When I work with my clients, using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), I constantly ask them to check-in with their bodies. I want to know how the body is reacting to the emotions they are feeling. There is a reason this is necessary.
For the biggest part of every day, we go about our business completely oblivious to the inner dialogue (the voice that is talking in the head). And sadly, 70% of that dialogue is negative. Is it any wonder our bodies respond with pain, illness, stress or other negative problems? The best way to reprogram our lives is to reprogram the way we think, but that can only be done in a state of awareness. Because vigilant awareness of our thoughts is too time-consuming, however, an easier way to notice what our dialogue has been is to notice how we are feeling.
Stop right now and notice how you are feeling. Are you happy, stressed, depressed, anxious, angry? As you become aware of how you feel, notice where you feel that in your body. Is your heart full and open? Is your stomach tight or are your shoulders tense? Is your brow furrowed or are you completely relaxed? The feelings you are holding in your body are the residue of the thoughts you’ve been thinking.
Because we operate most of the time on autopilot, we spend a huge portion of the day focusing on everything we DON’T want! Odd, isn’t it? For example, if you feel you want a new job, you are probably playing out that scenario in your mind, over and over, all day long…but not in the way you think you are! The bad news is, you are most likely replaying old tapes about the current job or former jobs…not visualizing yourself in a new one. Perhaps you begin by thinking of how it would be to work in a new position, but, only minutes later, your mind wanders off into thoughts about how you were passed over for the promotion or how the person in the cubicle next to you is so arrogant and annoying. You start to question your abilities and you decide maybe it is best to just stay where you are. It is safe. Guess what you will get? That’s right. More of the same.
Maybe you would love to have a wonderful new relationship. Do you spend your time actually focused on that or does your mind wander back into negative memories of the relationships in the past? In the blink of an eye, your vision of being with this fabulous new lover suddenly turns into an old movie or horrible memories of failed relationships. You start to make a laundry list of reasons why you will never be able to have that relationship of your dreams and soon your excitement turns to gloom. Rejection is a powerful chain that keeps you locked away for fear of being hurt again.
Because the subconscious mind is in control over 95% of the time, and because it is robotic and mechanical, it can do nothing more than replay the programs you put into it in the past. In those brief moments you stay in present time…in conscious awareness…you are able to think new thoughts, but that portion of time is miniscule compared to the time the subconscious mind is running the show. If you have old programs pitted against new ideas, there is no question as to which one will win.
Most of us start out in life feeling loved and safe. However, as time goes on, we start to discover that this world is not always friendly and protective. Because the mind of a young child operates in wave forms that mimic hypnosis, those new beliefs are deeply embedded into the subconscious mind.
Later on, as adults, when a new opportunity is being offered to us, we often, unknowingly, return to the safety we learned as a child. In an effort to keep ourselves from getting hurt, we focus on all the reasons why this new opportunity might be dangerous or hurtful. We can’t help it! The inner child has not forgotten that moment when he reached for the knob on the shiny new stove and got his hand slapped! She remembers how she ran to her mother’s arms only to be greeted with a shove and the words, “Not now.” In order to keep the self safe, the subconscious mind then replays all the events in life where we reinforced the idea that new opportunities are dangerous. We are now intently focused on that.
With EFT, we purposefully have the client focus on the negative memory. Why? Because that is the only way to clear it, permanently. You didn’t realize it, but you were focusing on it, anyway! Once we identify what the emotion is and where you are feeling it, we know the location of and the reason for the energy block. As we do this, we are shining a light on that monster in the closet. Finally, it can be seen for what it is. We call it out and replace the darkness with light. In that moment, safety returns. Whew!
In a recent blog, Bill Harris had this to say about awareness:
<<You can create negative feelings and negative outcomes ONLY if you do so unconsciously. If you focus on what you don’t want with awareness, however, and clearly see exactly how you’re creating bad feelings and negative outcomes, you won’t be able to keep doing it.
To create negative outcomes, then, whether internal or external, the internal representations that create them have to happen outside your awareness. In other words, you have to fail to notice that additional internal second step. Once you become aware of what you’re doing–once you actually see the internal representations you’ve been (unconsciously) making, and see the direct connection between these internal representations and what happens in your life–you’ll stop making them. As I said earlier, awareness gives you choice, and no one with a choice would choose to create bad feelings or negative outcomes.>>
Awareness is the key. Look to the body and notice how you feel throughout the day. This is the easiest way to find your blocks. If your body feels stressed in any way, ask yourself what your inner dialogue has been telling you just prior to that. There is something there for you to clear. Use EFT to address it, and soon you will find yourself moving towards the goals and dreams you want in the present moment.
I would suggest that you associate a particular sound with a check-in. For example, every time the phone rings, you check in with your body to see how you feel. Once you get into the habit of noticing how you feel, you are beginning to be more aware of what programs are running the show. Once you know, tap on it! Imagine where you will be in only weeks from now if you practice this a few times each day!
Hello? Phone’s ringing…I think it’s for you!
I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog
