Finding core beliefs by going into the body and feeling the sensations

About ten years ago, I developed a diffuse pain in my lower legs, which would arise on occasion. After a few years with this recurring symptom, I finally decided to do some deep inner work through EFT Tapping. With this process, I ”went into my body” with my focused attention, with the intention to feel the ”pain sensations” as fully as possible inside my legs. After some minutes in this state of focus, I was able to receive the message from my body, that the pain was due to my tendency to rush and hurry. This is a tendency that I have had for a long time, perhaps since my early 30s. Eventhough I knew it was not healthy, I hadn’t been able to stop myself from doing it. Such a learned behaviour can be quite difficult to change simply by using our will-power. Rather, we need to use a deeper mental and emotional process.

To give you a typical example: I would be standing in the bathroom in the evening and about to brush my teeth. As soon as I started, I would feel a need to rush with it. In my mind, the rushing was necessary because it was late in the evening and my husband was already in bed, and I didn’t want him to wait for me, although I knew he didn’t mind. Yet, even just the thought of needing to rush triggered the leg pain. As my conditioned thoughts to hurry set in, I would feel the stress-level rising in my body, and within seconds, the pain would emerge. It felt like a tension, constriction, and even increased density in the legs. The more aware I got of the situation, the more apparent it became that the pain in my lower legs was due to my tendency to hurry, and that the pain emerged in response to my thoughts, although subconscious and automatic.

At this point, I knew that if could identify the thought-patterns and underlying beliefs that preceeded the pain, I would be able to process and transform these mental patterns and associated emotions, which in turn would undo this hurrying tendency and remove the need to tensen my legs, which would finally remove the recurrence of pain.

To conclude, the underlying belief (that was causing the pain) could be summarized as:

– ”I need to rush/hurry with what I am doing.”

Next, I decided to go even deeper. I was now aware of what the underlying core belief was (”I need to rush/hurry with what I am doing.”). But, from where did it originate? And what were the underlying emotions and possible circumstances associated with it. After some further inner work, I realized that the pain actually stemmed from TWO separate stressful incidents in my childhood, which were interconnected by building on each other:

a) The first incident was a ”near car accident”, which happened when I was about 7 years old. My father, twin sister, and I were traveling in the car down a two-way, single lane road in a forested area on Gotland, in the South of Sweden (similar to the image below). It was in the late 1970s and we had an old brown Volvo 240 without any seat belts in the back seat for us children. My twin sister and I were quarreling for some time, and didn’t stop to our father’s growing frustration. Finally, he got so angry with us that he pressed the breaks rather hard, whereupon we flew up, standing straight in the back seat, while the car slided to the right side of the road, nearly going down into the ditch. I was totally unprepared for this sudden hard stop and felt quite chocked. In this very moment, I subconsciously created the following belief:

– ”If someone gets angry with me, something dangerous might happen.”

b) The second incident was some years later, being around 11 years old. My whole family and I were on our way to see our cousins for dinner. It was a 25 minutes drive away from our home, partly passing over a bridge to a suburbian large island. I was sitting in the back seat with my sisters, and we were just crossing the long bridge above water. I remember my father was getting increasingly upset with all of us at that moment. He was angry that we were so late (again), and he expressed how much he was against being late. In some indirect way, he put the blame on the other five of us, that is, his four daughters and wife. (It apparently took some time for us females to get dressed, so probably we were to blame to different degrees…) While hearing his angry words, I remember scrutinizing silently my own share in us being late, and wondering if I were to blame for the situation and thus for his anger. Here and then, I subconsciously draw the following conclusion (as a belief):

– ”If I am late, someone can get angry with me.”

Somewhere in my deep subconscious mind, I must have put the above two beliefs together:

– ”If I am late, someone can get angry with me, and if someone gets angry with me, something dangerous might happen.”

Furthermore, the core belief ”I need to rush or hurry with what I am doing” (first identified) is at play here too, being a sort of ”secondary” belief sitting on top of the two ”primary” beliefs stated above. Furthermore, the two event-induced beliefs created a third summarizing belief. So in sum, what caused the recurring pain in my lower legs was the sum of four interconnected beliefs, as well as some emotional residue stored in my body from the two events. As the emotional residue was processed, the three interconnected (limiting) beliefs could be released.

In conclusion, by processing certain painful events in our lives and identifying and transforming associated subconscious beliefs, we are able to remove the mental and emotional ”constructs” that lie at the root of our bodily pain. There are various methods available for such inner work, for example EFT tapping and BodyWisdom. As a valuable complement to these, I have developed a highly effective and profound process, called Into Essence, which works in a stepwise manner on all levels of our experience (i.e. the mental, emotional, physical, energetic and subconscious levels).

Thanks to such inner work on myself, I am today almost painfree in my legs. Yet, if the pain does arise again on occasion, it is because there are still certain underlying beliefs that need to be discovered and shifted, and/or some emotional residue that still needs to be processed and released. Fortunately, with these tools, I can choose to continue my inner work until all of these steps have been completed and the lessons ”embedded within the pain” have been received and integrated into my daily life. When/if this occurrs, the recurring pain will no longer be ”necessary” and thus (most likely) cease to be.

Some final words of hope and encouragement

By sharing this personal story, it is my hope that you will recognize the possibility that you too can become painfree. Especially if you have tried other types of emotional, mental or physical therapies in the past and haven’t find the relief that you hoped for. If so, I would love to help you. Please welcome to contact me via email or phone to learn more.

Vi bär alla på tusentals föreställningar, varav de allra flesta är omedvetna för oss. Föreställningar kan handla om oss själva, om andra människor, om livet generellt, om grupper av människor, osv. Många av våra föreställningar är begränsande för oss, då de endast stödjer ett visst sorts ”uttryck” samtidigt som det motsäger sig ett annat. Föreställningar kan också vara generaliserande eller tillspetsade. Exempel på begränsande föreställningar kan vara: ”Jag duger inte som jag är”. ”Jag är inte värd att vara med i gemenskaper.” ”Jag måste anpassa mig till andras behov.” ”Män får inte gråta.” ”Bara den starke överlever.” ”Unga människor är slarviga.” ”Världen är en orättvis plats.” ”Oavsett vad man gör kommer det att gå illa till slut.”

De kanske viktigaste begränsande föreställningarna handlar om hur vi tror att vi måste vara för att bli värda acceptans, kärlek, uppmärksamhet eller gemenskap. De kan också sägas ge uttryck för hur vi bör vara för att undvika ogillande, avvisande, utanförskap och/eller ensamhet. Många av våra föreställningar har vi ärvt från vår uppväxtmiljö, framförallt av våra föräldrar och syskon, medan andra kan uppstå i samspel med kompisar och lärare, eller under intryck av idoler eller den kultur som vi lever i. Vissa föreställningar utgör (även) en del av vår personlighet (vilket Enneagrammet kan avslöja).

Hur kan trauma skapa omedvetna föreställningar?

Vissa begränsande föreställningar kan ha uppstått ur känslomässigt smärtsamma händelser, sk. trauman. Många gånger sker detta under barndomen, då vi är som mest ”oskyddade”, beroende av andra och påverkbara. Dessa föreställningarna uppkommer då som ett sorts mentalt och emotionellt skydd – en sk. överlevnadsstrategi – för att inte uppleva samma smärtsamma känslor igen. (Jag brukar kalla dem för ”avoidance strategies”.) Ett exmpel på en sådan föreställning kan vara: ”Jag får inte visa mina sanna känslor.” En föreställning ger även upphov till likartade tankemönster. Ett exempel på tankemönster kan vara: ”När jag visar mina sanna känslor kan någon kritisera mig. Jag tänker aldrig avslöja mina djupaste känslor för någon.” Begränsande tankemönster kan i sin tur skapar känsomässiga spänningar, i form av t ex oro, besvikelse, skuld, skam, ilska, odyl. Exempel på detta kan vara: ”Jag har skuldkänslor inför min partner för att jag inte kan visa mina sanna känslor.” Känslorna, i sin tur, kan ge upphov till fysiska spänningar, såsom tillfällig värk (t ex ryggvärk) och med tiden eventuellt kronisk värk. Vi utvecklar med andra ord spänningar på olika nivåer inom oss, dvs på mental, känslomässig (energimässig) och kroppslig nivå.

Hur kan vi befria oss från våra begränsningar, spänningar och symptom?

För att bli av med våra begränsande föreställningar, emotionella spänningar och fysiska symptom, behöver vi en metod som ser till HELA människan. Vi behöver även identifiera och förstå: den ursprungliga smärtsamma händelsen eller situationen; tillhörande känslor (inklusive rädslor); inblandade personer; samt de omedvetna föreställningarna som skapades ur händelsen. Jag (Anna) använder en holistisk och djupgående process som heter Into Essence. Processen är unik och utvecklades (av mig) under åren 2019 – 2021. Den omfattar i huvudsak följande fyra steg:

1. Tankeanalys: Det första steget handlar om att hjälpa Dig att identifiera de främsta (omedvetna) föreställningarna som begränsar Ditt liv, mentalt och känslomässigt, och som skapar (eller med tiden kan resultera i) emotionella besvär, spänningar, värk och andra kroppsliga symptom. Här handlar det om att välja ut en föreställning som är särskilt emotionellt laddad för dig. Du kommer sedan att få uppleva denna föreställning på ett mångfacetterat sätt, genom att upprepa meningen på olika sätt. Denna modalitet är unik för MindShift Coaching och har utvecklats av mig (Anna).
2. BodyWisdom: Det andra steget handlar om att hjälpa Dig att våga vara mer närvarande i kroppen, för att uppleva alla sensationer som kroppen signalerar, såsom spänningar, stramhet, densitet, ångest, tryckkänsla, värk, kvävning, osv. Denna process kallas BodyWisdom. Genom att uppmärksamma och uppleva alla sensationer i kroppen mer fullt – även obekväma och smärtsamma – kan nedtryckta känslor (energier) frigöras. Detta skapar uttrymme för kroppen att återfå sin balans och läkas. I detta steg får du även värdefulla budskap från din kropp, som kan göra dig friare, gladare, starkare, lugnare och tryggare.
3. Inre Resan: I det tredje steget guidar jag Dig tillbaka i tiden, till den smärtsamma situationen eller händelsen i livet, där du upplevde ditt trauma. Här får möjlighet att uppleva den smärtsamma eller skrämmande situationen på ett NYTT och mer NYANSERAT sätt, dvs i ett ”TRYGGT inre rum”. Du kommer att få möta den/de personer som eventuellt sårat/skrämt dig och som du aldrig riktigt försonades med. Du kommer även att få möjlighet att säga det som du aldrig kunde eller vågade säga, samt uttrycka de känslor som du aldrig kunde uttrycka. Du kommer också att få den förklaring som du aldrig fick, samt känna den kärlek eller förlåtelse som du aldrig upplevde. På detta vis kommer du att få en djupare förståelse för dig själv, de(n) andre och situationen i sin helhet. Detta är en djupt läkande processen. Även denna modalitet är utvecklad av mig (Anna) och kallas för Inre Resan.
4. Integrering: I det sista steget kommer Du att formulera dina viktigaste insikter under processen, framförallt om ditt egenvärde. Du kommer här också att få hjälp att identifiera stärkande affirmationer, vilka du kan använda dagligen eller vid behov, för att integrera de viktiga resultaten från vår process i ditt liv.

Genom denna process kan du också att bli av med, eller drastiskt minska, olika rädslor, orostankar och diverse kroppsliga besvär. Du kan också få en helt ny självbild och en ny ljusare syn på livet och framtiden.

Varmt välkommen att höra av dig om du bär på känslomässiga trauman, mentala blockeringar, värk, stress, spänningar, mm, som du vil bli av med. Jag hjälper dig gärna!

Du kan läsa mer om våra metoder här: https://mindshiftcoaching.se/sv/coaching/

As formulated in the book The Way of the Heart (by Jayem, 2014):

“… If you were a gardener, would you not cultivate the art of weeding your garden? Would you not look to see that the soil is just the correct dampness? Would you not keep your eye on the clouds on the horizon and the heat of the day? Would you not cover the delicate plants that need protection while they grow strong? And if those that would come would not respect your garden, would you not ask them to leave, or build a temporary fence until the garden is strong enough — until it bursts forth with enough fruit so that you can give to even those who do not respect it? — “Be you, therefore, a wise gardener. Cultivate a deep love and respect for yourself….”, which will eventually overflow to others…

Photo below from Unsplash.com

Based on personal experiences, case studies and literature reviews, the two most common root causes of physical pain are: a) a longterm stressful life situation; and b) a highly stressful sudden incident or event. The reasons why an ache ends up in a special place or location within the body, however, varies for the two types of pain:

1. If the ache is the result of a stressful chronic life situation, the location seems to be related to the type of stress that the person experiences; and
2. If the ache is the result of a highly stressful sudden incident, the location seems to be related to the place in the body where the incident (impact) was experienced.

Physical pain caused by a stressful chronic life situation

For many people, physical pain is often the result of a longer period of high stress, that is, a highly stressful chronic life situation. Such a situation may be work-related, that is, experienced due to challenging work conditions or as a result of lack of work. In other cases, the pain is primarily socially related, that is, the result of challenging relationships, often with close family members. In still other cases, the pain may be developed as a result of challenging personal issues, such as low self-esteem, depression, despair, anxiety, guilt, and loneliness. Examples of different forms of physical pain that has developed over time, and their possible causes, are:

• Lower-back pain, which may result from lack of support or security, such as lack of economic resources, creating an inner struggle to hold life up;
• Shoulder pain, which may result from work overload and overresponsibility, creating an inner struggle to carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders;
• Arm pain, which may result from long-term exhaustion, for example having too much duties and too little rest, creating an inner struggle to carry on and be alert;
• Stomach pain, which may result from an unwillingness to meet and accept life’s present circumstances, creating an inner struggle to go through with something against one’s own will;
• Lower leg pain (calves), which may result from hurrying and rushing through life, creating an inner struggle to run fast(er) to keep up with the pace, either yours or someone else’s agenda; and
• Upper leg pain (outer thighs), which may result from dreading a serious injury or even death of a person (either oneself or someone dear), creating an struggle to protect oneself or the other person(s), which may result in a recurring strong ”fight or flight response” via the legs.

In the above examples, physical pain is the result of a longterm (chronic) situation of high mental and emotional stress. The struggle that is taking place in one’s mind and heart eventually builds up to a point where it becomes so ”energetic loaded” and physiologically exhaustive that it tranforms into a physical pain in the body.

In fact, the most common stressful situations leading to physical pain may be summarized with six words: carry, worry, hurry, bury, scary and sorry. Looking more closely, each word captures the main struggle inside the person on a subconscious level. The struggle eventually causes so much built-up tissue tensions and exhaustion (and energy blockages) in the affected body part, that it results in physical pain. The associated beliefs of these six words can be formulated as follows:

• Carry – ”I believe that I must carry the work load, responsibility, or duties of the world no matter what my body tells me.”
• Worry – ”I believe that I must worry about what may happen, either to myself or someone else, so as to prepare for or prevent any negative outcome.”
• Hurry – ”I believe that I must hurry or rush with almost anything in life as time is not enough for all that I need to do.”
• Bury – ”I believe that I must not speak out my truth or opinions because it may lead to negative outcomes for myself or others.”
• Scary – ”I believe that I must protect myself or someone whom I care for, so that nothing negative or dangerous may happen.”
• Sorry – ”I believe that I must feel sorry and guilty, even shameful, for something negative that I have done (or someone dear to me has done).”

Physical pain caused by a highly stressful sudden incident

The other type of physical pain is the result of a sudden highly stressful event. This type of pain is rarely obvious at first glance and often quite ”mysterious” even for the person in question. It may take one or more sessions with an experienced life coach or a psychologist to uncover the hidden cause and message in the pain. (For this purpose, the process called BodyWisdom is very useful, as well as EFT tapping; hypnotherapy may also be valuable, but even just a genuine interest and attentive listening may cause the necessary unfolding and pain relief.)

For example, I met a woman at a stress-rehab center some years ago. I asked her why she was participating in the ”stress/pain/burnout”-program, and she told me that she, among other things, had pain in her right buttock. I asked her when she first began to experience this pain, and she told me that she had been having the ache for some years ever since she had given birth to her child. I asked if the birthing process had been very painful. No, she told me, not very difficult at all. Yet, when she began to recall the day of the delivery at greater depth, she told me that she and her husband had an accident on the way to the hospital where she gave birth. In summary, she told me the following:

”We sat in a taxi and suddenly we were hit from the right by a car. I felt a pain in my right buttock, but I was so focused on the labor pains that I didn’t give much attention to the pain caused by the accident. Then, when my husband and I arrived at the hospital and were going up in the elevator to the maternity ward, we briefly talked about what had happened in the car, but quickly decided that we would leave it at that and not think further about it; after all, we were lucky and no serious injury had happened…

I then asked if she had experienced a similar car accident earlier in her life. Yes, she had and it had also been quite stressful, but it too went overall well. That was the end of our conversation. Shortly after this, she left the building… The next day, she came up to me in the break saying that her pain in the buttock had completely disappeared! She was so surprised and happy. In fact, she had noticed that the pain was gone already as she left the building some 5-15 minutes after our conversation. How could this happen? As the example shows, when she gave more genuine attention and awareness to her body (buttock) and what had happened in the taxi, she began to process the accident more indepth… As a result, the ”negative energetic residue” (or cellular or tissue memory), which had been locked inside her body for so many years, had dissolved. She was now pain-free. In sum, it took more mental awareness and emotional processing to dissolve and release the ”energy blockage” (or body memory) that had remained in her buttock as a result of the traumatic event. In this case, all it took was a short conversation with some open questions and a genuine interest to listen through.

Naturally, as children, we have not yet developed the cognitive capacity to make sense of the world in the way that an adult would. Also, our worldview is largely centered around our Self. Therefore, we inevitably explain any event in terms of our existing understanding of who we are, including our self-worth. For example, if our mother does not want to play with us as children, we might say to ourselves that it is be because we are not worthy of her attention. (The most likely reason would be that she is busy with her household chores, her job requirements, a sibling, or similar.) In our childhood, we gradually adopt a range of beliefs about who we are as individuals. Over time, these beliefs about ourselves and the world become “self-actualizing”.

As human beings, when we experience a hurtful or confusing situation, we tend to make sense of it. As children, we create our own inner explanations with the limited understanding of a child. Some of these explanations become beliefs about our selves and the world around us. In difficult situations, these beliefs also act as survival strategies to better equip us in coping with a similar situation in the future. Even though our formed beliefs may be of a “negative” kind, they will still provide some comfort as an ”explanatory filter” to protect us from being confused again. For example, the next time that we ask our mother to play with us and she says ”no”, on some level of consciousness we will react based on the belief that we are not worthy of her time or attention. (At least we now believe that we know why…). Having a self-made explanation seems to be a lot easier for a child to handle than experiencing confusion around the rejection. Thus, the belief might have started as a “working hypothesis”, yet over time it may be reinforced and is buried deep within our subconscious mind.

In the second part of our lives, we continue to shape our self-image by taking on new beliefs. Eventually, the new beliefs get stacked onto the old ones as layers upon layers of beliefs. Thus, we gradually create and reinforce our identity through the lens of our beliefs, many of which were formed in early childhood. For example, we may come to adopt the beliefs: ”I am funny” and ”I am outgoing”, or perhaps ”I am boring” and ”I am a lonely person”, or any other description. Through our many (thousands of) subconscious beliefs, we lead our lives largely directed by our subconscious mind.

One day, hopefully, we wake up to the realization that we do not need to be limited by any of these beliefs about ourselves and the world. We realize that we have adopted most of our beliefs, primarily as children and teenagers, to make sense of the world and to cope with potential challenging situations – often to protect ourselves from being wounded again. (While some beliefs were taken on intentionally, others were more subconsciously adopted from our family, friends, culture etc.)

As adults, however, we have the power to choose who we want to be and how we want to live our lives. We have the opportunity to recognize, understand and intentionally discard any old beliefs that stand in our way. In their place, we also have the opportunity to choose new beliefs that can empower, strengthen and liberate us.

The moment we realize that we are not our beliefs, we become liberated from our past conditioning. We understand that life is now in our hands. We are free to imagine, create and manifest anything that our heart desires. As Neville Goodard writes in his book The Power of Awareness: ”If a man’s concept of himself were different, everything in his world would be different.”

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 ourselves and others.

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 via 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.