Here's a story of a lovely dancer -

Lucy (False name) is a professional dancer.  Highly trained and considered to be an asset to her current company she has been offered more challenging and demanding roles.  On stage she is graceful, poised and beautiful. She has been called "a quintessential dancer." On a social note she is well respected, lives somewhat reclusive and quiet.

She called me when she noticed a distinctive change in her stage presence, her ability to be comfortable on stage had diminished and her mind flashed some seemingly unrelated images and words. She felt very unsettled and worried. Her directors were also noticing this distraction.

Lucy knew she had to do something but because it was ambiguous and unusual she did not know where to go.

She found my ad in Dance Magazine and was hoping hypnosis/energy therapies could help her.

Not only do I coach and teach mental techniques, I am also a therapist.

SO we explored her life, discussed her goals, family support. Everything was cool there. She was 'lonely,' had odd sensations in her knees and felt like she was going to collapse for no reason. She had recently been given a different stronger role in an upcoming production.

We decided to look back through her family and BINGO!

Her grandmother was an immigrant to the US.  Her grandmother had been a performer in Europe in the 50's.  She was forced to move to the US by her husband.  When her grandmother arrived here she collapsed and 'fell to her knees.' She cried and cursed her husband saying, "I will never dance again." This collapse created chaos and embarrasment for her grandfather. 

Interestingly Lucy had heard this story repeatedly when she was a child. Lucy's sense of it was that her grandmother was forced to do something that she was not ready to do. Lucy remembered feeling a lot of compassion for her grandmother and currently feels lonely like her in the present time.

Lucy had never met her grandmother because she died just before her birth.

HOW DOES THIS relate to Lucy?

Subconsciously, she strongly identified with her grandmother's plight. She realized that she felt forced to make a change in her position at the company She was not ready to make this change. Therefore displaced the feeling of collapse onto her knees like her grandmother. 

Lucy was still puzzled and discovered that there was a part of her that felt that if she messed up in these upcoming roles (she was being tested) She too would never dance again (Highly unlikely but the mind can play games with us). She also discovered a real loneliness that she had been ignoring.

Loyalties travels down through the generations. Her experience had paralleled that of her grandmother.

She separated herself from THIS identification with her grandmother and connected with her grandmother's true love of the stage. Her grandmothers plight is different from hers and it belongs to her. After  process work now when Lucy dances, her grandmother is looking on proudly (in spirit of course.)  The collapsing sensations are gone, she is ready to be 'tested' and has decided to take action to not feel so lonely.

Who knew? Interesting story. I have been interested in exploring this aspect of how artists struggle in their quest for personal achievement. I think there are times when it is not about more repetitions or mental techniques.

EFT and  Family Constellation work has great potential for healing.

Sanna Carapellotti, MS CHT