Examples are: energy medicine, energy psycholgy (e.g. EFT-tapping), energyfood (e.g. functional foods), different energy practices involving body movements (qigong, yoga, etc), meridian healing (acupuncture, acupressure, etc), sound healing, and various energy/mind-practices (meditation, visualization, yoga), and more. Many of these modalities overlap in terms of how they work.

All of these holistic treatments and practices are based on a fundamental understanding of human beings having an “energy body”, which also needs to be addressed in order to enable full healing. Today, many modern conventional medicine practices are focused on identifying and relieving the symptoms of different conditions and illnesses (although there are exceptional doctors). Many times, such conventional treatments can be enough (for example a surgery or a cast) or get you very far (for example treating severe iron deficiency with iron injections, and diabetes with insulin). However, in order to achieve long-lasting and full healing of illnesses with unknown cause or to treat more complex conditions, we need to identifiy and address the root causes to these, in order to help our bodies heal from the “inside-and-out” or bottom-up. A common feature of all of these modalities is that they support our bodies’ own self-healing mechanisms and abilities.

Healing through various energy modalities can happen through for example: mind-work/inner-focus-work, food/nutrients, stretches/poses/movements, touch/pressure/massage, ligth-therapy, sound/vibration, aroma-therapy, breath work, and even prayers/blessings. We are standing in the doorway of exciting times, at least for those that are open and willing to try such new and alternative paths to healing and staying well, healthy and harmonious.

We are all wired to feel connected with others and to feel a sense of belonging in the world. This sense of belonging with others also brings joy, love, gratitude and higher meaning to life.

However, many people lack this feeling of connectedness with others. What Brené Brown found in her extensive research was that the key to feeling connected with others is to feel worthy of belonging. And, what keeps us from feeling worthy of belonging is our fear that something is fundamentally flawed with us and that we are not worthy or good enough in the eyes of others and ourselves.

In her entertaining and insightful presentation, Brené shares the following central message:  “In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen, for who were are”. We need to dare to be vulnerable and exposed, in our authenticity.

Being vulnerable in our nakedness is what truly makes us beautiful. But first we must let go of who we think we should be in order to be who we are, by embracing the belief that we are good enough as we are and by finding the courage to stand in our own imperfection before others and ourselves.

In contrast, persons who feel a strong sense of belonging and connection with others have the common belief that they are completely worthy of belonging. They also have the courage to be imperfect (all the time), both alone and with others. And, they are willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they really are. They believe that being vulnerable in itself makes you beautiful. In sum, they fully embrace their vulnerability – openly, lovingly and fearlessly.

(Sources: Image above by Priscilla du Preez from Unsplash; video from Ted Talks)

Have you ever wondered why you become particularly anxious and nervous in certain situations? Or, why certain fears keep coming back regardless of how much you try to ignore them, push them away or think positive? A fundamental reason for why our fears keep clinging to us, is simply the fact that they reflect what we love. For example, if you love to be in the company of others, you will fear exclusion or rejection from a social group or person. Maybe, as a child, you experienced being rejected from a group that you felt part of, or wished to become part of. And now, as an adult, you may (either consciously or subconsciously) try to avoid the risk of re-experiencing the same situation and feeelings. Belonging to a group and being close to others is however something that we all need as human beings. For some people, being part of a group may be particularly important. Yet, we all need to feel close to a least one or a few persons in our lives. Fear of exclusion or rejection is thus a basic human feeling that is shared by all people.

Thus, fear is a natural emotion that should be embraced and accepted just like any other feeling. By pushing it away, it may grow even stronger and eventually start to limit you in life. Instead, the best way to use our fears is to acknowledge them, to “feel them fully”, and to use them as pathways to explore our wishes, desires, and needs even deeper – and to grow as persons.

Approaching our fears and emotional wounds can sometimes be hard on our own. Most of our emotional inprints from childhood are buried deep within our subconscious mind. Therefore, exploring our fears, and healing any hurtful experience from the past, may require a well-proven technique. EFT tapping and the Clear Beliefs Process are two of the most effective techniques for resolving/embracing fears and releasing buried emotions. MindShift Coaching works with both of these methods. If you have any fear or hurtful experience that you wish to address, warm welcome to contact Anna Brismar for a free short call (over phone or Zoom) or to book a session.

Below is a poem that I wrote in 2018 about fear and love.

LOVE AND FEAR GO HAND IN HAND

That which you love the most,
is that which you fear to loose

If you love to speak out your truths,
you will fear that no one wants to listen

If you love to be in company of others,
you will fear that no one wants to join you

If you love to be recognized for you achievements,
you will fear that no one appreciates your work

If you love to be free and self-sufficient,
you will fear to be dependent on others

If you love to be strong and healthy,
you will fear to be weak and vulnerable

The feelings of love and fear go hand in hand,
you will never have one without the other.

(By Anna Brismar, 2018)

(Photo by Max Goncharov on Unsplash)

That statement still holds true today. In fact, only some months ago when I officially launched MindShift Coaching, I again surrendered to the same insight, that: “If I want to feel 100 % true to myself and express myself completely, in 360 degrees directions, I need to listen to all my callings. I need to act upon both my care for nature and for people. Thus, for this reason, I have come to pursue two pathways in terms education and career: one in the environmental field and one in the psychological field. Most of the time, the two pathways have been acted upon in sequence one after the other (as I held the underlying belief that I had to choose between the two). Finally, almost a year ago, I came to the realization that I must have them both in my life, as two companies working in parallel, because whichever “side” I choose, I will always feel incomplete without the other. (The name of the other company is Green Strategy.)

Going back in time to 1998. What happened after the dinner meeting in Ankara was that I made the conscious decision to follow my research path in the environmental field by focusing on the environmental consequences of large dam projects and irrigation schemes in Southeast Turkey. What hereafter emerged as part of my doctoral research, was the study of cause-effect linkages between large dam projects and their environmental consequences within the river ecosystems. I realized that, in order to understand, prevent and minimize dam project’s negative environmental impacts, we need to target the underlying root causes. (Dam projects cause various significant changes in the river’s ecosystem, by blocking, storing, diverting and regulating the natural water flow of the river, which ultimately impact the ecosystem on a physical, chemical and biological level.)

Now, imagine the analogy between a natural ecosystem and our bodies. The water in the river system is like the energy in our body. If we block the energy flow in one part of our body, we will have an accumulation of energy in that part of body and possibly drain out the energy in associated body parts “downstream”. However, our body’s well-being and rejuvenation are dependent on a natural flow of positive energy throughout its system; the life energy “wants” to flow freely within our bodies. (Just like water gravitates downwards within a river system to transport and distribute nutrients, organic matter and oxygen to all living entities within the ecosystem.)

Therefore, if we wish to restore the natural health and wellbeing of our bodies, we need to clear the energy blockages that have been created. There are many different techniques you can use to clear your energy blockages and enable a free flow of energy throughout your body. A highly effective method, which is increasingly recognized and adopted worldwide, is Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT tapping. EFT tapping particularly addresses emotional concerns, mindset challenges and physical conditions, both everyday character (e.g. anxiety, stress and phobias) and more severe traumas (such as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome).

EFT tapping combines the Eastern traditional wisdom of the human body’s energy systems (called meridians) with our modern Western theories on human psychology and talk therapy. Essentially, by tapping with our fingers on certain points of our body, where end-meridians are located, while at the same time focusing our attention on and articulating our deep or sincere feelings, thoughts and physical experience around the issue, we can clear out any negative emotions that have been trapped as energy within our energy system. (Learn more about EFT-tapping here.)

Another well-proven technique that is used successfully to clear emotional, mental and/or physical issues is the Clear Belief’s process, which has been developed by Lion Goodman. This technique reaches even further into our subconscious mind (compared to EFT tapping), by working with mental images and body manifestations (which speak the language of the subconscious mind). By communicating directly with the subconscious mind, the Clear Beliefs process is capable of targeting and releasing deeply held limiting beliefs that has kept us stuck in an undesirable condition (often since early childhood). By clearing out underlying disempowering beliefs, we can address, let go of and heal the actual root cause of most of our emotional, physical and mental challenges in our lives.

To summarize, to restore a healthy state of any living system, may it be our bodies or a river ecosystem, we need to recognize and effectively clear the blockages that are in the way for its natural flows of energy and elements to take place. Thus, while a physical dam hinders the natural flow of energy, water, nutrients, sediments and organisms within the river ecosystem, any unpleasant human experience can cause energy (in terms of stressful emotions, thoughts and beliefs) to become stuck within our bodies thus hindering an optimal well-functioning of our own bodies. Thus, by intentionally clearing out any blockages, we allow positive energy to flow freely within our bodies, which helps to restore our overall health, joy and prosperity.