The subtitle for this chapter is “Some Safe, Some Dangerous.” Our comments will be in this font.
Life coaching has caught on big time in recent years. These “coaches” may function like a therapist, a counselor, a psychologist, a psychic medium, or a channeler. Life coaching covers a multitude of practices, and many are okay, but many others are dangerous.
Lin M. Eleoff’s book Gutsy Glorious Life Coach: How to Turn Your Life Coaching Practice into A Soulful Money-Making Business does not teach meditation and other occult practices but is directed at the “safe” life coaches.
Then there is Jeremy Raymond’s book, The Life Coach Workbook, which is aimed at helping life coaches who do not work with spirit guides, ancestors, Reiki, Kundalini, The Third Eye, etc. but advises those who employ normal psychological means how to help others.
And there are many other books like the two described above.
Therefore, a life coach could be a person who is trained in counseling and has a degree or two in the field. In 1965, Kent was engaged in looking for a job as a high school counselor when he changed direction and enrolled in a theological seminary in Mill Valley, California. And for ten years he operated the Marin Christian Counseling Center in San Rafael, California. He might have been described as a life coach then, but that terminology was decades away.
Some Dangerous Life Coaching
The first of what we call dangerous life coaching is published by the “Elvin Coaches,” whose book is titled Don’t Make Me Use My Life Coach Voice, published in 2020. Elvin Coaches is not the name of an author but is “a group of people who love to help and guide others towards a better life and circumstances” (p. 10).
The next three paragraphs describe how the Elvin Coaches see themselves:
We are part of a collective group known as Elvin Coaches. We have several members and decades of experience between all of us. We all met in Indonesia years ago, and many of us were already practicing life coaches by then. This became a huge bonding moment between us, and we have all grown as a family since then, supporting each other every step of the way. We have all personally experienced the power that all forms of coaching have, both for the client and the coach. We learn from the people we help just as much as they learn from us.
All of us at Elvin Coaches are passionate about what we do, and we wanted to get our knowledge and experience out to the masses. This is why we began to publish books. We feel it is the best way for us to impart our knowledge to many people around the world. Whether you need the help of a Life coach or want to become one yourself, we are here to help you. We want to make you a part of our family. Once you are, you will grow exponentially as a person through our step-by-step action plans we provide and then you will be able to guide others to do the same.
All of us at Elvin Coaches still experience the ups and downs of life. There are days when we are on top of the world, while others, we are down and out and want to hide somewhere. Getting through life is a constant battle, and none of us will ever tell you differently. We do not promise that all of your problems will go away; however, you will be equipped with better tools to handle them. After learning the techniques used in life coaching, you will look at your life in a completely different way.
Now then, here is what the Elvin Coaches say are common misconceptions about life coaching: One, it is not counseling or therapy, though it can look like it. They do not treat mental health disorders, nor do they give medical advice. Two, it is not practicing therapy without a license. Three, it is not a hobby or a “side hustle,” but a real career and passion (p. 25).
Life coaching is not regulated, and practitioners do not have licenses. Yes, some coaches are “slimy” but there are many fine ones. Some coaches make a lot of money, charging $300 an hour, but the authors say not to do it for money.
However, one thing that life coaches are to do is to “make your client reliant on you” (p. 30).
Intuition
The Elvin Coaches state that life coaches need strong intuition, which “is the ability to understand or feel something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.” Also, “it is important to listen to our intuition, because it is trying to tell us something our conscious mind may not be aware of” (p. 33).
In book after book on psychic healing processes, the concept of intuition comes up. It entails being in touch with energy and/or other sources of spiritual knowledge. And it is right here where this kind of life coaching merges with the demonic. What occurs is that the would-be coach becomes indwelt with supernatural spiritual powers. These coaches will admit to it and know the existence of such within them, but they do not realize they are, in fact, evil spirits.
These powers may be referred to in several ways, some of which are ancestral spirits, guide spirits, animal spirits, elves, souls, goddesses, gods, ascended masters, and many more. From the Bible we see that there is only one Holy Spirit, who always and only points to Jesus Christ, both to who He is and what He has done, meaning His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His return at the end of the age – and to nothing else.
Due to this reality, we are placing this chapter on life coaching in this book on psychic spiritual processes, which are powered by Satan and the host of fallen angels he controls.
So, the life coach can tap into the divine energy inside of them. The authors say the life coach, one who is intuitive, can help a client become intuitive as well.
And this is the main issue: by means of engaging with these life coaches, one can indeed become indwelt by demonic spirits. We agree that there is something inside this coach, but it is not divine.
In the very same chapter, the coaches talk about methods used by an intuitive coach. These are hypnotherapy, crystal healing, Reiki, and chakra healing. These are said to improve energy. However, all four of these practices will result in opening a person up to demon possession.
The Law of Attraction
The Elvin coaches state that what a person puts out into the universe will come back to that person. This is speaking of energy, thoughts, motives, interests, loves, hates, etc. The energies come back to a person by means of vibrations, both positive and negative. This is said to be the law of attraction, and the universe cannot be fooled, as it is smarter than any human, so one must be careful to send out good vibes. “As the mind thinketh, the universe giveth” (p. 41). The life coach must work to prevent a client from thinking bad or negative thoughts. In fact, if a focus is on making money, acquiring wealth, “the universe will present more opportunities to make money” (p. 42).
Techniques Requiring More Skill
The following is a summary of three more advanced ways that can be incorporated into one’s coaching techniques.
One is the emotional freedom technique (EFT), a form of acupuncture, 88
but no actual needles are used. Instead, one’s fingertips “are used to access and stimulate the various energy points on the body” (p. 67). It reminds one of Reiki therapy, and the Elvin Coaches say it is indeed a “New Age method.”
Second is “cognitive behavioral coaching,” which is replacing bad thoughts with good thoughts.
A third approach is guided meditation. “Meditation is a truly powerful exercise that can help people become more mindful and less stressed, as well as reducing mental blocks” (p. 68).
Instead of naming the authors of other books on life coaching that we consider dangerous, we will simply quote or rephrase statements from two books that demonstrate our point.
In the first one, the author suggests communicating with one’s “inner child” by looking at a photo of yourself when you were younger and begin communicating with this inner child, even invite this inner child to have a talk with you.
This may seem to be safe or innocuous, but such a practice can result in an evil spirit communicating with a person while pretending to be an “inner child.”
The concept of the “Universe” comes up frequently in the dangerous versions of books on life coaching, as though there is a power, an entity, that is the all-in-all, a kind of deity that is easily accessible and able to guide and empower one’s life.
The following quote, if taken as truth, opens the door to all manner of deception: “I believe we’re given messages all the time by our inner voice or the Universe, that reveal our purpose and attempt to direct us toward our vision.” Not only should one listen but also thank the Universe for what is revealed and say, “Thank you, Universe!”
So then, if this is true, we will be “listening” to messages from the Universe, and voices will be heard. With this, we agree. If one believes this and waits and listens, a voice will be likely be heard. But it will be the voice of a demon.
The word “soul” appears dozens of times in books dealing with what we consider to be dangerous life coaching. Consult our essay written years back dealing with this issue, titled “Soul Confusion.” To be brief, we are a soul—we do not have a soul. The soul is not something that has a separate existence. Before reacting too strongly, please read this essay and evaluate for yourself.
The reason we bring this to the reader’s attention is that so many books on life coaching speak of the positive evolving of the soul, and the author of one book speaks of accepting everything that has happened to you, because it is simply for the positive evolving of the soul.
Life coaches of the dangerous variety also urge the practice of mindfulness.
While it is laudable to be fully aware and attuned to reality, this mindfulness is just the opposite—it is really mindlessness. And just what is mindfulness? There is a plethora of explanations, but it is not prayer to God, it is not listening to God speak to you, or communication from an angel of the Lord. It is said by some to be an opening up to hear from the so-called Universe.
But there is no Universe out there that is listening and communicating.
However, there is a presence out there that will communicate with you, and it is the counterfeit of the Spirit of God. It is the demonic kingdom with its evil demons, ruled over by the prince of hell, Satan.
The God who created the heavens and the earth, all of matter, every planet, every star, everything that exists in what is called the universe, has communicated to us through His eternal Son, Jesus Christ, and his word, the Bible. The Creator God exists outside the universe, a universe that will one day, perhaps billions of years from now, cease to exist. It will either burn up or freeze out, and the evidence leans toward the former—utter dissolvement.
That the demonic forces communicate with us is a sure reality, and it is real, tangible, and convincing. Demons are real. Jesus cast them out during His ministry, and Christians throughout the ages have been given his authority to do so. We have personally done so many hundreds of times.
One book on life coaching urges meditation to help one connect with their “observer.” First the person must connect with their “inner wisdom.” Then is described a rather common form of meditation by way of emptying the mind, breathing deeply over a period of time, filling the chest with air, and with each breath, relaxing the body ever more deeply, sending the breath to the heart. Now you can take a deep breath and ask the observer to be present with you.
And something will be with you now, something no one would want, if the identity of the observer was clearly understood.
This observer is not defined or identified, but it is in you, a part of you, some imagined something that observes your life and does not react against you, but rather supports and encourages you. The person then invites the observer to be present with you. The last step is to “shake your shoulders, roll your head,” and begin to come back into full consciousness.
If one does not want to connect with their observer, he or she can connect with their inner child, who will bring comfort and support.
These are clearly paths to demonization, and yet it seems so nice.
Interesting and good news for plant lovers: when plants are near each other they can pull energy from each other and thrive.
One can also ask the sky a question, and an answer will appear in the form of a cloud. Indeed, nature will always respond to you, so you will know you are not alone.
There is also a circle of flow on energy. When you give energy to help someone, energy will flow back to you. (We can understand this one in terms of human social interaction.) Other ideas put forth are 1) You can visualize a diamond in your home, 2) You can ground to the planet in order to transform, connecting up to the Source and the Unified Field of energy above, 3) You can ask Source to cleanse your home, 4) You can ask the planet to empty you out and to then fill you up with energy, 5) You can also ask Spirit to empty you out, 6) then you should ask the planet to renew you, and this by focusing on the Heart, 7) then ask the Spirit to fill you up, and finally, 8) activate the Greater Whole, and this again by focusing on the Heart.
At one point the author of the above book states that our ancestors “and their environment influences vibrate within us.” In another place the author says that he could see a “beautiful blue energy” around the head of a horse he was riding.
All of us then are like the proverbial genie in a bottle, and working with energy allows for this genie to be set free. To do so, one needs to say “Hello” to the genie; this is the beginning of unleashing it. Plus, one must also say hello to the “passive creative force.” When the genie is unleashed and one is in communication with it, one should utter, “Thank you Genie.”
In conclusion, we were saddened when we first read the materials for this chapter, and now again when presenting a small fraction of it, we are saddened again. Those who wrote the books researched for this piece on life coaches are sincere people who are not intent on harming or misleading anyone. We must be, all of us, vulnerable to being deceived by the god of this world. That demonic kingdom is full of false glory and brilliance. Who among us could resist?
*******
Excerpts from Wikipedia
Wikipedia, July 6, 2022
Note: The following describes what we consider to be safe, non-spiritually threatening, and helpful.
Life coaching is the process of helping people identify and achieve personal goals through developing skills and attitudes that lead to self-empowerment. Life coaching generally deals with issues such as procrastination, fear of failure, relationship issues, lack of confidence, work–life balance and career changes, and often occurs outside the workplace setting. Systematic academic psychological engagement with life coaching dates from the 1980s. Skeptics have criticized life coaching’s focus on self-improvement for its potential for commercializing friendships and other human relationships.
Coaches use a range of communication skills (such as targeted restatements, listening, questioning, clarifying, etc.) to help clients shift their perspectives and thereby discover different approaches to achieve their goals. These skills can be used in almost all types of coaching. In this sense, coaching is a form of “meta-profession” that can apply to supporting clients in any human endeavor, ranging from their concerns in health, personal, professional, sport, social, family, political, spiritual dimensions, etc. There may be some overlap between certain types of coaching activities. Coaching approaches are also influenced by cultural differences.