the healing paradox: a key to remembering who you are

Some of you may have heard of EFT, a healing technique based on tapping certain acupuncture points on the body while saying phrases related to the particular physical or emotional problem being addressed. There's a touching movie about this technique, if you are interested, available here.

I'm not writing this to promote EFT, but to emphasize that EFT is effective because it is aware of the human mind's resistance to paradox, and it takes this resistance into account first and foremost. This is the exact same process as A Course in Miracle's idea of true forgiveness.

In terms of physical or emotional pain or trauma, EFT utilizes what it calls a set-up phrase, while tapping on certain points in the body. Say the problem is a headache. The set-up phrase might be, "Even though I have this beastly headache, I deeply and completely love, accept and forgive myself."  If the problem is cancer, a set-up phrase (I'm over-simplifying here) might be, "Even though I have cancer, I deeply and completely love, accept and forgive myself."

The first thing that is taken into account is the human mind's tendency towards resistance. When anything unpleasant occurs, the human mind does not accept—it resists. And it is this resistance that keeps the object of resistance (the problem) in place—the way a steady wind might pin a fallen leaf to a wall.

To the human mind, to accept a painful situation as totally fine and worthy of love, is unconscionable. This is the paradox. This is also why it's so difficult to forgive people, places and situations—to see them from the safe-whole-and-healed point of view of the higher self, spirit, holy spirit, all-that-is. When we forgive and accept things, even though they seem to be impaired or injured or causing pain, we are viewing the situation from the point of view of that which is completely whole—that which knows it is not subject to this virtual dream scenario we are calling human life. This Self feels as safe and snug in relation to our human aches and pains as we do on the couch when watching a movie in which a character seems to be harmed.

Furthermore, it knows that the only way to heal what is not real is to see it as such, which is the meaning of forgiveness. Hence the "even though."

In terms of non-duality, the even though puts an end to seeking behavior. It allows the frantic, seeking, searching human mind to feel acknowledged and forgiven. Resistance to paradox is resistance to healing. As humans, in response to the feelings of separation and pain and loneliness and darkness, we are always, always, always heading in the wrong direction because to us the right direction feels wrong.

When we stop moving away from what we fear "is not it," something magical happens. We begin to see that it is the act of rejecting that creates the sense of not-okayness which characterizes our lives. In ACIM terms this is "making the dream real."

For the human mind it is very difficult to stop this knee-jerk resistance to what is. Fortunately we have those two magic words, "even though." For example: "Even though I am not enlightened and have indigestion, and am just a fucked-up human being, I deeply and completely, love, accept and forgive myself."

Comments

[Simon]

I feel a little torn here because I am trying to balance my a sense of open-mindedness with a sometimes equally as strong (and I most often deem healthy) inclination toward skepticism. My first (VERY knee-jerk) reaction toward almost ALL forms of what my mind considers "alternative" medicine is an ironically healthy sense of disbelief.

I once had a reiki massage from a fairly new practitioner who, after, asked me if I felt the energy coursing down my body and out the soles of my feet. I wanted to make her feel good about how well she did, but I had to say no, it just felt like a decent rub-down.

I have a very firmly ingrained sense of contempt for homeopathy, thinking it good for nothing but pandering to the highly credulous.

Looking at myself, I know that predispositions like that bleed over into my opinion of new and (to me) untested forms of healing. I find it VERY difficult to think that accupuncture, combined with emotionally-related phrases, is more efficacious than just the needle treatment. I am trying to balance this in my own head with the belief (my own) that one's attitude has a huge effect on physical well-being.

Feeling very imbalanced about the whole thing, quite frankly. I take my daily vitamins (almost daily) and think that my overall outlook on life is at LEAST as effectual for keeping me as healthy as I am, yet the sense of skepticism at these sorts of things is impossible to shake. And I can't say that I'd want to, either.

[marian]

Oh, heavens...I am completely in favor of healthy skepticism and would never try to convince anyone of anything.

I'm not promoting EFT... I just didn't want to take credit for something as brilliant as the way they deal first and foremost with the ego's tendency towards resistance--striving to take it into account up front, knowing that until it is dealt with, nothing can change in any long-lasting sense.

[Simon]

Ah, you see there? I decided to gloss right over your initial caveat that you were not endorsing EFT, but just bringing to light its practice of acknowledging the human mind's resistance to change, and taking that into account as part of the healing.

I think I'll blame my ego for not wanting me to see that, and jumping right to the judgmental bit it wanted to see!

;)

[marian]

Yes, well, not so much resistance to change (although there is that too) as resistance to paradox. But who's counting. Quiz next Friday.

[Leslie]

Dear Marian,
This (non-resistance)is a great and warm wrap to try on right, this very, Now...
Always...thank you.
With love,
-Leslie

[marian]

Hi Leslie, you're very welcome, sweetheart.

[Aileen]

Loved your post! > This is as my grandmother would say (translating from Spanish and not sure it makes sense in English,) gold in powder form...

[mtw]

Hello Marian,

I have been using EFT since 2002 or so. I found acim (via the disappearance of the universe/Gary Renard) in late 2005. The combination of both has helped me tremendously with all kinds of healing, both physical and emotional. It really works and now I know that it is 'magic' in Course terms, but you have succinctly put into words the 'why' for me. (Gary Craig, the EFT founder, does not even try to explain how it works. And he is a long time Course student, too). Thanks for the clarity. I heartily endorse the use of EFT. No embarrassment or guilt required. Tapping while saying Workbook lessons is very powerful, indeed, as I ask Holy Spirit to join along. *smile*
mtw

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Looking at myself, I know that predispositions like that bleed over into my opinion of new and (to me) untested forms of healing. I find it VERY difficult to think that accupuncture, combined with emotionally-related phrases, is more efficacious than just the needle treatment. I am trying to balance this in my own head with the belief (my own) that one's attitude has a huge effect on physical well-being.