Illumineering™ is a method I developed from my work as a mind-body psychotherapist and coach. It’s a unique integration of what I’ve found to be the three most effective modalities for helping people break free of self-defeating patterns, and create the personal and professional lives they want. It can be used in a variety of settings by professionals certified in the Illumineering™ method, including psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and life, career, relationship, and executive coaches.

Illumineering™ is based on the premise that when we're born, we are whole, integrated human beings with tremendous potential. Growing up, we respond to our life conditioning by adopting habitual thought and behavior patterns, many of which erode our innate wholeness. We carry these patterns into adulthood, and they shape our feelings about ourselves, our relationships, our personal lives, and our careers. Illumineering™ helps people break free of the shackles of their life conditioning, reclaim their innate wholeness, and create the lives to which they aspire.

The three modalities that comprise the Illumineering™ method are family systems work (to identify client blocks and their origins), psychodynamic psychology (to access limiting beliefs and habitual behaviors rooted in the subconscious), and coaching (to identify and implement action-based strategies to override self-defeating patterns, develop a new default operating system, and achieve transformational change).

In my own coaching practice, I offer four types of Illumineering™ Coaching Programs. Below is a description of the programs and the people for whom they’re appropriate.

Illumineering™ Life Coaching: for individuals looking to achieve specific personal goals, address life challenges or transitions, create healthier relationships, or move to the next level of success in their lives.

Illumineering™ Career Coaching: for people in professional transition who want to use their passions, skills, and experience in a new position, career, or business—or entrepreneurs who want to take an existing business to the next level of success.

Illumineering™ Relationship Coaching: for singles seeking a healthy and fulfilling relationship, couples looking to create a more joyful and fulfilling partnership, family members experiencing relationship challenges, or business partners facing interpersonal issues.

Illumineering™ Executive Coaching: for business leaders looking to enhance their leadership skills, achieve new goals in their careers or organizations, or address specific performance challenges.

I’m often asked how Illumineering™ differs from traditional psychotherapy or other coaching methods. Psychotherapy is generally more focused on the present and past, and most practitioners use talk-therapy to help clients process their feelings, or cognitive-behavioral approaches to help them think and behave differently. Coaching is typically more future-oriented, with a focus on identifying client goals and the steps needed to achieve them. Illumineering™ integrates family systems work, psychodynamic psychology, and coaching to identify client blocks at their deepest level, and develop and implement action-based strategies to override these barriers and achieve the results they seek.

When hiring a coach, it’s good to inquire about their training, methodology, and experience. For a check list of what to look for, refer to my article, Tips for Hiring the Right Coach. © 2009 Lauren Mackler

Lauren Mackler is a coach, psychotherapist, and host of the Life Keys radio show on hayhouseradio.com. She’s the author of the international bestseller, Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness & Transform Your Life. Sign up for her free Live Boldly newsletter at www.laurenmackler.com.