Buddhism: Hope for Trauma Survivors and Healing Modalities and continuing on with my effort to explore the healing modalities like EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique ), Somatic Experiencing and Buddhist practice and their respective efficacies and limitations. When I was on a 10 day Vipassana-Shamata retreat recently Kehnmo Drolma, the nun that was leading the retreat My First 10 Day Buddhist Samatha-Vipassana Meditation Retreat in NYC, Kehnmo told us a story about a monastic, whose name was kept confidential, who had significant emotional distress that was holding this person back from performing their duties effectively and was given an ultimatum to seek out professional help to remain in the monastery. To make a long story short this monastic was able to seek out psychiatric and in that case was able to heal their emotional problems, transform and become a “lovely person” in Kenhmo’s words. So, while on the level of the human habit to associate and create identities out of these associations with thought which keeps people from seeing reality clearly meditation and other Buddhist practices lead one to cease to make these associations and ultimate see clearly on the level of deep emotional pain and trauma very often a different approach is necessary for healing. So, both approaches are often needed.
Praise for Emotional Freedom Technique by a Buddhist Monk
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) was created by a man named Gary Craig. EFT is considered pseudoscience by the scientific community. It is based on the concepts of energy meridians where the concept of chi flows in Chinese medicine and martial arts. I personally don’t believe in chi (qi) or energy medicine, I have always felt it was a placebo effect or caregiver effect. I can only present what other people are saying about it, in this case this Buddhist monk and at the conclusion I will give my non professional and non scientific opinion of my experience with it the last two weeks.
By Nyanasanti Bhikkhu
Dear Friends...
I have been given a real gift recently, and I want to share it with all of you. It is simply one of the most powerful healing and transformational tools I have ever encountered (after meditation).
It is called EFT, (Emotional Freedom Technique). It is deceptively simple to learn and apply, but the results are simply stunning. Emotional and physical healings occur in a manner which is fascinating ... unbelievable even. EFT is based on a very different understanding of why negative emotions are caused in our lives. It's probably going to challenge some beliefs and assumptions that you have (just as it did for me) ... but the results are unmistakable. This stuff really works ... I've tried it on myself and others in my monastery with results that are too good to believe.
I'll warn you though, EFT is perhaps one of the strangest / funniest looking procedures you'll ever see. When first encountered it seems ridiculous ... until you try it and see for yourself how beautifully it resolves the most complex of psychological / emotional, and even physical problems.
I'm amazed at how I got this gift -- and it is REALLY such a GIFT! -- here in a remote monastery in Sri Lanka. A senior monk returned from abroad and brought along the complete DVD set of EFT teachings. I'm truly grateful to him for sharing them with me and giving me a chance to learn this teaching. One way to show that gratitude is perhaps to spread the word about EFT.
This is very likely a tool I'll be using for the rest of my life. In all my years of learning various meditation techniques, studying healing systems, self-development methods, plus the wide array of methodologies I've been exposed to during my training in Psychology and Human Resources Management ... I've never come across anything as potent as EFT for rapidly diffusing complex emotional problems and associated physical issues. In fact for dealing with specific emotional issues (e.g. phobias, addictions, grief etc.) it's probably a more appropriate tool than meditation.
Anyway....I don't want to say too much (I think I already have!). If you are interested, please download and read the "EFT Manual". You can download it for free from:
http://www.emofree.com/downloadeftmanual.asp
You can learn EFT just from this simple manual. There is also lots of other helpful material on the EFT website. However to really appreciate the power of this tool you'll have to order the DVDs from http://www.emofree.com/store/store.aspx. It's a great set of DVDs ... educational, entertaining and indeed transformational . These EFT people are altruistically motivated and allow the original buyer of the DVD set to make 100 copies for free distribution.
And these teachings are easy and even fun to apply. I feel it's going to help many of you in lots of ways. Thats why I'm sending you this email.
So please accept this precious gift and read the EFT manual. And, if you can, order the DVDs ... because they are really worth it (better than Hollywood Blockbusters actually!).
So I'll end this...wishing you Emotional Freedom !
May you soar...
Nyanasanti Bhikkhu
PS: It's somewhat unusual for a Buddhist monk to be recommending a transformational tool that wasn't explicitly taught by the Buddha. I venture to do so only because I've found that EFT has the potential to significantly reduce psychological and physical suffering. It does not promise Nirvana or Enlightenment (at least I don't think so!). It does promise freedom from debilitating negative tendencies ... and delivers fast! And to that extent perhaps it is congruent with the Buddha's teachings that aim at the complete ending of all suffering.
Nyanasanti Bhikkhu
Conclusion and My Thoughts
I am new to this, I have tried EFT in the past with limited results. I was not able to sleep and it helped me nearly 25 years ago after one session. I can’t tell you why I thought it helped back then but I’ll tell you what I think of it now. The way the healing statements are constructed are pretty genius. They seem a bit similar to affirmations, which I am not a fan of at all, but these are very personal and specific. In the case of the study I am participating revolving around the specific issues of trauma and situations resulting from sexual assault that have a heavy emotional charge. The sessions with the therapist also include some very creative hypnosis which is also pretty amazing in the way they hypnotic suggestions are being constructed. I will get more specific at the of the study as I see more how I feel and have more experiences under my belt. All I can say for now is that I feel less of a charge of things that were troubling me, I’m not sure exactly why yet but I am pretty impressed for now.
Here is a presentation of it by Gary Craig if you would like to try it. The link to the manual is above in the letter about EFT by Nyanasanti Bhikkhu. I actually am saying a personal variation of how he does it that I'll explain more in future posts.
What do you think?
Check out my blog for other essays on Buddhism and meditation
Recent posts
The Buddha Was Just a Guy Who Got Woke – The Parable of Two Arrows
Buddhism: Hope for Trauma Survivors and Healing Modalities
Buddhism: Learning How to Drop Aversion and Be in Grace
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My First 10 Day Buddhist Samatha-Vipassana Meditation Retreat in NYC
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