Building Bridges through Loss: One/Dr. Damon Silas/From Mourning to Knight

In these turbulent times of political and racial divisiveness, one human experience is the great unifier:  Loss.  We cannot avoid it, individually and collectively, especially if we are engaged with the world through our work and media information choices.  We see fires ravaging communities of trees and people, floods disappearing whole ecosystems and devastating towns, and humans suffering through the terrors of pandemic illness and death on every continent. Whether these losses are personal or witnessed, our awareness of them can positively impact what we think and feel and share with others.  Recognizing shared losses puts us in touch with our common humanity. As difficult as loss is, it makes  it possible to expand our sense of connection to others, no matter where we are in the world.

Continue reading Building Bridges through Loss: One/Dr. Damon Silas/From Mourning to Knight

My Planet, My Self

In these times of constant Earth and human trauma, it is easy to lose sight of the good that is constantly playing out around us and through us. When edging into despair, I remind myself that the news most visible in our culture involves coverage of disasters and terrifying human behaviours. We seldom see evidence of good news – the good people do that is contributing to the changes we require to reverse the harm our destructive actions have on the world.

As constant negative emphasis threatens to get me down, an EFT tapping session can lift me out of the anxiety and despair of catastrophe-focused thought and feeling. Once I begin tapping through the points, my optimistic energies rally and I am aware of the spacious experience of balanced thinking, feeling, and clarity. In this state of self regulation, I can then about steps I might take to support a return to personal and planetary balance.

EFT and Climate Tragedy

This is EFT’s great value in times of crisis.  It’s regular use supports the personal calm that is required to be our best selves in every situation. The first step to changing our despairing point of view is to admit to the feelings we are experiencing.  EFT is all about honouring the truth of our emotional reality. Some of us are deeply sensitive to seasonal change, and here in the Northern Hemisphere, the bright sun and intense heat of summer are balanced by short, cold days and dark, colder nights.  Both extremes are vital to our food system as it has evolved in this part of the world, and so finding ways to accept and even delight in our seasonal weather patterns contributes to the strength we need to participate in the climate change awareness events that build a community of well informed activists and conscientious citizens.

Naming our feelings of loss as we read of the fires in Australia, or witness TV and film stories documenting the damage we have done to our world is the place we begin. Tapping through the points as we speak of fear, rage, helplessness, and the many other emotional responses we have to our current world situation helps to regulate the nervous system and make space for the wisdom that guides us to life affirming choices and behaviours.  We might simply tap:  “I feel so frightened and helpless when I read about __________________ or watch _________________.  I feel so frightened, for myself and for the rest of the world.”

Once we have expressed our most intense feelings, we often experience the calm that supports a healthy curiosity about how we can participate in bringing about the changes that will support balance.   Tapping through the points on the truth of our feelings, whether we feel numb, on the verge of panic, or find ourselves in some middle territory,  is always our starting place.  Whatever our emotional, physical, spiritual, or intellectual preoccupation, the EFT approach is the same: we name the most intense of our concerns as we tap through the points. 

Shifts in Perspective

After several rounds of tapping on our most intense feelings, persistent imagery, and/or obsessive thoughts, we pause to pay attention to any shift that may have occurred in our perspective.  This shift is never forced; nor is it cultivated by affirmations.  I experience it as the spaciousness that supports my ability to see a larger picture.  When this shift happens, I say, “Okay.  How might I help this situation?” 

Waiting for guidance is an interesting experience.  I usually ask for it and then go about my daily business.  Sometimes I’m startled out of a completely different focus to do some research on making a personal change in my life (for example a dietary change to support sustainable and local food systems), contributing to disaster relief funds, or taking some other action that unites me with the energies that are knitting the world together, even as human and natural disasters seem to be pulling it apart.  This tension between balance and imbalance is the dance of life.

Optimism and Longevity

As I move more deeply into my energy work in the world, I find myself thinking almost daily about the value of longevity.  Each of us must ask what our time on Earth, however long or short, is for.  I personally love the opportunity to spread the joy of learning something new, of helping others heal long standing emotional wounds in order to participate more fully in meeting the greater world’s needs.  Not everyone wants what I have to offer, some because they don’t recognize their own wounds, and others because they find me “too old.”  Neither of these points of view troubles me.  Each of us must come to learning and loving and healing in our own time and in our own way.  Longevity has taught me this vital lesson, longevity supported by my daily EFT personal work.

More Information

If you would like more information on how to keep your energies balanced and your optimism shining no matter what your age and your fears for our Earth Home, please email me at jane@winterblooms.net.  In the meantime, explore local remedies to despair:  seek out walking clubs with positive environmental biases in your area; learn how to participate in protecting your water sources, your forests, and your most vulnerable non-human and human communities; feel personally called by our climate crisis, called by our shared Earth Mother, and supported by Her, to work with others to reestablish balance and harmony.  When we release our intense emotions and obsessive thoughts daily, we find we have so much more energy for the work that has come to us to do.

Until next time,

Jane

Visit www.eftinternational.org to learn more about how the use of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) supports the resolution of inner and outer conflicts, informs more loving and respectful relationships, and empowers its users to contribute to the changes we want to see in the world.

Jane is an EFT International (formerly AAMET) Accredited Master Trainer,  writer, coach, and educator specializing in neutralizing the effects of personal negative thinking as well as the cultural limitations that interfere with our ability to imagine, create, and live our best lives at every age.  To engage Jane for individual or group coaching services, EFT International  Accredited, Certified Mentoring sessions,  and EFT Level One and Two Training for your group, call her at  (802) 533-9277 or email   jane@winterblooms.net. 

Visit www.winterblooms.net to learn more about how Jane supports and inspires individuals, groups, and communities.

Please Note:  This educational website cannot replace therapy with certified psychologists, family therapists, or psychiatrists.  Before training with EFT International, Jane taught at the elementary, secondary, and college levels, in Ontario, and at the Community College of Vermont. She is an early trauma survivor who works exclusively as a learning/energy coach using the best practices of EFT as taught by EFT International.  She created this website to support the most effective use of EFT to reduce general and specific stresses and to increase the joy of daily living through self regulation, resilience, and pro-social experiences.

Judy Rebick, Early Childhood Trauma, and Telling Our Stories

Please Note:  Winter Blooms is an educational website created to support the most effective use of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to reduce stress and increase joy.  To experience the benefits of EFT for in-the-moment, trauma-informed emotional support and to build emotional resilience over the long term, contact Jane by phone at (802) 533-9277 or email jane@winterblooms.net.

Visit www.winterblooms.net,  www.aamet.org and www.neftti.com to learn more about how EFT supports the resolution of inner and outer conflicts, informs more loving and respectful relationships, and empowers its users to contribute to the changes we want to see in the world.

If you are Canadian and a Boomer, or a feminist of any nationality, you know the name Judy Rebick.  She has been at the forefront of humanitarian causes since the 1970s, and her fearlessness as an advocate and activist is legendary.  She championed Dr. Henry Morgentaler and Dr. Robert Scott when The Morgentaler Clinic was under assault from extremists in the Right to Life movement.  She also advocated for deaf-culture individuals and agencies and for labour unions threatened by NAFTA.   The author of several books, her new memoir, Heroes in My Head, is a must read for anyone concerned with early childhood trauma, it’s long-term health and relationship effects, and its profound power to unleash the protective genius of a child experiencing assault.

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Learn How to Tame Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Trauma

Please Note:  Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist.  To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website at www.aamet.org or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.

On July 16th , 2017, in Markham, Ontario, I’ll be conducting what I think of as a graduate seminar in Self-Regulation and Resilience Building.  When we read about early and adult trauma, the emphasis is usually on its crippling effects.  At this event, however, our emphasis is on self regulation during potentially traumatic experiences and resilience building for the long-term.

Positive psychologists remind us of the gifts of trauma by using the phrase Post Traumatic Growth.  In our resilience seminar, an experiential event, we will focus almost exclusively on the benefits of trauma-informed approaches at home, in community, and in the workplace.  We will also practice several self-regulation and resilience building techniques to boost optimism regarding how we can become trauma-resilient regardless of our ACEs scores.

To augment the information and tools I teach at the in-person event, I’ve created a resource booklet that includes a history of the evolution of language we use about trauma, my own personal connection to ACEs, the value of trauma-informed approaches in diverse workplace situations – including the value of a trauma-informed approach for parents, information about two sources of self-regulation and resilience building tools, and an annotated resource section listing ACEs research sources and several non-ACEs sources that broaden our understanding of the cultural forces encouraging traumatizing practices and how we can ameliorate these.  If you cannot attend the Markham/Toronto, Ontario, event but would like the resource PDF, it will be available for $15.00 after the July 16th, 2017 event.  Email Jane at jane@winterblooms.net to request your copy.

To learn more about this event, please visit the National EFT Training Institute at  www.neftti.com.

with blessings for a self regulating and resilient building summer

Jane

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Jane Buchan, MA, AAMET Accredited Practitioner, jane@winterblooms.net, 802-533-9277

Jane is a Learning/Performance Coach specializing in neutralizing cultural age, gender, and race constructs to empower learners of every age.  To engage her coaching services, please contact Jane by phone (802) 533-9277 or email, jane@winterblooms.net.  Be sure to put Coaching Query in the subject line.

Self Care during Challenging Times

Please Note:  Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist.  To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the Gary Craig website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.

With polarizing influences screeching in our ears like nails on a blackboard, it is easy to be caught up in the drama and forget to turn off our devices and sit in silence as we invite the natural rhythms of the world to bring us back to centre.  One of the most effective techniques for building resilience in the long term and self regulating in the moment is to step outside onto a grassy patch, focus on a tree, and simply offer our appreciation for its being present to us.  Resilience and self regulation are the secret to joyful longevity, loving and respectful relationships, and successful, sustainable business enterprises.  Tapping to clear all resistance to daily resilience and self regulation practices helps us to develop nourishing self-care practices that ensure positive experiences in the moment and positive experiences over time.

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Weighting and Waiting (Part 2): Conversations with the Body

Please Note:  Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist.  To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the Gary Craig website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.

Once we commit to making positive physical changes, several helpful concepts support our intentions.  The first concept concerns respecting and communicating with each aspect of the body we are conscious of judging negatively.  When we find ourselves grasping the flesh of the upper arm, or belly, or some other body area as we make a critical comment, it is helpful to think of this physical part as coming forward for peace making.  I say this because every specific part we reject about our flesh serves in some way to increase feelings of safety.  This may sound counter-intuitive, especially when we are convinced that it is wrong or bad to be “fat,” or “lazy,” or even ill.  However, when we reject even the tiniest part of the Self, we are in some way doing our very best to prevent similar rejection from others.  Many of us learn self criticism as young children and then make our way in the world repeating this criticism as a way of short circuiting those we feel might criticize us in similar fashion. Tapping can help us to resolve our fear of criticism from others and at the same time, support us in making the long and winding journey from head to heart.

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Weighting and Waiting: Those Last 5 (10/15) Pounds

Please Note:  Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist.  To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the Gary Craig website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.

Here in the west, one of the most challenging changes many of us undertake is the challenge to practice healthful, conscious eating choices.  Bombarded with invitations to indulge our sweet, fat, and salt teeth, we succumb to all manner of foods that may comfort us in the moment but that torment us after the fact.  No matter how diligent we are with exercise, we learn fairly early that no one outruns a bad diet.  Hence the diet industry’s colossal financial success in the face of it’s equally colossal failures with the majority of folks who do their level best to attain their healthiest body weight through one “guaranteed” diet system or another.  EFT can help us to make peace with our food behaviours, not as a magic bullet or with “fool-proof” meal plans, but as an aid to understanding what drives our ability to override our common sense and even our will power regarding what and how we eat.

Continue reading Weighting and Waiting: Those Last 5 (10/15) Pounds

Befriending the Learner Within

Please Note:  Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist.  To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the ACEP website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.

One life experience we can all predict concerns change.  In this wondrous world, nothing remains static; everything is in flux.  The happiest, most productive people are those who see the need for adaptation as a given.  These folks are the most curious, and, consequently, the most willing to embrace change.  We may rebel at change, especially sudden, forced change brought on by sudden death, business failures, and relationship betrayals, but our rebellion prolongs our state of distress.  Tapping can help us to shift our attitude to change, no matter how dire; more than this, tapping can help us to positively reframe our view of ourselves and our world.

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Tapping for Early Medical Trauma

Please Note:  Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist.  To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the ACEP website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.

For anyone who has experienced a medical trauma early in life, a trip to the doctor triggers deep seated fears until the trauma is addressed.  Until healing begins, a simple annual physical exam becomes a reminder of the earlier trauma, often through physical responses such as anxiety and dread that make no logical sense at all.  In truth, logic is rarely present during situations that frighten us.  At these times, it is the body that reacts to whatever the medical trauma might be, these reactions laying dormant in the physical systems until life presents us with circumstances that activate them, and activation is the portal to healing.  Fortunately, as we pursue our healing course, Tapping can help to calm anxiety that comes with otherwise neutral circumstances, and it can also help us to gain insight into why we feel as we do and so release these terrors.

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The Longest Journey

Please Note:  Winter Blooms is an educational website in no way meant to replace building a relationship with a trained EFT practitioner, counselor, or therapist.  To find an EFT Practitioner, visit the AAMET website, the ACEP website, the EFT Universe website, the Tapping Solution website, or contact Jane for EFT coaching support.

Many cultures, including our own, tell us  that the longest journey we ever make is the journey from head to heart.  Anyone who has spent time living in thinking mode knows the truth of this statement.  We spare ourselves the work of feeling when we crowd out our emotional responses with constant information gathering, analysis, and judgment.  The truth is, our emotions distress us, because they often come with an awareness of our vulnerabilities.  It feels much safer to give ourselves over to thinking about our lives and the world.  And yet, without the guidance of our hearts and emotions, we are nothing more than machine-like problem solvers and problem creators.  Given the number of crises we must address address today, it is easy to conclude that very few people have made the journey from head to heart.

Continue reading The Longest Journey