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Fear, Phobias, Anxiety and Crisis and Energy Body Work For a deeper discussion see our new website devoted to this topic and the new ‘Freedom Now’ methods:
The Energy Model
To consider fears and phobias, an ‘energy model’ of dis-ease is required, that is, a model which goes beyond the usual western mechanistic model of illness. So I’ll speak of an ‘energy body’, by which I mean something of a mixture of Rupert Sheldrake’s ‘morphogenetic fields’, Rudolf Steiner’s ‘etheric body’, the ‘meridian body’ of acupuncture, etc. The underlying idea is that we are animated and penetrated and maintained as living beings by a living force field, or as Rudolf Steiner says, a ‘body of formative forces’. When it departs or is destroyed, we die. When it is in a state of chaos or disharmony, we’re ill.
Putting aside whether one or other model is right or wrong, it becomes clear that the energy model is useful, and often provides answers where other models grind to a halt. In particular, it provides some answers for fear and anxiety states, and I say - if it works, use it!
The Subtle Anatomy of Fear
Few will disagree that when a fear situation (or even the thought of one) arises, there is a strong sense of contraction or shrinking. Rather than fight, flight. This contraction shows in the physical body as tense, painful muscles, shallow breathing and so on. It also shows in the energy body as a contraction, rather like a ‘shell’ or ‘cage’ energetically set up round the person. Thus you have the sequence of: thought > contraction > fear state.
Many will also agree that in such a state, it is as if one is trapped in a small part of oneself - there seems to be a regression to more of a child state, in which one’s normal (adult) resources are unavailable (such as clarity, commonsense, etc.). It could be said that one gets locked into a shell or cage, an energy structure that acts like a temporary prison, and which appears out of nowhere by some sort of resonance with the stressful situation when it threatens to occur.
Everything seems to contract, a general fogginess occurs, and one’s choices are severely reduced, so that it is difficult to even conceive of any other options.
What's to be done?
There has been little progress in this field over the years. In fact, the situation seems to be getting less manaageable. Standard talking therapies such as analysis seem to be unable to bridge the gap between ‘knowing’ and doing. The mind knows the usual platitudes - stay calm! breathe! it’s an illusion! etc. But that doesn’t seem to help. Aversion therapies rarely help and can often worsen things by plunging one into the stressed state repeatedly without relief. Something similar can be said for unguided experiential work, sometimes called ‘emotional release’ work.
I believe, based on wide experience with many clients and years of research into the subject, that the key lies in interrupting the cycle mentioned above: thought > contraction > fear state. The methods I primarily use to do so are:
‘Freedom now’ Technique This is the latest in Energy Psychology. See more here. Along with... Thought Field Therapy (TFT) This is at the cutting edge of Energy Psychology. EFT is an acupressure-based therapy of great power and simplicity, which is short, easy to apply, untraumatic and non-invasive. It interrupts the 'thought > contraction' link. It consists of tapping particular acupuncture points in a specific sequence and frequency along with some processes designed to ‘re-align’ the energy body, balancing also the left/right and front/back parts of the brain.
Its effect is to fragment the ‘cage’ or ‘shell’ mentioned, the structure which is set up in one’s energy field and resonates to the fear state, thus maintaining it. Results for phobias can be instant and permanent, particularly for specific phobic states. For more information, see Gary Craig’s site www.emofree.com.
Ki Energetics 'Ki' is the Japanese term for universal energy, just as the Chinese use 'chi', the Indians 'prana', and so on. Ki Energetics is based on the martial art Aikido, and is a sophisticated understanding of human energies and their development. It works to interrupt the 'contraction > fear state' link. Using a number of simple exercises, a client can be shown how to use his/her energy in a way which is instantly empowering, leading to a body-based calmness and groundedness. Ongoing practice leads ever deeper into ways of being in the body that virtually prevent the onset of fear states. Many people are unknowingly 'out of the body', with their energy congested around the head and shoulders and above, and the body in a generally contracted state. Ki Energetics makes the body a reliable and strong ally, instead of a burden.
Posture and Bodywork Strongly linked to the Ki training above, even slight adjustments in posture can lead to quite profound experiences of being much more stable, mentally and physically. Combined with energy bodywork, circulation is restored throughout the physical and energy body, making the client much more resilient and self-reliant.
I believe that a combination of these approaches goes much further than conventional approaches in managing and eliminating fears and allied states. And there are added benefits to this work - certain very useful skills are transferred to the client, and there is an alignment of the mind and body which has far-reaching effects in the life of the client.
SCENAR For more information on this, see here. A wonderful way of dealing with energy imbalances and pain.
©Tim Strachan 1998
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