Melany Oliver is a 29 years old holistic therapist and energy healer who lives in Dubai, UAE. In this interview she talks about her passion for spirituality, her love for travelling, and her future projects.
“I felt like I was floating and went into such a peaceful state that is difficult to describe.”
Voicu Mihnea Simandan: You are a child of many cultures. How has your upbringing influenced your choices in life?
Melany Oliver: Having been born into and spent my childhood and summer holidays in the Afro/Brazilian culture of Salvador Brazil, studied in Europe and lived in Dubai, together with traveling extensively in Asia, I have been lucky enough to have had the experiences of making friends and meeting people from many backgrounds and cultures. Whilst my spiritual side was initially influenced in Brazil I have been able to build on this over the years by learning more about the many natural healing and holistic therapies practiced in places I visited which has helped me reach my goal in becoming an Energy Healer and Therapist.
VMS: How did you get into Usui Reiki?
MO: During my gap year I decided to return and spend some time in Brazil to re-discover my roots. On my way home from yoga one day, a lady came out of a house which was her Healing Center, and asked me if I was free as she was giving lessons in ‘Reiki’ and her students needed people to practice on. I had no idea what ‘Reiki’ was but was intrigued and open to a new experience. The Reiki treatment was amazing, I felt like I was floating and went into such a peaceful state that is difficult to describe. From then on I was hooked, so every week I would go for my free Reiki healing and let the students practice on me. One day the lady asked me why I didn’t enroll in the course. Well I did and it was this experiences that lead me to explore other energy healing modalities and start my spiritual journey! Seven years on from learning Reiki 1&2 in Salvador Brasil, I finally felt ready to take the Reiki Mastership training in Dubai. It took me three years after completing my Mastership to feel confident enough to teach. I now teach all levels of Reiki and attune students to the Reiki energy.
VMS: What is your approach to holistic therapy?
MO: My approach to holistic therapy is ensuring that when I am teaching or promoting my therapies it is fully understood that they are not in conflict or competing with orthodox medicine. The Holistic approach is complementary. Therapists are not against conventional medicine as with certain conditions and in emergency cases it is the only solution. If my clients have serious conditions, I always refer them to see their GP first. My approach is to look at all aspects of the person’s life to find the route cause of their condition and if something is really out of balance that I’m not an expert in such as their diet or posture for example, I would refer them to other practitioners that specialize in such conditions. With my work I focus mainly on the client’s emotional well-being and aim to bring that into balance. Some examples would be social/family problems stress or depression, phobias etc that that can have serious affects to their well-being and lead to far more serious conditions.
“In Thailand I have seen as many as 10 to15 different herbs placed in a pouch!”
VMS: You have visited Thailand quite often and are now an expert in Thai-yoga massage and Thai herbal massage. How is this different from other forms of healing massage therapies?
MO: Thai-yoga Massage is a combination of stretching and massaging the sen lines, which are energy pathways around the body. These are similar to meridians known in Chinese Medicine, in the way that the energy must be free flowing in order for you to be and feel healthy; mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. The stretching is what makes it very different from other forms of massage therapies. It is passive stretching to the rhythm of the client’s breathing, which makes it so relaxing. It opens up the whole body, and aids in breaking down energy blocks allowing the energy to flow freely, improves flexibility, releases tension and offers many other health benefits. Even though I don’t practice Thai-Yoga massage any more, it was definitely one of my favorites to practice and receive! I still go regularly for a Thai-Yoga massage!
Thai herbal massage uses small pouches, which are filled with many different types of healing herbs. These are steamed and then pressed directly onto the client’s skin. The heat alone helps to relax muscles, as well as open the pores on the skin as it is pressed gently in circular motions. This then allows the healing properties of the herbs to seep through so that is can be absorbed through the skin. It is mainly used to address sore muscles, strains, stiffness, as well as stress and fatigue. However, the properties of the herbs have many other health benefits such as preventing bruising, reducing swelling, improving blood circulation, stimulating the lymphatic system, aid respiratory conditions, supports healing amongst others. In Thailand I have seen as many as 10 to15 different herbs placed in a pouch! Herbs which are nearly always included are Lemongrass, Camphor and Eucalyptus others such as Tumeric and Ginger are also common.
VMS: Energy healing is not something your regular office worker would look for. It seems that, these days, a quicker fix to any problem might be a trip to the pharmacy. What are the benefits of energy healing?
MO: Yes, a lot of people are still not aware of the benefits on natural healing and just look for a quick fix. The benefits of energy healing is that once the root cause is identified, quick fixes and visits to the pharmacy can be avoided and the condition treated and or controlled to avoid reoccurrence. For example, Panadol will cure a headache temporarily but can give no indication as to the cause of the headache or if it will return once the effects have worn off.
Other benefits of Energy Healing can be defined as coming back to ‘wholeness’, the process of re-balancing ones energies into alignment with a natural state of health. This could be described as a process of growing awareness that is a natural part of human evolution, which needs to be embraced and worked on. It is about getting to understand ourselves better, reflecting on our beliefs, facing our weaknesses and working on what is preventing us from moving forward in life, be it emotionally, personally or professionally.
It can take a great deal of willpower and self-discipline to work on these issues, as often we are dealing with feelings, emotions sometimes secrets that we are uncomfortable with that we don’t want to share. However once dealt with, a personal transformation is felt from within and those conditions affecting our health and or well-being are understood and can be addressed and or accepted. Energy or Natural treatment therefore not only offers a profound benefit to many aspects of an individual’s life but also the long-term solution.
Energy Healing can also benefit with…
– A greater sense of well-being
– Better decision making
– Balancing emotions
– Improving relationships
– Increased sense of self-worth
– Stress and anxiety relief
– Release of fear and phobias
– Sense of inner peace
– Dealing and handle stressful situations better
– Better awareness and self-awareness
– Increase intuition and self trust
“True healing comes from within when the individual is ready and willing to let go and change.”
VMS: Who are your clients and what do they expect from you?
MO: My clients are from all parts of the world and from different backgrounds and religions. Clients have many different expectations, and needs such as releasing fears and phobias, dealing with stress, releasing creative blocks, improving relationships, forgiving family, friends or ex-partners, and dealing with childhood traumas. They also want to learn how to perceive energies, get in touch with their intuitions, getting into relationships (which surprisingly is a serious concern for middle aged woman whom I have treated), are just a few of their expectations. I make it very clear to start off with that I am only a facilitator. I have many tools I can use to help my clients deal with their issues. However true healing comes from within when the individual is ready and willing to let go and change. Sometimes situations can’t be changed, but I can certainly help them change their perspective to it, or feel different about it so that they have the confidence to confront situations in a more appropriate manner rather than react badly to them.
VMS: What is the role of meditation in your session?
MO: There are many different types of meditation that suit different conditions. In my sessions, I use Visualization Meditation where I guide the clients into scenarios mainly for healing purposes and dealing with their specific issues. I will often teach clients short meditation techniques so they can practice themselves daily or weekly at home to help with stress, balance their energies, healing the body or to work on a specific issue they are dealing with.
VMS: How do you help people who seek your assistance access their ‘energy bars’? Is this achievable with any individual?
MO: ‘The Bars’ are 32 points around the head, which correspond to different aspects of our lives. There are bars for healing, awareness, body & sexuality, control, money, time & space, joy, sadness, gratitude, peace & calm, creativity and so on. It is where we store in electro-magnetic form our thoughts, perceptions, judgments, ideas and concepts that have anything to do in our lives. Just by touching these points lightly and allowing the energy to flow releases thousands of limiting beliefs. This is achievable with any individual. I find that with Access Bars there is no way one can hold back, when the energy bars run, a deep relaxed state of consciousness is created as long as the individual is open to receive. This modality is amazing for those mental stresses, energy blocks and emotional feelings that we cannot seem to let go of no matter how much we try.
“I don’t believe our futures are set in stone.”
VMS: I’ve always been fascinated by hypnosis. You also do clinical hypnotherapy. Who would you recommend this to?
MO: Anyone who is not scared of the word ‘hypnosis’! (Laughing). Many people get scared when we use the term ‘hypnosis’. The term ‘hypnosis’ actually means ‘sleep state’, or a relaxed state of consciousness. When we are in a deeply relaxed state we have access to the subconscious mind which is known to be around 90% of our mind, meaning it is way more powerful than just using the conscious mind to treat and create change.
Hypnosis is an excellent treatment for releasing fears, phobias, weight management, to stop smoking, stress, coming to terms with relationships, forgiveness of ex-partners or foes, dealing with childhood traumas, changing or limiting beliefs, addictions and much more!
VMS: How do all these things we have talked about here fit in with your interest in tarot and your ability to give life pattern consultations?
MO: The tarot is a very useful tool to discover life patterns as in where we are limiting ourselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually or physically. The tarot shows us a reflection of our energies at any specific moment or time. I don’t believe our futures are set in stone. We can somewhat change our destinies by the choices that we make and can change our energies by working on issues and our limiting beliefs. Once we do that, because our energy changes so does the possibilities for our futures. So the way I use the tarot is once I have some clarification of where the person is ‘energetically’ I can use the information to change specific issues and work on certain situations that may need to be addressed. I have used the tarot to find out root causes of clients’ problems and what is blocking them in specific areas of their life. I can then advise on the most important things they can work on or focus on at that time to help their condition. Once we establish what the client needs to work on we can then move forward with the most suitable treatment for their needs.
VMS: You’ve traveled to so many places. Which three locations affected you the most in a spiritual sense?
MO: Brazil would have to be the place that affected me most spiritually, it’s where I grew up with my grandmother clearing my aura with herbs, attending Spiritual Centers to get a ‘pass’ (another type of energy aura cleansing), meeting spiritual doctors and drinking blessed water. Brazil is such a spiritually rich place, with so many small customs handed down over the years by the many different nationalities and cultures that came to settle there. I suppose that by being half Brazilian these all came naturally to me as I was growing up and I never doubted or thought to question them. The spiritual sense became a habit to maintain my spiritual health and clear my energies.
England would be the second major influence. I lived there for four years while I was studying Holistic Therapies and Natural Healing at Solihull College and University of Westminster. I spent a lot of time wondering the streets around Covent Garden, Camden Town and Leicester Square and many hours in the mystical shops be it books, crystals, healing centers, incense and all the airy fairy stuff that I love. I also met some very spiritual and open-minded people who influenced me in a big way spiritually. One of which was my ‘Environmental Stress’ tutor Val Bullen at Westminster University; at the time, I thought she was a little wacky but I believed her in a strange way and only years later did I appreciate the science of some of the things she was lecturing about!
Dubai is my third location interestingly enough. I never would have thought it would be, however when I came back to Dubai after university I started to meet more people who were interested in spirituality. I really opened up when I got back here the second time around. I met people and teachers who guided me to use my intuition, got me into Theta Healing, Access Bars and lots of other little courses to complement my experience!
VMS: You’ve recently been on a trip to Thailand to look for new opportunities. What are your plans for the future in this regard?
MO: I have been studying different types of healing for ten years now. My future plan is to put together a transformational healing retreat, most probably in Thailand or the Far East. This would not only be for healing, but also to educate people and give them life tools, such as learning how to deal with their emotions and how to use the power of their subconscious mind so they can leave transformed, able to handle any situation and ready to live life to their highest potential!
VMS: I wish you good luck and I hope to see you again in Bangkok. Thank you for your time.
MO: Thank you too, Mihnea. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss my love of energy healing with you.
Listen to Melany talk about her Brazilian roots:
Bangkok, Thailand
November 10, 2013
wonderful interview, she will go far