Learning the Craft
If you've never given a SolaraGem session before, your first goal isn't to become an expert. It's to learn to see.
Your first Triple Crown is as much about learning to observe as they are about learning where to place the SolaraGem units.
Like any craft, confidence develops through experience, not memorization. Every Triple Crown teaches you something—not only about the person you're working with, but about how people naturally begin returning toward a more settled, adaptable state when the right conditions are present.
For that reason, don't make your first ones harder than they need to be. Choose people and situations that allow you to learn without pressure.
Start with Volunteers, Not Conscripts
For your first few times, choose someone who genuinely wants to participate. A spouse, trusted friend, family member, staff member, or a long-time client who enjoys exploring new things makes an excellent first volunteer.
If possible, begin with someone who is naturally self-aware—who practices yoga, meditation, breathwork, or simply pays close attention to how they feel.
Not because they'll benefit more than anyone else. Often they're better able to describe what they're noticing during the process. That kind of feedback is invaluable while you're learning.
Avoid someone who is skeptical, distracted, or simply participating because someone else convinced them to. There will be plenty of time for those situations later. Right now, your goal is simply to become comfortable with the process.
Choose the Right Time
Invite someone who can genuinely set aside the next twenty to thirty minutes without interruption. Ask them to place their phone in Airplane Mode before you begin.
Modern life rarely gives us twenty uninterrupted minutes. Many people don't realize how much of their attention is continually being pulled outward until they finally have permission to simply let go for a while.
Prepare the Space
Help the client become completely comfortable before you begin. A couch, recliner, bed, massage table, or even the floor with a comfortable mat or blanket can all work well.
The exact location matters much less than whether they are fully supported. They shouldn't have to hold themselves up, think about their position, or worry about being physically comfortable.
When possible, choose a quiet environment with minimal interruptions. Perfect silence isn't necessary. Many remarkable SolaraGem sessions have taken place in busy clinics and crowded conference halls. Still, whenever possible, reduce unnecessary distractions.
Gentle instrumental background music may be helpful if it simply masks outside noise, but avoid music with lyrics or abrupt changes. In especially noisy environments, earplugs or comfortable hearing protection may help.
The goal isn't perfect silence. It's simply to remove as many unnecessary demands on attention as reasonably possible. Every distraction you remove gives the client one less reason to remain distracted by the outside world and one more opportunity to simply settle.
Keep the Conversation Simple
One of the surprising things about the Triple Crown is how little you need to know. Begin by asking only enough to determine which guide to hand them.
Is the primary issue physical, emotional, or relational? That's all you need to know. You don't need the details. Many people become more honest with themselves when they know they don't have to explain or justify what they're experiencing.
Encourage them to choose one specific issue, not a cluster or collection of concerns. It might be pain in a knee, fear of losing a job, anger toward a family member, or anxiety over an upcoming event.
Simply encourage them to choose the one thing that feels most important right now. Keeping the focus on a single issue makes it possible to recognize what changes during the process.
One experienced trauma practitioner shared that when someone struggled to identify an issue, an effective question was: "What's the hardest part about being you today?"
Keep in mind that the person who most needs to understand the issue isn't you. It's them.
Let the Guide Do the Work
Choose the appropriate Triple Crown guide and simply say: "Go through this guide. Follow each step quietly to yourself. When finished, place it in your lap, close your eyes, and simply relax."
The guide will lead them through the four-step process: rating their chosen issue, saying the Set Aside Prayer, imagining how life will look once the issue is resolved, and finally feeling the joy of already living that reality.
You don't need to guide those steps. The guide does the guiding. Some people will read it once and immediately place it in their lap. Others will naturally pause, pick it up again, reflect on a step, and then set it back down. There's no need to hurry them.
Let the Event Unfold
Once they've begun, resist the temptation to keep talking. If they're comfortable and appear to be settling naturally, you may quietly leave the room and return in about twenty minutes.
If they seem anxious or have difficulty settling, remain nearby or briefly check in after a few minutes before giving them more space.
Your role isn't to manage every moment. It's to create the conditions where the person can simply settle into the experience.
For some people, that happens almost immediately. Others may take several minutes before they begin to relax. There's no need to rush.
One of the things you'll begin noticing is just how uncommon it has become for people to experience twenty uninterrupted minutes of quiet. For many people, that quiet becomes part of the healing experience itself.
When You Return
When you return to the room, your role is simply to observe the client. Has their breathing changed? Does their face appear softer? Do they look more settled than when you left?
Sometimes the first thing you'll notice isn't what they say. It's what you see. As you continue providing Triple Crowns, you'll begin recognizing patterns that no chart can teach.
You'll start noticing how stress, hurry, emotional burdens, physical tension, and the countless adaptations of modern life quietly show themselves in those around you. You'll also begin noticing how those adaptations soften as people settle into a different state.
The more you observe others, the more you'll begin recognizing those same patterns in yourself. The better you become at recognizing changes in your own state, the easier it becomes to recognize them in others.
Bringing Things to a Close
Gently bring the client's attention back. Simply say, "What did you notice?" Resist the temptation to ask whether it worked or if the pain is better.
At this point, most people are still connected to their immediate experience. Asking what they noticed allows them to describe the experience before their analytical mind jumps in to try to explain or evaluate it.
Simply listen. Only after they've finished sharing should you gently bring their attention back to the issue they chose at the beginning.
You might ask, "If you recall the issue you started with, what number did you have it at before we began?"
Give them a moment. Often they'll pause. Sometimes they've completely forgotten about the issue.
Then simply ask, "Where would you place it now?"
Sometimes the number changes dramatically. Sometimes they realize they haven't been thinking about the issue at all. Sometimes they simply describe feeling calmer, lighter, more hopeful, or more present.
Every one of those observations is meaningful. The goal isn't merely to change a number. It's to help the client recognize that meaningful change is possible.
Every Triple Crown Is Practice
Don't worry about saying everything perfectly or having all the answers. The guide supports the client. The Triple Crown provides the foundation.
Your job is simply to create the conditions, observe carefully, and continue learning. Each time will teach you something new.
At first, it may seem like you're learning where to place three SolaraGem units. Over time, you'll realize you're learning something much deeper.
You're learning to recognize how people return. That's why we begin here.
The Triple Crown isn't simply the first part. It's the foundation of the craft.
