot of my clients are stuck in repetitive patterns in their lives which they need to break out of. Women who keep getting into abusive relationships are quite common, for example. The actual healing process that Noorlander performs during the treatment is somewhat abstract and hard to follow outside the context of a session. She uses what she calls different "energy tools to transfer energy to her clients depending on their needs. "If there's a problem with a particular part of the body - the wrist is common nowadays with people using computers - then I might transfer through touch, she explains. "But otherwise I can also sit next to the client and transfer energy to their system without contact. The process is conducted in silence. "I'll talk to the client before the session and then again afterwards, to see what they want to achieve and then to assess how it went, but during the session I won't speak unless they do. Most of her vortex healing clients are regulars, coming as often as once a week for 50-minute sessions. But, has anyone ever been disappointed with the treatment? "Of course, some people have unreasonable expectations, she recalls. "I had two patients with multiple sclerosis, who expected to be cured after one session. Also, some people release too much pent-up emotional stress during the treatment and can't handle it. "Then there are those who are coerced into coming by family or friends; of course they don't benefit from the treatment. We all have to respect the fact that we're all on different paths and we can only be helped if we want to be. To find out more about the center's work check out http://insight-inside.com
