Reflections Newsletter
"People are not broken and in need of fixing... most people are just fine. They may simply need a tune-up."
Dr. Alexander R. Lees
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In This Issue:
Occasionally, there's not much about tapping or EFT in the newsletter. The reason this time is that so many of you will be tuned into one of the many interviews about EFT available right now on the Net.. So, this month we decided to provide some interesting info, some of which you can combine with the tapping. Also included is a description of our NLP 101 Workshop to be held on March 20 & 21, 2010. Please have a look, you may find it of interest.
Alex comments on the difference between "certification" vs. "completion." Hopefully this will help when you're researching different training available in whatever field you're interested in. It's also useful info to have when you're looking for a counsellor or therapist. David gives us some insights into "personality types" and it's fascinating. It's not only useful to know what type you are, it's also good to know which type your client is, especially if you're a people helper. Susan gives us a "tour" of what happens during an acupuncture treatment. It sounds as good, or even better, than a spa treatment! I share some thoughts about the Winter Olympics just held in Vancouver and Whistler. There were many magical moments and it was truly amazing to watch so many gifted, skilled and talented athletes. Plus, the host country (Canada) did a pretty good job too! :-)
Enjoy!
Berit Lees, Editor
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Certification vs. Completion
By Dr. Alexander R. Lees
"You know I was telling you we were starting to have more and more inquiries about NLP training," Berit began, "Well, we're also receiving quite a few inquiries about certification verses completion. Not only that, but the queries are coming from people not only wanting training, but also from some individuals that want to set up some kind of certification program. As well, people have been commenting on how it can be somewhat confusing trying to choose a counsellor or therapist. There is a vast array of information on the Net regarding the qualifications, skills, experience and training that people have. How does a person know which training is good and actually qualifies a person to be a "people helper?" Are there some sort of guidelines or standards? Are we to believe everything written on a website? What's a person to do?"
Whew, that was a mouthful! Where to begin? It might be useful to understand the difference between the two terms certification and completion.
Let's start with, regardless of whether or not the paperwork reads "Certificate of Completion" or "Certified" it comes from the individual that presented the training. Sometimes, this individual may represent a company, an institution or even a university, in which case, the paperwork will so designate. Sometimes, the individual is the company, or in some cases, the institution.
So, just for clarity, let's deal with an individual offering the training and paperwork. A Certificate of Completion is, just as the name implies, a piece of paper attesting to the fact you paid an entry fee, and stayed until the end of the training. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, you understand; it's a tried and true, perfectly acceptable way of acknowledging you took the time, spent some funds, and invested some effort to acquire some knowledge about some subject.
A "Certification" however, does imply that the individual not only attended and paid for said training, but also jumped through some other hoops to earn the certificate with the word "Certified" on it.
Remember, either piece of paper is issued by an individual, and that individual may or may not, be representing some academic, or corporate body or institute.
Certification usually means there has been some set of standards created, whereby not only the information is presented to a group, but there is some time allotted for the participants to practice with each other to ensure an even better integration of the information. At the same time, a good certification course will include feedback. By this I mean, when the participants are in groups practicing, they receive input from the trainer(s) as to their progress, and receive assistance if needed. This enables the participants to fine tune their newly acquired skills.
But, it doesn't stop there. To be a good certification program, there needs to be additional feedback provided as to the person's state, their delivery and so on.
Finally, the program will include a form of testing. Preferably both a written exam and a test that evaluates the practical applications of what has been taught. Those that decide they do in fact want to be certified would then agree to work with other individuals, and then be tested on their knowledge of the content, their respective delivery of that content, their flexibility in their delivery, and how they are connecting with the other individual.
All this may only be part of the criteria used to set the parameters for certification. As this criteria can vary with culture, country (state, province) and subject matter, etc., it would be impossible to list all the possibilities that one might expect in taking a course that includes becoming certified.
None the less, hopefully the above will help generate some questions for you to ask should you be contemplating or considering some form of training, especially if "certification" is offered. The information is also useful when seeking a counsellor or therapist because if you inquire as to what kind of training and testing was involved in their certification, you will now know what the answer will hopefully include.
There's also another point worth mentioning, and it occurred during one of my recent workshops. The concept of training standards, or rather the lack of them, was brought up by one of the participants. As it usually happens, it didn't take long for others to express a desire to jump in to the conversation. The main aspect of the discussion soon became reading a book, or watching a DVD verses hands on live training. Before I could wax poetic and offer feedback, one of the participants stated the following.
"My sister went to a guy calling himself a practitioner of something or other. She wanted help with some personal issues, and didn't want to settle for the medication route. After an hour or so had slipped by, she began to wonder just what this fellow was all about. She left after two hours, and decided to check him out a bit further."
"Turns out he'd done most of his training via some DVDs he'd purchased. My sister was outraged that she had found herself sharing sensitive information with someone who had only watched some DVDs."
"Now, I'm not saying a person can't learn valuable information from a book, tapes, CDs, DVDs, etc.," he concluded, "It's just that I think there should be a lot more investment than that if someone is going to help others to solve personal issues such as my sister is going through."
I couldn't agree more, and told both him and the group just that.
So, if you are going to be a people helper or if you just want to help yourself, courses offering certification that includes hands on practical testing, in my opinion, offer a good choice indeed.
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NLP 101 Workshop
Expand the way you Think, Learn & CommunicateMarch 20 & 21, 2010Register for WorkshopWho Would Benefit:Anyone who wants to: - Increase personal success,
- Enhance professional effectiveness, and therefore
- Improve your inner guidance, thinking and mental clarity.
Many people come to this seminar with a list of problems they want to solve or aspects of their lives they want to improve. Most participants leave with much more than just solutions and improvements - they leave with the ability to create positive and generative change for themselves. Others find it enhances their skills in assisting others, i.e., communication improves. What is NLP?NLP provides you with specific, learnable skills which can show you how to improve your level of performance, resolve sources of tension, overcome your limitations, and achieve new levels of competence, in virtually any area of your life. NLP techniques have been successfully applied in a wide number of contexts, such as business, education, mental health, medicine, sports and communication. What Has Been Said About NLP:"The most powerful vehicle for communication to date... A set of techniques for making changes and communication which works, usually quickly, and, at times, dramatically." Psychology Today "Excellent presentation! Very practical and useful. I plan to do great things with it. Thanks!" I. Isabelle, Richmond, BC What You Will Learn:- Mental & verbal techniques to enhance communication, with self & others
- How to identify & adjust for the differences in people's communication styles
- How to develop rapport (the foundation of trust in a relationship or communication) more quickly
- How to convert an argument into a conversation
- How to stop unwanted thinking patterns
Why Learn NLP to Use With EFT?One of the bonuses of learning NLP is that you can apply your knowledge to your everyday communications with loved ones, friends, colleagues and/or clients, as well, as make your application of EFT even more elegant. You will also have the ability to have a 91% success rate, or better! The Five Topics We Will Explore:- Communication Styles
- Eye Accessing Cues
- Clues For Reading Another Person
- Opening the Doors to Rapport
- Matching and Mirroring
- Pacing and Leading
Demonstrations with volunteers from the audience,so bring your problem!Practice for participants, in small groups.Question and answer periods."Take the learning out of the workshop & into everyday life.""This workshop was wonderful, very involving and rewarding. NLP is a very empowering tool to use in all areas of my life, and therefore walks hand in hand with EFT. This information will benefit me holistically, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually." Terry Aleck, Youth and Family Counsellor Halfmoon Bay, BCPresented by Dr. Alexander R. Lees
Certified International Trainer of NLP
Register for Workshop**********************************************************************************************
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 Contributing
Columnist Dave Marshall is retired and lives in Spain. Before his
retirement he was in the corporate world in the UK, and also taught NLP
(he's an NLP Master Trainer). Visit his website at www.nlpman.eu which
has a ton of free information on NLP. Dave's blog http://www.bukisa.com/rss/people/nlpman or on twitter: mynlp
Personality Types -- Back to Basics
By Dave Marshall
As Richard Bandler (co-founder of NLP) often says, "Pavlov - does that ring a bell?" Well, what about Jung? What comes to mind when you hear the name of Carl Gustav Jung? Is it the collective unconscious? Extrovert? Introvert? Archetypes? Jung is both famous and remembered for many popular things that have become part of every day thought and language. He was born in 1875 and became a student of Sigmund Freud and went on to develop his own brand of philosophy & psychology. He spent a large part of his life exploring his own inner world, his unconscious, his dreams and visions. He also developed the ideas of archetypes that span cultures and seemed to be present in most people's unconscious minds. (This is the area that you can explore by using the mountain trek which I wrote about in the November edition of Reflections.)
But in this edition I want to get back to basics and introduce you to a very practical area that has been developed based on Jung's work. Practitioners using a variety of modalities will hopefully find this information fascinating and useful.
In his work on personality Carl Jung defined three poles of personality:
Introvert/Extrovert, Sensor/Intuitor and Feeler/Thinker.
They are known by their initial letters, except for Intuitor which is known as N. The first, Extrovert/Introvert (EI) Jung described as "the E thinks about the object as opposed to the I who thinks about the subject." For example if an Extrovert was looking at a cup they would tend to think about it's shape, colour, the handle, etc. Whereas the I would tend to think about how it was made, what else could it be used for, where did the materials come from, what other examples of things that contain other things are there.
Thinking has changed since Jung and now the E/I pole is taken to indicate how the person prefers to direct their energy. Do they prefer to live in the outside world with lots of interaction, or would they rather live in their own internal world with very little interaction, and deal with ideas and information.
The next pair, Sensor/Intuitor (SN) indicates whether the person prefers to process information that deals with facts and the immediate world, with practical data or do they prefer the world of ideas, concepts and possibilities. The next pair Thinker/Feeler (TF) are to do with decision-making, and indicate whether the person prefers to make decisions based on facts, logic and analytical thinking, or do they make decisions based on their own values and beliefs.
A further development was made by a mother and daughter team, Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers who defined a forth pair, Judger/Perceiver (JP) which is about how they prefer to organize their life. Judgers like order, stability and structure. Whereas Perceivers would rather go with the flow, deal with whatever comes up in life and keep an open flexible attitude.
Myers and Briggs went on to develop the Myers/Briggs Type Indicator which has become the widest used and most documented personality indicator in history. It is widely used in the commercial world; where it has been applied in developing teaching methods, business presentations, job selection, and team building. As well it is used in personal counselling and therapy.
So that was where it started off. Now our thinking has progressed and has been further refined by Myers/Briggs. We now see that what is more important than the basic types are the combination of categories that these types make up. So we start with four poles and each of those have two aspects which makes eight, and then each of those eight can be combined together - which now makes 16! The 16 combinations are ISTJ, ISFJ, INFJ, INTJ, ISTP, ISFP, INFP, INTP, ESTP, ESSP, ENSP, ENTP, ESTJ, ESFJ, ENFJ, ENTP and, of course, there are degrees associated with each pair too! So that makes an infinite number of combinations!!
WOW!! Take a deep breath! And, yes, you've guessed it, each of these 16 categories form the Myers/Briggs types and they are known by their initial letters. You can work out for yourself what the characteristics of each type would be. For example, INFP, would indicate someone who is introverted (I) and therefore prefers to deal with ideas and information, plus the Intuitor (N) who processes information at the ideas level with ability to handle the unknown. The F indicates a person who makes decisions based on their personal values and beliefs that they feel are important to them. The P would indicate someone who likes to go with the flow, handles things as they come up, prefers to have choices and options, and generally does not like making decisions!
So what sort of person would that be? Well, for one thing, it is estimated they only make up four per cent of the population, so you probably won't meet many of them. But when you do you may find them rather strange because the combination of Introvert and Intuitor would make them appear to be lost in their own thoughts most of the time. For decision-making the Feeler aspect would mean they would appear to be illogical to other people and not have any reason for doing something, other than it suited them. Now add in the Perceiver aspect and they become prone to procrastination and prevarication because they are wanting to explore the options available. You may also find that they are quite difficult to get to know unless you have some ideas in common. They also tend to be loyal, idealistic and want to make the world fit their own internal image of perfection rather than change their behaviour to fit that of the rest of the world. In a word, they could be described as the Seekers.
So, if you ever get an INFP in consulting room, what approach would you use to suit their type? First of all take the I and N combination, this means that they would be happier with information about the concepts and possible applications of the treatment that you propose. You could recommend some suitable reading but not the local self help group! The F means that to get them to decide to take a course of treatment you would be advised to stress the benefits that appeal to their values and beliefs rather than an array of logically presented statistics. And for the P? Well that's the one that's not the easiest to satisfy! As you would want them to make a decision then it would be better to say that, "There is only one course of action and this is it..." Otherwise they will want to know about all the other options and you will find it takes a long time to reach a decision.
We also need to remember that there is another person in the consulting room: YOU! So it would be a good idea for you to discover your type so that you will become more aware of the methods that you promote that suit your type, but not necessarily all of your clients. There are lots of places on the net where you can get a free MBTI personality type report. I like this one
So you can see this is not really the place to give you a full description of each of the 16 types, so I hope this has given you a taste of something you might like to follow up on. There is a veritable mountain of information on the internet about the ideas and concepts behind Myers/Briggs, as well as plenty of detailed practical stuff to enable you get a working knowledge of MBTI and its possible applications. A good description of the MBTI types can be found here and another here.
As the old joke said - a tourist went up to an old farmer who was working in a field and said, "Excuse me old man, I'm lost." The farmer butted in and said, "Oh no you're not sir - I know exactly where you are!!"
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Tapping News
A new resource:
The EFT & Energy Psychology
Article Library & Newsletter
Thank you to Stefan Gonick for creating a new resource for information about Energy Psychology and tapping (EFT). Please check it out and provide feedback to Stefan -- he would appreciate hearing your thoughts.
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 Contributing Columnist Susan Stone is a licensed acupuncturist, certified in Eden Energy Medicine and Eden Energy Medicine for Women. In addition she is a Registered Bach Flower practitioner, an Acutonics practitioner, with a BS degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, and has been in private practice since 1977. Susan's other interests include a passion for dressage, mountain climbing, and life. Contact Susan at her clinic in the Boston, MA area - www.stonehealthcenter.com
Want to feel marvelous - try acupuncture!
By Susan Stone
Have you ever thought about having an acupuncture treatment? So many people think about it but never give it a try. Is it because there are needles inserted into your body, or you think it may be painful? Is it because it is so different from anything you've every tried? A healing modality that is well over several thousand years old, is bound to have accumulated an abundance of misconceptions, but like any health practice, it has changed over the thousands of years. The first acupuncture needles were very large, fat needles, but now with precision laser manufacturing needles are so fine, that most of the time their insertion isn't even felt.
An acupuncture treatment can be a fascinating experience as many have reported that they experience their own energy flows for the first time. What I love to hear when I give a treatment after a needle has been inserted is, "Gosh, I just felt this surge of energy move through my whole body that started at my foot and went all the way to my head!". We learn to understand and experience qi or energy with acupuncture and how it relates to our health. Blocked qi or energy can result in pain. If you move qi, blood will follow and pain will be released.
One of my jobs as an acupuncturist is to diagnose how a person's qi or energy is flowing. Qi can play many different roles: When it's not "on it's best behavior" it can be stagnant, rebellious, counter-flowing, deficient or excessive just to name a few. One of my goals is ascertain where the energy is and isn't flowing properly. I can do this in a variety of ways. I can "listen and feel" your pulses, I can palpate your abdomen also called the hara, I can look at your tongue. What a patient tells me, how they tell me, the sound of their voice, their movements, and also what they don't say (but what my intuition tells me) are all keys to understanding where the energy is blocked. A person's smell gives even more information. Our body is a composite of our biography. It tells our story.
How I frequently treat when I'm doing acupuncture is through hara diagnosis. There are points and zones on the abdomen that relate to meridian or organ pathology. For example, when I find an area that is tender it becomes part of my patient's story. My objective is to find the acupuncture point that releases the abdominal tenderness. The acupuncture point, the direction of the needle and the depth of insertion are all important to correct the qi in the body, to help bring it back into balance. Each meridian or organ has a relationship with every other meridian or organ and each needle that is inserted will cause a ripple effect throughout the whole body.
I hope that if you've not yet had an acupuncture treatment but are now curious, you consider trying this beautiful healing modality. I'll describe a little about what you can expect during an acupuncture session. Your first appointment will initially be spent talking to your acupuncturist. This is a very important conversation, and sometimes it takes me more than an hour to feel like I really know a patient. I like to get a complete life history, not just information about their major complaint. So be prepared to tell your practitioner everything about yourself, even if you don't think it's important.
When it's time to have a treatment, you'll be lying on a very comfortable massage table. I have extra padding on mine and have two infrared heat lamps going along with some very soothing music. Here in the northeast (of the USA) the winters are very cold and we need to heat up our bodies in whatever way we can! Sometimes in the winter, I feel I should put on some old Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett or island music to help with the mid-winter doldrums. I start to insert needles based upon my hara diagnosis and watch how the energies shift in a person. After about 20 minutes I've finished inserting all of the needles. The number can range from 4 to16 needles.
A lot of acupuncturists have several treatment rooms going at once and will leave the room at this point. Because I only treat one person at a time, now I will do some Energy Medicine, Polarity Therapy or bodywork. I find that these extra modalities will expedite the healing energy of their body and they'll feel better so much more quickly.
After another 20 or 30 minutes, I'll remove the needles and have the person roll over. Depending upon what their major complaint is I may insert more needles on their back. The acupuncture points on the back are so potent and can strongly facilitate healing. Whatever a person's health situation, I'll always finish with a back massage. I feel that this helps smooth out, and integrate their energies. It also leaves a person feeling fabulous and well cared for. I believe that touch is one of the most important components of healing. Not all acupuncturists administer bodywork so if this is important to you, be sure to ask in advance of scheduling an appointment.
Sometimes I finish a treatment by giving my patient's homework, which may include certain exercises. Also there are what are called intradermals needles, or viccaria seeds. The intradermal needles are small "to go" needles. They are inserted very shallowly into acupuncture points, held in place by tape and they can stay in the body for several days to continue the treatment. The vicarria seeds are very small seeds used on the acupuncture points in the ear. They will continuously stimulate a point that will help in your healing process.
I hope you feel encouraged to try acupuncture. It will help you stay healthy and it will certainly benefit you in some wondrous ways. Enjoy your journey towards greater health and vitality!
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YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE.
IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40.
IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.
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Berit's Corner
In many ways I'm a typical Canadian, and particularly when it comes to our national identity. Generally speaking we don't go around telling the world we're great. In fact, we usually do the opposite and play down some of our better attributes. The one thing we do brag about is being polite, and I personally think that's something to brag about, even though it's not the polite thing to do. :-)
How times change! When your city and country hosts a world event such as the Winter Olympics, all red mittens are on! Yes, the world apparently loves our red mittens, even Oprah got excited about them. But, the really cool thing is that hosting the games here in Vancouver has been about so much more. And, Canucks are standing proud!
Yes, there have been glitches during the games, I'm sure every person on the planet has heard that there wasn't enough snow, so they had to make a bunch. There was also a tragedy on opening day when a young athlete from Georgia died. Other issues also arose, but for the main part, they were dealt with. So, once the media had covered those stories and turned their attention to what the games are really all about - the athletes and their amazing skills - we started to hear more positive and uplifting stories.
Then, rather quickly it seemed, people started to discover the delights of Vancouver and Whistler. Spectators from around the world were interviewed and asked how they were enjoying everything? The vast majority responded with a resounding, "It's great!" The athletes were interviewed and they praised the Athlete's Olympic Village, and everyone loved all the great food and drink on offer around the city.
And, finally, the athletes put on a show, and what a show it was! World records were made, many athletes had their personal best scores and they gave amazing performances. There were too many to mention here, but a few stood out for me because of my interest in ice skating. I fondly remember my time on the ice as a very young lady, twirling around in my beautiful brown velvet skating outfit (sewn by my Mom) with my skirt flaring in the air revealing the gold satin lining. Sadly, I don't have any photos to share... I only have lovely memories.
So, to see the young men and women ice skaters is always special to me. These Olympics especially because Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the ice dancing competition and they were truly magical.
Another magical moment was when a young Canadian woman skated onto the ice. The arena broke into thunderous and very sustained applause because this young woman had just lost her mother two days before to a heart attack. Her Mom had not been ill, so it was a total shock for everyone. Somehow Joannie Rochette put on her skating outfit and skates, and went out on the ice and gave the performance of her life! It wasn't until she had finished and there was more thunderous applause from everyone, including all her competitors, that the tears came. Joannie's courage and grace, in my opinion, exemplifies what the Olympics are all about.
I am proud to say I'm Canadian and I think all of you that had athletes competing at these Olympics should also be proud. Somehow, during these troubled times around the world, there's a group of youngsters giving more, much more, than 100% and they represent what's the best... in all of us.
May they continue to show the world, by their example, how to get it right! Most of us won't get a medal for our efforts, but if we put forth the time, energy, drive, courage, determination, spirit and heart, into what we do, then we too, can stand proud. Unfortunately we may not be wearing red mittens because they're all sold out! But, I have it on good authority there's some for sale on eBay. :-)
Till next month,
Take care.
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Volume 17, No. 03
March 2010
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Upcoming Workshops
*** NLP 101***
Mar. 20 & 21, 2010
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EFT
- Fundamentals
April 10, 2010
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EFT - Intermdiate
May 1 & 2, 2010
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EFT
- Advanced
June 5 & 6, 2010
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Certified Practitioner
Program click here
Fees, Location & Other Registration Information
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