In my practice I've noticed that some clients do very well with talking therapy, while others seem to struggle to progress through talking alone.  Persistent states of mind, body and breath (spirit) often unfold before one develops the capacity of verbal language.  In Vedantic psychology, all of life, including Pre-verbal trauma and even your thoughts are imprinted in various physical energy centers in the body. One pathway for tuning into the various chakras (energy centers) is through the third eye center (ajna chakra), located in the center of the brain straight back from the space between your eyebrows. Tuning into the inner pathways, the current inside of you, stands out as a powerful means for reconnecting the mind and the body. Asian cultures throughout history have documented systems of healing and energy in the body.  The inner channels are deeply connected to the elements, rhythms of nature, our own anatomy and even religion and culture.            

The third eye is one of the seven major energy centers or chakras (wheel in Sanksrit) in the body. Chakras are first written about in the ancient Hindu books of knowledge called the Upanishads. They can be understood as wheels of spinning energy that influence the form, quality and outcome of one's experience on all levels (Rama, 1976). Located between the eyebrows, the third eye is associated with intuition and psychic phenomena.
          

Descartes believed that the pineal gland is the seat of the soul. In Indian lore, the Ajna chakra (third eye), which is associated with the pineal and pituitary gland,  and located between the eyebrows, is considered to be the psychic center. In Sanskrit, it literally means to command, but comes from the root "to known, obey and follow.The concept of the pineal gland as the command center, according to Roney-Dougal (1999), has sound psycho-neuro-endocrinological basis. The pineal works in conjunction with the pituitary gland through the action of the hypothalamus, and acts as an inhibiting factor on the entire endocrine system. It has been shown to produce several betacarbolines and peptides, and contains enzymes that produce psychoactive compounds, including 5-methoxy dimethyltryptamine. Two precursors of the aforementioned compound are serotonin and tryptamine, and the pineal gland has the highest concentration of serotonin in the brain (Roney-Dougal, 1999). SSRI drugs for anxiety and depression stimulate the pineal gland to produce more serotonin. Some believe that just through the focus of consciousness you might be able to secrete more serotonin.  Perhaps that is why it feels so heavenly to meditate using the third eye.
          
Third Eye Meditation is a method of tuning into different layers of consciousness. In Hindu psychologies, there are 5 layers or sheaths of consciousness. Various ancient and modern disciplines have described these layers. This construct of the human being and consciousness needs to be seen as reflections of a particular place and time in history. In Vedantic psychology, the outermost layer is called the physical or food sheath (annamaya kosha), next is the energy sheath (pranayama kosha), and then the mental sheath (manomaya kosha). Inside the mental sheath is the intellectual or intuitive sheath (vinjamanaya kosha), And finally, the layer that most directly surrounds the core self is called the sheath of bliss (anandamaya kosha). Each chakra in the body intersects with the different layers of consciousness. Third eye meditation views the third eye chakra as a gateway to our inner worlds. In Vedantic psychology,
one of the oldest Hindu psychologies, at the core of each of us is consciousness, described as a light, and surrounding this light are the five layers or sheaths described above. Each layer has a different color, vibration, and material. The third eye is a doorway into these different layers.
           
Much of suffering is related to the avoidance of pain. Life and its difficulties cause us to disconnect from our bodies, which leads to more pain and suffering. When you awaken the third eye center and tune into the energy body, a feeling of joy and peace spreads into every pore of your being. Sounds great , right? It is! Opening the third eye develops an ability to become aware of your own awareness. Similar conceptually to developing an observing ego in ego psychology, opening the third eye allows the individual the ability to look inside as if from an external perspective. The goal of this form of meditation is in part to realign mind, body and spirit.
          
Rama, S., Ballentine, R., Ajaya, S. (1976). Yoga and
psychotherapy: The evolution of consciousness.  Oxford,
England: Himalayan Inst.
           
Roney-Dougal, S.M. (1999).     On a possible
psychophysiology of the yogic chakra system.
Journal of Indian Psychology. Vol 17(2), Jul 1999, pp. 18-40.

 
Third Eye Meditation Exercise

Allow at least 15-20 minutes for this exercise. Take a seated position on a chair or the floor. If sitting on the floor, make sure your hips are at least even if not higher than your knees. The most important thing in this exercise is that your spine is upright and straight from tailbone to the crown of the head. When you bend your spine, you create blockages of energy flow. Be sure to not use the back of a chair as support. Sit on the edge with your feet firmly placed on the ground. In order to enter what yogis describe as the inner space, you have to begin by closing your eyes. Keep your eyes closed for the entire meditation. Now focus your awareness on the third eye center located between the eyebrows. Sitting comfortably with a straight spine, bring the entirety of your focus to the space between the eyebrows. Notice what the physical feeling is in the space between the eyebrows. You are tuning into the etheric or energy sheath (pranayama kosha). It will be different for different people. For some it feels like a tingling sensation, for others, they feel a slight pressure or density or warmth. Take as much time as you need to become aware of what the feeling between the eyebrows is at this moment in time.

Once you become aware of the sensation that is there, stay with it for at least five minutes. Use all of your focusing power to remain tuned into the sensation. The third eye will pull at you like a magnetic force because that is exactly what it is. Your body is full of various channels of electrical energy. Your very cells are made up and run on electrical force. EKGs test the electrical resonance of your heart. Acupuncture is about opening the channels. Feel the electrical charge between the eyes. Use your intention to build this feeling and strengthen the charge between the eyebrows. Keep your full awareness on the space between the eyebrows.

Step Two: The throat center (Vishudha chakra), is the creative center. In vinyasa and ashtanga yoga, yogis breathe Ujjayi by constricting the back of the throat at the larynx. The throat is a powerful gateway of energy. It feels equivalent to whispering with the mouth closed. Breathe so there is some friction in the back of the throat. It shouldn't be forced or nearly as strong as Ujjayi breath. As you breath in a relaxed and smooth manner, and experience the vibration of the throat, connect it with the third eye between the eyebrows. Use the throat friction to channel prana (energy) into the third eye. The throat acts like a magnifier of the energy body and etheric level of consciousness. Vibrate the back of the throat and connect that feeling with the third eye, now focusing on both the throat and the third eye center together at the same time.

The etheric body is directly connected to the physical body. By charging the etheric sheath you are opening multiple connections between the mind and the body. The implications for people whom have been traumatized are great, as this form of meditation helps individuals to be able to tune back into their bodies almost as if they were looking in from the outside. This makes it safer, in a way, to experience their own bodies, and offers techniques for cleansing and letting go of negative energy.

When you are finished, rub your palms together and place them over your eyes for at least thirty seconds.