Healing From The Inside Out

October 2008 - Issue #7

More than just ideas to help you during times of crisis and trouble, Mind Over Matter has something for everyone - to help you on your journey towards becoming more conscious, empowered, successful, and joyful.

"Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside  when it is inside. "

-Ramana Maharshi - Indian Saint

I have found no psychological healing technique more effective than EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), when it comes to treating depression, (as well as anxiety, traumas, and phobias, and numerous other issues), in my own clinical practice.

I could have saved some of my clients many months of therapy, and a lot of money if I had been practicing EFT ten years ago.

The method involves simple tapping on a sequence of acupressure points on yourself (or someone else can tap on them for you), while keeping the mind focused on the specific symptom or disturbance that you are wishing to eliminate. The is an art to doing this effectively, but even beginners can often achieve incredible results immediately.

The developer of the EFT technique, Gary Craig, notes that he's observed three basic categories of depression:

1) Depression that is fairly uncomplicated, and disappears within a few minutes of applied EFT.

2) Depression that is more complex, connected to multiple unresolved emotional issues - such as guilt, shame, grief, anger, past abuse, low self-esteem, and so on. This also is highly treatable with EFT, but requires more skill to weed out the various core issues, and apply the EFT to each one separately.

3) Depression that is due to a toxin, or other type of allergic reaction to a substance. I would include in this category, any type of biological or chemical factor, including inadequate nutrition, substance abuse, and other unhealthy life-style issues. Even this type of depression can be treated with EFT, but usually the offending substance must be removed in order for recovery to be successful.

Learn more about EFT

The Human Machine?

The term "holistic" is unfortunately still eyed with suspicion by many doctors. I've seen in my own community that when a medical doctor chooses to leave the mainstream medical approach and adopt a holistic approach, and integrative or alternative health practice, that they lose the respect and support of a large percentage of their fellow doctors. And I've seen this here in northern California - one of the most progressive, health-conscious areas of the U.S.

So, when it comes to something as "radical" as energy medicine -- don't expect to get any support from your medical doctor. Consider yourself lucky if your doc doesn't laugh at the idea of EFT.

That said, EFT is finally starting to reach the mainstream, and some doctors actually are using EFT for their patients, to manage pain, speed post-surgery recovery, and reduce the need for medication. A number of my clients have seen T.V. talk shows featuring therapists who are using EFT or "Tapping" to reduce stress, quit smoking, and lose weight.

I urge you to suspend your disbelief, keep an open mind, and try it for yourself. If it doesn't give you significant results, don't blame the technique. Although it is "simple," it is subtle but profound, and there is an art to making EFT work for you. Be persistent, and "tap on everything." Try it on any and all issues - physical or emotional. And when in doubt, work with a therapist who is trained in EFT. You'll be amazed at the results.

I highly recommend this very short video about EFT:

Stanford engineer and EFT developer Gary Craig writes a great article on the long overdue arrival of EFT on the medical scene..... EFT is Obvious! So Why Wasn't it Discovered Many Decades Ago?

Meditation: Entering Stillness

"Nothing is wrong with you, but the ideas you have of yourself are altogether wrong. It is not you who desires, fears and suffers, it is the person built on the foundation of your body by circumstances and influences. You are not that person. This must be clearly established in your mind and never lost sight of...

Contemplate life as infinite, undivided, ever present, ever active, until you realize yourself as one with it. It is not even very difficult, for you will be returning only to your own natural condition."

- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj - Indian Mystic

I talk a lot about “Mindfulness” - that concept that's often associated with Mindfulness Meditation. It is an attitude, or a state of intentional awareness where you simply observe all things that occur in the moment – both internally and externally. By living in a mindful way, stress is decreased, mental and physical calmness are increased, and a sense of hightened awareness, presence and acceptance develop.

Mindfulness is even being taught now in some public schools because kids concentrate better, have less negative behaviors, and learn better when they practice mindfulness meditation every day. For more on this, see this New York Times article.

So, what then, do I mean by Mind-Less-ness? In all of the jargon associated with mindfulness practices, there tends to be very little talk of thoughtless awareness. The state of consciousness commonly referred to as "emptiness" in some forms of Buddhist meditation, is a very advanced level of achievement. In other traditions, this same state may be called "Being" or "Presence" or "Stillness," or "No-Mind."

Most of us consider this to be an impossible attainment – to stop thinking – and it is indeed quite a lofty goal. But we can at least begin to move in that direction.

Eckhart Tolle is an excellent teacher of the wisdom of no-thought. And the Yogic traditions all share his view – that all human suffering, all mental and emotional pain, and all of life's misery is a direct result of thoughts (This is also the core principle of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). This is not the sort of thing that most educated, intelligent people want to hear – that their thoughts actually make them LESS intelligent! But this is in fact the truth of it: We are in fact, more intelligent, more aware, more present, more intuitive, and more wise, when the mind is clear, quiet, and uncomplicated by thoughts.

All thoughts are limiting. All thoughts are based on past impressions and past experiences. And all thoughts block us from experiencing the living here-and-now moment.

Without thoughts, would we be dumb? Catatonic? Unable to function in the world?

Fortunately, the answer is a definite "No!" When we have a break from our thoughts, we experience real joy, real peace, and true acceptance. Without thoughts, we experience bliss, gratitude and contentment. When in this still mind state, should the need to think arise, in order to act, or calculate, or make a decision, our thoughts come spontaneously and with perfect clarity, guided by intuition and a deeper source of inner-guidance. But we don't get attached to them. We use them in the best and most natural and powerful way, and then we let them evaporate and we return to stillness.

One of the best - though not the only - way to begin to quiet the "monkey mind" and shift into an awareness of inner stillness, is the practice of meditation.

Stay tuned for my next newsletter, where I will continue this exploration of Thoughtless Awareness...

Learn more about yoga and meditation for health, happiness and vitality.

A Few Words of Caution:

If you have any family history of psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder - or have any of these issues yourself - then I'd be more inclined to suggest Mindfulness Meditation and only in short periods of practice - to gradually develop an inner observing consciousness, and to become more aware of the inner landscape of your mind and body. Some yogic practices are very powerful and can trigger mania or psychosis in those with a vulnerability to this. For some, a more body-oriented meditative practice such as Tai Chi can be extremely beneficial.

Anyone with persistent suicidal ideation, dissociative episodes, or severe self-critical or disturbing thoughts or unresolved traumatic memories should work with a therapist and/or qualified meditation teacher to provide close guidance and safety. Intensive meditation can sometimes worsen these symptoms before improving them, and you can become flooded and overwhelmed by emotions or upsetting memories or negative thoughts; intensive meditation may as also increase the tendency to dissociate more. For anyone with PTSD, severe depression, obsessive thoughts, or extreme anxiety, it can be extremely helpful to use EFT first, to resolve these issues, before attempting deep meditation. The meditation below is quite gentle and safe, but trust your own feelings and intuition, and only continue to use it if you feel safe, and at ease.

The Best Place to Start is Here and Now

Meditation may free you from many self-imposed limitations, fears, and unhealthy attachments, but the results come gradually, and only through regular practice. With practice, the results can be more far reaching than just about anything else you might do for yourself. For beginning meditation, it is much easier to use a guided meditation, so that you don't get too distracted by your own restless thoughts.

Try meditating right now. Put on some headphones and click play to listen to my guided meditations. Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit as you listen. These two gentle 15 minute meditations should give you a good start (sorry they're not downloadable at this time):

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