EmotionalBuzz
the resource for meridian energy therapy
Using EFT with The Work of Byron Katie
Waking up to reality, finding freedom (liberation).
by Ranjana Appoo
Many dedicated EFT-ers use EFT to support their spiritual journey to self realisation and combine the benefits of EFT with their love for truth and wisdom. I too was drawn to EFT’s capacity to help me to unravel my own negative stuck belief systems to know the self. For so much of my life I felt confused, bewildered and afraid.
Shortly after I discovered EFT, I also began to use the work of Byron Katie as a method of inquiry to uncover core hang ups and false beliefs. I have found this combination a very rapid way to clear debilitating stuckness in our lives. Below is a condensed example of a session using Byron Katie’s The Work, her Four Questions and Turnaround. I often use her questions (Is it true? Can you absolutely know that it’s true? How do you react when you think this thought? Who or what would you be without this thought? Turn it (the thought) around) in my sessions. However while I do warn others that this way of working can bring out very strong reactions, rapid release and can be seen as provocative and unloving, I see it as a laser sharp knife that removes the layers and layers of conditioned belief. To do this work with others one must first develop deep compassion and understanding that All IS GOOD. The easy way is to do this is to TAP. This work can be time consuming as it brings up many aspects, so profound patience is a key factor.
My experience is that the ultimate PR (psychological reversal) is the belief that our stories and belief systems are real, and so we become fixed (stuck) by our attachment to them. Nowadays, many of my clients come to me to rediscover freedom and joy, to clear blocks, express their creativity and to progress on their journey to God-realisation. One of the most common stumbling blocks is the writing on our walls (as in the Palace of Possibilities). For many clients some writing is clearly no longer appropriate for them and they shift it easily with EFT once we get to the specifics of the belief. However there are times when the client is completely stuck in their story, which seems to happen more in the area of relationships, feelings of injustice, judgements learnt from others and self judgement. In such cases I get the client to write down their belief and the story of the belief.
For example, I am angry with ---- because they do not notice me, acknowledge me, appreciate me, he/she is not behaving as they should, they should ---, I need them to ---, or, life is hard, everyone hates me, I am bad, and so on. Then I ask them to read this out aloud while we listen to it with awareness and attention, (I call it listening unconditionally), with total focus, and then I get them to read it again while I tap on them…as their body language becomes more relaxed with the tapping, I then ask them to take one sentence and question it…
For example, the belief: life is hard
I would then ask if that was true, could they know if it was absolutely true, when they believed that how did they behave in that relationship, with themselves, how does that belief make them feel? Who did they learn this from, does the belief make life bearable, and does the belief help them?
We would then tap on, the proof that they had that supported the belief, how that belief made them feel, their reactions to those related to the belief, their indignation, hurt and so forth.
At this point I might lead them through a gentle meditative visualisation to take them to the core of their being, a place where they could access answers from their higher self, and once again inquire as to the validity of the belief, if it was true. More often than not, their earlier fixation would have shifted. We can then explore the possibility of what if that belief did not exist, what if they did not have it? How would they feel? What would their life be like? Could they find one peaceful, stress free reason to keep that belief?
This would lead to the next round/s of tapping on what their life would be like without the belief, would it be scary? Could they imagine it? How would that feel?
Usually by this time they are ready for a turnaround.
The opposite of life is hard, life is good, my thinking is hard, life can be easy, and so on.
We now check in to how does this feel, is this comfortable? Uncomfortable? Does it seem more valid? True? At this point I might lead them again through a gentle visualisation to take them to the core of their being, a place where they could access answers from their higher self, and inquire as
to the validity, this time of the turnaround belief. If it has landed there will be noticeable changes in the physiology of the client.
I use EFT in combination with The Work of Byron Katie because although questioning our beliefs (the process that Byron Katie calls inquiry) creates awareness, to do this while tapping allows the associated negative emotions and the disruption in energy field to balance and harmonise. The inquiry
steps of The Work are very effective and bring about shifts in our consciousness, however, I have experienced that it can also unleash destabilising negative emotions which can be easily resolved by the use of EFT. This then balances the energy system, allows cognition to shift easily and for the shift in understanding to be embedded deeply and more permanently. Without EFT, I have found that I have to keep doing The Work over and over on the same issue until with persistence that which caused me suffering drifts past like a cloud on a clear day. With EFT, I find that I get the added benefit of the generalisation effect, ie, if I have collapsed one belief completely others follow effortlessly.
I hope this encourages others to explore further possibilities for the use of EFT which are growing rapidly.
Ranjana Appoo
www.emotionalhealthcentre.com