International Journal of Healing
and Caring - Online
Volume 2, No. 2
May 2002
The
Dynamind Technique for “Instant Healing”: Two Cases
Judy
(Springer) Steele, MTP
Dynamind
is an “instant healing” technique developed by Serge Kahili King, PhD, a
prominent teacher of the ancient Huna tradition of Hawaii (King website: www.huna.org).
I began studying Huna with King in January 2000, and learned the
Dynamind technique from him in the fall of 2000, shortly after he developed
it. I have also studied and practice a
number of other alternative/complementary approaches to healing, including TAT
(Tapas Acupressure Technique), NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), flower
essence work, homeopathy, and others, but I have found Dynamind to be so
effective that I use it with most clients now – either alone or in combination
with other modalities .
Dynamind
has been used successfully for relief of many kinds of physical pain, other
physical conditions, and emotional and mental pain and difficulties (www.huna.org/html/dmtuse.html). Information on the effectiveness of Dynamind
is anecdotal, based on case documentation, with many of King’s own
demonstrations documented on video.
As
King says, “The Dynamind technique does not heal anything. It helps to relieve tension so that your
body can better heal itself. If a
symptom returns it is because stress and tension have returned”
(www.huna.org/html/dmtbasic.html). The understanding is that this approach uses
the power of intention, words, touch, breath and imagery to direct the process
and to open the energy channels, allowing healing to occur. This is a reflection of the traditional
Hawaiian haipule approach to
manifesting what you want.
This
is King’s description of the basic technique (with my own elaborations in brackets)
(http://www.huna.org/html/dmtbasic.html):
The
following version can be applied by most people for immediate symptom
relief. Variations on this basic
technique are virtually unlimited. The
process may have to be repeated several times for full benefit, and it will not
work for all symptoms all of the time.
1.
Think of your symptom and make the
following statement: "I have a problem, and that can change. I want that problem to go away."
2.
Tap or touch the following points on the
body with two or three fingers for a count of seven beats each: center of chest
[between the nipples]; outside base of each thumb; base of neck [C7]. [These are acupuncture points.]
3.
Inhale with your attention on top of your
head; exhale with your attention on your toes. [Inhaling above the head and exhaling below the feet is also
used; these are chakra points.]
4.
Notice any change in the symptom and
repeat the above as needed or as appropriate. (Excerpted from www.huna.org/html/dmtbasic.html)
A
SUDS (subjective units of distress) score on a 1-to-10 scale, before and after
a treatment, is commonly used to keep track of progress in reducing the
client’s distress level.
Case #1. (12/11/01) Sue May is 53-year-old nurse, in
an administrative job. She is studying
energy healing, with a view to becoming a full time healer. She also volunteers at Hospice. When I first met her at the end of October,
her right lower leg and foot were in a cast and she was using crutches. When she came for this session, the cast and
crutches were gone, but she wanted to work on the continuing pain in her right
foot. She said she knew, based on her
professional experience, that these things “take time,” and that still having
pain is “normal.” Although the
immediate cause of her pain was the fracture, she frequently said “surgery”
instead of “fracture.” When I inquired
about this, she said that she had had surgery before, on both feet, some years
ago.
So
we began with her statements in Step 1:
I have pain in
my right foot as a result of a fracture. [She continued to say “surgery” sometimes.]
This can
change. [She tended to use less-strong variations of
this statement, such as “I’d like this to change.” I kept bringing her back to the more assertive statement and she
kept using different, less strong, variations.
Eventually she was using the strong version consistently.]
I want the
pain to go away. [This statement
was sometimes, “I’d like the pain to go away.
Again, I encouraged her to be more assertive.]
Sue
started at a 5-6 level of pain (with
10 the highest possible). This pain was
present only when she walked, so she stood up and walked after each round of
treatment, in order to assess the pain level.
After
R1 (Round 1, including Steps 1-4 described above): SUDS 5.
After
R2: 5.
After
R3: 4-5.
JS:
This time, notice whatever image comes to mind after making your
statements.
Sue:
I see little demons coming out of my foot.
(Emphatically) I want all the little demons to come out now!
JS:
You might direct what they are to do next, not leave them out loose.
After
R4: 4.
JS:
Again this time, notice what image comes up after your statements. Also, consider adjusting your problem
statement to include the previous surgery.
[It’s important that her statement
reflect that inclusion; it’s not only a matter of her inner focus.]
Sue
(after making her statements with that adjustment): I’m seeing that long bone,
the 5th metatarsal, it seems to need something. It’s just laying there. It’s white.
JS:
Do something in your imagery that will help it.
Sue:
I’m bathing it in healing energy.
JS:
Has the image of the bone changed?
Sue:
Now it’s looking more at ease, more subtle, more of a pinkish hue to it.
After
R5: 4.
JS:
Again in this round, notice any image/s that comes up after your
statements.
Sue:
Rough waters, something jumping into it – my foot, me – trying to escape
something.
JS:
It seems you have difficulties both ahead of you and behind you. Change something to improve the
situation.
Sue:
I imagined myself changing to spirit form and rising above it all, and all the
bad forces become good forces. Then I
went to a meditation where I’m standing on a beach and everything’s beautiful
and calm.
After
R6: 4.
Despite
several rounds with imagery changes, she continues to be stuck at the 4
level. I am looking for a way to get
her moving down the SUDS scale again.
JS:
This time, you might consider getting a more specific image of what you are
trying to escape from. Also, you might
want to bring your image changes more into the physical realm, rather than
rising above it or going to a calmer place.
You might ask for an image that represents the blockage, so that you can
work directly with that.
Sue:
This is weird. I saw two owls hanging
upside down on a tree. I saw their
eyes.
JS:
Change that image in some way that you prefer.
Sue:
I’d like the owls upright.
JS: Do it!
Sue:
While doing that, I’m seeing a large hole in the earth. I’ll just cover that hole – it doesn’t need
to be there. The owls are very happy.
I
had no idea of what that was all about, but did not inquire because the change
seemed positive.
After
R7: 4.
Sue:
I’m realizing that my medical background and experience of it taking a long
time are standing in the way here.
JS: (I agreed, having suspected that, and took
her into a Huna belief change technique, called “reprogramming the ku.”)
In
Huna, the ku is the aspect of the
person that is responsible for the body’s functioning. The ku is also responsible for all memory, including maintaining memory
of one’s beliefs and “programming.” The ku
is reprogrammed by putting oneself into a state of strong, clear intentionality
and then giving a strong, emotionally carried, new message to the ku.
JS: (I suggested she add an image change to go
along with the reprogramming words.)
Sue:
The old way is a clock. The new way is
the Universe: no limit, no time.
That
particular image was remarkably relevant to this process: We were working on a
belief change (1st principle of Huna: “The world is what you think
it is”), and she had spontaneously brought in the 2nd principle (“There
are no limits”) to help her. She knew
nothing of Huna principles.
Sue
(emphatically): OK, ku, I need to change this belief I have had about healing
and time, because I realize there really is no time limit, and I thank you for
being there for me during this time of healing but I realize there can be
another way, and I want to change my belief system to go from time to no
limits.
JS:
Do that, now!
Sue:
We’re changing it, now!
JS:
Walk around now, and experience this new way of being!
Sue:
It’s getting better – it’s a 3 now.
Sue:
I remember seeing mentally retarded people – Down’s people, who got up from
surgery and were fine quickly! They were like ‘OK, I’m awake now! I want to
go!’ They don’t know they’re supposed to be in pain for a long time.
JS:
What a wonderfully apt analogy!
JS:
For this round, modify your statements to bring them up to speed, incorporating
the belief change. (She did so.)
Sue:
OK, ku… I see my foot floating – it’s good, no pain.
JS:
Attach that foot to your body.
Sue:
I’m going to attach it to my body in this new light.
After
R8: 3-4. (Reappearance of the 4 told
me there was another key issue that had to be addressed, and I suspected it was
the prior surgery.)
JS:
This time, notice whether there is an image related to the surgery.
Sue:
I see a black image of my foot with a fork in it. I had a lot of pain with that surgery, especially when they were
taking the pins out, especially one pin. They couldn’t get it out, and called in
someone really strong to do it. It was so painful, like torture! It’s totally
uncalled for in this day and age to do that with no anesthetic!
JS:
What needs to be done with the fork?
Sue:
My foot is welcoming the healing rays, that replace the fork. (Giggling) My
foot is playing little games now – moving around – showing me it can go in any
direction!
After
R9: 3.
At
R10, she had some confusion about what wording to use for her statements. I clarified that a simple statement of the
present situation, followed by “this can change,” and “I want the pain to go
away – all of it!” would be quite appropriate.
I also suggested that she just notice what image/s came up after her
statements.
Sue:
There’s a circle form near real tall buildings. It’s awesome, overpowering, a little scary. I imagine myself down in that. So I could change it by seeing myself on
top, looking down. So should I imagine
that?
JS:
Sure!
After
R10: 2.
At
this point we stopped (although I was certainly curious about the meaning of
that last imagery); it had been two hours.
I suggested she take the instructions and do the process several more
times that day, and then also over the next few days. I suggested that her ku
might need some extra time just to integrate all the shifts we’d been working
with, and congratulated her on how far she had come.
On
the following evening I saw Sue at another meeting and asked her about her
foot. She said, half-jokingly, “What
foot? What pain?” She said she only had twinges occasionally,
at a 2-3 (whereas before it had been much more intense, every time she put her
foot down), and that she was telling herself, “There’s no pain! My foot is fine!” She said she would be using Dynamind for a lot of things in her
life in the future.
Follow-up comments from Susan
May, RN, 2/17/02:
I
decided to experience Dynamind because of pain I had in my foot after falling
and fracturing the 5th metatarsal bone in two places. After it was out of the cast and I started
walking again on my foot, I kept experiencing pain, both on the top and on the
side, and I just thought that was normal, and that it would probably last for
six to twelve months. But it was kind
of irritating at times, so I thought I would try to deal with the pain.
During
the Dynamind process, it seemed so simple.
Initially, I was just thinking, “Well, this is interesting,” and didn’t
really feel any change after the first few rounds. But then, after we started working with it more, the pain was
slowly decreasing. It seemed that I had
a blockage at some point where I kept repeating “surgery,” but it wasn’t the
surgery that was the issue here, it was the fracture. I had had previous surgery on my feet, and it was a very painful
process to go through at certain points.
And I think I had a lot of anger about that, the surgery itself and some
of the things I experienced as a result of it.
So perhaps that was getting in the way.
But the pain did gradually go down during the session.
After
I left, the pain was significantly less than when I came. Afterward, it would come and go, but I was
more apt to just not think about it.
After days had passed, if the pain came I would just ignore it, and it
would go away. It was gradually
decreasing in frequency, and it was completely gone after a couple of weeks.
The
process was wonderful! I would
certainly recommend it to anybody who had any pain. I was surprised at how well it worked, myself, seriously.
Miriam’s follow-up comments
2/22/02:
A year following my car accident,
I continued to experience daily, debilitating pain in my back, neck, arms and
hands. Because this puzzled my
Chiropractor, even though we were doing everything we could, I’d begun to sense
that there was another component to the pain I experienced. On an energetic level, as well as emotional,
there were some things I needed to address in order to release my body for
healing. The techniques that Judy told
me about seemed a good place to start.
Having
scheduled the first session, I started to look closely at what really seemed to
be bothering me. Sifting through
several layers, it came down to a general feeling of mistrust of the people
around me in my life, and then, even of mistrust of myself. The intention I brought to the session was
to relieve this mistrust.
Going
through the process of making statements, tapping, breathing head to feet,
seemed so very simple that I didn’t see how my initial score could change. So I was pleasantly surprised when it
actually did after the first few rounds!
(I had a genuine curiosity about the process along with a deep security
and trust in Judy, which I believe makes a difference in how willing or open
one is to allowing changes to happen.)
As
my number got down to 3, it seemed to take a bit more (time or intention?) to get
a shift to occur. This is when I
started imaging the water and being in it with other people. It was so very uncomfortable for me
to be in that place of knowing I HAD to interact physically with the other
people in the water, but felt so afraid to do so. When the resolution of adding this “new skin” finally came about,
it was a relief and so delightful that I laughed. This, then, was the true turning point (or shift) in my core
belief and way of being with others and myself. The result, I believe was that I was then free to continue
imaging what was constricting my back and neck so that I could release it. When I stated my score at “0”, I was very
happily surprised! I remember smiling
deep inside myself.
During
the next few months I experienced a renewed vigor in my physical body (i.e.
being able to do more yoga as well as daily chores) and much less pain. Into the fall, I noticed that I was holding
back in my relationship with my boyfriend (and still having regular bouts of
pain), so decided to schedule with Judy again.
I
related my difficulty in committing to my boyfriend to past disappointments
with various people and relationships, so I thought a “clearing” around this
would be the session focus. It really
came down to my relationship with myself and how it’s OK to be good to myself
first.
As Judy guided me through this seeming
maze of issues my intuitive senses opened to perceive all the truth about
them. I realized that my old patterns
and beliefs about “what a person really
means” had become entangled with other possibilities of reality. It is not easy to put into words the
quality of the perceptions and experiences I had during that session. Of course, there was the timeless aspect:
While reliving events that took place over several years, I changed them in a
matter of minutes! There were also the
physical sensations; ranging from tightness due to perceived rejection or
injustice, to the soft, openness of letting go to allow myself to have whatever
I needed in a given event. Certainly
this does relate to my first session about trusting – mostly trusting myself!
As
I look back on my process of physical recovery from the accident, the months
following this second session brought about the most definite change in my
physical state. I had many more
pain-free days and much less extreme pain when it did occur. Also very significant was that within one
month, my boyfriend proposed marriage to me and I confidently accepted.
The
whole session reminded me of living in the midst of miracles. These were dramatic changes that took
place in my life. My awareness of this
fact was even more solidified from writing this case response. It clarifies that with my eyes open I found
my guides needed for healing myself and making my life more enjoyable. All around me are the beauties of life,
which I receive with gratitude.
[JS
note: I have observed that Miriam is also using her singing voice easily in her
teaching work now – an aspect of herself that she had freed up during our
second session.]
Discussion
The
Dynamind technique combines a number of techniques, each quite effective
individually, into a sequence that King has found to be optimally effective for
“instant healing” of a wide variety of difficulties.
The
first of these key components is the statement of the present problem
situation, followed by “This can change,” followed by “I want . . .” We may go along with problems in our lives
for many years, without ever stopping and clarifying what we want instead. This sequence of statements has great power
in terms of redirecting our energy, and may be used effectively by itself. It should be noted, however, that making
these statements requires a willingness to change, as well as a willingness to
relinquish what may be a comfortable, habitual victim position, in favor of
taking responsibility for directing one’s own life. This first step is comparable to the “outcome orientation” in
NLP, usually expressed as “Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t
want!” The Dynamind version is further
refined through the deliberate use of the set of three statements.
The
second component, tapping seven times in each of four places, is a technique
for releasing blockages and clearing the way for change. These four acupuncture points were found
through King’s experimentation to be the most powerful and efficient for this
purpose.
For
Dynamind I wanted four major energy/stress release points,
easy
and convenient to reach, to cover the front, back, and sides of the
body.
I've studied point systems for many years and finally chose the thymus
release
point in the center of the chest, the Chinese
acupuncture/acupressure
"hoku" points on the hands, and the little-used but
extremely
potent 7th cervical vertebra point on the back. All these points
are
excellent for stress and tension relief when used alone, and even more
powerful
in combination. (personal communication from King)
The
third component consists of breathing from above to below. As I understand this, it is a technique that
brings Spirit through oneself to Earth and aligns one’s vertical energy with
one’s purpose. My clients are often
moved to repeat this breath several times, with their sense of alignment and
calm increasing each time.
The
fourth component, noticing the changes (with SUDS level) and repeating as
required, is an important tracking mechanism; it keeps both the client and the
practitioner in touch with how the change process is progressing. In extended cases like those reported here,
I find it essential to keep track of rounds and associated SUDS levels,
together with key images, in my notes.
A person using Dynamind alone can keep track on paper. (It is
considerably more challenging to do all this alone, but it is possible.)
I
use the image changes perhaps more frequently than others may, because I enjoy
imagery work and find it to be very powerful.
King himself uses image changes only when necessary; he finds it saves
time to simply use the four-step sequence repeatedly. He also spends less time exploring the images when he does use
them. His approach to the image changes
is clearly more suitable to his frequent, large public demonstrations, where he
frequently assists a number of people to release long-held pain and stress in
less than five to ten minutes each.
There
is another Dynamind imagery technique, not illustrated in these cases, that is
used when the focus is on manifesting something new in one’s life, but I have
not chosen to explore that aspect in this report.
Implications
As has been shown in many other new modalities, including NLP, the “tapping
therapies,” and flower essence work, major changes in a person’s life
experience can be accomplished in very short order. Key requirements are people’s readiness to change, openness to
the possibility that they can indeed make choices to redirect their lives, and
willingness to at least try the process.
From my experience with other effective modalities, I have found that
Dynamind is often faster and more efficient; therefore, I use it frequently
both for myself and with clients, either alone or together with other
modalities.
When
I combine it with another modality, I use Dynamind first, to clarify and focus
the client’s intent, thereby setting the direction for the change, and to start
clearing the energy blockages and aligning the client’s energy with the desired
change. Then (as in Case 2, Session 2)
I may utilize other modalities such as TAT, flower essences, or NLP techniques. I typically use Dynamind again along the
way, as seems appropriate, and at the end to “solidify” the work.
Dynamind
utilizes the seven fundamental principles of Huna, which frame what is possible
and how energy works.
- Ike – The
world is what you think it is.
- Kala – There
are no limits.
- Makia
– Energy
flows where attention goes.
- Manawa – Now is
the moment of power.
- Aloha – To
love is to be happy with
- Mana – All
power comes from within.
- Pono –
Effectiveness is the measure of truth.
These
ancient principles from the Hawaiian tradition echo the “perennial philosophy”
of many cultures and many other shamanic traditions. I find this simple formulation to be a basis for profound changes
as people come to understand more fully how much power they have in their own
lives and in how they influence the world.
References
Fleming, Tapas. You Can Heal Now: The
Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT)-second edition. (Redondo Beach, CA: TAT International), 1999. Information on
purchase of this book, as well as videotapes, is available at
www.tat-intl.com
King,
Serge Kahili. Dynamind. Book to be
published in 2002.
King,
Serge Kahili. “Dynamind” video (from
one of the first Dynamind workshops). Video and workshop schedule available
from Aloha International (www.huna.org).
King,
Serge Kahili. Instant Healing (Los Angeles: Renaissance Books), 2000. This book does not contain the Dynamind
technique, which was developed after its publication, but it does contain many
of the underlying principles and techniques used in Dynamind.
King,
Serge Kahili. Urban Shaman: A handbook for personal and planetary transformation
based on the Hawaiian way of the adventurer (New York: Simon & Schuster
Fireside Book),1990.
King,
Serge Kahili. Mastering Your Hidden Self: A Guide to the Huna way (Wheaton, IL:
Quest Books), 1985.
King,
Serge Kahili. Kahuna Healing: Holistic
Health and Healing Practices of Polynesia (Wheaton, IL: Quest Books), 1983
Judy Steele, MTP (formerly
Judy Springer) is a teacher, writer and consultant specializing in alternative
approaches to mental and emotional health, and in effective mind/body/spirit
approaches to life and work in general. She has a master’s degree in
transpersonal psychology, extensive training and experience in a wide variety
of alternative and complementary approaches to healing, and 30 years’
experience as a business owner, a leader in national professional
organizations, a consultant and management trainer for Fortune 100 companies,
and counselor to individuals.
Contact:
Judy
Steele, Spring Forest Healing Center, 6311 Wayzata Blvd, #310, St. Louis Park
(Minneapolis) MN 55416
Phone:
612-590-3193
E-mail:
judy.steele@earthlink.net
Websites: www.schoolforliving.org,
www.holisticnetwork.org/JudySteeleMTP/
-------------------
Case 2 Dialogue
Session 1. (6/15/01) “Miriam” is 45, a teacher in a
wellness-related profession. Her
statement of intention for the DynaMind process was: “I want to get rid of the lack
of trust I have in other people, and in myself (including in my intuition).”
About
a year ago, as she was driving away from a long-term living/work situation that
she was leaving unexpectedly under circumstances in which she felt betrayed,
she had a car accident. Someone pulled out
in front of her, she swerved to avoid him, her car rolled over into a ditch and
she was injured – then he backed his car before the police arrived, to make it
seem she was at fault. She said she had
a lot of feelings of injustice.
On
a 1-10 scale, with paranoia (my word) at 10, she said she was starting at a 6-7.
After
R1: 6.
After
R2: 5.
After
R3: 5.
JS
(before R4): This time, notice what image comes up after you make your
statements.
M:
All I see is black.
JS: Change the color somehow.
M: It turned to indigo blue. It needs to become more alive, instead of
solid. Now there are sparkles, like on
water.
After
R4: 4.
JS: This time, check on the image again after
you make your statements.
M
(after the statements in R5): It feels
like I’m getting in the indigo water.
After
R5: 3.
M
(after the statements in R6): There’s a
playfulness in the water; others have come in to join me. It’s quite lighthearted and fun!
After
R6: still at 3.
M
(after the statements in R7): I need to come in contact with the other people physically. I’m suddenly aware of a lot of nervousness
about doing that.
JS: Notice what needs to be changed about the
image to deal with that nervousness.
M: I need to know something about protection –
some kind of shield or barrier. But it
can’t be too thick; there needs to be a way [to touch people]. Some kind of loose weave – fabric – soft, not stiff – some contact, but
people can’t come all the way in . . .
(After a while) I made it too
thick – I need to make it thinner.
(Then, with delight in her voice)
It’s like another layer of skin
– completely a part of me! . . . They ought to make this stuff – it’s great!
JS: You might want to make sure it’s all the way
around you (around all of you), then experiment with being in the world, with
people, with it on you.
M
(after doing so): I’m feeling really free!! I’m able to play in the water, and roll and
tumble!!
(At
the end of this round, she said she was at a 1, but I had a clear sense she wasn’t finished yet, so we
continued.)
M
(during R8): It was very obvious as I
made the statement this time that the lingering mistrust is in myself.
JS:
Notice the current image and change something about it.
M: There’s a sense of being enclosed, so I can’t move to my full potential.
Underneath this skin-like material is a solid shell, like an egg where you’re bound up inside.
JS:
You might try an egg tooth (what baby chickens use to break out of their
shells).
M
(thinking): Well, I’d been planning to
use my arms and legs to break out.
JS: Use whatever feels best for you.
M: The egg tooth is good, for chipping away
gradually. And the debris from the
shell can just slip out a hole at the bottom of the egg. (This process continued for a while.)
M: As I turned to clear the back side of my
body, I found something behind me –
it made me afraid!
JS:
Do something about that.
M: It represents times when I am startled. I am trusting, and
suddenly a dark, ominous face
appears, in the back, not what was in front. . . . Eyes in the back of my head (are needed), so I don’t feel that
I’m sabotaged. . . . Seeing things
that are behind, seeing 360 degrees.
JS:
This sounds like your intuition, which you had said in the beginning you wanted
to be able to trust. (She was delighted
with that connection.)
M: So now the rest of the shell can be chipped
off behind me. Now I have clear vision all the way around. It’s like extended aviator glasses with full
peripheral vision – a set in front and a set in back, that together give me 360
degree vision!
JS
(acting on an intuition): How are your
feet doing?
M: I don’t feel them much. But now I’m breathing down through them and
making them warm. . . . I’m noticing
that my lower back and right shoulder (both injured in the accident) are tight,
so I’m relaxing them. . . . There’s
some cramping in my hands (injured in the accident).
She
shook out her hands, and I encouraged her to keep them comfortable. I suggested she check out her whole inner
territory. She did, and made some more
adjustments. Notably, she became aware
that when her upper back and rib cage lifted, her shoulders could relax. She commented that she had taught this in
her classes, but that this was the first time she had fully experienced it
herself.
These
body adjustments, and this new way of being, seemed so important that I
suggested she stay in that experience for a while, to fully experience it. She did so, eventually commenting, “It’s like meditation – the
discomforts of the physical body lessen.”
I suggested (in non-technical words) that she find an anchor (a
technique from Neuro-Linguistic Programming – NLP) for this experience/this way
of being in her body. She did so,
identifying the place in her upper back that is “the place of lifting” as her
anchor.
M: My neck needs something.
JS: Find what’s needed.
M: I’m discovering that a focus on my 3rd
eye center raises something that makes the necessary adjustment in my neck.
M: There’s something at the base of my skull –
like a hatchet or an axe.
JS
(I thought of the possibility of past-life trauma, but said nothing about
that): Find what change needs to be
made.
M
(eventually): It needs to turn into
rubber. . . . For some reason it’s not
disappearing. It’s going to turn into
rubber and meld in with my body.
After
this was complete, we finished R8, and she was at 0.
Because
so much had gone on with the imagery in the previous round, I asked her to
check whether she felt finished or wanted to do another round “for good measure.” She wanted to do another round, and did so,
at which point she seemed finished, though still in an altered state. I suggested she stay in her new state of
body-being and drink water, walk around, gradually bringing her new state into
external reality. She did so, coming
back approximately 75% into ordinary awareness.
Then
I asked her to choose from among my card decks, and she chose the Rowena Pattee
Kryder “Vibrational Medicine” deck (www.creative-harmonics.org). In that deck, she intuitively chose #39,
“Space,” which talks about creating a space within one’s internal/external
environment for the Divine, and creating a space into which what you want can
manifest. We talked about that for a
while.
Then
she commented, “About the hatchet in my back . . .when it turned to rubber, the
being that was holding it released it
and turned to leave. There were also
little hatchets in my shoulder blade, low back, and right hip. There were little guys with each, and they
were dropping them and saying to each other, ‘This gig is over.’ And one by one they turned to rubber and
melted.”
At
this point she was clearly fully present in ordinary awareness. The entire process took about an hour and
fifteen minutes.
----
When
I checked with her the following day, she commented that the session was very
valuable for her, and that she was still integrating new aspects of it.
Case #2, Session 2 (10/2/01)
This turned out to be quite a long session, probably more than two hours, but a
lot of territory was covered quite successfully. The session was particularly interesting from a technical point
of view because I began with a round of Dynamind, then used TAT (Tapas
Acupressure Technique) extensively for clearing specific traumatic memories,
and ended with a round of Dynamind. In
my view, this Dynamind “bracketing” of the TAT trauma-clearing work focused and
directed the energies more effectively than would probably have been the case
with TAT alone. Also, you can see
(below) that this client did a remarkable thing with the TAT imagery work,
based on the Dynamind “I have a problemàThis can changeàI want something better” structure.
TAT
is a trauma-clearing technique developed by Tapas Fleming, an acupuncturist in
Southern California. TAT involves
holding certain points on the front and back of one’s own head with one’s hands
(or an adult can do it for a child) while intentionally focusing on the trauma
or recent/current stressful experience, until there is a shift – usually within
one to four minutes. This procedure
does not retraumatize, because the experience changes rapidly when one is
holding those points, and it stays changed.
One focuses, as needed, on the overall experience, on specific aspects
of it, or on an opposite or positive thought in relation to it. One can also focus on “healing the origins
of the problem” or “healing/clearing the storage spaces.” (www.tat-intl.com
for more information on TAT, including the workbook and videotapes.)
We
spent some time formulating Miriam’s “problem” statement, because it was a
different emotional focus from what we had worked on before, yet related to
it. She wanted to focus on both the
auto accident and her unexpected and traumatic separation from the people and
place where she had lived and worked for some time (and where she had expected
to stay permanently), because she felt these two experiences were very closely
linked. (In fact, they happened on the
same day.) Both then and now, she said,
she kept thinking, “Isn’t this unbelievable!!??!?” As we talked, it became apparent that there was a third past
experience that was part of this problem matrix: the end of her marriage, which
predated both of the other experiences.
I
searched with her for what old belief or old experience pattern these events
represented. We talked about her
feelings of guilt and shame at having decided to leave her marriage, and also
at having decided to leave her living/working situation. Both were commitments that she had never
expected to leave. Her husband’s words
reverberated for her: “I just can’t believe you’re doing this!” All three situations had the characteristics
of being unexpected, and that had led
her to be “untrusting of [her] own ability to discern.” She considered stating her goal as, “I want
to be able to let go of my old belief that [a commitment] should be permanent/long-term, even when it’s no longer
appropriate.” Then she came to the
realization that the biggest part of it had to do with taking care of her own
needs, and she formulated her Dynamind statements as follows:
My
old belief has been that it’s not OK to take care of my needs when it puts
someone else’s needs secondary.
This
can change.
I
choose to believe that it is OK to
look out for my needs first, and that others are able to take care of their own
needs; I don’t have to.
We
did a Dynamind round on this, but I neglected to ask her for SUDS numbers. Although it would have been better to get
them, I knew we were going into TAT rather than into a succession of Dynamind
rounds, and my major purpose at this point was to frame the TAT work with the
clear intention and energy focus of Dynamind.
Then
we moved into our first round of TAT.
JS: Now, with your hands on your head in the
“TAT pose,” focus on whatever (painful) image comes up for you first, from any
of the three situations.
M:
It’s [the two women leaders of the center where she had been working/living]
telling me that, since I had decided to leave, they wanted me to move out immediately! . . . . Now it’s shifting
into something better. . . . They’re saying they love me, and I go home feeling
light!
This
“changing history” shift was an unexpected extension of TAT that apparently
grew out of M’s incorporation of the Dynamind Step 1 process. What usually happens in TAT, and is
expected, is that the energy of the experience somehow shifts in the person, it
is no longer painful/traumatic, and there is a sense of pleasant relief. However, having the remembered experience
change into something different and clearly better is unusual in this context,
and of course very Huna-like.
JS: Now, let’s do another round of TAT. Put your hands on your head as before, and
allow another traumatic memory to come up (within the context of the three
experiences we had identified).
M: It’s right after the car accident’s impact,
when I was panicking about being in the car because it might catch fire. I got out of the car, and I started
screaming as I walked away from it. As
a result of this, the man who caused the accident took advantage of my being
apparently unhurt, and the sheriff treated me badly. . . . Now I’m going to stay in the car. I’m doing some deep breathing to calm down,
and they’re coming to my assistance!
She
said that in prior work with this incident, she had seen that her soul had stayed in the car, so she knew
this was a much better response. She
was quite pleased with this shift.
JS: All right, let’s do another round of
TAT. Let me know what comes up.
M: It’s in the aftermath of the accident, this
time about that part of it that’s about seeing to other people’s needs. Staying in the car results in people coming
to my needs, my insurance company not
canceling me, and things going much more slowly and graciously. Caring
for myself, letting others care for
me.
M:
Now there’s a doubting voice coming up: “M, this is just your imagination. . .
.”
JS:
All right, go back in (using the TAT pose), with the clear intention for it to
truly be the new way – your choice now. (She did so.)
I
explained the first principle of Huna to her, and described the “Mind Boggler”
technique, with examples. The “Mind
Boggler” involves repeatedly, clearly, and forcefully imagining that a painful
or damaging event didn’t happen or just missed
happening. When the ku is completely convinced of the new
scenario, the effects of the original event disappear (King, 2000). These explanations seemed to settle her
doubts about the reality and effectiveness of what she was doing.
Then
she did TAT on leaving her marriage: She moved from “trying to be nice while he
was being a jerk” to “clarity and intentionality” about her path.
Then
she did TAT on the rejection by her friends that followed her leaving the
marriage. This moved to a realization
that “These were not the friends I wanted in my life!”
By
this point, she had done a great deal of work, and I was concerned for her
energy level, but she reported she was overall “feeling much lighter!!”
So
I decided to go ahead with a piece that I sensed was important: what, in TAT,
is called “clearing the storage spaces/containers.” Because she had had long-term physical effects from the accident,
I suggested she intentionally, with the TAT pose, clear all the places in her
body/mind system where residue from the accident had been stored. She did that, noticing the places where she
had had symptoms, and also places where her attention was attracted.
Then
she did TAT storage-space-clearing for ending the marriage, including especially
the shame component. I suggested she
observe the energy movement in her body, and when something seemed to need her
intentional choice, to use her intention to clear that place. She reported that this “felt like a release, like I let go . . . my feet
softening onto the floor, shoulder, belly softening . . .” This seemed to be a very important clearing
experience for her.
Then
(pressing our luck a little in terms of how much she could handle in one
session, but wanting to finish addressing the three key experiences), I
suggested she finally clear the storage spaces for the trauma of leaving the
living/working situation. In this one,
she reported that the focus was her vocal chords, which had been constricted. That experience was replaced with speaking
her truth, and a singing voice.
We
ended the session with a round of Dynamind.
I did not ask her for a SUD score, but it was apparent that major, deep
healing work had been done. I suggested
she go home and care for herself very kindly that evening and into the next
day.
A
week later, she wrote me, “Thank you so much for the session last week. I continue to sense the shift and openings
brought about by it! Much appreciated.”
