Mary T Sise - The Energy of Belief

H ave you ever been frustrated by an unwanted thought that keeps rolling around in your mind and you cant stop thinking about it?

Have you ever wondered why you are afraid to do something before you even attempt it?

Are you sometimes surprised by your strong angry overreaction to someone you love only to feel guilty and ashamed afterward? Have you tried talking about it until you were absolutely sick of listening to yourself?

Are you just tired of responding in the same unproductive ways despite your best intentions?

We, a clinical social worker and a psychologist, also wanted to know why negative beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors continue as if they have a life of their own and why talking alone and other traditional therapeutic attempts to eliminate the problem are many times not enough. In the first edition of The Energy of Belief, we introduced you to Touch and Breathe (TAB), developed by John Diepold as a way to help you regain control of your life.

Now some dozen years later, we would like to share what has been gleaned through further practice and research about other strategies that we believe add to the richness and practicality of this book. Energy Psychology is gaining headway in the psychological community, thanks to the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP), an organization dedicated to training and certification, setting ethical standards, supporting research and humanitarian projects, and spreading the word about the field. ( www.energypsych.org )

Most of the new research involves a method made popular by Gary Craig. He called it Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a variant of Thought Field Therapy (TFT). TFT and EFT were powered by tapping, and in our first edition of The Energy of Belief , we wrote about EFT/TFT powered by touch with breath and intention (TAB).

Over time, we began to recognize that acupoint powering whether by tapping, touch, or the tradition of rubbing is more a matter of preference and situation. We also became further convinced that adding intention with mindful breathing enhanced every method. With this observation in mind, we wrote this second edition with an emphasis on breath and intention added to all the protocols. We maintain this will enhance your capacity to quickly shift out of limiting beliefs and create a limitless life.

You, the Reader

It is likely that you are reading this because you have a problem with a self-defeating or self-sabotaging belief, thought, or behavior and want to try something on your own. Your problem may be a specific fear or phobia. It may be a thought you cant get out of your head or a behavior or unhealthy habit you are unable to stop. It could be as serious as drug addiction, as benign as video game playing, or a habit of procrastination that ultimately gets in the way of a more productive lifestyle. You may simply be sick and tired of repeated irrational negative beliefs about yourself or the rush of angry emotions when discussing your thoughts only to have them discounted by the listenerfamily member, boss, or friend.

While searching for a solution for your problem, perhaps you may have already heard about energy psychology or tapping. If you have been to a chiropractor or acupuncturist, yoga class, or Reiki healing, you may be acquainted with some core concepts of energy healing. In addition, you may have read books about neuroplasticity and the recent research on the brain. Maybe you have even seen YouTube videos of neurons firing and the pruning of neural paths or television shows about people recovering from strokes and moving their arms with a thought.

On the other hand, you may know absolutely nothing about energy psychology or neuroplasticity but are curious enough to learn about it. No matter where on this spectrum you find yourself, you are in the right place to make a meaningful change in your life.

An Updated Energy Compendium

The first edition of The Energy of Belief came as a direct response to requests that the energy psychology technique (TAB) described in a textbook written for professionals (Diepold, Britt, and Bender, 2004 ) should also be developed for self-treatment. In the first edition of The Energy of Belief, we simply put the contents of the professional book into a self-help form. In the first edition, we gave you steps to be successful using EFT/TFT algorithms and diagnostics powered by touch with focused breath and intention.

In this revision, we give you EFT/TFT algorithms and diagnostics powered by any energetic connection: tapping, touching, or rubbing. We start from what could be considered a centrist position with the acupoints as described in the Tapping Solution. (See Appendix B) This simplified yet powerful protocol has been extremely useful as witnessed by the thousands of endorsements. Then, we give you the backstory for what initially led to tapping of meridian points. We also update you about what has developed in this field over the past fifteen years.

It is important to note that we add breath and intention to all our energy therapies. We emphasize breath and intention while connecting to the meridian points because for us, it is abundantly clear that what you say to yourself matters. Words themselves are energy, and we teach you how to use them to empower the mind/body/spirit (energy) interface, adding more depth and power to the healing process.