Anyone who's known me for more than a couple of days probably knows that I am a HUGE fan of Byron Katie and her inquiry process known as "The Work". I love The Work because it is all about holding our stressful thoughts up to the light of examination to see if they are really true. It is a powerful process for finding peace. If you are not yet familiar with The Work, I encourage you to check out Katie's site. A detailed explanation of how to do The Work is here. Katie also has several insightful books; Loving What Is is a great place to start if you are interested in exploring her work in more detail.
In the video below (under 10 minutes long), you can watch Katie do The Work with a woman who is questioning her stressful thoughts about her body. This woman begins her inquiry with the statement, "I hate my body because I have not been able to fulfill most of my goals in life because of it." Watch what happens as she inquires into the truth of this statement. Note how Katie states that once we begin to question these thoughts, we open ourselves up to the possibility of being more loving towards our bodies. You may want to tap as you watch the video; you may notice some strong emotion coming up as the inquiry process unfolds.
Quite a few people have mentioned to me that they find The Work helpful, but that the mental shift they get after doing The Work doesn't seem to "stick" - they keep going back to inquire over and over again on the same statement. I have found that when this happens, combining EFT and The Work can help the shift to come easier, and that it is more permanent in nature.
You can easily apply EFT to any of the statements you encounter during your inquiry process. For example:
Is it true?
"Even though I'm sure it's absolutely true that I haven't been able to fulfill my goals in life because of my body"
"Even though I really want it to be true that I haven't been able to fulfill my goals in life because of my body, I'm open to the idea that it might not be true after all"
Who would I be without that thought?
"Even though I'm not sure who I'd be without the thought that I haven't been able to fulfill my goals in life because of my body."
"Even though I'm really scared to let go of this thought that I haven't been able to fulfill my goals in life because of my body."
The Turnarounds
EFT is fantastic for releasing resistance around the turnaround statements. In this example "My body has prevented me from fulfilling my goals" turned around:
"Even though I don't want to believe that my body has NOT prevented me from fulfilling my goals"
"Even though I have prevented me from fulfilling my goals"
"Even though I don't want to find any reasons why I have prevented me from fulfilling my goals"
(Katie encourages finding at least 3 ways that each turnaround statement is true.)
These are just a few examples of how EFT can be used when doing The Work. There are MANY possibilities. If you decide to try combining these two tools of peace, I would love to hear about your experiences!
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I had a great conversation with Life Coach Iyabo Isani, discussing how to use EFT to significantly increase the effectiveness of Affirmations.
I had the pleasure to be one of several EFT Practitioners leading rounds of EFT Tapping Blessings for Earth Day on Eleanore Duyndam's popular EFT Class radio show.
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That's great, Karen!! Here's an example of how I have combined The Work and EFT on the topic of "pushing the plate away". I start with EFT, noticing the SUDS level as I go along: Even thought I could never push the plate away and feel good about it...ET it feels like wasting food...ET I would be missing out...ET I would feel deprived---I choose to KNOW that the extra food is NOT a gift, a treat or anything special; it's a liability! When the SUDS are down on those, I move to The Work on "If I push the plate away when there is still food on it, I am depriving myself." I love the Turn Around: "If I do NOT push the plate away, I am depriving myself." Much truer!! I am depriving myself of vibrant health, slenderness, mindfullness, lightness of being, self-direction (as opposed to food-driven), respect for my body......and so on!
ReplyDeleteBy the time I get to The Work, I feel greater presence, which allows TW to go deeper and "stick". In my experience, when I am able to do TW as a meditation, as Katie suggests, it has more impact and creates lasting change.
I'm glad to find someone else who "taps with The Work"!