Imagine having the feeling that you're floating on a cloud and all your stresses from the day have left you -- if only for an hour and a half.

From limb to limb you feel tension and tightness replaced by warmth and calm and all of your worries and concerns have diminished into something of the past.

With ease holistic therapist Debbie Gwilliam can make you slip into such a state. Her hands have an extraordinary warming effect which soothes the pressure points of the body starting with your feet.

In partnership with Calvin Richardson, owner of the Metaphysical Bookstore on Reid Street, Miss Gwilliam has opened a metaphysical healing centre within the store.

"I started doing holistic healing when I was working on cruise ships because people told me I had healing hands while I was doing a basic massage,'' Miss Gwilliam said.

She added: "I have been in Bermuda for three years and I have really come out of the salon industry and gone into more of this new age holistic therapies.

"We want to help all walks of life offering massages, aroma therapy, advanced reflexology, Reiki healing, seven ray healing, meditation and hypnotherapy.

"There is not a centre on the Island that offers all this within a metaphysical store. There are one or two mobile therapists that do some of these but not all.'' Miss Gwilliam also said the centre will be offering workshops for their clients and one week a night they will offer a healing night where people can come in and "get healed''.

"We are mostly concentrating on the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of our clients,'' Miss Gwilliam said.

She added that this form of therapy is "definitely becoming popular. There are so many people coming in the shop now looking for spiritual awareness, their inner self and relaxation.

One of the main therapies Miss Gwilliam does is reflexology which is "a method of gentle manipulation and massage to pressure points on the feet which stimulates reflexes corresponding to all parts of the body.

"The Chinese practised a form of reflex about 5000 years ago and the Egyptians used similar methods in about 3000 BC,'' Miss Gwilliam said.

She added that about 79 percent of illnesses are stress related.

"Reflex is invaluable for the relief of stress aiding recovery, improving self-esteem helping you to cope with the traumas of life.'' Miss Gwilliam also stated that reflexology is a holistic treatment and she does not claim to cure or diagnose people.

She added that many of her clients ask her whether the therapy is ticklish and the answer is no.

"The pressure is firm but gentle,'' she said. "Each organ and muscle is connected to a tiny point on the feet. Crystallised deposits can accumulate on the nerve endings blocking vital pathways.

"Breaking down deposits stimulates the free flow of energy, circulation and elimination balancing the functions of the organs.'' Miss Gwilliam will also be offering the Reiki which is a Japanese therapy also called "universal life'' energy.

"It is a hands on therapy in which the hands remain still and are placed gently and lightly on the body bringing harmony and well being on emotional, physical, mental and spiritual levels.

"Reiki can be used for stress and tension. It balances the body and is effective in treating problems such as cuts, burns, aids pain relief and improves energy and vitality.'' The most common therapy that Miss Gwilliam's clients request is aromatherapy which helps to restore "emotional and mental balance to combat the effects of stress and attain an increased sense of peace, calm and relaxation,'' Miss Gwilliam said.

She added that the most important oil to use for this therapy is lavender which is often referred to as the universal oil used for headaches, tense muscles, jet lag and burns.