Clear Your Energy Creatively With Althea Montgomery

Energy healers, psychics and instinctual hunches? Ooh interesting, or yikes, too much? To some, these ideas are way too far-out alternative. But as classes and sessions connected with them gain momentum and visibility in mainstream society, more and more wellness enthusiasts are catching on to the flow that suggests energetic self-care and clearing are just as important as healthy diet and exercise!

            Althea Montgomery, the energetic healer of Creative Clearings, helps her clients engage in just this through a variety of healing sessions tailored to the needs of her diverse customers. Her intuitive and empathetic work is based around this personalized approach and a gentle yet playful vibe.

            SBS chats with Althea about how her less-than-healthy childhood led her to her current work, how we can become comfortable with our intuitive hunches, and what the consternation surrounding energy work truly is.

SBS: What was your path to your specific, special form of work in energy healing?

Althea Montgomery: My mother’s side of the family was morbidly obese, and that’s a common thing in the Midwest. My dad and his side were more fit. Around 13, I started getting heavier, and by the time I was 19 or 20, I was exhausted all the time. I had no idea what was wrong. I went to the doctor, and they diagnosed me with chronic fatigue. Then I gained 30 pounds in one month!

But as a small child, I definitely had intense psychic energy. I can remember around age three being very aware of other people’s feelings. I was so sensitive.

Then the biggest change came when I was around 13. I was getting sick to my stomach every day before school because I could feel everyone’s feeling. I had free-floating anxiety and months of panic attacks for years. I ended up leaving Ohio, got married in Iowa, and we moved to LA. I had an interview for social security benefits at 23. I don’t know what came over me, but I walked into the interview and said, ‘I want you to take me off of this now. I’m using it as an excuse.’

A huge freedom came from that, and it flowed from there. In 2012, I got certified as personal trainer and I lost over 100 pounds. Then, in 2013 when my aunt passed away followed by my mother two months later, my intuitive abilities sky-rocketed. I started helping other people, and it just grew from there.

SBS: How did you turn your passion and gift into a business?

AM: I kept a job I had at the time in a supplements section while I started doing sessions on my days off. I was getting clients simply through word of mouth. And also since I’m an energy ninja, I just send it out and it comes! I love doing what I do and helping people, so my clients would tell other people about that.

Eventually I had steady clients coming in. I started offering hour sessions to people through the phone or in their home. Now, I do house, business (systems and space), social media and name energy clearings. Basically, I can do any type of clearing someone needs! I consider: What type of energy do you want people to feel or experience?

SBS: What is a part of the session that’s hard for people to grasp?

AM: When we are clearing, people want to have the path opened. But if they deep down want to continue the same thoughts, feelings and actions of before, they will likely recreate that. It takes practice. It takes a conscious effort to catch yourself. People have thought loops, people complain more than they realize. Once I clear something it’s gone. Yet, you’re an infinite being creating your world, and I can’t force anyone to do anything. They don’t realize how much they are going back to same broken record.

SBS: When looking for an energy healer, what are some red flags to beware of or clues that someone is legit?

AM: If the person has a website or if you can speak to them for a consultation, see how you feel. Check in with yourself.

In general, a big red flag is if they’re judging you. They have no right. When someone comes to me I’m neutral. They tell me what they want to create. It’s not my place to say what you should do. If you feel someone is judging, run the other way. Your sessions should be a safe, sacred place without feeling like you’re going to get chastised.

Check in with that fine line: You can feel uneasy and creeped out because you’re moving forward, and it’s scary. There’s that versus picking up something that’s off. It may not be that the person is bad, they may just not be right for you. 

SBS: How can we check in with ourselves to feel that hunch that something is right or wrong?

AM: When something is a no, generally we have a tendency to clamp down and collapse. It can be subtle or intense. It could be mainly in the stomach area or all over. If it’s in alignment, it’s expansive, like a kid in the middle of a field of sunflowers.

Another thing to be aware of is a thought loop. Perhaps you feel as though you got kicked in the head by a horse. You feel stunned, and you can’t think about it. Be aware of it first. The awareness is often enough to shift things out of you. Take a breath, and notice: ‘That’s just a thought loop. What would I rather feel like, and what would I rather focus on?

SBS: What are some ways to check in with your body when engaging in a healing session?

AM: I keep it open-ended. You may or may not feel anything. You may or may not notice anything. Be aware of what you do notice. You may feel tingles, pressure, color or perhaps things I don’t even have a word for. You may see sparkles, colors or visions. Or you might feel lighter after. I don’t want to ever block someone because the way I perceive energy might be different than you.

SBS: The word ‘empath’ has been thrown around a lot lately, and its meaning seems to have been muddied and used as a shield. What do you think it means?

AM: What bothers me is now the word is used in a disempowering way. We’re all sensitive. We are all energy and connected and psychic to a certain extent. We all have awareness, just at different levels. But the word ‘empath’ is disempowering because it suggests you’re the weak victim: ‘Oh, I’m feeling everyone’s stuff and processing, and I feel so sick and responsible.’ But what I found is it’s very much past life stuff and perhaps the promises and vows we took on to be healers. But, it’s a whole new world where we can choose, ‘Do I want to do something in this situation?’ But it’s up to you to take your power back and keep your energy clean and clear.

SBS: Why are people sometimes scared of energy work or those psychic ‘hunches’ and ‘gut feelings’ we experience?

AM: In general, the world makes being psyching out to be something bad. But there are past lives even if you don’t believe it. We don’t need to go searching through past lives, though, because you won’t have fun. People got hung and stoned for being intuitive…being a ‘witch.’ That gets passed down each generation. That’s just in the world, and therefore we think, ‘I don’t want to be an outcast. I don’t want to be considered creepy or evil or bad.’

The key is to find people who you know you can trust. Everyone has seen something a little weird, even if you aren’t talking about it. Check in with your body as you are having conversations, and you’ll know whether the person is not judgmental. Remember: Others are waiting to have someone to talk to as well, and it can be like giving permission to them to do so. But to other people, it can feel upsetting, and they can get triggered. So perhaps look for a Facebook group. Or invite more of those people around, and it will start to show up. Also, notice when you’re judging yourself.

SBS: How can people integrate energy work simply into their daily life?

AM: You have to complete energetic self-care. There is nothing to be afraid of. You’re in control of your life, and you will feel so much better even if you just send out bad energy at the end of each day. Simply ask for full energy and re-harmonize before bed.

Althea’s LA Faves:
Healthy Restaurant: Tender Greens
Fun Activity: Hip-hop dancing at InFit dance studio
Calming Activity: Going to the beach
Fitness Studio: InFit
Online Resources About Energy Work: Access Consciousness
Book About Energy Work: Energy Medicine by Donna Eden

Althea’s SBS Mantras: Be Bold! And boldly Be You! We all came here to create from our own unique perspective with our gifts and insights, not to mimic others. Yet, we are so often expected and pressured into staying small and doing things the way others think they should be done. Boldly step out and be more of the ‘you’ you truly are each day!