the practitioner's aura

From my perspective, I have experienced every individual to have their own "aura" or signature that more often than not, tends to represent their defining characteristics, mannerisms, quirks and qualities. I have often been drawn to thinking about this "aura" or presence, especially in the context of being a facilitator/therapy practitioner/psychotherapist. Based on what I have witnessed and experienced as a part of my training in Expressive Arts, I lean towards the "five elements" or 'Panchabhutas' that are explained in the Ayurveda as well as in Indian Philosophy.

The five elements namely ether, earth, water, fire and air, constitute the fundamental aspects of an individual and the world around. As a part of the insights I gained from a lecture demonstration by Prof. Mitchell Kossak, these elements don't have one single way of experiencing them. Fire, for eg, can indicate qualities like warmth, passion, light, burn etc., at the same time. Based on an individual's need at that moment, fire could be experienced as grounding and as cathartic at the same time. It therefore makes me think of an individual's aura can be so unique yet it can take on characteristics based on interactions with other people.

In this context, I refer briefly to the principle of "proximity to the other" in Drama Therapy's 'Developmental Transformations'. It primarily talks about the impact that an interaction or even being in close proximity to the other can have on both the individuals. Any encounter is most certainly never neutral, there is almost always some sort of fluctuation.

These instances of fluctuations can and do take place in a therapeutic setup. There are instances when the practitioner's "aura" is quite different from that of the client's "aura". It is here I've witnessed and experienced instances when there is a mismatch in the experience of the client as against that of the practitioner. This mismatch or difference in the emotional experience does in fact, contribute to some conversations surrounding fluctuations while in some other cases, it carries insights with it too.

disclaimer

The views and reflections stated throughout the blog, are based on personal experiences. Please exercise discretion as to the aspects you consume and the ones you don’t.
Reading and consuming content from these blogs are not to be considered a substitute for taking therapy services.