September 2005 | Whole Health
Uncommon Healer
By Nancy Ging
Practitioner Profile
Who: Rose Mattax is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Forest Park, Ill.
Quick Take: Mattax is founder of From The Heart Center where she practices “counseling beyond talk therapy.” She helps people balance and enhance their energy for the purpose of trauma resolution, emotional balance and inner resourcefulness using a variety of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) techniques, most notably Alternative Medical Systems (flower essences) and Mind/Body Interventions (Reiki; Donna Eden’s Energy Medicine).
Old vs. New: “Counseling beyond talk therapy” is based on the theory that traumatic memories and the negative beliefs, emotions and behaviors that often result from them are experienced as energy blocks in the human energy field. Flower essences are a form of subtle energy medicine. They are used to restore emotional balance, mind/body health and foster the “slow growth of the soul” by gently dissolving these blocks.
Knowing the Difference: With the help of flower essences, self-esteem improves, insight into life as teacher and healer deepens, resourcefulness and an effective skill base for coping is developed. In addition, “People create a deep connection to that part of themselves that can remain centered, calm, loving, joyful and capable regardless of circumstances. For many, counseling with flower essences is the beginning of a spiritual journey and the end of spiritual crisis,” reports Mattax.
Biggest Myth: It is a major myth that we cannot take charge of our health. The truth of the matter is that we have within us a wonderful “medicine chest” which can help us remain balanced and centered during the storms of life. We simply need to learn how to access it, she said.
Case Study: A 33-year-old married woman with one child had a lifelong fear of the dark, which had worsened with the death of her father several years ago. She could not sleep alone, and needed lights and the television on. She was given Aspen flower essence. During the first week she woke up one night hearing Psalm 23, and she felt much calmer. Within one month she was sleeping alone with the lights and TV off. After four months of therapy for other issues, the fear of the dark did not return.
Personal file: When Mattax had a car accident that resulted in severe whip-lash, she turned to chiropractic and massage sessions. She was so impressed with the benefits of bodywork that in 1988, the same year she graduated with a degree in counseling from Butler University, she began training in Trager Psychophysical Therapy. For many years she kept her counseling and bodywork practices separate.
She got her opportunity to explore CAM further when she joined American Whole Health in 1993 where she practiced as a psychotherapist for six and a half years. While there, she became convinced of the contribution energy-based modalities, such as homeopathy, acupuncture, Reiki and flower essences, had to make to mental and emotional wellbeing. Through personal and clinical experience, she decided that flower essences were especially well-suited to the counselor’s office. She was certified by the Flower Essence Society in 1998, and by Master’s Flower Essences in 2002. Mattax has been a Reiki Master Teacher since 1999, and teaches at From the Heart Center, College of DuPage and Infinity Foundation. Mattax’s office is located at 540 Ferdinand Ave., Forest Park, Ill. She can be reached at 708-714-3200. Visit her website.
Nancy Ging, A.C.S.W., L.C.S.W., is a Chicago-area holistic psychotherapist, consultant and author. Visit her website.
![[Send]](http://consciouschoice.com/sendlink/send.gif){kind=small}
Recommend this page to a friend
Top Ten pages recommended to friends:
