In the last 20 years, I’ve used Energy Muscle Testing (EMT) to detect and remove Subconscious Sabotage (SS). EMT got a bad name after a double blind study that showed it was not useful to find whether or not a substance was harmful to the body.
On the other hand, ideomotor movements have been successfully used in hypnosis to get into subconscious material. Once you establish a language – (i.e., when the pendulum goes horizontal, it signifies “yes,” vertical, “no,” and in circles, “don’t know.” You can get answers from the body that are not available to the conscious mind.
There is a reason that this material is beyond the level of consciousness: It was too painful or too “psychologically dangerous” to deal with. The very basis of psychoanalytic psychotherapy is to get this material to consciousness and a lot of times by doing it, the patient realizes it is no longer relevant (i.e., Oedipus complex) or no longer dangerous (i.e., mother was inadequate).
Also, a lot of times a trauma was suppressed because it was so painful and/or dangerous. In all cases, there is resistance to deal with the suppressed or dissociated issue. Now that energy psychology gives us such good tools to deal with emotional pain without fully experiencing it, it makes it safe to get beyond the resistance and into the feared traumatic experience that caused the dissociation in the first place.
Using ideomotor cues in hypnosis does not require a deep hypnotic trance. Sometimes just the intent of doing it; supposedly induce the patient into a very shallow “trance” that enables to get answers from a subconscious level. When the patient is not ready to deal with the big trauma, s/he is bringing forth a minor trauma to deal with which when successfully addressed is paving the way to proceed with the more painful trauma.
In any case, along the same concept of ideomotor cues, I have used EMT to get into subconscious material. First, I establish the rules of the game by “calibrating” a muscle that is strong with a true statement and weak with a false statement.
Then I start looking for what Dr. Gallo called Generalized Psychological Reversal (PR). I called it Remove Subconscious Sabotage for Happiness. Happiness is the overall umbrella that first needs to be dealt with. If there is subconscious sabotage to happiness, i.e., well-being in general, no other subconscious sabotage for more specific issues could be addressed. This is because of the simple reason that no sub-issue can be corrected if there is an overall and encompassing psychological reversal. So, before I start any treatment, I use EMT to detect whether or not there is subconscious sabotage to happiness.
In my years of practice, I found out that “I want to (be happy)” is a general indicator and that usually it is ineffective to try to “clear” it directly. On the other hand, after the other statements are cleared, the muscle would become strong when re-testing for it. I found out there are three main issues that need to be tested for and addressed. “I deserve… (shame and guilt; not being good enough).” “Others deserve….. (Anger, hatred, revenge, in a passive aggressive way).” “It is safe …..(Fear, anxiety, also including sub-core issues including identity, loss of secondary gain, etc.)
I also found that a lot of people have subconscious sabotage regarding God (or Higher Power). Subconsciously, they regard God as a father figure and blame Him for the trauma or their suffering and life circumstances.
Using EMT enables the practitioner to quickly and easily tap into the source of the trauma and/or the circumstances surrounding the dissociation or the suppressed material. Once spotted, and detecting all kinds of subconscious sabotage, I use my Subconscious Correcting Technique (SCT) to remove the sabotage. Only then can I ask through EMT what the best therapeutic technique is to deal with the trauma (if there is one). Is it EFT? NET? EMDR? Or what I call Visual-Field Points/ Kinesiology technique, which I found to be extremely effective. (This is an expanded version of Donna Eden’s technique.)
My SCT is a combination of what I call “Personalized Forgiveness Affirmation” (PFA), with sensory stimulation. I use bilateral gentle massage over neurolymphatic points in the upper chest. The combination of the PFA with the sensory stimulation is much more powerful than PFA alone.
A lot of times, just SCT has been enough to address a problem or to get over a trauma without the necessity of any other energy psychology technique.
PFA is, indeed, a powerful therapeutic tool that combines a lot of psychotherapeutic techniques. The therapist listens to the patient and feeds back to him, using the patient’s own words, in an accepting, non-judgmental, matter- of- fact way, putting it in the correct context and proportion with a lot of empathy and understanding. The therapist tries to find excuses and explanations for the patient’s behavior, for the perpetrator’s behavior, and for the reasons the material was suppressed and/or dissociated.
Using humor is extremely helpful, as it provides “comic relief” and a positive way to release emotional tension.
Following Gary Craig’s great examples, the therapist is also supposed to instruct the patient to forgive himself/herself for carrying these negative feelings for so many years and “messing up” their life in the process. They are supposed to forgive themselves, as they were not aware they were doing it and why.
PFA is also a great opportunity for the therapist to bring about “outsites,” meaning feeding the patient with insights. All this is done in a very simple, matter of- fact- way, with a statement that this suppression and/or dissociation subconscious process is a common and well known phenomenon that has been subconsciously used by many other people or children to deal with similar life circumstances and/or traumas.
By: Dr. Daphna Slonim
Daphna Slonim, MD, is a board certified psychiatrist practicing in Beverly Hills and will be presenting on “Remove Subconscious Sabotage to Happiness” at the 14th annual Canadian Energy Psychology Conference in Toronto, October 19-21, 2012.
For more information about the 2012 Canadian Energy Psychology Conference visit: www.epccanada.ca
