Olivia Vargas, PhD created Sacred Psyche Coaching by combining depth psychological principles and kundalini yoga techniques to support you in a deep, embodied healing journey. Depth psychology uses dreams and visionary meditation to unearth unconscious patterns so you can begin to realize your own wholeness. Kundalini yoga strengthens your subtle energy system and your mind so you can face your pain with courage and grace. By using the body and the breath, old emotions and habits are cleared out of the unconscious psyche.
What is depth psychology?
Depth psychology is a term used to describe a family of psychologies that aim to engage with the unconscious psyche through various techniques such as dream work, somatic exercises, and visionary meditation (active imagination). Olivia’s expertise is in Jungian and archetypal psychology, which focus on supporting the individual in the discovery of meaning. By finding meaning in our lives, we engage with life more deeply–at the depth of the soul. The soul is that part of us that can contain both the mundane self and the spiritual self. When we live from this place, our challenges, our depressions, and our anxieties become easier to hold and overcome because we are able to find greater meaning in our experiences.
Depth psychology aims to guide the individual towards wholeness by integrating unconscious contents, which can vary from unprocessed emotions and memories to our own hidden goodness and personal power. By integrating and processing our own darkness, we free the psychic energy they were consuming and reclaim some of our power. But sometimes we find that we have also disowned the beautiful light aspects of ourselves too, and we need to work on integrating our own goodness. Everyone has both light and dark within them. Accepting both and holding ourselves with compassion is key to embodying our whole and Sacred Self.
What is kundalini yoga?
Kundalini yoga (as taught by Yogi Bhajan) works on the deepest level of your being to remove unconscious blocks and free constricted energy for deep healing and the expansion of consciousness. Using unique combinations of breath patterns (pranayama), mantra, and body postures (asana), kundalini yoga kriyas are designed to efficiently release emotional, energetic, and physical blockages.
Kundalini yoga is a more holistic form of yoga than what is typically available in yoga studios. It is a spiritual practice, not an exercise method. Although there are esoteric goals within the practice, most people who practice kundalini yoga are not necessarily looking for enlightenment. They just want to feel better. The techniques we use help balance the psyche, regulate the nervous system, and adjust the glandular system so that we can handle stress and access joy with greater ease.
There are two esoteric goals in this practice: to raise the kundalini (shakti, life-force energy) from its inactive position at the base of the spine to the crown chakra and to master the state of shuniya (the sacred No-thingness that is also everything).
Through the techniques of kundalini yoga, the practitioner releases blockages in their chakras and nadis (energy channels) so that life-force energy can flow freely, allowing them to experience their Sacred Self. By developing silence, the practitioner can expand their consciousness beyond ego-identification.
Learn more about Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan here.
Learn more about kundalini from a greater historical perspective here.
Combining these two traditions provides a healing at the deepest level of your being in a way that is easy to integrate because you are working through your mental, emotional, physical, and energetic bodies together. The result: your suffering eases, you have a new strength along with new tools to face future challenges, and you begin to discover your Sacred Self, which is beyond the old stories you tell about yourself.
What to expect:
- It all starts with a conversation. Through deep listening and conversation, you and Olivia will unearth what is needed to support you on your journey towards wholeness.
- Sometimes people need to just talk and be heard for several sessions before any other techniques are introduced.
- Sometimes people need to work with dreams to relieve some of the intensity of their experience before they can commit to a yoga practice.
- Sometimes people prefer dream work and not yoga, or yoga and not dream work.
- There is no standard program. We go where the soul leads us.
- Sessions can be used for deep listening and conversation, dream work, or a private yoga session.
Pricing Options
$175 for 1 hour session
$650 for 4 one hour sessions
Sliding scale options available upon request.
Olivia Vargas, PhD is not a licensed therapist or mental health professional. She cannot diagnose or treat mental illnesses. Sacred Psyche Coaching is not a substitute for psychotherapy, and is meant to offer spiritual support and life guidance. If you are experiencing mental health issues, please reach out to a licensed psychotherapist.
