The Spiritual Mechanics
of EFT
Part 2 of 3 -
How the structure of EFT embodies key spiritual concepts
(Missed Part 1? Read
it here)
The
standard EFT setup statement is breathtakingly simple and straightforward:
"Even
though I have this problem, I deeply and completely accept myself"
And yet Ihave come to
realise that even in these few words are conatined several structural elements which
implicitly invite and encourage a spiritual approach to dealing with our
experience.
1. The acceptance phrase ("I deeply and
completely accept myself" or equivalent) expresses the unconditional
acceptance (or love) that is usually attributed to God. It acknowledges the
fundamental worth of the human being in question, regardless of the
"problem" currently being experienced. It emphasises the existence of
a part of the person (their essence) which is independent of any trauma, abuse,
thought, feeling, anxiety or wish that may ever have occurred to them or may be
going on at the same time.
2. The contrasting of the "I" who is
having the problem and the "myself" which is being accepted,
immediately distinguishes and acknowledges the essential "I" from the
"I" who has problems. To me this is a perfect summary of "God in
all of us". Practically, this distinction between the "I" having
the problem and the "I" observing the problem and accepting the
problem-owner is very similar to the principle behind meditation and other
"noticing" practices. It's completely compatible with Eckhart Tolle's
observations on "The Pain Body" and the use of
"noticing and watching" as a method of starving it of the drama it
feeds on.
3. The physical action of EFT upon the body and the
energy system has several implications and effects all of which I believe
enhance a spiritual view of humanity. In a Western society, acting on the body
and energy system as a route to consciousness change, is pretty radical, so
identified are we with our conscious minds as "Who We Are". As well
as bringing in awareness of the body and it's responses, it takes the focus
away from the conscious mind as the seat of power and control, and places it
somewhere "other". Not only that, the somewhere other is invisible
and so far unprovable - and yet the effect of acting upon it through EFT causes
noticeable and tangible effects on the experience of the client (intensity reduces
and/or they experience a change in cognition). This strongly mirrors many
people's understanding of God and/or their own spiritual nature and experience.
They can't prove it to anyone, but they know what they know and they have
experienced what they have experienced.
4. Perhaps most spiritually liberating of all is
the way that EFT is a content free technique, making absolutely no assumptions
about "proper outcomes" for the EFT beyond the client's own internal
benchmarks. The words used to describe the problem always come from the client,
not the practitioner. The starting point for beginning EFT is defined by the
client, not the practitioner. The client is required to connect and repeatedly
re-connect with their own inner experience in order to asses progress and decide
on the next step. This emphasises where the proper focus of attention should be
for any type of spiritual work - and that is internal to the seeker.
It is perhaps no surprise to note that the developer of EFT,
Gary Craig, is an ordained minister who makes frequent references to the
spiritual nature of human beings in his workshops and writings. Whether he was
consciously aware of the spiritual assumptions embodied in the EFT protocol I
cannot say.
In Part 3 - Using EFT for spiritual goals.
Now
that's what I call coaching! The "Fight Club" model
of "Extreme
coaching"
In
the film "Fight Club" (1999), Brad Pitt's character (Tyler) drags a shop worker
(Raymond) out into the street
at gunpoint, while his incredulous companionDurden (Edward Norton)
looks on. Here's the (edited) scene between the terrified Raymond
and the gun-weilding Tyler:
T:
“Raymond, you’re going to die. …[looks at his
id card] An expired community college student id! What
you study Raymond?....
R:
“Biology
mostly”
T: “Why?”
R:
“I don’t know”
T:
“What did you want to be Raymond K Hessle? [Cocks
gun] The question, Raymond, – was what did you want to be?”
R:
“Vetinarian!,
vetinarian!…”
T: “Animals.
R:
“Yeah animals…stuff”
T: “Yeah stuff, I got that – that means you have to
get more schooling.”
R:
“Too much
school”
T: “Would you rather be dead? You’d rather die,
here, on your knees in the back of a convenience store?”
R:
“Please…no…”
T:
"I’m keeping your licence. I’m
going to check in on you. I know where you live. If you’re not on your way to becoming a
vetinarian in 6 weeks you will be dead. Now run on home. ....Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of
Raymond K Hessle’s life – his breakfast will taste better than any meal you and
I have ever tasted.”
Durden then narrates: “You had to give it to him. He had a plan
and it started to make sense in a Tyler sort of way. No fear. No distractions. The ability to let that
which does not matter, truly slide.”
Of
course, no real coach is going
to pull a gun on a client, but there is a very strong parallel with
the coaching process here
- and that's getting the client to realise what is at stake for them
if they avoid taking action towards their true desires
- their whole life!
"The best £10 I've
ever spent"
A dozen sessions in two
days at local Health Fayre
Two weekends ago I was a stallholder
at a local Mind, Body, Spirit Fayre, talking about EFT and doing
half hour taster sessions. Over two days I had the privilege of
applying EFT to a dozen different people. The variety of issues
was staggering.
They ranged from smoking cravings, anger
at parents and family members, nerves about forthcoming exams, learning
blocks, procrastination over coursework, traumatic childhood memories,
work stress, painful shoulders and necks, anxiety about moving house
and starting a new job, shyness, embarrassment, bereavement and feelings
of betrayal, amongst many others.
One lady's long standing
anger at her mother was completely dissolved and forgiven within
15 minutes. To "fill the time" we them moved on to working
on her smoking cravings, reducing her craving to a zero. An NLP
practitioner from the stall opposite asked if she could witness
the session since she also smoked and by just "tapping along"
her craving also reduced to zero.
One gentleman's issue involved
some traumatic childhood surgery
which he associated with lifelong issues
of self-esteem and his primary trigger for smoking. We halved the
intensity of those memories (he said the memory seemed "more
blurry somehow") and I gave him a QuickStart manual and made
sure he knew what to do to continue making progress. As he wrote
me a cheque he said "I think this must be the best ten pounds
I've ever spent".
At the end of the two days I was physically
exhausted but emotionally extremely happy!
Gary's Corner
Gary Craig, the originator of EFT maintains an excellent website packed with real case histories. Each month I select case histories that really show the power and range of EFT.
This month:
The EFT Coach - Softcover version out now:
www.eftcoach.com
Learn EFT now! You can start using EFT for yourself right now by downloading my EFT QuickStart manual.
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