Awareness-Acceptance and Transformation (AAT©): Letting-go of distress and trauma using the wisdom of your body and expanding consciousness
by Maria J. Becker, MD, FRCP(C)
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Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
– Buddha
Abstract
Awareness-Acceptance and Transformation ATT© involves three simple steps: Awareness of distress/trauma; Acceptance of distress/trauma in the body; Transformation of distress/trauma through mindful relaxation. AAT is a wholistic model of intervention. It integrates basic concepts of conventional psychology, energy psychology, the notion of consciousness and spiritual aspects of the human life. It accesses the wisdom of the body as a source of physical, emotional and spiritual knowledge with its innate capacity for repair and regeneration. It encourages the connection to universal consciousness while tapping on the creative force of the Zero Point Field.
Key Words: Awareness-Acceptance and Transformation; Energy Psychology; spirituality; holistic healing
Introduction
In the course of my 25 years of practicing youth/adult psychiatry, in a setting of socially disadvantaged population. I focused my work on the psychotherapy of trauma, initially using conventional psychological methods. In the mid 90’s I trained and used EMDR. Around 2000, I encountered Energy Psychology and obtained training in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Seemorg Matrix, Tapas Accupuncture Technique (TAT), and others.
I believe in the importance of taking responsibility for our own health, and over the years, I became aware that healing is ultimately a very personal and solo journey. No matter how much guidance and involvement we provide to fellow humans in the process of psychotherapy, their minds and souls will always contain a wealth of conscious and unconscious experiences that are ultimately the realm of their own intimate inner world. Words can barely begin to translate this content. I also believe that healing the multiple aspects of the mind, body and spirit can be undertaken by anyone and be done at any time, if one accesses key elements.
As is often the case, contextual elements play a role in the unfolding of our lives. In my case, a major stimulus was the situation of having to produce the fastest results for the greatest number of patients in the shortest time. Having obtained the basic training in Energy Psychology and marveling daily of its results, I continued to experience the need for a method that was user-friendlier, capable of inducing rapid results, and enable people to sustain their energy/ emotional/ physical self-care over time. Thus, AAT© emerged to fill that need.
I soon realized that AAT© provided a natural, easy and profound way of conducting healing of the body mind and spirit and began to test the AAT© model systematically with my patients. Their various responses helped me to modify and change various elements to improve the method. Gradually, I became convinced that simplicity allows for a greater flow of healing energy. The current model is the product of that process. Essentially, the approach is about demonstrating to the client how to access subtle pathways of energy that are capable of helping to release stored energetic memories of things that have been disturbing and from which they still suffer under certain circumstances.
AAT© is a helpful tool for professional psychotherapist and healers of any background. It is also safe for the use by anyone in the public who wishes to improve his or her physical, emotional and spiritual health.
AAT© has not been tested with scientific research. Anyone wishing to do experimental research with this model is welcome to do so with proper acknowledgement of the author.
Basic concepts about trauma
There are three universal and most primitive responses to a threat: flee, fight, or freeze. Each has its own biochemical and energetic expression in our being. Levine (1997) has given much attention to the freezing response also called ‘immobility response’ he describes that after undergoing a threat, animals are more efficient compared to humans in their ability to ‘shake off’ the residual energetic effects of immobility. Instead, humans tend to stored this excess energy in our cellular memory, later to be re-enacted over and over again, as unresolved traumatic state. According to Levine (1997), Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the triggering event itself. They stem from the frozen residue of energy that has not been resolved and discharged; this residue remains trapped in the brain (primarily, in the amygdala and hippocampus of the limbic system) and in every cell of our body. PTSD develops when we cannot complete the process of moving in, through and out of the ‘immobility’ or ‘freezing’ state. A threatened human or animal must discharge all the energy mobilized to negotiate that threat or it will become a victim of trauma.
On the other hand, equally powerful is the innate capacity for recovery and repair in all humans.
Basic assumptions about healing and wellbeing
1- Healing is about personal empowerment and finding new meaning in life.
It is my belief that healing is about experiencing and transformation. Rather than ‘getting-rid’ of a symptom or trauma, it is about allowing oneself to gently experiencing the body distress and moving towards the transformation of trauma.
Healing is about finding new life meaning and awakening a spark of creative cosmos in every cell of the body and mind. I think personal empowerment is what we ultimately accomplish through healing. By personal empowerment, I mean living without disabling fears; living with inner confidence that what we do and say makes a difference, that we are fully able to accomplish our dreams and desires, and realize we are limitless. It means living with the confidence that we are never spiritually alone, but surrounded by the force of the universe and the spiritual realm, from which we can access infinite knowledge (in-formation).
Personal empowerment often begins with small choices, which in turn set in motion important changes at the physical, emotional and spiritual level. Changing one small aspect of one’s life creates an entirely different flow of energy at all levels of our being, bringing about changes in our thoughts and peace to our mind, body, spirit, to the people we are connected with, the space and surroundings we live in. This energy and power creates a flow of new behaviors, feelings, thoughts and creativity - in turn creating a new way of living, self-perception and personal power.
2- Healing is a solo journey
During healing, our connection to the higher realms is unique, intimate, plentiful and always available. Committing to a journey of healing is a personal choice that needs constant renewal. Most of the time, we engage our attention outwardly, geared by the numerous external demands of our daily lives, unless we consciously interrupt this flow to pay attention to our inner-self. Personal transformation takes concentrated effort and time devoted to turning inward, to quiet our mind and establish a healing connection with the higher realms. We often create rituals around us to facilitate this connection, such as prayer, meditation, dance and drumming, the practice of t’ai chi, yoga, spas, and the like. I believe we develop these rituals to bring us into a sacred space and time of healing the body, mind and spirit. At the beginning of this process, knowledge along with the support and guidance of an expert counselor is important. Ultimately, the task of healing, self-empowerment, and finding new life meaning is a solo task, and entirely our own responsibility. For healers this has two implications: first, a responsibility to commit regularly to expanding our own learning and practice of self-care; and second, to encourage others to engage consistently in self-care practices, to work towards self-reliance and responsibility for their own self improvement.
3- Healing involves rhythm
Life is rhythm. The subtle energies, consisting of a waveform of vibration, follow an oscillating rhythm of characteristic frequency (Gerber, 2001; Oschman, 2001). In general, life follows in an orderly sequence of rhythms: day and night, yearly seasons, the moon cycles, the ocean tides and our own inner and outer cycles of biological functions and development. I believe that we access healing energy best when we are immersed in some form of rhythm, whether following the rhythm of our breath, tapping acupoints or engaged in t’ai chi, qigong or any other practice involving movement. Healing takes place effortlessly when we relax and follow the flow of a rhythm. Levine (1997) explains that physiological phenomena occur in cycles. Allowing these physiological healing rhythms to unfold is essential in the transformation of trauma. “The pace of healing rhythm may seem slow, compared to the pace of life however, overall it only takes a few minutes.”
Highlights of AAT©
AAT© is about becoming attuned to the wisdom of the body, expanding our consciousness to be fully receptive to the in-formation from the ‘Field,’ allowing it to transform distress and trauma.
In setting out on a journey of exploration in new territory, it is helpful to have a map. Here is an outline of AAT that will be discussed below.
Awareness
Source of distress and trauma, past or recent
Fears, negative feelings and limiting beliefs
Acceptance
Expanding consciousness
Experiencing the physical-energetic imprint in the body
Breathing and relaxing
Transformation
Adherence to a healing rhythm
Discovery of a new meaning
Forgiveness and Gratitude
Consolidation of Transformation
Empowerment
Peacefulness
To illustrate the AAT© model, I would like to introduce you to one of my clients, whom I saw two years ago, in my capacity as a psychiatrist.
Kathy is 62 years old. During her initial assessment, she presented as a well functioning professional woman who had recovered from breast cancer about 8 years earlier. She was aware that stress had played a major role in her illness. Her life continued to be stressful. She became aware that she could not change the nature of the stressors but her response to them could be improved. She was offered AAT© energy healing to help her cope with life stresses.
First, she was encouraged to develop basic awareness of her target issue. She was asked to identify the greatest source of stress in her current life, which she described been the relationship with her children, husband and co-workers. Further, she described a very strong and almost automatic need to control all those around her, invariably leading to conflict, frustration, distress and isolation. Her children fought back consistently, while her husband had long ago retreated to a more passive role.
Kathy identified the fears, feelings and beliefs in relation to her need for control. She felt a fear of becoming insignificant unless her initiatives and authority were imposed. She identified feelings of anger, powerlessness, sadness and emptiness, and described a deep-seated belief: “I am too insignificant and unworthy to be respected and appreciated, so I have to fight for myself and impose my ideas to make sure I count.”
She assessed her distress as a value of 8 on a scale of 0 - 10. She described tightness in her chest and stomach areas, corresponding to the heart and solar plexus chakras.
Kathy grounded herself, cleared all resistance to healing and began acceptance of previously identified awareness by engaging in a rhythmic process of expanded consciousness, breathing and relaxing. She focused her mind on the tightness in her chest and stomach for a few seconds. Next, she shifted her attention to her breathing; she took three deep breaths as she imagined healing energy entering her being from the top of her head.
While doing these three steps several times: expanding consciousness, experiencing the tightness in her body and breathing, she experienced images of herself at the age of three, after the birth of her severely handicapped brother. She saw her distraught mother, her newly arrived sibling crying constantly, absorbing all of her mother’s attention, and herself feeling confused and angry. She saw the unexpected arrival of her father, returning from the war. He totally ignored her and began to take control of the household. She felt overwhelmed, isolated and neglected. She climbed to the attic and locked herself in for three days.
During the session, while in the process of acceptance, Kathy made sense of her feelings, beliefs, and need to control the chaotic situation at the age of three. She experienced intense sadness, anger, helplessness and unworthiness, exacerbating the tightness in her chest and stomach, during the process. She continued to engage in a healing rhythm, with gentle but persistent acceptance of the somatic manifestation while consciously breathing, and allowed healing energy to enter her being, In a few minutes, she experienced significant relief of somatic discomfort, sadness, anger and helplessness. She expressed that in some way her need to control others appeared to have transformed, and she felt more at ease. She worked on forgiving herself, her parents and her brother. She expressed gratitude for her new awareness and sense of relief. She set the intention to become vigilant of the need to control others. A few weeks later, she reported she felt far more relaxed, happy and was allowing others to make their own decisions without feeling distressed.
Basic concepts of subtle energy.
Lynne Mc Taggart (2002) discusses the work of many scientists who describe the basic structure of the universe as a sea of motion, of quantum energy fields. Even though the universe appears to be solid, it is thought to be held together by an ongoing flux of particles popping in and out of existence. These particles are called ‘virtual particles’ and described as the exchange of energy between particles that form the atoms, such as electrons, and particles that appear to come from nowhere in less than an instant, causing random fluctuations of energy without an apparent cause. These virtual particles only exist during that exchange. Even though their existence is brief, these virtual particles give rise to huge amount of energy which, when added to the entire universe, is far more than that contained in the entire world of matter. This ’virtual energy’ contained at the subatomic level of all particles of any matter, is also called the Zero Point Field. Physicists refer to the Zero Point energy, to that energy contained in the apparent emptiness of space at the sub-atomic level (McTaggart, 2002).
Moreover, according to our current understandings of the world from quantum physics, it is quite apparent that through this random energetic interchange, the life force (or that energy contained in the zero point field) gives life and form to everything in the universe. It is my own belief that this is a neutral force that has the qualities of perfection and accessible through our consciousness and thoughts to soften and transform all that is negative in our life. As Mc Taggart, L. (2002) explains that according to physicist Schmidt, this energetic interchange may be triggered by the intentions of an observer.
In my experience, this energy can be accessible when we expand our consciousness in a state of relaxation, and we set a ‘cold’ intention, made out of pure thought, devoid of emotional charge. Therefore, this energy, when used properly and consistently, can be a source of constant healing and repair to counterbalance the inevitable bumps of life, past or present. I believe that the capacity to transform negative energy is one of the most precious gifts ever given to humans, yet the one that is most ignored. This transformation is within our power and easily accessible to all of us. It is free and available to anyone, any instant of the day.
When the energy field expresses in a living physical body, whether human or animal, it organizes into systems that acquire different patterns in order to meet the biological functions of the body (physical, cognitive and emotional). These systems have been described for centuries in Eastern civilizations. They are the Meridian and the Chakra systems. They are connected to each cell on the body; they are complex and work in coordination and feed into one another. Along the pathway of Meridians are points of lower electrical resistance called acupoints, (R. Becker, 1990). They serve as the basis of acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture is currently an established, well accepted intervention for the relief of a multitude of physical and emotional ailments (Diener, 2006). Z. H. Cho (1998) demoinstrated the correspondence of meridian acupoints stimulation with activation of specific brain areas, using the MRI, a brain imaging device.
The Hindu and Buddhist tradition focuses on the main energy centers, the chakra system. Bruyere (1994) and Judith (2002), give us an excellent review on the ‘anatomy’ and function of the chakras at the physical, emotional and spiritual levels.
AAT© focuses on aspects of both chakras and meridian systems (see Figures 1 and 2). I believe that trauma, along with the fears feelings and beliefs that go along with it, manifests precisely in the chakra energy centers and the meridian pathway. The manifestation of trauma can in fact travel from one to the other, giving rise to sensations of pressure, burning and pain. The trauma energies move throughout these systems and reflect the common expression of ‘it is a gut feeling.’ Having a basic notion of their physical location and their energetic/emotional/spiritual meaning will facilitate your recognition of the expression of trauma and distress in your body.
Who can use this model?
Basically anyone can benefit from AAT©, particularly professional psychotherapists and healers of any background. It is also safe for the use by anyone in the public who wishes to improve his or her physical, emotional and spiritual health.
Figures 1a and 1b. Meridians (14 bilateral pairs)
Figure 2.Chakras (main energy centers)
What kind of issues can be the focus of AAT©?
The spectrum of healing includes anything you are not happy carrying in your life and which may trigger feelings of anxiety, fears, sadness or grief. The usual targets are major traumas. Other issues in your daily life will also respond, such as feeling tense and anxious. For example, good starting points may include anticipation of a family gathering, feeling ‘uptight’ after an argument with your mother, friend or partner, feeling hurt because your child does not like the food you spent many hours preparing, or feeling angry and frustrated with yourself for procrastinating to clean up the long time accumulated clutter in your bedroom. Other good targets are recurrent nightmares, disturbing thoughts and memories; maladaptive and self-defeating/destructive/addictive behaviors, habits, physical pain, etc. Anyone can think of the need to heal a trauma, but most people have difficulty cluing into the need to heal ongoing, daily distresses.
When is the right time for healing?
You can proceed to heal the body, mind and spirit at any time. Just as stains on a piece of clothing are easily removed if cleaned promptly, so it is with the energy clearing. A good time is whenever you become aware that something does not feel right, or you feel out of sync with the wholesome flow of your life. It is not important to be completely certain of the origin or cause of distress. In fact, the distress may be quite vague and still respond well.
Contraindications to the use of AAT©
There are common contraindications to all energy methods:
1. In the event a person seeks help to relieve the impact of emotional trauma but she or he also considers undertaking legal action, proceeding with AAT© prior to appearing in court will often disable the person as a reliable witness. That person will no longer be credible because she or he cannot react emotionally when retelling the story. By the end of a treatment, using any energy modality, regardless of the type, emotions usually become neutral, trauma is experienced as remote, distant and no longer relevant, and fears, angers and other negativity are no longer present.
2. When there is any hesitation to proceed with a healing: preliminary discussion with your therapist to clear any concerns should take precedent.
3. Do not use any Energy Psychology methods in a causal manner, for example, as a game at a party or without previous verbal or written consent.
4. Use caution when healing friends or relatives. Good judgment, mindfulness, consent, and the highest good should prevail.
General considerations
You can learn the basic ingredients of AAT© rapidly. You can do no right or wrong. No matter what your outcome during a healing is, you will be one step further on your ongoing physical, emotional and spiritual development as a human being. During the process of AAT© your mind will take you to whatever has been relevant in the past and associated to the current event.
Whether you are dealing with past traumas or current life issues, the content of the event after healing will remain in your memory, sometimes intact, other time experienced as distant and remote, but the emotional charge and the associated limiting beliefs about yourself will be transformed. Emotions will be experienced as neutral. Life will acquire a more positive perspective. You may acquire new ways of looking at life and relationships. You will discover new meaning to the event. If you experience self-critical, self- blaming or self-judging thoughts at any time, imagine a virtual box beside you where you place these kinds of thoughts each time they appear in your mind, then take a deep slow breath. It is helpful to drink water before and after you do this work. Subtle healing energies are in constant movement through the body mind and spirit. Hydration helps the flow through the energy centers, meridian pathways, connective tissue and into every cell.
This is your time to heal. Choose a quiet moment of the day. Have no expectations of what will happen as a result of your work. Healing can take place in very indirect, sometimes mysterious ways. Healing may occur in aspects of your life that you did not anticipate, for example, healing a broken relationship. Sometimes the effect is immediate, and other times you will not experience its effect for many days, weeks or months. . Children heal and recover far faster than adults. I do not think this is a matter of their having accumulated less suffering, as some of them have, indeed, experienced far more suffering, very early in life. Rather, children usually place no expectations on an outcome. They go into a healing path charged with innocence, and the results are usually amazing. So, adopt a child-like stance. Place your trust in and surrender to the higher realms. They know best what you need to heal at this time. Place only a general intention for healing, an intention of thought without emotional charge.
Awareness
Real freedom lies in our capacity to do the best with what has been done to us.
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
- Marcus Aurelius.
Awareness implies willingness, a conscious decision to work on your wellbeing. Whatever has been done to us to cause pain and suffering, the ultimate responsibility to transform the negative experience, get over the misfortunes, and move forward lies exclusively with ourselves. Blaming others or using misfortunes as an excuse to behave poorly, mistreat others or live in misery is a poor choice that may lead to unhappiness, illness, emptiness and a meaningless life. However, the decision to move forward is not an easy one. It demands much courage and commitment. Unless we need to get over a trauma, major conflict, loss or crisis, We do not think of healing daily distress. To most, it is not obvious why they are miserable and it does not jump clearly to the conscious mind. If it were that easy, the world would not live with so much suffering. Most of us live a good part of the time in a state of un-awareness of negative inner states, from slightly negative (vague discomfort) to severely disturbing. The most difficult aspects of healing are:
1. Being aware that we are holding distressing or traumatic events and emotions, a hurt self–esteem, fears etc.
2. Resistance to healing (discussed later, in the section of acceptance.)
How does a person overcome the obstacle of un-awareness?
There is no easy answer. It entails a process of being attuned to the needs of your inner self, listening carefully to the body, addressing maladaptive behaviors and poor habits, making a conscious choice and commitment to self-care and self-healing. This may require renouncing to many aspects of a busy life and seeking moments of quiet aloneness, sometimes achieved with just five minutes a day.
The human energy system is quite efficient in expressing emotional distress in the body, simply as a vague sensation or severe pain, burning, tightness, fatigue, and any form of illness. The spirit gives us warnings, rings alarms; if we do not listen we may go into crisis – a literal hit over the head! These crises can be our best alerts and guides to the need for healing. Therefore, when in the presence of physical or emotional pain, ask: What does this pain-event etc. mean in my life? Is this a pattern in my life? What do I need to heal, to let go of? Commonly, we rush to use painkillers to silence a pain that appears to come from nowhere, or we push aside the feelings of an overloaded heart or other part of our body. This is a serious deficit in Western medical treatment, and one that energy medicine addresses well.
It may be helpful if you ask yourself:
- Why do I have uneasy feelings?
- What do I need to learn about myself because of what happened?
- What do I need to learn about this pain?
Fears, Feelings and Beliefs
Fears, negative feelings and limiting beliefs (FFB) are most often the real problem for the body mind and spirit beyond, the issues that stir the feelings. FFB keep us from healing from living healthy, happy and at peace. It is essential to gain awareness of fears, negative feelings, and limiting beliefs in order to heal.
Levine (1997) explains that the freeze response in humans does not easily resolve like it does in animals, “due to a supercharged energy locked in the nervous system, imprisoned by the emotions of fear and terror and resulting in a vicious cycle of fear and immobility. Fear enhances and extends immobility. It also makes the mobilization process a fearful event.” Pynoos (1997) discussed biochemical findings indicating that early life stress sets in motion ’trauma-related expectations’ in key brain areas, which are later expressed in dysfunctional thinking (beliefs), emotion, behavior and structural brain changes.
Fears, negative feelings and limiting beliefs (FFB) are not entirely under our conscious control; they are fueled by primitive conditioned reflexes. Because they are not primarily under the command of our conscious mind, FFB tend to run on an ‘automatic pilot,’ as if having their own ‘motor.’ This makes it difficult for us to modify or eliminate them solely by using willpower. They are often housed in the unconscious mind, some deeply buried in it, and thus, it takes some work to find and retrieve them.
Fear is present in every traumatic event and often goes along with feeling insignificant, feeling abandoned by the Divine, which leads to feelings of disconnection and alienation. Fears may prevent healing, may separate our mind and spirit from the energy of the universe, may prevent us from speaking aloud our inner feelings and everything that feels true to us. Fears keep us small; prevent us from becoming who we were meant to be. Fears keep us trapped, unable to unfold our creative potential whether in relationships, work or entertainment. Fears, negative feelings, and limiting beliefs prevent us from living in accordance to our soul’s purpose.
On the other hand, like anything else, fears have a dual yin/yan quality. “Fear can excite, causing an adrenaline drive that gives us the courage to perform. Or, it can paralyze our actions, leading to lack of strength and focus” (Page, 2003).
Negative feelings such as anger, shame, sadness, hurt etc. are part of most human beings. We can harbor multiple negative feelings at any one time, in relation to ourselves and others. If negative feelings are kept in the shadow, we do not understand why they are in our being, and how they got there. We cannot transform these hidden feelings into more adaptive and positive ones. Carrying negative feelings around in our being will generate a feeling that life is a burden; they will keep us stuck and unable to easily flow with the ups and downs of life. They will become destructive to ourselves and others, and create imbalance in our energy system. Unresolved anger is a major source of stress and illness, especially to the cardiovascular system (Myrtek, 2001; Niaura, 2002). Anger and hostility keep us from enjoying life, being compassionate and creative.
However, anger, like any other emotion also has a dual quality of yin/yan. “Anger can direct attention, leading to assertion and inner commitment. Or, can burn out of control, destroying all that get in its way” (Page, 2003). If you think you have stored intense and excessive anger/hostility for some time, and/or you come form a family of angry explosive parents and/or grandparents, you may need to commit yourself to work consistently in releasing and transforming your current and generational anger. In my experience, it is unrealistic to expect a complete transformation of anger, current and generational, in one single session but requires being vigilant and committed to heal and transform it whenever it arises.
Limiting beliefs are ‘untrue-thoughts’ about ourselves that we once told to our mind in order to make sense of something that was too hurtful, or incomprehensible, such as feeling unloved by an important person. They may also be negative thoughts we heard from others too often, such as “you can never do things right,” “you are lazy so you will never get anywhere in life,” Do as you are told regardless of what you want, is what people do” etc. We engineer those thoughts ourselves to justify a reality that is distressing, undesirable, that makes us suffer. Because we usually do not receive adequate training to get past a conflict and resolve differences in ways that are harmonious with others and our inner self, we build these ‘lies’ in our mind in order to remain reasonably coherent and keep on going with life. These beliefs become so powerful that they not only dominate our lives, but they become ‘absolute truths’ about who we are, to the point that convincing us otherwise is a difficult task. They cannot be easily corrected by the reassurance of a well meaning friend, therapist or by inner self talk of more positive kinds of thoughts.
Some examples of limiting beliefs are:
“It was all my fault about what happened”
“I will never amount to anything”
“I am helpless to change my life”
“If I do or say what I really feel, he/she will no longer love me.”
Here is an example of how one of my patients struggled with limiting beliefs:
John, at the age of 28, remains shy and introverted. He experiences the world as a frightening place. His fear of being harshly judged by others has prevented him from carrying out his dream of opening his own business, a pastry shop, even though he is a gifted pastry chef. He lives disarmed by fears and the beliefs: ”I will never amount to anything.” “I will surely fail.” “I am not capable of running a business.” ”People will not like what I do.” This negative chatter ran through his mind daily, while waiting for a miracle to take place. He does not realize that only he has the power to transform the image and belief about himself and attempt to change his future.
John probably would have failed in business had he not freed himself from the destructive beliefs about himself and reconnected with his true self, a gifted man, capable of many things he wants to be. During several sessions of psychotherapy, John used AAT, making his limiting belief of unworthiness the focal point. He became aware of intense discomfort in his upper abdomen, and related this to recurrent stomach ailments he has suffered for years. When he thought of his problem, the fear of taking risks and his limiting beliefs of unworthiness, he decided his SUD level had an intensity of 9. John grounded himself and engaged in the healing rhythm, focusing on the discomfort in his abdomen for a few seconds, then focusing on gentle breathing as he expanded his consciousness, connecting his awareness to the infinite universe. While going through this rhythm several times, he became aware of the relationship between his current situation and the difficult treatment he had received from the stepfather, whom he perceived as a harsh, punitive individual. Once he felt the limiting beliefs of unworthiness where no longer relevant to his inner self, John worked on forgiving himself for holding on to his detrimental beliefs, and forgave his stepfather, whom he now perceives as a wounded man who also had much hardship growing up.
Subsequently, John communicated his feelings and perceived childhood experiences to his stepfather, a difficult step for John, as he knew he would respond with anger however, eventually stepfather came to understand him, likely guided by John’s newly acquired wisdom. Now they enjoy a more amicable relationship. By the end of treatment, John was more spontaneous and forthcoming verbally, and was able to easily identify the numerous times he had accomplished tasks and projects successfully, as well as the multiple areas of strengths he had neglected to cultivate. The following month he obtained a Bank loan to start a new business, which up to date is running quite successfully.
These kinds of negative beliefs and thousands of others like them can convince us at the unconscious level that we are not entirely worthy. They imply that we are less than what our most inner spiritual self really is, namely essentially good, well meaning, and completely worthy.
Now you can think about some of your own limiting beliefs created by yourself or others that are related to your issue. Sometimes these beliefs become far more prominent than the issue itself. The negative beliefs may even become the issue that is causing the problems in one’s life.
Attempt to become aware as much as possible of all fears, negative feelings and limiting beliefs you may have in association to your problem.
To help yourself with this task, you may ask:
“What would my life be like without this problem?”
“How would I feel? So… How am I feeling now carrying this problem?”
“What am I afraid of when I think of this issue?”
What thoughts about myself come to mind when I think of this problem? “
“Having this problem, what does it say about me? What does it make me?”
Location of trauma, distress, fears, feelings and beliefs in the body
In my experience, the physical/energetic imprint of distress and trauma manifest most clearly on the main energy centers (the seven chakras) along the midline of the body. (See Figure 2, above.) There are another 2.000 minor energy centers dispersed throughout the body. Therefore, distress and trauma can manifest anywhere in the body and even throughout the entire body. I have also observed that people experiencing chronic non-injury pain, often manifest along the pathway of a meridian.
To become aware of the location of energetic disturbance in your body: Hold in your mind the distressing event or any target you wish to work on, the negative thought, fears, feelings and beliefs associated to your target and that you wish to let go. Scan the midline of your body first then, scan the rest of your body searching for areas of pain, tightness, burning etc. Become aware of the physical qualities of the disturbance. Notice the size, shape, color, texture, movement, sound and any other quality. The location may be along the energy centers or anywhere in your body.
Measure the intensity.
To assess how severe our problems are, as well as to appreciate how well AAT© is working, there is a simple scale we can use. We start out asking, “How big does it feel for me when I put it all together, the issue, the distress in my body, all fears, feelings and beliefs? Notice the intensity and rate it on a scale of 0 – 10 (Wolpe, 1969). This is called the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD). (See figure 3.)
Figure 3. Subjective Units of Distress Scale
My SUD level
0------------------------------------------10
No distress Greatest intensity of distress
Blocks: resistances to healing and transformation.
Dealing with resistance to healing is the most important and difficult aspect in this work. Beck (1985) and Ellis (1995), in their seminal work on the psychology of cognition, described that is not the situation that triggers distress and maladaptive behavior. Rather, the irrational beliefs or ‘blocks’ generated as a result of the situation create the problems. These irrational beliefs also explain the individual’s inability to make positive life changes. Removing the blocks frees the person to move towards solutions.
Energy Psychology explains that self-sabotaging beliefs or behaviors lead to the opposite outcome from that which the individual wishes to achieve. This is a reversed situation or ‘psychological reversal.’ Gallo (2000) explains the theoretical possibility that as a result of a highly stressful or traumatic experience, the energy system could become depleted to a very low level, negatively charged energetically, and the treatment would be ineffective unless the situation is corrected.
In my opinion, any type of negative belief, regardless of its nature or duration, can constitute a block to the healing process. Regardless of the nature and duration, resistance to healing can be corrected easily and rapidly. Moreover, in order for the high vibration of the healing energy to enter our being it is essential to be free of blocking beliefs, or resistance.
It takes courage to undertake physical, emotional and spiritual change, the presence of blocks make it even more difficult. One contributor to resistance to healing is the common pattern, developed over the years, of repressing or denying distressing emotions. The mind develops thoughts that justify the ‘storing away’ of negative emotions. These thoughts are also called blocking beliefs. Blocking beliefs serve as a barrier to keep negative emotions from erupting into awareness to cause emotional distress. Thus, initially they have an adaptive function, and ensure that the original distressing event is kept out of awareness, thereby allowing us to function without suffering and major negative distractions from past unresolved issues. However, these buried emotions manifest unconsciously through maladaptive behavior, addictions and depression.
Blocking beliefs maintain distressing emotions in a frozen, disorganized, static state, stored in the unconscious mind. In Levine’s terms, they maintain a state of immobility response. It has been my observation that this process is an expensive one because it takes a sizable amount of energy to maintain it, and it is resistant to change. Carrying blocking beliefs may induce ongoing feelings of guilt, unhappiness, dissatisfaction and misery. They may also grow to become self-blaming, self-critical, judgmental, perpetuating fears and guilt or feelings of helplessness, skepticism and emotional inertia. They prevent the conscious mind from making the connection between distressing emotions of the present and unresolved issues of the past, as the necessary link is unavailable, stored away in the unconscious. I believe that they are so powerful that no healing may take place in their presence.
We often house dozens or even hundreds of blocking beliefs for every unresolved issue. I do not think is necessary to deal with each of them individually. A general intention is sufficient for releasing those connected to the current event.
After the release of blocking beliefs, the person may feel vulnerable and unprotected temporarily. A positive way to think of this state is that the body, mind and spirit have become transparent, luminescent and receptive to change and transformation.
Below, there are a few examples of the multiple beliefs that may contribute resistance to healing. Consider whether any of these resonate with you and the problem you wish to let go. To check if any of these applies to you, use Muscle Testing or, use your intuition to detect their presence by placing your attention to the heart center, as you read each of them.
Common beliefs that create resistance to allow energy healing enter your being
• I don’t want or need to get over this issue. Often due to fear, or loss of a secondary gain obtained as a result of suffering, such as attention or financial benefits.
• I will never get over this issue. Indicates loss of hope in a better future, demoralization, feeling abandoned by those around us or even the divine source.
• I do not deserve to get over this issue. This emerges when there has been damage to the self-esteem, or we have inflicted much guilt, blame and self-criticism on ourselves, so that we feel unworthy and undeserving of any better.
• It is not safe for me to get over this issue. It takes a hold of us when we fear that similar events resembling the original event will inflict similar suffering on us, and we believe ourselves to be unprotected, even abandoned.
• I have been abandoned by the divine
• I do not feel fully committed to this life. This relates to a wish to die, important in people suffering severe depression, chronic fatigue, a sense of heaviness, or futility in life. Often, this may relate to a wish triggered by significant events in a person’s childhood.
• I will not do what I need to do get over this issue. This one embodies rebellion, possible self-punishment, revenge against oneself, self-sabotaging behavior, anger as a reesult of feeling abandoned by those around us, or the divine source.
• And, many others…
It is simple to overcome resistance generated by unconscious blocking beliefs:
• Relax. Take a deep breath • Draw your attention to your chest area; think of the problem you wish to let go. • Say once to yourself something along these lines, capturing the meaning, not getting entangled in the exact wording. Use your own words if you wish. It will work just the same:
“I am aware I have blocks that prevent me from being fully receptive to the healing energies.
My spirit is unique.
I am one with the universe.
I let go of all barriers my conscious and unconscious mind is holding about this issue
I am open and receptive to change and transformation.”
• Then take three deep breaths.
Acceptance
We can conceptualize our existence as having three domains, a virtual domain of possibilities that contains cosmic or zero point field information, an energetic domain, and a domain of matter. Healing is strongest when our consciousness integrates these three domains and moves smoothly from one into the other.
To fully accept, we need to become present, being fully present in our body mind and spirit. “Being present or in the Now requires still, quiet strength and; is a doorway into inter-dimensional consciousness…. Is the site of true intension… Is a place of magic and transformation….and demands to take responsibility for our lives” (Page, 2003).
Acceptance involves expanding consciousness, moving our attention from the distress in the body to the virtual universe, in full alertness and in a state of relaxation. When we place an intention for healing devoid of emotional charge, in a relaxed alert state of mind, we become observers of the zero point field, open to the potential of possibilities in the universe. When we connect the healing energy of the universe with the energy of distress in the body, transformation of that energy begins to take place, easily and effortlessly.
When we fully accept the experience of distress, the body lets go rapidly and effortlessly of all emotions and fears. The body then reshapes thinking, and transforms limiting beliefs attached to the distressing event. We feel a sense of relief and inner peace.
Acceptance includes the following elements:
Grounding
Chronically over-stressed individuals or trauma victims tend to feel spaced out, unfocused, or in psychological terms, dissociated. This is the energetic opposite of being grounded or supported by the solid energy of the first and second chakras and the energy of the earth. It is as if our bodies are split at the waist, giving us a feeling of floating in the head. The body feels split from the mind and soul - as if our mind and soul are not fully housed in the body. Therefore, before you engage in any kind of energy healing it is helpful to start with some kind of grounding exercises to restore a more wholesome state and anchor us to the supportive energy to the earth.
Grounding exercises:
• Standing with your legs slightly open, your arms swinging loosely by your side, take a deep breath-in. Focus your attention on your lower abdomen. Press your feet hard on the floor. Imagine strong energy flowing from the earth through each sole of your feet, and flowing upwards. Imagine this energy circling around your lower abdomen a few times, then loosely spread upwards and all over your body. Take three deep breaths.
• Standing or sitting, press your feet against the floor, take a deep breath in. Then place the fingers of one hand under your nose while the other open hand loosely rests on the lower part of the back of your head, as if holding the bones of your head. Take three deep breaths.
Expanding consciousness
The Zero Point Field is all around you and within you, and contains the purest form of transformative, creative energy with the highest vibration. I believe that an effective way to tap into this field is to connect to the higher universe while attaining a state of relaxation using our breathing.
Bring your attention to the chest area, on the heart center. Extend the energy of the heart as far as you can into the universe. Bring the energy back into your heart again. Take three deep breaths.
Presence to the body
We cannot accept our distress unless we are present to our body, which means to fully concentrate on the physical/energetic imprint of distress, trauma, fears feelings and beliefs in your body. To experience this physical imprint, feel it, visualize it, hear it or connect in any other way that is easy for you.
Concentrate fully on the physical qualities of the distress: Size, Shape, Color, Texture, Movement, Sound. Pay attention to all the places where the body is experiencing the distress.
Relaxing and breathing.
Acceptance requires relaxation, and the most efficient and rapid way to achieve relaxation is through having a still mind, and breathing.
When we are under stress, we breathe superficially using only the upper third of lung capacity. Holding our breath compounds stress, anxiety and chronic pain. Learning how to breathe slowly, gently and effortlessly, using the entire chest and abdomen is an art worth pursuing. The body mind and spirit require relaxed, deep, slow, gentle breathing in order to fully let go of distress.
Transformation
Transformation happens without having to work hard to let go. It happens effortlessly.
The more we accept the presence of distress in the body, connect to the universal healing energy and relax, the more the body lets go and transforms the issue to a positive meaning. The dense energy of pain and suffering transforms into energy of meaning, of beauty.
When we have learned everything we need to learn to ask, “How much have I transformed this issue? If pain or suffering remains, or resurfaces few days later, it is not your fault or as a result of our having done something wrong. It means you need to continue with healing work. I believe that we are given only what we can handle at any particular time. You may be given further awareness in the days or months to come.
Emergence of new awareness
It is very common, as you work through a problem with AAT or any other method, to become aware of increasing numbers of fears, negative feelings and limiting beliefs. They are often variations of the same theme. However, occasionally they are new and they do surprise you. You do not need to feel overwhelmed by them. On the contrary, celebrate their arrival, because you are finally aware! Welcome them into your body, and heal them.
Complex situations, such as complex and severe PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
Flooding with strong emotions and flashbacks are often a challenge, and beyond the scope of this paper. I recommend having as much training as possible in this area before you treat clients with these problems. Familiarize yourself with the three-phase treatment approach. There are multiple energetic approaches to the treatment of complex PTSD.
New emerging images or distressing memories of the past.
Sometimes new images or memories from the past can arise during AAT© and may be disturbing. It is important to place these images in a proper context. It is well known that memory is fragile. Time distorts events from the past. It is not known exactly what images of recalled memories represent, whether they are repressed past events or whether they are a ‘mind artifact,’ symbolic of a past event just like a dream might be. These images may have little to do at all with the actual traumatic events. They may reflect a reconstructed story by our minds, in order to let go of disturbing emotions, fears and limiting beliefs which are the real culprit of suffering. Perhaps they are a tool of the unconscious mind to obtain new meanings for life events. In any case, recalled, newly emerged ‘memories,’ need to be taken with caution and a grain of salt. Whatever they represent, the ultimate goal is their transformation into a new, more positive outcome.
• Become aware of newly emerged memories, notice the changes in the body.
• Clear blocks.
• Proceed to locate the physical/energetic imprint of the new awareness.
• Go into a new rhythm of expanding consciousness-presence to the body-relax and breathe.
Issues that surface repeatedly.
It is not uncommon, for issues you have already addressed may keep reoccurring. It is not an indication of you not doing a good job, or that the methods you are using are not valid.
Recurrence of apparently resolved past issues do occur with any EP method used. You experience relief each time you work on an issue, each time becoming stronger with a greater sense of wellbeing in your life. You make better choices for yourself and others. You become conscious of your behavior and life options, your limiting beliefs are reframed and transformed to more positive ones. You feel em-powered, with an improved sense of self-respect, identity and self-esteem. However, core issues appear to return over and over in order to teach us more about who we really are and deserve out of this life.
Christine, a woman in her 50’s, had worked numerous times on the emotionally devastating impact of rejection and abandonment by her mother and multiple other loved ones. The most meaningful people in her life had rejected her repeatedly. She continued to work, using energy therapy, on the perceived rejections in her current life, and one day there was a qualitative change in her work. Whereas, before she had felt oppressed by the surfacing memories and feelings, she now felt empowered and confident to say that rejection was a sensitive hallmark in her life, like a guiding light that invites her each time to enter ever deeper layers of her inner-self, to accept them and love them every time a bit more. Whenever she felt the signs of perceived rejection in her stomach and her chest, she had the power to transform those feelings quietly, rapidly and effectively, until the next time the feelings knocked on the intimate door of her spirit. Each time she worked on it, she grew stronger and stronger.
Getting started with ATT© (A work sheet is provided for your use at the end of this article, in Figure 4.)
· Awareness: Think for a few seconds about your issue, fears, negative feelings and limiting beliefs.
· Ground yourself and drink some water.
· Begin acceptance. Think of the process of acceptance as a rhythmic dance, in which your mind will alternate between focusing your attention on the physical/energetic imprint and taking three (3) deep breaths.
· Let go of the event, memory, image or thought causing your distress
· Expand your consciousness by becoming aware of the infinite universe you are connected to, then drawing your attention to your heart center. Breathing slowly, extend the energy of your heart as far as it goes into the universe. Breathing slowly, bring the energy back to your heart center. Take a deep breath.
· Give yourself permission to fully experience the physical/energetic imprint of distress in your body. Notice the physical qualities of the physical/energetic imprint: shape-color-texture-movement, sound etc. Experience it- Visualize it – Hear it- Smell it etc. Be with it. Be in it. Imagine your mind is a laser beam capable of fully exploring those qualities. Spend a few seconds exploring the qualities of the physical/energetic imprint. Listen to whatever it needs to tell you. Learn from it whatever is necessary to learn, now.
· Return to pay attention to the breathing after a few seconds. Take three (3) deep, slow, gentle breaths.
· Return to the body and notice the intensity and quality of the physical/energetic imprint of distress. It may be in the same or a different location. It may have the same qualities or be quite different this time. Wherever it is, become fully present again to the physical/energetic imprint in your body. Send loving compassionate thoughts to your body. It has held you throughout the years and is using all the wisdom available to help you at this time.
· Listen for any new awareness your body wishes to communicate.
Work with the healing rhythm of acceptance 1-2-3
1 - Expand consciousness
2 - Be present to the distress in your body
3 - Breathe slowly, gently, effortlessly. Imagine healing energy entering your being. Do this until you cannot longer perceive the physical/energetic imprint in your body.
Bring the image of event or trauma, the fears, negative feelings and limiting beliefs back to your awareness.
Check intensity of distress now. If not completely gone and SUD is not = 0, start healing rhythm again, and continue until there is no distress left in your body SUD is = 0
Ending treatment
The end of a treatment is not just the absence of distress or pain. It is a victorious finale! The important thing is what you have gained. It is the arrival of new freedom, relief and new meaning in a particular aspect of your life.
· Notice your fears feelings and beliefs – How do they feel now?
· Notice the transformation of your perceptions of the issue.
· Discover about the issue in your life
If your SUD is anything but 0 it is best to do further work until you fully let-go of distress. Pay special attention to blocks.
WARNING
It is important that you bring your issue, fears, negative feelings and limiting beliefs to full resolution. If, for whatever reason you need to stop working before your SUD is =0, I recommend that you return to complete the work as soon as possible; otherwise your negative emotions will be experienced with heightened intensity, you may feel fatigued, or have poor sleep, until you can fully let go and transform your issue. A warm bath is often helpful after the completion of a treatment. Some people report a worsening of sleep or symptoms in the first 24-48 hours, which invariable subsides.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness completes the process of transformation, it is like the icing on the cake. Sometimes, forgiveness may involve a process over a long period, each time forgiving different and wider aspects of a relationship, healing that relationship at deeper and deeper levels.
I think forgiveness in energy terms means transformation of destructive energetic attachments, when they no longer serve our life purpose in a positive and meaningful way. We can visualize these attachments as energetic cords that tie us to a particular relationships generating dissatisfaction or distress. These energetic attachments tend to be loaded with destructive emotions, fears and limiting beliefs.
To disengage from these attachments, we need to sever those negative energetic connections. Once attachments are severed, they are replaced by strong boundaries between ourselves and the source of attachment that generated distress. It is not always necessary to break up a relationship entirely; it may not be possible or desirable to do so. It is possible to disconnect energetically from aspects of a relationship, from emotions such as anger, fears or dysfunctional beliefs such as “whenever we argue or something goes wrong, I feel as if it is always my fault.”
The state of mind after transformation of an issue is a fertile ground for forgiveness, for setting boundaries. Emotions have become neutral, fears and limiting beliefs are no longer relevant, new understandings are discovered. Feelings of strength and empowerment are experienced. Forgiving will allow setting limits to assert our wishes according to what we feel is honest and true to our inner self.
Because human relationships are complex, we may need to return later, to further heal different aspects of a relationship, and each time you will need to forgive those new aspects.
Through forgiveness, you further detach from the trauma. You grow in strength and confidence by drawing appropriate boundaries with those you associate to your distress or trauma. You may decide to continue to being involved in a particular relationship especially when at the end of your healing obtained a new perspective and feel at peace with a particular person. You may decide to break up the relationship entirely if that serves best your inner growth. You may decide to relate to only some aspects of a relationship while detaching from others, such is the case when parents divorce but decide to continue having an amicable relationship in order to deal with issues related to their children. It is my experience that when healing is complete, it becomes effortless, a matter of fact, to make such decisions. The process of forgiveness makes this task even easier. It is also important to forgive those who have passed on and no longer are part of a physical relationship but they remain energetically attached to you.
In summary, forgiveness involves an intention to detach, and set healthier boundaries between you and a particular individual(s). The exercises below will help you in the process:
Forgiveness of oneself
· Sit quietly, breathe gently and effortlessly
· Expand your consciousness far into the universe.
· Focus your mind on your heart center. Breathe gently and effortlessly as you say quietly in your mind:
“I forgive myself for any responsibility I may have had, consciously or unconsciously, to hold on to this issue in my body, mind, and spirit.”
· If working with childhood trauma, forgive, comfort and love the child within.
· “Now that I am an adult, I can offer the child within me, protection, unconditional love and acceptance in my heart.
· Proceed to give the child within you a special corner in your heart, a place where it could live in peace forever
Forgiveness of others
· Imagine the other person or several people, as relevant, sitting in front of you.
· Look at the person or people in the eyes, (it may feel uncomfortable) and say:
“You hurt me by saying, or doing................to me, and as a result I felt.........
(feelings).”
“I have now let go of my distress (or trauma), and I forgive you.””
· Imagine an energy cord, coming off from the part of your body that is in distress, which is likely an energy center, and extending all the way to the other person’s same energy center. Proceed to gently sever this energy cord from yourself and from those people, alive or dead that in some way were associated to your problem and quietly say: “I sever this energetic connection from the deepest corners of my being.”
· Allow the negative energy of the cord to be transformed into something positive and noble. Surround yourself with white light, so you are well protected from the negative energy of the fears, feelings and beliefs contained in the cord. Ask your Higher self to continue the transformation in the coming days of any remaining traces of fears negative feelings and beliefs as you continue being surrounded by white light.
· Face the person again, and say:
“You will no longer affect me, or be part of my life, if I choose to do so.
I wish that you have the courage and wisdom to walk through life, on a better path.
· Observe how comfortable you feel now looking into the person’s eyes. A feeling of neutrality will bring you freedom to do what you wish to do.
Gratitude
Offering sincere and heart-felt gratitude to yourself, others and the higher realms, can connect us to higher vibrations, to feelings of love and kindness, and it can greatly enhance feelings of physical, emotional spiritual wellbeing.
Appreciate everything and everyone in your life without doubt or expectations. The way to set change in motion is to bless and feel grateful for even the most difficult parts of our life.
– Caroline Myss
Enjoy new freedom and express gratitude
· Give gratitude to your body and mind, higher self and divine center for releasing and transforming all that you no longer desire in your being thus far.
· Think of what you accomplished today. Notice how your body feels now.
Pay attention to your heart center. Breathe deeply in and out three times, noticing and holding the feelings of lightness, peaceful relaxation in your mind for a few seconds, or for how long you wish to.
You may say to yourself:” I give thanks to the Universal Energy, and I appreciate any progress I made today, no matter how small. It is the beginning of a new life.” Words of gratitude will be abundant in your everyday life. Whether in thoughts or spoken aloud, they are equally powerful to affect your life, the life of others and the world.
Success means fulfilling your own dreams, singing your own song, dancing your own dance, creating from your heart and enjoying the journey, trusting that whatever happens, it will be OK. Creating your own adventure!
– Elana Lindquist
Self-care
Even though each time you heal an aspect of your life, it gives the impression of something instant and magic having taken place, true deeper healing is a life long commitment to your physical emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Strive daily towards it, finding higher positive meaning to your life experiences. Search for what works for you, and that which enhances your life. Many paths lead to healing, peace, love and contentment. Pursue and enjoy their discovery
Live righteously, and according to the guidance of your most-inner self.
Client report
I began my journey of energy healing almost five years ago, following the diagnosis of my then 6 year-old daughter with Asperger’s Disorder. My daughter’s psychiatrist, Dr. Becker, recognized that the magnitude of my feelings of guilt and grief were beyond my daughter’s issues. She energy psychotherapy, using similar energy healing techniques she was using with my daughter. The experience of energy healing helped me move past the guilt and grief I felt about my daughter. I learned that the burden of past experiences, had colored my view of the present. I was left with greater ability to deal with minor, daily events that required clearing of disturbing feelings. However, I felt that my energy healing was not complete and that unresolved, events and issues were still a great burden. It was difficult to identify and even more deal some issues. When Dr. Becker started an energy therapy group, I joined.
The first meeting started with an introduction to the three steps: “Awareness Acceptance and Transformation” a healing model, Dr. Becker had recently developed. The questions, comments and discussion among the group members enhanced my understanding of the model, and their very presence strengthened my resolution to continue with what I anticipated would be an arduous process – a process that had the potential to yield great results, but difficult nonetheless.
Our group met on two occasions, for 3 to 4 hours of actual group therapy. In each session, we walked through the AAT model, each member taking turns, participating fully and openly. I think that it was useful to be in a group during the Awareness step. As I struggled to articulate my feelings, fears and limiting beliefs, my group was often able to help me zero in on my main issue. I also felt that I was able to contribute to the Awareness step for the other individuals. In this step in particular, I felt that the members of the group were functioning in a truly ’connected’ way; we cared for and supported each other. During the Acceptance, Transformation and forgiveness steps of the model, individuals retreated deeply into themselves. The rapid transformation of emotions and energy was occasionally stunning to witness. More typically, I was unaware of the group during these steps, as I was deeply into my own self transformation. Minutes later, we shared each other’s experience of acceptance and letting-go of fears feelings and beliefs, which further enhanced on one another the process of transformation even deeper.
The energy healing I have experienced since the group’s inception has been greater than I anticipated it would be. Through the group experience, I was able to tackle and resolve issues I had not previously had the courage to deal with; I was able to witness the power of energy transformation in others; and I was given the tools I need to continue my healing, on my own, between sessions. The process has not been arduous and I look forward to using energy healing for the rest of my life.
J.C.
There can be no perfecting above without the perfecting influence of humans when they are righteous and act from love.
– Zohar 2:155a
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
– George Bernard Shaw.
Important: This model does not claim to be a cure of any problem. The results described in here are not encountered in everyone who attempts working with the model. In fact with any model, you choose to work with there will be about 60-80% of people who report improvement of some kind, from extraordinary to mild or minimal improvements. Personally, I find that the more you use any model of intervention and the more committed you are to self-care, the greater the benefits, sense of wellbeing and health you obtain over time. It is also important you continue attending to your regular physicians visits, follow their recommendations and take medications as prescribed.
References
Becker, R.O. (1990) Cross Currents. New York: G. Putnam and Sons
Cho, Z.H. (1998). New findings of the correlation between acupoints and corresponding brain cortices using functional MRI. Proceedings of National Academy of Science, 95, 2670-2673
Diener, H. (2006). Efficacy of acupuncture for the prophylaxis of migraine: A multicentre randomized controlled clinical trial. Lancet Neurology, 5,310-316.
Elder, C. et al. (2007), Randomized Trial of Two Mind-Body Interventions for Weight-Loss Maintenance. (QI and TAT). The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Jan 2007, Vol. 13, No. 1 : 67 -78
Gallo, F. and Vincenzi, H. (2000) Energy Tapping. New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
Gerber, R. (2001). Vibrational medicine (3rd ed.). Santa Fe, NM: Bear & Co.
Judith, A. (2002) Wheels of Life. A user’s guide to the chakra system. [??]
Levine, Peter. (1997) Waking The Tiger. North Atlantic Books Berkley, CA
Mc Taggart, Lynne (2002). The Field. The Quest For The Secret Force Of The Universe.
Myrtek, M. (2001) Meta-analyses of prospective studies on coronary heart disease, type A personality, and hostility. International Journal of Cardiology 79: 245-251.
Myss, C. (1996) Anatomy of the Spirit. The Seven Stages of Power and Healing
Niaura, R. et. al. (2002) Hostility, the Metabolic Syndrome, and Incident Coronary Heart Disease. Health Psychology, Vol 21, No. 6.
Oschman, James. (2001). Energy Medicine- The Scientific Basis. Ed. Churchill & Livingstone.
Page, C. (2003) Spiritual Alchemy. How To Transform Your Life. Random House
Pynoos, Robert (1997). Issues in the Developmental Neurobiology of Traumatic Stress. Annals Of The New York Academy Of Sciences Vol. 821, 1-550
Wolpe, Joseph (1969) The practice of Behavior Therapy. New York. Pergamon Press
Websites
* This model does not aim to replace conventional medical treatment, diagnose or treat medical conditions. You are advised to continue regular visits to your Health Care Professional and follow their recommendations.
Acknowledgements
My heartfelt gratitude to all of those who teach me the art and science of Psychotherapy and Healing:
My teachers and masters
My students
My healers
My patients
Janice, for her drawings
About Maria Becker, MD
My childhood in Chile, in close contact with nature allowed me to develop a natural ability for meditation and appreciation of the supernatural. Experiences of loss, physical and emotional trauma; a love f or learning new avenues, and a non- conformist, adventurer temperament transformed my professional life from an exclusive western medical model, to exploring and later practicing EMDR and energy medicine and psychology. My recent retirement from the practice of medicine has re acquainted me with nature bringing that old sense of freedom and enjoyment when accessing “in-formation.” Service to others and continuing to learn, develop and explore the world of energy has further enhanced that freedom, I trust, for the years to come.
Contact:
Maria Becker MD 701 Geneva St. Suite 2506 St. Catharines ON, Canada L2N 7H9 (905) 380-5771 mbecker.mac@mac.com
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