Written by Lisa Gilbert, MD
Paraphrasing Albert Einstein, “You cannot solve a problem at the level of consciousness in which it was created.” This notion challenges the old saying, “fight fire with fire.” Recovery, healing, and the journey toward expanded consciousness—or even enlightenment—cannot occur through activities rooted in a victim mindset or a state of disempowerment.
If a person is struggling—burdened by nightmares, anger, depression, self-loathing, indignation, entitlement, aggression, suicidality, and other issues linked directly or indirectly to violence—and seeks help solely aimed at alleviating symptoms, that is as far as they will go. They will not fully heal.
Conventional, evidence-based mental health treatments—including insurance-directed psychotherapies, pharmaceuticals, and brain stimulation therapies—are inherently limited. Designed to operate within the victim level of consciousness, they label ailments as “problems” and then diagnose “disorders” then set out to fix what is deemed broken, primarily focusing upon symptom reduction and functional improvements. If a patient can function, for example care for their children, maintain a job, prepare meals, and/or engage in minimal social interactions and their emotions are dampened such that there is no acute distress, the intervention is deemed successful.
Yet many help-seekers express, “I’m doing okay, but I’m still not quite right. Something is missing, but I can’t put my finger on it.” Placation and reassurance usually follows, and out the therapy door they go—partially satisfied at best. They sense there is more, remain aware of an underlying disarray and emptiness, yet are encouraged to focus on daily life and told to move on. For me, this was wholly inadequate. In my healing, I wanted something more.
Seeking a Deeper Path
My personal journey through trauma recovery led me in search of something deeper—something different, something that would awaken my soul. I read books, attended complementary and alternative medicine workshops, and in my quiet moments, I knew something greater was out there waiting for me.
My awakening began with Holotropic Breathwork® (HB)—a process developed by Stanislav Grof, MD. Holotropic means “moving toward wholeness.” Grof intentionally avoids calling his work “treatment” because treating a “disorder” reinforces disempowerment, thereby operating at the same level of consciousness Einstein warns against.
By design, HB safely and effectively facilitates entry into non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) without the use of entheogens—substances that induce spiritual experiences, such as ayahuasca, psilocybin, or LSD. In expanded states, participants can seek guidance from their Higher Self or “Inner Healer” to address whatever requires attention. No external expert is dictating the healing (and sacred) journey. This is true empowerment, the antithesis of disempowerment (a common feature of many mental health conditions and oddly a consequence of the expert knows best, Western model of medicine.) It is far easier to let go of victim dynamics when in an expanded state of consciousness, and this is where the deeper healing occurs.
Unlike the limits commonly found in standard mental health treatment, this process of utilizing NOSC, the full breadth of the trauma kinetic(¹) can be addressed, aligning with the concept of moving toward wholeness.
The God Realm: A New Way to Heal
In my book, Soul Can You, I share my arduous journey of releasing ingrained violence from my body and mind, moving into a state of elevated expansion, and reaching astonishing spiritual realms. Through this process, along with the assistance of somatic-oriented psychotherapy, I was able to cleanse and heal old wounds while simultaneously growing stronger and deepening my experience of higher vibrations and spiritual connection.
Some might call my experience an encounter with “God.” However, I found the God Realm a more fitting term—here, the Divine was not a singular being but something far greater, an entire realm. Light and dark, or rather Divine Light and Good Dark, were found to be complimentary positive forces and not oppositional. And a third sacred force, the weaver or organizer, revealed later in my journeying practice, to be Grand Music forming a new kind of trinity. My practice of entering NOSC evolved into a pattern akin to a shamanic practice. This became my form of prayer and over time allowed me to attune to the healing of others and even the planet..
An Invitation to Expand
My purpose in writing this book was not to glorify my own journey but to show readers what is possible.
See that the Soul can. Recognize your own potential, and do not settle for low-vibration, victim-aligned, inadequate fixes. Ask yourself, Soul, can you?
It will likely answer, “Yes, so can YOU!”
SOUL CAN YOU: How Expanded Consciousness Cultivates Spiritual Awakening, Healing Trauma and Creative Breakthroughs is available for purchase via Amazon.
For more, including photos, visit: www.soulcanyou.com
About the author: Lisa Gilbert, MD is a retired psychiatrist, trauma specialist, and certified Holotropic Breathwork facilitator. She explores expanded consciousness in healing and in art. She is the author of Soul Can You.
Footnote:
- Trauma Kinetic as described in Soul Can You is defined as follows:
I coined this term to encompass the profound, long-lasting impact of trauma—both physical scars and the emotional and spiritual wounds that leave deep, embedded imprints. Conventional trauma terminology, developed within the mental health field, often presents a truncated understanding, omitting the crucial spiritual (not religious) component.
Sexual violence, war, and other human atrocities affect people in ways that can be difficult to fully comprehend. Epigenetic research suggests trauma can alter a person’s DNA, with its effects passed down to future generations. My personal experience has led me to believe that trauma extends even beyond genetic and molecular structures. It reaches into the essence of what may be equated to the soul—an energy or consciousness that remains largely mysterious and beyond scientific evaluation.
Since no existing term fully captures this expansive impact, I coined “trauma kinetic” to reflect the dynamic, deeply ingrained nature of trauma across physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.
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