Volume 15, No. 02 February 2008 What is Anxiety? Creativity Styles Tapping & Parts Integration Bear Tamer Classes Berit's Corner

Editor's Note: This edition of Reflections is jam packed with goodies - Alex explains what anxiety is; Dave talks about people's different creative styles; Rehana writes about combining tapping and an NLP technique; and Berit shares news about THE book. Also, we have a special treat - a new contributing columnist writes about energy medicine. Plus, some funnies to help make you smile. Enjoy! What is Anxiety? by Dr. Alexander R. Lees Part One Exactly, what is anxiety anyway? Over 20 million people in North America suffer from anxiety every day. Anxiety can be insidious and affects people in many different ways. For example, people may suffer from shortness of breath, dry mouth, chest pains, weakness in the legs, stomach pains, digestive problems, heart palpations, and generally feel distressed. Some may have a short fuse, or get irritated quickly. This is just a short list of a few of the symptoms that people can suffer. These symptoms cause problems for not only the individual, but for family members and friends as well. Work schedules are interrupted, production falls, and many a car accident has been traced to "I just couldn't concentrate, I don't know what happened to me." There are now many forms of anxiety and some of the more commonly known ones are: Generalized Anxiety Social Anxiety Performance Anxiety Obsessive Compulsive Panic Attacks Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Agoraphobia It is important to remember that the above categories (and it's only a short list) represent the form or context in which anxiety manifests, and does not refer to cause or cure. In other words, most of the literature lets you know which one you have, and how bad it is (just in case you sleep through yours, and didn't notice all by yourself).

Those people that have taken the time and effort to find a solution, are inevitably lead to finding out what they think "caused" their anxiety. They rediscover the abuse they endured for years, or the car accident, or the fire. Or perhaps it's because they had horrible parents, the divorce and breakup of their family, the loss of a pet, loved one or a home. There is no argument with the belief that anything that's similar to the examples listed above can be traumatic, and then act as the trigger that fires the gun. The question becomes, "What are the bullets?" After all, it's the bullets that do the damage. The "bullets" are the resulting emotional responses. Once the system is shocked into responding in the form of panic or anxiety, the disorder can run on it's own, and continue to do so long after the threat is removed. The reason for this is the emotions act like a kind of fuel, and once they are turned on, they will run the fear engine in such a way that new experiences also become contaminated. These new, contaminated experiences in turn become memories that drive the emotions. The second question, then, becomes, "How do we turn it off?" Traditionally, when things get serious enough, some turn to alcohol. Alcohol certainly offers a numbing affect, and before long, some are self medicating by drinking until the system settles down. This is called being drunk. The unfortunate aspect is the body sees the alcohol as a toxin, and proceeds to break it down and eliminate it. This is called sobering up. Then the panic returns, and other than the short term blissful relief offered, we are eventually right back to where we started, nursing a hangover into the bargain. Upcoming Seminars EFT Approved Level 1 March 1, 2008 View flyer for details Register EFT Approved Level 2 Feb. 9 & 10, 2008 View Flyer for details Register EFT Approved Level 3 March 29 & 30, 2008 View flyer for details Register The next level of intervention is to see a doctor, and after popping the prescribed pills, once again attain some relief until the medication wears off, and then start the cycle all over again. Both methods offer management for the feelings of anxiety, but the treatment can be expensive, and neither of these offer a permanent solution. How do we turn off the flood of unwanted emotional energy permanently? How do we turn off the fuel that is driving the symptomology, especially before permanent damage is caused, either by the panic or anxiety, or as a side affect of the medication used to treat it? The answer is to find a method, a technique, or an intervention that deals with emotions directly. During the last few years, great strides have taken place in understanding how to do just that. We now know how to turn off the fuel that runs the program, as it were. In Part Two of this article we will explore several techniques you can learn that have an impressive success rate for treating anxiety and/or panic. The most gratifying part (for me) is hearing from my clients how well they are doing once they learned and then used these techniques. I look forward to introducing them to you in the next edition of Reflections. The Secret Sound A man is driving down the road and his car breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, "My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?" The Monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, and even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. A sound not like anything he's ever heard before. The Sirens that nearly seduced Odysseus into crashing his ship comes to his mind. He doesn't sleep that night. He tosses and turns trying to figure out what could possibly be making such an intriguing and seductive sound. The next morning, he asks the Monks what the sound was, but they say, "We can't tell you. You're not a Monk." Distraught, the man is forced to leave. Years later, after never being able to forget that sound, the man goes back to the monastery and pleads for the answer again. The Monks reply, "We can't tell you. You're not a Monk." The man says, "If the only way I can find out what is making that beautiful sound is to become a Monk, then please, make me a Monk." The Monks reply, "You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of grains of sand. When you find these answers, you will have become a Monk." The man sets about his task. After years of searching he returns as a grey-haired old man and knocks on the door of the monastery. A Monk answers. He is taken before a gathering of all the Monks. "In my quest to find what makes that beautiful sound, I traveled the earth and have found what you asked for: By design, the world is in a state of perpetual change. Only God knows what you ask. All a man can know is himself, and only then if he is honest and reflective, and willing to strip away self deception." The Monks reply, "Congratulations. You have become a Monk. We shall now show you the way to the mystery of the sacred sound." The Monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head Monk says, "The sound is beyond that door." The Monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another door - it is made of stone. The man is given the key to the stone door and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. And so it went that he needed keys to doors of emerald, pearl and diamond. Finally, they come to a door made of solid gold. The sound has become very clear and definite. The Monks say, "This is the last key to the last door." The man is apprehensive to no end. His life's wish is behind that door! With trembling hands, he unlocks the door, turns the knob, and slowly pushes the door open. Falling to his knees, he is utterly amazed to discover the source of that haunting and seductive sound... But I can't tell you what it is because you are not a Monk. Creativity Styles by David Marshall Contributing Columnist Dave Marshall is retired and lives in Spain. Before his retirement he taught NLP (he's an NLP Master Trainer) and now has a website with lots of free information on NLP. You can contact Dave at www.nlpman.eu _______________________________________ Would you say that you are creative? Or do you believe you're not creative? Do you always follow instructions or do you only resort to the instructions when everything has gone wrong? Whichever you do, it's right for you! However, Dr. Michael Kirton has been studying aspects of creativity for many years. He has concluded that everyone is creative - it's just that there are different styles of creativity. He has produced a questionnaire that analyses creative style. His theory is that there are three major categories of creative style and they all have specific behavioural characteristics. He defines the three styles as: Adapter Bridger Innovator When I used to run creativity training I started the course by giving the class the Kirton Adapter Innovator (KAI) instrument. When everyone had completed the questionnaire we arranged the class in sequence according to their score then we made three teams one from the first third of the line, one from the middle third of the line, and one from the other third of the line. Then I gave them an exercise. Whilst they were doing the exercise (the nature of which was to recommend a creative solution to a problem) I observed the behaviour of the three groups. When the exercise was finished we discussed my observations. It was quite amazing! Every time each group behaved according to the Adapter/Innovator predicted behaviour. The Adaptors approached the task in a very controlled and organised fashion. They made sure that they had pens and paper, appointed someone to be a scribe, sat round in an organized group and took turns to speak. The Innovators were the complete opposite. They formed a lose circle and all started talking and laughing together. When there was about three minutes left before the end of the excise they came to ask for some pens and paper and someone started writing down a few ideas. The behaviour of the middle group, the Bridgers, was between the other two. They started off with some social discussions and then told each other what they thought about the exercise. After a few minutes though they had a plan to work and someone came to get some paper and pens. They then worked through the exercise in a reasonably controlled fashion. As we discussed these traits people were amazed that when we compared them to the behaviour that Kirton proposes, they were almost always a perfect fit. Kirton says that the Innovators are the wild bunch, the revolutionaries and may regard the Adapters as boring; whereas the Adapters can't stand the Innovators because they're always making too much noise, messing about, unpredictable, keep changing their mind and have no control! (Control is very important to the Adapter.) The Bridgers, the middle group, could see both sides of this discussion and were amused by the behaviour of the people either side of them. So, as we explored this subject a little deeper we discovered the Innovators admitted that they very rarely completed something, unless there was a deadline, and they had to force themselves to do it. The Adapters found suggestions made by the Innovators were totally unacceptable; they are just too off the wall.But the Adapters do get things done by working within the rules and making slight modifications to new ideas. And this is where the skills of the middle group, the Bridgers, are very important because the Bridgers can take the wild ideas of the Innovators and change them slightly so they are more acceptable to the Adapters. The Bridgers are the natural negotiators or diplomats. They appreciate the need for new ideas and can present them in a more acceptable way than the Innovators, who can get so caught up with their enthusiasm they don't notice when the audience has turned off! In a nutshell, the Innovators want revolution and the Adapters want evolution. The Innovators want to break the rules and the Adapters want to know the rules so that they can work within them. Now this may seem a little removed from reality when you're on your own. The point is there are times when we need to exhibit all three behaviours. We need the wild Innovator to come up with ideas, we need to the Bridger to turn the ideas into something more tangible, and we need the Adapter to fit the ideas into the system. For example, let's say that you have a great idea for a business venture. It's no good going to the bank for a loan until you have processed the idea into something the banker can understand. So you have to go through the Bridger, to knock the rough edges off, and then the Adapter to smooth it and produce the business plan. Or, you have to get someone to do it for you. Presenting the ideas to bankers won't win them over - you have to talk their language! So whenever you're stuck for an idea, pretend you're a wild revolutionary (Innovator) and see what you can come up with, then, when you've generated some ideas, pretend you're a Bridger and modify the ideas so that they fit to the rules. Then you can become the Adapter and get control of the project, define the target, create the plan and the task list of what needs to be done to reach the goal! Being Retired Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days interesting. Well, for example, the other day my wife and I went into town to shop. We were only in there for about 5 minutes. When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket. We went up to him and said, "Come on man, how about giving a senior citizen a break?" He ignored us and continued writing the ticket. I called him a turd. He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires. So my wife called him an idiot. He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first. Then he started writing a third ticket. This went on for about 20 minutes. The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote. Personally, we didn't care... We came into town by bus. We try to have a little fun each day now that we're retired. It's important at our age. Contributing Columnist Rehana Webster (in New Zealand) is an EFT Master and NLP Master Practitioner, and also conducts seminars/workshops internationally. You can contact Rehana at webstar@ps.gen.nz or visit her website at www.behaviourchanges.com Tapping and Parts Integration by Rehana Webster At a recent workshop I wanted to demonstrate how to use EFT along with an NLP process. There are so many ways in which EFT dovetails in with other mainstream and alternative modalities. I chose to show how EFT can be used effectively in a 'double bind' situation when a person experiences an inner conflict or where there are separate 'parts' inside of the person creating the internal war. I spent the first 10 minutes of my presentation giving examples of double bind situations. Then I asked for a volunteer and Sam offered. Sam was stuck because he couldn't make a decision about some investments. If he went one way, he said he would feel 'good' about it but the other people involved would not. If he went the other way, he would feel 'bad' about the decision and the others would feel good. So he was stuck in a bind; damned if he did and damned if he didn't. I explained that the first thing to do was to establish that there was a double bind problem. We then separated the two 'identities' and got Sam to define what each 'part' looked like, felt like, sounded like, and dressed like. Once Sam externalized the 'parts' I asked him to position one on the left and the other on the right hand side. I asked him to give me a rating from 0-10 on each of them. Sometimes one 'part' is stronger than the other and the ratings can vary. I tapped on Sam going through all the negative aspects of both personalities. I suggested to Sam that while we were tapping he have a conversation with the parts and ask what the positive intention was for the particular behaviors. Once a benefit is established for either behavior, then the task is to ask each part if it could work with the other to move ahead, and change old patterns. I tapped all the while the negotiations were being worked out, noticing how Sam started to relax and accept both parts of himself. The last section of this process is of course to bring the two parts together, to get them to integrate and become one. Using visualization I asked Sam to imagine the two parts walking towards each other and embracing when the met! Then I asked Sam to imagine that the parts melted into one another and became one. A new part emerged, made up of all the desirable and valuable traits of each part, so that there is a new and vibrant strength in the 'new part'. Sam visualized the integration and took in a deep breath pretending to breathe in the new part into his lungs. I asked Sam to visualize that the new part would settle right into him, because that's where it belonged, and was stronger, wiser and more confident than ever. Even before I completely finished Sam was way ahead of me and saying the he had the problem fixed. Now he knew exactly what he was going to do. Sawmills are dangerous Bill and Tom are two Irishmen working at the local sawmill. One day Bill slips and his arm gets caught and severed by the big bench saw. Tom quickly puts the limb in a plastic bag and rushes it and Bill to the local hospital. Next day, Tom goes to the hospital and asks after Bill. The nurse says, 'Oh he's out in Rehab exercising'. Tom couldn't believe it, but here's Bill out the back exercising his now reattached arm. The very next day he's back at work in the saw mill. Couple of days go by, and then Bill slips and severs his leg on another bloody big saw thing. So Tom puts the limb in a plastic bag and rushes it and Bill off to hospital. Next day he calls in to see him and asks the nurse how he is. The nurse replies, 'He's out in the Rehab again exercising. And sure enough, here's Bill out there doing some serious work on the treadmill. And Bill comes back to work. But, as usual, within a couple of days he has another accident and severs his head. Wearily Tom puts the head in a plastic bag and transports it and Bill to hospital. Next day he goes in and asks the nurse how Bill is. The nurse breaks down and cries and says, 'He's dead.' Tom is shocked, but not surprised. 'I suppose the saw finally did him in.' 'No,' says the nurse, 'Some dumb idiot put his head in a plastic bag and he suffocated.' We are delighted to introduce a new Contributing Columnist to our newsletter. Tom Dorzab, is a retired biologist from Kansas and now lives with his wife in Spain. Tom followed his passion and is now an energy medicine practitioner specializing in Eden Energy Medicine. We hope you enjoy his article as much as we did, and maybe he'll write some more for us in future editions. Welcome Tom! You can contact Tom at tomdorzab@ya.com Bear Tamer Classes - Part One by Tom Dorzab When I was invited to write an article for this newsletter, my first thought was, do bears in Spain do what bears all over the rest of the world do in the woods? Although the data is still coming in on that, I feel comfortable in saying: Yes they do. I have been receiving this newsletter for several years now and am always excited to see it. It is without a doubt one of the most interesting and informative of all the newsletters I receive, so it was quite exciting to have a chance to be part of the fun. It is also my goal to help spread the word about energy medicine in general and Eden Energy Medicine in particular. This is part one of a two-part article and I'd like to discuss human adaptive behaviours and their energetic consequences and how the Meridian System (the Chinese energy system upon which acupuncture is based) responds to perceived dangers. Also, what effects it can have on the body and in part two I will provide a quick technique to help bring the systems back to a more balanced state. The survival of our species is dependent on our ability to sense danger and then respond or adapt accordingly. A huge part of this survival mechanism is known as the fight, flight or freeze response. This primitive stress response is and has been, critical to our survival. When the aforementioned bear finishes whatever it is he has been doing in the woods, he may be hungry. If you happen to be out for a stroll through the woods at that time and he sees you, to him you may look less like you and more like Sunday brunch. That's when you want the flight part to kick in very quickly. I suspect that was exactly the way it was intended to work and that it worked very well for many thousands of years. The problem is, today most of us are living in a constant state of fight, flight or freeze. Through the science of Kinesiology, which most of you know as muscle or energy testing, it is possible to assess the balance of not only each meridian, but also the state of a variety of other energy systems. It is in this way that Eden Energy Medicine practitioners can determine the effects of various substances, electromagnetic waves, emotions, medications, foods, etc. on the meridians of their clients. This is also the method used to determine the energetic balance of clients to determine which meridians or other energy systems are in need of help. Assessments such as these have shown that a large percentage of people in today's world has one particular meridian out of balance. The Triple Warmer Meridian is overcharged in nearly every client I see. Knowing what we know about bears, woods and Sunday brunch, it's not too surprising when we learn that one of the primary jobs of the Triple Warmer Meridian is to evaluate situations and initiate the fight, flight or freeze response whenever it deems it necessary. The question of the day is, since most of us don't spend a lot of time in our daily lives running from bears, why are our Triple Warmers kicking in so often? Based on energy testing results, our Triple Warmer Meridians are having a difficult time deciding which bears, chemicals, genetically modified foods, emotions, electromagnetic radiation or whatever it is that affects us, is really dangerous to us. Remember what I said about human adaptive behaviors and their energetic consequences? It seems our Triple Warmers have evolved with us over who knows how many millions of years and know pretty well what is dangerous and what isn't when it comes to those things that have evolved along with us. The problem arises when new substances or new experiences pop up. In those cases, our systems tend to play it safe and when an unknown is encountered, our Triple Warmers, not knowing for sure whether a situation is dangerous or not, often swing into action. There have been more than a few changes to our environment over the last 100 years, and there are now literally thousands of new chemicals in the forms of pesticides, medications, cleaning supplies, plastics and so on. Our food supply has been genetically modified and we are constantly exposed to electromagnetic radiation from our cell phones, microwaves, electrical wiring and many other sources. More often than not, when we are exposed to these new environmental situations, our Triple Warmer Meridians kick into action whether there is any real danger or not. As far as our Triple Warmers are concerned, different is bad until proven innocent. In other words, we are in the process of adapting to these new situations, but until we do, our Triple Warmer Meridians will attempt to protect us from them in the only way it knows how. Next month in part two I will explain how our Triple Warmer Meridians are throwing us into the fight, flight or freeze response whenever something unknown to them is encountered, and teach you a simple technique to help change this response. Till then... watch out for those bears! Berit's Corner How's everyone doing in this brand new year of 2008 - good I hope! It's certainly been an interesting start to a new year with things happening on many different levels, and areas, around the world. Alex and I have sort of shut the world out the past year because we were devoting all our time and energy to our new book. It was a bit of a surprise when we surfaced, tuned back in, and saw what's happening out there. There's turmoil in Pakistan due to the assassination of former Prime Minister Benizar Bhutto. There's conflict in Kenya. The stock markets around the world have had a very rough ride. The housing market has slowed down in many countries, although where we live prices are still rising! And, in America, the people are starting the process of picking a new President. I love American politics and follow it closely. It's so very different than politics here in Canada. I also think it's far more interesting. Now, before some Canadians write me and give me a hard time, please remember we live in a democracy and I am entitled to my opinion, just as you are entitled to yours. Thank heaven we don't all have the same opinions - that would be boring. Here in Canada, we the people "defeat" our government when we're not happy with it, an election is called and the election process takes a total of six weeks, then we vote. That's not a lot of time to really get to know who wants to take a crack at running our country, but it seems to work for us. In America, elections are every four years and the process to elect a new president takes about 1 ½ years. By the time election day rolls around we know just about everything we the people need to know about those running for president, and a whole bunch of stuff we're probably better off not knowing! This year the candidates running for office are a diverse group of individuals and if a woman or an African American is elected president, history will be made. That's exciting! With all this "stuff" going on around the world at the moment it almost makes our lives seem rather ordinary, except for one thing in Alex's and my life - our book is being printed, or at least it's begun the printing process, probably as you read this newsletter. I can't even begin to tell you how excited we are! To have created something like this book has been one of the most exhilarating, and sometimes frustrating, experiences Alex and I have ever had. And, now it's done. We did it! We started the whole process with, "Let's write a book. It shouldn't be that difficult 'cause both of us have been writing "stuff" for years. OK, let's do it." Here's a little secret - the writing part is easy - all the other stuff (editing, design, layout, etc.) is a little more frustrating. So, the journey began, and now it's finished. We purposefully held back with any details about the book, we didn't even mention the title to anyone for the longest time. It was as if we talked about it too much, it wouldn't happen. Well, those days are gone! I want to shout to the whole world, "My husband has written a book and it's a darn good book!" I'm so proud of him and I know you will enjoy reading it when it finally rolls off the presses. Until then, I'll share a couple of things with you. First, the title of the book is: Pathways Through Your Mindfield That's all I will divulge for now. We have to keep some stuff back just to tease you and build up some excitement! Next month I'll tell you a bit more and in March we'll have the book available and you can have your very own copy, if you wish. We're going to have some fun with our book launch so please stay tuned! Till next month, Take care.     Why not Forward this Newsletter to a friend?

(C) 2008 - Dr. Alexander R. Lees & Associates Inc.