Meridian based therapies (MBTs) are becoming increasingly used worldwide and are a powerful adjunct to the spectrum of treatments being offered by alternative therapists. Those using hypnotherapy, NLP and Time Line solutions in particular find Thought Field Therapy (TFT) and Evolving Thought Field Therapy (evTFT) another means of obtaining a ready solution for their clients, either on a stand alone basis or in conjunction with other treatments.
My first use of TFT was for myself. I had trapped the end of a finger whilst cleaning grass from the blades of a set of gang mowers. The skin was not broken but the blade had pressed hard against the fingernail. After the injury the discomfort became more and more acute (but localised to the finger end) as the day wore on. Although I had got off to sleep quite normally, I was awoken at around 4am by pain. The pain was over the whole hand and I could not identify the epicentre of the symptoms.
I used a running cold tap, then ice, ibuprofen gel but to no avail. In Dr Callahan's book Tapping the Healer Within I recalled there was a TFT algorithm for physical pain. I performed the treatment repeatedly and after about half an hour I had reduced the pain enough to be able to go back to sleep. What I did notice in the ensuing days was that there was no perception of pain (as had been before) from that particular hand. It was not anaesthetised or numb, but any pain message to the brain seemed to be processed in a different way.
More recently I have used only partial elements of the physical pain algorithm for a client who had been struck by a hard ball on the foot in the course of sporting practice. It worked for him immediately and he was somewhat amazed as to "what on earth had I done" to hasten his relief.
I did not set out to use the treatment, or should I say part of it. Opportunities present themselves on odd occasions and often there is no time to enter into an explanation of what one is doing - especially if only part of the treatment is performed. If it had not worked for him then he would have merely had to suffer the discomfort longer - but the pain would have diminished. My intervention just moved things along exponentially. I did tell him afterwards what it was though!
In evTFT, there is a treatment known as Touch and Breathe (TAB). Here, instead of tapping selected meridian points, the client touches the points while performing a number of full abdominal breathing cycles. The algorithms (or particular sequence of meridian points) are the same as for TFT itself.
Very recently I was visiting my ageing mother who was having a particularly bad day - not well, in bed, emotionally wound up, agitated etc etc. Her breathing was fast and shallow as she related to me all the things that had beset her prior to my arrival, including an upper back pain and a pounding headache. Whilst talking to her and trying to guide her to a calmer place with controlled breathing, she had an angina attack. She has medication for this which provides suitable relief, but on all other occasions she has been left with the headache and completely drained of all energy. While helping her with this and continually talking her through the guided breathing, I placed my fingers on the meridian points relating to physical pain - in a sequence that matched part of the TFT treatment. It occurred to me that the Touch and Breathe (TAB) might work with her breathing and my touch.
Normally for the headache she would take paracetamol - but this was not required in this instance as some five minutes later her headache had subsided. As her recovery continued she showed little sign of being physically drained, as usually happened.
Again, I did not tell her about the treatment (although I have since) mainly because there was no need (and no time) and she is more than a little skeptic! I was gratified to discover the extent of its efficacy especially as it was only a partial and somewhat fragmented use of the full treatment.
Whilst this may have undermined some of my mother's skepticism, for me it has reinforced the view (and the confidence) that merdidian based therapies - even with only partial use - can bring about relief. I've used TFT for clients with anxiety, obsessions and trauma (after a car crash); with success in every instance.
The Wright Way
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, December 17, 2007
Why we all gripe at politicians
Last week I watched the news.....something quite rare for me!!
There was a report about the Police pay dispute and the tinkering nuances of the Home Secretary, backed up by the Treasury and the PM. Monetary downside to government - circa £20m.
Immediately following this there was a report on the new government package of aid for Afghanistan - £105m.
Later on in my local news there was a report on the job cuts in the Fire Service brought about by reduction in central government support for Local Government.
Bearing in mind the government is already in murky waters because of treatment of pay for soldiers overseas (some in Afghanistan I might add), you'd think they might take a look at the big picture here. Some tinkering with the pots of money mentioned could sort all their problems out at a stroke....and still leave the Afghans well catered for.
Perhaps, as a dealer in quick fixes and efficacious therapies, I wear the wrong coloured spectacles......but then I expect in the eyes of such opinionated and important politicians I deal in quack remedies.
Strange world isn't it?
There was a report about the Police pay dispute and the tinkering nuances of the Home Secretary, backed up by the Treasury and the PM. Monetary downside to government - circa £20m.
Immediately following this there was a report on the new government package of aid for Afghanistan - £105m.
Later on in my local news there was a report on the job cuts in the Fire Service brought about by reduction in central government support for Local Government.
Bearing in mind the government is already in murky waters because of treatment of pay for soldiers overseas (some in Afghanistan I might add), you'd think they might take a look at the big picture here. Some tinkering with the pots of money mentioned could sort all their problems out at a stroke....and still leave the Afghans well catered for.
Perhaps, as a dealer in quick fixes and efficacious therapies, I wear the wrong coloured spectacles......but then I expect in the eyes of such opinionated and important politicians I deal in quack remedies.
Strange world isn't it?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Basic Goal Setting
In life coaching they talk about two main types of goal – Outcome and Process.
You have a dream (outcome) and how you achieve that dream is the process. The dream just doesn’t happen though – there has to be a plan, a strategy of how to get there. This is the nuts and bolts of how the various Goals will be achieved. In sports also there is a third type of goal – Performance – which relates to measurable aspects of your own (or team’s) performance irrespective of the outcome.
Goal setting is present in everything we do. A sports person might go into a game not worried about the result, but just happy to play well and enjoy the exercise. So – here the outcome is enjoyment and happy to play well is performance. But say their processes were lazy and unmotivated – then I wouldn’t expect them to achieve the other goals. (They also need to examine their beliefs as well if this is the case!) Alternatively, they might also go into a game where winning was all important no matter how well they might play. So here the performance goals might be very low priority – but how might you view the process goals? They are still vitally important, because no one ever sets out to WIN by not trying to play to the best of their ability.
My contention therefore is that for whatever you want to achieve as an outcome, the most important set of goals are the process goals. Good performance is a bonus – but can be relied upon if you perform the processes well. Reminds me of an amusing comment from Ted in “Ralph and Ted” from The Fast Show when asked what his take on life was. “The way I see it sir is that you’re born and then you die – and what goes on in between? Well that’s a bonus.”
But what if your process goals are not oriented towards achieving the outcome goal? Well then your plan, your strategy, has not been thought through well enough. For either the outcome goal(s) or the process goals ,their outcome is not well-formed. So you can now see that the nature of the plan becomes multi-dimensional and complex. And it is at this point where it will begin to dawn on you that if the Plan is complex – then you cannot carry it around in your head. So – write the plan down – commit it to paper. Write down your goals. Put the whole thing into something tangible, and not just a collection of thoughts.
Writing everything down is absolutely vital to the success of your goal-setting exercises.
The other well known association in goal setting is the acronym – S.M.A.R.T
You need to make your goals SMART
S Specific (Not vague like “become a better person”)
M Measurable (How will you know when you have achieved your goal?)
A Achievable (Don’t make it too difficult OR too easy)
R Realistic
T Timely (Set a timescale for achieving your goal)
Break your big goals up into a series of smaller goals – bite sized chunks. The big picture might seem daunting at first, but if you progressively plan in a series of smaller realistic and achievable goals then the big picture will soon come into view. Get yourself a small notebook and use it as a journal. Put your goals, beliefs and other info at one end, and diarise ALL your activities working towards your goals at the other.
You have a dream (outcome) and how you achieve that dream is the process. The dream just doesn’t happen though – there has to be a plan, a strategy of how to get there. This is the nuts and bolts of how the various Goals will be achieved. In sports also there is a third type of goal – Performance – which relates to measurable aspects of your own (or team’s) performance irrespective of the outcome.
Goal setting is present in everything we do. A sports person might go into a game not worried about the result, but just happy to play well and enjoy the exercise. So – here the outcome is enjoyment and happy to play well is performance. But say their processes were lazy and unmotivated – then I wouldn’t expect them to achieve the other goals. (They also need to examine their beliefs as well if this is the case!) Alternatively, they might also go into a game where winning was all important no matter how well they might play. So here the performance goals might be very low priority – but how might you view the process goals? They are still vitally important, because no one ever sets out to WIN by not trying to play to the best of their ability.
My contention therefore is that for whatever you want to achieve as an outcome, the most important set of goals are the process goals. Good performance is a bonus – but can be relied upon if you perform the processes well. Reminds me of an amusing comment from Ted in “Ralph and Ted” from The Fast Show when asked what his take on life was. “The way I see it sir is that you’re born and then you die – and what goes on in between? Well that’s a bonus.”
But what if your process goals are not oriented towards achieving the outcome goal? Well then your plan, your strategy, has not been thought through well enough. For either the outcome goal(s) or the process goals ,their outcome is not well-formed. So you can now see that the nature of the plan becomes multi-dimensional and complex. And it is at this point where it will begin to dawn on you that if the Plan is complex – then you cannot carry it around in your head. So – write the plan down – commit it to paper. Write down your goals. Put the whole thing into something tangible, and not just a collection of thoughts.
Writing everything down is absolutely vital to the success of your goal-setting exercises.
The other well known association in goal setting is the acronym – S.M.A.R.T
You need to make your goals SMART
S Specific (Not vague like “become a better person”)
M Measurable (How will you know when you have achieved your goal?)
A Achievable (Don’t make it too difficult OR too easy)
R Realistic
T Timely (Set a timescale for achieving your goal)
Break your big goals up into a series of smaller goals – bite sized chunks. The big picture might seem daunting at first, but if you progressively plan in a series of smaller realistic and achievable goals then the big picture will soon come into view. Get yourself a small notebook and use it as a journal. Put your goals, beliefs and other info at one end, and diarise ALL your activities working towards your goals at the other.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Visualization in Action!
The sports oriented among you might like to venture onto our coaching forum at http://prodigycoachcoachesforum.myfastforum.org/index.php
I have posted a number of sports psychology, NLP and hypnosis related topics there which you might find of interest.
One of these is called Visualization in Action and describes a short experiment I conducted with a group of eight 11-13 year olds which involved throwing at cricket wicket targets.
I will describe it here also, as it embodies the part that mental processes can play in improving a physical activity.
I set up three targets, one much smaller than the others being just a single stump. I then asked each of the group to visualize for a few minutes the targets, which were on the other side of a sports hall. Part of their visualization process was to make the targets bigger, brighter, bolder, closer. They were next given three throws at any target of their choice - starting with their backs to the targets, taking a bounce off the wall and turning and throwing across the hall.
In the first round there was 1 hit in 24 throws.
I then asked them to continue visualizing and we would proceed to the second round of throws. This time they were to throw with their eyes closed.
In the second round there were 9 hits in 24 throws, with 5 of them being on the single stump.
This "magical" outcome was a total convincer for them that visualization is a very powerful tool indeed, even and more especially after just 15 minutes or so. As I said at the time - "think of all the other ways you can use it, how beneficial it might be for you?!" Needless to say their imaginations began to run riot!
The point I made to our other coaches was this:
when you normally field a ball and throw it in this is a dynamic situation, where the eyes are actively searching for the target but only once the ball is in your hand. This information gathering process has time constraints on it as the throw has to be made as soon as possible - consequently the data the brain processes to allow the body to adjust to executing an accurate throw is not always 100% perfect. In essence its a bit of a rushed job.
However, by visualizing the position of the target(s) beforehand and enhancing the data by making the targets bigger, brighter, bolder, nearer, you are now enhancing the quality of the hurried data being gathered in real time.
Plus, if you rely solely on that almost hot-wired and 'clean' data (by throwing "blind") then you get even better results.
Needless to say, I'm not advocating all fielders throw "blind"! But if they can activate powerful mental processes to enhance their physical actions, then the accuracy of the outcomes is increased considerably.
Visualization is as powerful as your imagination allows it to be. Whether its hitting physical targets, building confidence by re-experiencing a perfect past performance, or seeing yourself delivering the perfect presentation sometime in the future - the benefits are the same. You can practice your visualization skills too, as there are many adjustments and fine tunings that can be brought into play in all the submodalities.
Peter
I have posted a number of sports psychology, NLP and hypnosis related topics there which you might find of interest.
One of these is called Visualization in Action and describes a short experiment I conducted with a group of eight 11-13 year olds which involved throwing at cricket wicket targets.
I will describe it here also, as it embodies the part that mental processes can play in improving a physical activity.
I set up three targets, one much smaller than the others being just a single stump. I then asked each of the group to visualize for a few minutes the targets, which were on the other side of a sports hall. Part of their visualization process was to make the targets bigger, brighter, bolder, closer. They were next given three throws at any target of their choice - starting with their backs to the targets, taking a bounce off the wall and turning and throwing across the hall.
In the first round there was 1 hit in 24 throws.
I then asked them to continue visualizing and we would proceed to the second round of throws. This time they were to throw with their eyes closed.
In the second round there were 9 hits in 24 throws, with 5 of them being on the single stump.
This "magical" outcome was a total convincer for them that visualization is a very powerful tool indeed, even and more especially after just 15 minutes or so. As I said at the time - "think of all the other ways you can use it, how beneficial it might be for you?!" Needless to say their imaginations began to run riot!
The point I made to our other coaches was this:
when you normally field a ball and throw it in this is a dynamic situation, where the eyes are actively searching for the target but only once the ball is in your hand. This information gathering process has time constraints on it as the throw has to be made as soon as possible - consequently the data the brain processes to allow the body to adjust to executing an accurate throw is not always 100% perfect. In essence its a bit of a rushed job.
However, by visualizing the position of the target(s) beforehand and enhancing the data by making the targets bigger, brighter, bolder, nearer, you are now enhancing the quality of the hurried data being gathered in real time.
Plus, if you rely solely on that almost hot-wired and 'clean' data (by throwing "blind") then you get even better results.
Needless to say, I'm not advocating all fielders throw "blind"! But if they can activate powerful mental processes to enhance their physical actions, then the accuracy of the outcomes is increased considerably.
Visualization is as powerful as your imagination allows it to be. Whether its hitting physical targets, building confidence by re-experiencing a perfect past performance, or seeing yourself delivering the perfect presentation sometime in the future - the benefits are the same. You can practice your visualization skills too, as there are many adjustments and fine tunings that can be brought into play in all the submodalities.
Peter
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