MysticMag has the pleasure of chatting with Armida Abreu, CEO & Founder of Divine Growth Coaching and a #1 best-selling author. Armida is a compassionate guide for those seeking personal transformation. With a background in Love and Authenticity, Whole Healing, and NLP certifications, she helps clients overcome insecurities, heal past traumas, enhance communication, and find peace. Armida’s mission is to lead individuals from fear-based living to self-awareness and self-discovery, fostering unity and love within humanity.
Can you share your personal journey and what inspired you to become a life coach and delve into the realm of psychology and spirituality?
I believe, like many people who become coaches, my journey into coaching is deeply tied to my own transformation. In 2019, I experienced a profound spiritual awakening. At the time, my life seemed picture-perfect to the outside world – I was married to a wonderful man, had three kids, a lovely house with the proverbial white picket fence, and a successful career. However, on the inside, I felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness, loneliness, and unworthiness. I struggled with guilt for even having these feelings when, from the outside, it looked like I had it all.
In 2019, everything came crashing down, and it was in that breakdown that I found my breakthrough. This was the start of my spiritual journey. Through this process, I uncovered deep-seated childhood trauma that had been silently affecting my day-to-day life. I realized that many of the decisions I made and the stories I told myself were deeply rooted in those childhood experiences.
As I embarked on my healing journey, I began to peel away the layers of my own self, gradually discovering who I truly was. This journey was transformative, empowering, and incredibly connecting. I learned that as a child, I didn’t have the tools to work through trauma, so I closed off my heart to protect myself. But I didn’t realize that in doing so, I had also closed myself off from the truth of who I was. I became judgmental towards myself, a harsh inner critic.
The pivotal moment for me came when I noticed that all my relationships began to flourish as I worked on myself. This realization highlighted the profound connection between our internal energy and the world around us. It was an eye-opener – the more I tried to manipulate external factors for happiness, the less successful I was. It was only when I focused on self-improvement that everything started to fall into place.
This awakening led me to a fundamental truth: we are energetic beings, and our energy influences others. How we perceive ourselves shapes our perception of the world and those around us. This realization inspired me to help others harness their inner power and discover their true selves. It marked the beginning of my coaching journey, as I wanted to empower others to realize the incredible potential within them.
Your philosophy of care emphasizes integrating psychology and spirituality. How do you blend these two disciplines to support your clients in their healing journey?
This is my favorite part of my journey. Before my awakening, I wasn’t particularly spiritual; in fact, I worked as a social worker for many years. However, my spiritual awakening completely changed my perspective. What I realized, and later learned from my personal journey, is that we are fundamentally more energy than matter. This idea is even backed by scientific evidence in the field of quantum physics.
Psychology, in my view, primarily engages our brains, our intellectual selves. While this is a beautiful aspect of our being, it has its limitations. Spirituality, on the other hand, brings us back to our hearts. I firmly believe that at our core, we are beings of love, and we originated from love. This is why we yearn for love and connection so intensely.
Through my own transformation and in working with clients, I’ve witnessed the power of combining psychology and spirituality. It’s about embodying unconditional love and compassion, both for ourselves and for others, while maintaining healthy boundaries. It’s essential to clarify that setting boundaries doesn’t mean that we are judging another, it simply means that we are honoring ourselves and our truth in that moment. Healthy boundaries create a safe space for love to grow and thrive. The healing journey is about helping individuals undergo a profound transformation through radical self-acceptance. When you open your heart and cultivate self-acceptance, you become a source of love that can extend to those around you. This fosters a beautiful flow of love, intimacy, and vulnerability with oneself, allowing you to show up authentically.
I firmly believe that much of our pain and suffering originates from our rejection of certain aspects of ourselves that we perceive as “not good enough.” As the saying goes, “the brain thinks, but the heart knows.” When we unite psychology and spirituality, we create a powerful force for genuine healing.
In your practice, you mention helping clients overcome limiting beliefs and behavioral patterns. Can you provide an example of a client’s transformation through your coaching?
I’ve had many impactful moments in my coaching journey, but one that truly stands out for me is when I was working with a client who had undergone years of therapy due to her experience of childhood sexual abuse. This occurred at the beginning of my coaching career, and it left a profound impact on me.
My client was struggling in her current relationship, facing challenges in building intimate connections with her partner and with everyone in her life. Initially, she believed she had already processed and worked through her sexual trauma. However, as we delved into the spiritual aspects of healing, everything changed for her. I guided her through my coaching process, focusing on love, compassion, and the spiritual dimension.
During our sessions, we worked on releasing, forgiving, and cutting energetic cords. I vividly recall a moment when she described feeling physical discomfort in her private areas as she was processing and transmuting the stuck energy from her energy field. The energy was intense at first, but she immediately felt a powerful release. Afterward, she experienced a profound sense of clearing, calmness, and inner peace that she hadn’t felt in years.
She shared with me how she couldn’t believe that this heavy burden had been with her for so long. Despite having seen numerous therapists, it was only through our work that she finally let go of the pain and trauma that was keeping her stuck and feeling not good enough. This experience was a powerful reminder of the transformational potential of our work, and it inspired me to continue showing up and making a difference through my coaching in the world.
Collaboration and healing seem to be central themes in your work. Could you tell us more about your book, “Collaborations – Visionaries Share a New Way of Living,” and what you hope readers will gain from it?
Certainly, that first book I wrote holds a special place in my heart. My chapter in this book is titled “A Love for Oneness.” I firmly believe that true healing occurs when you establish a collaboration with yourself – your mind, your body, and your soul. This is where you discover the flow and connection that you have to everything in life.
Through that chapter, I wanted to offer readers a glimpse into my journey, sharing it not as a story of victimhood but as one of survival, growth, and learning. I emphasize that other people’s behavior had nothing to do with me, and this perspective allows readers to make their own connections and reflect on their past experiences from an empowered standpoint and an empowering point of view. The key message I aim to convey is that when we have a healthy relationship with ourselves, it becomes the foundation for all our other relationships in our lives. I firmly believe that everything begins with us, and this realization is a powerful catalyst for positive change.
Your mission is to help people move beyond fear and separation into love and oneness. What are some key principles or practices you recommend to achieve this transformation in one’s life?
Living in the heart space is a fundamental aspect of my approach to life. I firmly believe that our decisions are rooted in either fear or love. When we gain awareness of ourselves and our personal narratives, we can learn to hit the pause button, allowing us to respond rather than react to situations and people with love and compassion. This not only fosters a deeper connection with ourselves but also with those around us. It’s crucial for us to become aware when we are feeling triggered, especially when we sense we’re under attack. In these moments, taking a step back and processing our emotions internally is essential for our souls to grow and thrive. By letting go of our personal narratives that stem from the stories we created from our past, we can become present and intentional in our interactions with the people in our lives. This shift in perspective can truly transform every relationship that we have.
In my practice, I employ various techniques to support this process, such as meditation, journaling, spending time in nature, practicing mindfulness, and deliberately focusing on the present moment. It’s important to be intentional in all our actions, something I never use to do. This intentional mindset has been a game-changer for me.
When I work with clients, I emphasize that this work, while simple in concept, isn’t always easy in practice. It requires a constant effort to bring ourselves back to the present moment. I’ve been on this journey for four years now, and I sometimes find myself slipping into old thought patterns. The key is awareness and the ability to redirect ourselves to our center, preventing our stories from dictating the course of our lives. The goal is to master ourselves, our emotions, and ultimately our lives.
If you would like to find out more about Divine Growth Healing, visit
https://www.divinegrowthcoaching.com/
