Lidia González Alija: "We are more than a body and a personality".

We spoke with coach Lidia González Alija about the spiritual aspects of therapy.

Historically, everything related to psychology has been associated with a concept as used as it is complex: the spiritual. The fact that each individual has his or her own consciousness and subjectivity has been the basis of many philosophical and also scientific debates in the field of psychology, neurosciences and other similar disciplines.

But what exactly is this link between the mind and what we know as "spirit"? It is clear that there is no definitive and consensual answer about this, but there are interesting and informed points of view about it. In this interview we will know the point of view of Zen Coaching expert Lidia González Alija.

Interview with Lidia González Alija: the spiritual dimension in therapy

Lidia González Alija is a coach specialized in Zen Coaching and, from a humanistic approach, offers her services mainly through the online format through her platform Exploración Interior. In this interview she talks to us about the way in which therapies oriented towards emotional problems are linked to the concept of the spiritual.

Is there a tendency to assume even today that the body and the spirit are two radically separate substances?

Our body is our physical vehicle through which we can interact in this world. We usually tend to over-identify with it and our mind, for in this illusion of physical reality they are what we perceive ourselves to be and, therefore, what we perceive defines us, superficially. This is, in fact, the source of most of our suffering.

But the good news is that we are much more than a body and a personality system anchored to it. We are an absolutely unlimited entity with infinite potential.

In your opinion, when it is said that in therapeutic processes we must look beyond the material and take into account the spiritual, what aspects of life are being referred to?

To our essential Being, to that unlimited entity. Our ego or personality is built on our past experiences and those of our family lineage. We carry a very large load of defense, adaptation and avoidance strategies that have been created throughout our history to help us survive in a world we perceive as hostile.

These are all layers, masks, armor that take the form of behavioral patterns, limiting thoughts and automatic reactions. Initially we create them to protect ourselves and, in the long run, they block our potential and unlimited nature and hide our ultimate truth, that essential Self.

What is the Zen Coaching approach, and how does it adapt to each person and their subjectivity?

It consists, essentially, in creating the ideal space to be able to go through all those layers of personality or ego that are separating us from our true nature and potential.

We do this in the sessions by incorporating the meditative attitude, that is, by positioning ourselves as conscious observers of our inner experience and as a place of friendly acceptance of all our inner experiences, just as they are.

In this process, I also incorporate techniques of humanistic therapy, systemic therapy, art therapy, somatic experiencing, visualizations... that help us bring any emotional experience into the present moment, so that from there we can embrace and process it.

There is tremendous healing power in processing our emotional experiences through feeling the physical sensations that manifest in our body. This gives the stagnant energy that blocks us the permission to be mobilized and flow again, and it is also a path that leads us to our true Self, crossing at our own pace those layers of personality that separate us from it.

How does meditation relate to the concept of spirituality?

Meditation consists of observing all the experiences that occur in the present moment, becoming aware of them and accepting them as they are. That is to say, it consists of positioning ourselves in a constant yes to life as it comes, and as we feel it.

When we meditate we can observe our mind, our bodily sensations, our perceptions and emotions. If the body and mind are the object of our observation, what is the subject? Therein lies the key. The subject is that true Self, it is you and me, it is all of us, beyond the visible and palpable. This is the spiritual dimension.

Through meditation we connect with our immaterial and unlimited nature because it gives us the opportunity to take sufficient distance from the physical reality with which we normally identify.

And what role does the spiritual play in personal development in general?

For me it is difficult to conceive of personal development without a spiritual dimension. What we usually look for in personal development is to satisfy our essential needs in order to feel more fulfilled. And those essential needs are our essence, who we already are deep down (under all our layers of ego/personality). So it seems that what we are really looking for is to connect with that essence, with that deep self from which we feel detached.

Personal development is, in my opinion, the expression to name the path that leads us to reconnect with our true Self and the unique potential within it, and to bring it with integrity into this material reality in which we operate. And that is exactly my intention when I accompany people through my sessions.