Dr. Adriana Popescu is a licensed clinical psychologist, addiction specialist, and empowerment coach with over 25 years of experience in the mental health field. In addition to the many other tools and skills she practices, her biggest passion stems from contributing to people having lives of infinite possibility.
What is Energy Psychology?
From the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (energypsych.org): Energy Psychology (EP) is a group of evidence-supported modalities that balance, restore, and improve human functioning by combining physical interventions (using the acupuncture system, the chakras and other ancient systems of healing) with modern cognitive interventions such as imagery-based exposure therapy.
EP theory suggests that psychological problems are problems that are caused by disruption or blocks in the flow of energy in the mind-body system, often caused by traumatic events. By addressing disturbances in thought and emotion while engaging in the energy system of the body, EP allows for more rapid processing and releasing of a variety of emotional symptoms.
It has been used successfully to treat a number of psychological conditions including depression, anxiety, phobias, PTSD, addictions, weight issues, and a number of physical issues including allergies, chronic pain, infertility, etc. It’s also being used for performance enhancement by creative artists, public speakers, athletes and more.
Benefits of EP include reducing and eliminating the effects of trauma more quickly and effectively than traditional talk therapy; creating post-traumatic growth via access to insight and positive memories that were previously obscured by trauma; helps people to calm and rewire their nervous system without medication; it is cost-effective and can shorten the length of treatment; people can use it on their own, and it can increase their sense of self-control and empower them to know that they can change the way they think and feel.
How did this modality impact your life and what tools did you learn to use?
I was first exposed to the EP tools when I was in graduate school and extremely ill with Lyme Disease and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Western medicine really didn’t have much to offer me at that point, so I was exploring holistic and alternative therapies.
When I started working with tools like BSFF (Be Set Free Fast), NET (Neuroemotional Technique) and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques; tapping), I began to clear the traumas, stuck emotions, and limiting points of view I had about myself and the world, and miraculously my health began to shift for the better.
I am in a completely different place now; happier, more empowered, and clear that if any kind of challenge or obstacle comes my way, I have these amazing and powerful tools to transform and overcome them.
Why do you think low self-esteem is as prevalent as it is in our world?
Because we are taught how to judge ourselves and make ourselves wrong. This reality conditions us from the time we are young children, looking around at others to get a sense for how we are supposed to be and act in the world.
Don Miguel Ruiz (author of The Four Agreements and Mastery of Love) calls this the domestication of the human. We get messages from our families, schools, peers, religions, Hollywood, social media, etc. that tell us that we need to look and act in certain ways, and if we don’t, we are judged and made wrong.
Some of us may also experience trauma or adverse childhood experiences, which have a profound impact on how we see ourselves and the world. And so we come to develop deeply-held (and usually subconscious) negative beliefs about ourselves; that we’re not worthy, we’re not enough, we’re powerless, everything is our fault, etc. and we end up attracting people and situations to prove to us that our beliefs are true.
Do you feel that this is likely to change with the next generation?
These patterns tend to repeat themselves and get passed down from one generation to the next unless people choose something different. If they question these beliefs and do their own healing, they can teach their children how to be in allowance of themselves and others rather than in judgment.
If we can prevent the development of low self-esteem, would the world be a different place?
Absolutely. I often say that judgment is the greatest source of human suffering. If we taught people how to honor and value themselves and others, rather than judging and separating, we would have a kinder, happier world with far less conflict, struggle, pain, and suffering.
What other modalities do you work with and how would a prospective client navigate through all of these?
Everything from traditional CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), Motivational Interviewing, and psychodynamic therapy, to energy work, Brainspotting, Access Consciousness®, and more.
Most clients who come to me are pretty open and just want to feel better, so we may experiment with different tools to see what they like and what works for them. Whether I’m working with them in person or remotely may also play a role in which modalities we use. Mostly I ask questions and use my intuitive awareness to see which technique might be most effective for a given issue in a particular session.
If you could describe Access Consciousness in a simple paragraph, what would it be?
Access Consciousness® is a system of pragmatic tools (including verbal processing and hands-on energy work) designed to increase awareness and to empower people to know what they know. There are tools to clear limitations and facilitate more consciousness and choice, so that people can create the life they truly desire.
The larger aim of Access Consciousness is to create a world of consciousness and oneness. Consciousness includes everything and judges nothing. It is the ability to be present in life in every moment, without judgment of self or anyone else.
How much of our lives is shaped by society and how do we break free from this hold?
Pretty much all of it! By doing the work on ourselves to become more conscious and aware, we realize that we have choice; that we don’t have to buy into what we were essentially programmed to believe.
We don’t have to give people that power over us. When we challenge our core false beliefs and learn to trust and be in allowance of ourselves, we become more aligned with our true, authentic self – the infinite being we truly be.
