East Hardwick Vermont
Learning a physica/storytelling technique is a lot like walking a labyrinth. For example, when we use a technique like Emotional Freedom Techniques on our journey to the center of an issue, we cannot make an error, just as we cannot make an error as we follow the paths of the most ancient of all labyrinths, the seven-circuit pathways featured in the photo to the right. At the end of each round of tapping, we can take the time to assess our progress in the same way that we can tune into our well being as we complete each labyrinth path. Walking the labyrinth, like tapping on the body, provides a somatic, meditative means of communication with the flesh, blood, and bones holding our oldest, sometimes most frightening secrets. The somatic language we use in EFT – our fingers’ gentle whispers to the body – is respectful of the hurts we carry, of the challenges we’ve left unmet, of the wounds we sense but can’t quite remember receiving. At the end of an EFT training session, as at the end of a labyrinth journey, we stand taller, aware of a much broader perspective that includes compassion for others as well as our selves. We also often feel more optimistic and capable of the Acts of Completion that bolster our sense of emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual mastery. The invitation to address actions we were unable to complete when young children or vulnerable adults is perhaps EFT’s greatest contribution to the wellness movement. Once we learn Emotional Freedom Techniques, because of their simplicity and ease of use, we often do not require expertise beyond our own willingness to be present to ourselves and the process of safely naming our pain.