About Angela
Angela Hryniuk knows that like diamonds, people are extremely precious and filled with light. Helping people on their journeys 
of self-discovery through both the spiritual and material world is her forte. From spiritual advisor to addictions counselor from meditation teacher to celebrant and author – Angela is an agent of change who supports, celebrates and exalts conscious transformation in any arena of life. Exceptionally gifted in helping people tune into and attain both their spiritual and material goals, she is also well grounded and pragmatic, and brings an infectious sense of humour and creativity to her work.
Find out about Angela’s courses: “Money and the Meaning of Life,” “Sitting in the Light, Meditation Course” and “Six Qualities of an Awakening Being.”
View Angela’s articles/videos:
Spiritual Advising/Addictions Counselling
Angela Hryniuk’s clear, gentle, yet direct style of guiding a person through often difficult emotional and spiritual territory combines active listening, with keen perceptive/intuitive skills developed over nearly thirty years of working with people. She realizes that addictions, especially alcoholism, in society are at an all time high, in almost epidemic proportions. She understands this is to be spiritual malady. A spiritual anorexia of sorts. Through her personal journey of recovery from alcoholism, coupled with decades of counseling others, she brings to her clients a unique blend of personal experience and clinical practice.
Using the Twelve Step Recovery model as well as active inner child meditation techniques Angela assists clients in identifying and understanding their personal beliefs and life patterns, habits and addictions. She aids clients in reacquainting themselves with long ago neglected parts and offers a fresh perspective of reframing old circumstances. Clients can then see how their lives have made sense to them and how to shift out of old patterns.
She can help you with issues of:
• abuse (verbal, emotional, physical, sexual)
• alcoholism
• anger & resentments
• anxiety
• codependency
• compulsive thinking
• depression
• identifying negative beliefs, life patterns
• lack of forgiveness
• malaise & emotional numbness
• obsessive behaviours
• overeating
• relapse prevention
• repressed or blocked creativity
• self esteem & low self image
• sexuality confusion
• staying abstinent from alcohol & drugs
• suicidal thought patterns
• trauma
Meditation Class
If someone said to you that by practicing 15 minutes of meditation a day you would look younger, have more energy and peacefulness, be happier and more attentive to your spouse and children, be calmer and your life would become increasingly better, wouldn’t you want to at least try?
Experience deeper serenity and calmness through a Meditation Class. Angela leads the group through various meditations she has been guiding for years. Examples of meditations: breathing, compassion, mindfulness, inner child, impermanence, wisdom amongst others.
Benefits of Meditation & Spiritual Counselling Sessions:
• An Innate Knowingness
• Better Overall Health
• Calmness
• Clarity
• Deeper Compassion for Self & Others
• Deeper Sense of Self
• Happier
• Increased Concentration
• More Relaxed
• Patience
• Perseverance
• Self-Awareness
• Sense of Peace
• Tolerance
• Wisdom
What happens during a Counselling Session?
Angela works one on one with clients and occasionally a third party such as a parent, a partner or friend may join the session with your consent. Angela bases her work on the 12 Step Recovery Model which Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous and Al-Anon all use. As well as talking and active listening, during the session she may guide you through a basic meditation, and as your work together progresses, she may lead you through inner child meditations and active visualizations. She may invite you to do some writing or creativity exercises and help you get in touch with the more playful and joyful parts of yourself. At some point she may also recommend a written personal moral inventory be done to discover what patterns and beliefs are dominating your life. Notions of a god, a higher power, or a power greater than oneself will be introduced and explored.
What happens during a Meditation Class?
Angela begins each class with a short introduction to correct meditation posture. She explains about the two categories of meditation: single pointed and analytical, both of which she leads practitioners through. She gives a brief background to the history of Buddhism and the introduction of it coming to the West then begins a 10-20 minute guided meditation. Various meditations that practitioners learn are: breathing, compassion, giving and taking (Tong Lin) mindfulness (Vipassana), inner child, impermanence, wisdom, death and dying as well as working with colours, visualizations of flowers, light, water. There is usually a break of 10 minutes then a short discussion from questions practitioners are having. A second guided or silent meditation of 10-20 minutes ends the class.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
Spiritual Advising/Meditation:
Usually Angela suggests weekly session for three consecutive weeks, then moving to once very two weeks or as necessary. Seeing one another weekly establishes trust so that the work may move to a deeper level more quickly. Working with Angela to get in touch with your spiritual self may or may not come quickly. One on one meditation instruction can be just one session with a follow up a few weeks later. Monthly sessions after that are advised to discuss issues arising and directions to take. A short daily meditation at home is recommended.
Addictions Counselling:
Recovery from an addiction, which can often bring up issues of trauma, abuse, or repressed memory however, is not such a short process. Usually Angela suggests weekly session for three consecutive weeks, then moving to once very two weeks or as necessary. Seeing one another weekly establishes trust so that the work may move to a deeper level more quickly. More sessions would be necessary for these kinds of issues to be explored. Recovery is about exploring, discovering and uncovering what has held us back. Rest assured that you are in the driver’s seat, and although Angela makes recommendations as to how long she thinks the work will take, you have the final say.
How Much Does It Cost?
Counselling, Advising and Private Meditation Sessions are $140.00 for an 1.5 hours. Initial sessions can be 45 minutes for $80. Dealing with recovery issues is best done over longer sessions so as to be able to explore the content more in depth. The shorter initial consultation allows both the client and Angela to meet one another and to discuss what issues want to be explored.
Sowelu reception accepts all forms of payment. Unfortunately, at this time Angela’s services are not covered under any heath funds. You can, however, check through your Employer’s Assistance Programs for funds available when dealing with addictions.
Meditation Classes vary in price depending on how many weeks they run.
Phone, Skype or In Person
Angela counsels people in different parts of the world via the internet through Skype. She is also available by phone to do sessions for those who prefer. Contact Angela directly for these appointments on 0416 563 663. Skype name: angela.hryniuk.
Qualifications
Angela holds an Interdisciplinary Masters Degree (2001) in Philosophy, Religion & Literature and has been counseling and spiritually advising people for the past 28 years in various capacities. From people in recovery from addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, sex, to working with Canada’s First Nations street youth, from being a Suicide and Rape Crisis Counsellor, a Group Home parent to adolescent prostitutes and Ex-Psychiatric patients to ministering to people in prison she brings a wealth of experience about alleviating suffering and understanding the human condition.
For nearly 20 years Angela has been a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and for the last 14 years a teacher of meditation and Buddhist philosophy. She has studied with the highest Masters of her lineage, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She has sat many individual and group retreats ranging from a single day to a month, and she continues her daily practice. She received Higher Buddhist Vows in 2000 and took initial Bodhisattva vows, 1990. She organized and hosted the Dalai Lama’s Vancouver visit in 2004 and hosted a United Nations sponsored Spirituality Round Table in 2006.
Angela recently chose Brisbane as her new home arriving from Vancouver, Canada. She is in her thirteenth year in personal recovery from alcoholism. Other than that, life has been her greatest teacher.
Point of Interest:
Angela has created and produced two CDs and published four books since 1989.
CDs:
1. Sitting in the Light, Guided Meditations for Relaxation & Self-Balancing (2008)
2. Melisma: Buddhist Pilgrimage in India, (2003) a spoken word CD.
Publications:
1. pearls & forbidden fruit (2008), poetry & illustrations
2. Sarasvati Scapes (2001), poetry
3. no visual scars (1993), poetry
4. walking inside circles (1989) auto-fiction
All products are available at the Sowelu Clinic. CDs also available through iTunes. Books through Amazon.
Cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance, otherwise full session fee will be charged.
All New Clients Receive a Free Meditation CD or book.
Live in the solution, book an appointment today with Angela. Call Sowelu reception.
Check out www.diamondthought.com.
