March 6, 2023 by Thriving Now

Don’t Settle for Just Feeling Fine

Emotional Freedom for All
Emotional Freedom for All
Don’t Settle for Just Feeling Fine
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I spent a lot of years answering the greeting, “How are you doing?” with “fine”—when I wasn’t. I was dying.

As I healed, I did rise up through misery to the point where I was, indeed, “fine.” But fine isn’t good, and good isn’t great. Just as light and sound have a scale, so does health.

10+ = Thriving!
9 = Awesome
8 = Outstanding
7 = Great
6 = Good
5 = Fine
4 = Okay
3 = Surviving
2 = Miserable
1 = Dying
0 = Dead

Optimal health and vitality have a vibration that is palpable. We can sense the low vibration of those who are sick, and we are refreshed by the energy of those who radiate good cheer.

Is our vibration in-born? To an extent. We all know babies born with sunny dispositions. On the other hand, some babies cry a lot and are difficult to console. Yet, vibrations change. Sometimes the sunny baby becomes a dark, brooding teenager. And sometimes the nerdy, uptight, unhappy, and lonely teenager grows into a calm and confident adult. Such shifts often seem to happen by chance and circumstance. The question is: can we shift our vibration consciously, as an act of intention?

Of course! If we’re feeling fat and sluggish, we know that physical exercise will improve our vitality, even if we don’t lose a pound. We know that aerobic exercise builds physical stamina. Weight training builds physical strength. Yoga increases physical flexibility and balance. Massage therapy provides relaxation, increased flow and body awareness, and assists the body in making postural changes. These approaches are common knowledge to millions.

Where I see the biggest gap in awareness is in emotional fitness. We expect family, friends, and co-workers to be emotionally stable, while at the same time we keep piling on the stresses and responsibilities. If people are “coping” it is viewed as “the best anyone should expect under the circumstances.” No, it isn’t. Today we have developing technologies as well as ancient practices that can transform even intense emotional distress into optimal health.

Let’s talk about the developing technologies first. Most people are not mentally ill from a clinical perspective. But almost everyone struggles with grief, difficult relationships, illnesses, self-doubt, and frustrations. Too many of us have also experienced trauma at some point in our lives—the tragic death of a loved one, accidents that leave permanent limitations, an intense memory that leaves us phobically afraid, and physical and sexual abuse that makes it impossible to feel completely safe.

The energy approach views how we re-member (literally, how we re-create a memory in our body in the present moment) as a function of the body’s energy system. If we feel scared and unsafe in the present over something that happened in the past, energy therapy views this as a “disruption of the energy system.” Simple as that. To remove the disruption, we address the energy system through the meridians and acupoints combined with truth and affirmation. The disruption is removed. The memory remains but it is re-membered in a way that does not cause us pain and suffering anymore. And the effect is usually permanent.

We’re seeing with energy therapy that old emotional baggage can often be set aside without hundreds of hours of professional therapy and drugs. Such medical interventions have a place, for the seriously mentally ill. But what solution is being offered to otherwise highly functioning people carrying one or two old wounds, fears, or behaviors that continue to cause pain? A lifetime on Prozac?

The solution I use myself and teach to my coaching clients is EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), and I am committed to making it commonplace for people to feel emotionally free, balanced, and strong using EFT as a support. I love EFT because it is useful for both individuals and professional practitioners alike. Yet there are also dozens of other techniques and derivatives that can be applied to emotional issues. The Association for Meridian Energy Therapies covers many of them, as does the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology. I am convinced that over the next 20 years, energy work will emerge as the predominant way that we effectively address emotional pain. That’s because the energy system provides us with a direct mechanism to access our God-given power of self-healing.

Which leads me to the ancient practices of emotional healing… spiritual connection to a Higher Source through meditation, prayer, and praise. In meditation we become quiet and listen within to feel Divine peace and guidance. In prayer we offer our thoughts and worries to God to help resolve the pain in our hearts. We offer praise and worship to express our gratitude for all the blessings in our lives… and for life itself.

Each of us can experience the healing power of these simple spiritual practices. They don’t even take that much time. Support is available from any fellow traveler of the spiritual path. They are, in my life, the foundation of a richly thriving experience.

On my road back to optimal health that started thirteen years ago, I’ve taken vitamins, exercised, changed my diet, received and given lots of bodywork, tapped a lot, and changed many beliefs. I’ve been supported by family, friends, and coaches. All of these continue as important aspects of my personal health. Yet when I was most ill, my teacher shared the one goal she had for me. “I want you to learn how to hear the voice of God within you. Everything else will take care of itself.”

All the bodywork, meditation, spiritual counseling, and diet changes we did together were to help me get to that place where I could distinguish my own intuitive inner guidance. It is that guidance that leads me to solutions like EFT, that guides my time with clients, and directs my life as a whole (at least when I let it…). The time I invest each day in meditation, prayer, and praise are what nourish me most completely.

If you are suffering in any way, or you just feel stuck and have been unable to change on your own, I want you to know first and foremost that you are not alone. We are all spiritually connected, and whether you are reading this or listening to my voice, we share a common purpose—your healing and ultimate well-being. You are in my thoughts and prayers. If your intuition says that I can be of help to you, please contact me. I look forward to exploring the possibilities with you. You see, we don’t have to suffer, even when we do have pain. And we definitely don’t have to settle for just feeling “fine.”

Originally published November 2004

  • I am republishing this now, in March 2023, from 2004. Both much has changed… and stayed true. Appreciate you listening… and I’m open to hearing how your journey of optimal health has evolved over the past decade+.

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