Recent Posts31
THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / Re: "No thing can make you happy."
« Last post by John Ruskan on July 19, 2023 »Thanks for sharing, but I believe you are over-reacting. You answered your question in your second paragraph.
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Recent Posts
32
THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / "No thing can make you happy."
« Last post by Kat on July 19, 2023 »I was caught by surprise when going through Deep Clearing a couple weeks ago: At the beginning of that book you state that "No thing, whether it's wealth, friendships, achievement, etc. etc. can make you happy." I was taken aback.
The rest of the book is understandable and acceptable to me, and I have no problems with that. That said, growing up, I was brainwashed to believe the world's not real. That was an exceedingly polarizing way to live in the world. I understand that many philosophers, teachers, etc. not connected with that cult teach the public that "THINGS don't make you happy--YOU make yourself happy."
I do NOT believe that you are trying to work massive mind control on your readers. I thoroughly believe you're trying to help us gain freedom from ignorance, etc., etc. It could be a matter of semantics, or needs an explanation/clarification for the reader. Because of my background, I suddenly latched onto that one statement about nothing making you happy and could not let it go. It made me lose interest in the rest of the book's message.
I admit I'm occasionally over-sensitive, but I'd rather be able to discern my thoughts and feelings and do something about them.
Best,
Kat
The rest of the book is understandable and acceptable to me, and I have no problems with that. That said, growing up, I was brainwashed to believe the world's not real. That was an exceedingly polarizing way to live in the world. I understand that many philosophers, teachers, etc. not connected with that cult teach the public that "THINGS don't make you happy--YOU make yourself happy."
I do NOT believe that you are trying to work massive mind control on your readers. I thoroughly believe you're trying to help us gain freedom from ignorance, etc., etc. It could be a matter of semantics, or needs an explanation/clarification for the reader. Because of my background, I suddenly latched onto that one statement about nothing making you happy and could not let it go. It made me lose interest in the rest of the book's message.
I admit I'm occasionally over-sensitive, but I'd rather be able to discern my thoughts and feelings and do something about them.
Best,
Kat
33
THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / Re: Qualities of Feeling Integration
« Last post by Nightingale on June 14, 2023 »Ha ha, yes I'm aware of the ego wanting to muscle in and appreciate your directional clarity very much. Many thanks and back to the proverbial drawing board for more practice around witnessing duality 
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THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / Re: Qualities of Feeling Integration
« Last post by John Ruskan on June 14, 2023 »Great question. The quick answer would be yes, positive feelings that have been kept submerged because of the inner blocking to negative feelings will now be free to come into awareness. Your example of strength emerging after victimhood is released is excellent, and this could be important for you in your psychological unfoldment. At this stage, you are working on clearing out the suppressed negativity, and flashes of strong positive complimentary feelings are an indication of successful work, and you should allow yourself to go with the positive and fully appreciate and integrate it.
However, there's more to it. What you have described is still operating on an ego level. This is the level on which popular psychology as well as most current New Age thinking operates. You don't want to forget that, on an ego level, feelings are always dualistic, meaning they are complimentary and depend on each other for their existence. Moreover, your comments suggest that you still have an attachment to the positive and an aversion to the negative.
There's a place where, having accepted both positive and negative, that a genuine transcendence occurs. This means you are no longer tied up with being controlled and dominated vs. being strong and free. The genuine transcendence of any center does convey a type of unconditional 'positive' experience. In other words, the ultimate goal is the middle path, neither being compulsively attached to the positive nor avoiding the negative, where you witness both.
However, there's more to it. What you have described is still operating on an ego level. This is the level on which popular psychology as well as most current New Age thinking operates. You don't want to forget that, on an ego level, feelings are always dualistic, meaning they are complimentary and depend on each other for their existence. Moreover, your comments suggest that you still have an attachment to the positive and an aversion to the negative.
There's a place where, having accepted both positive and negative, that a genuine transcendence occurs. This means you are no longer tied up with being controlled and dominated vs. being strong and free. The genuine transcendence of any center does convey a type of unconditional 'positive' experience. In other words, the ultimate goal is the middle path, neither being compulsively attached to the positive nor avoiding the negative, where you witness both.
35
THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / Qualities of Feeling Integration
« Last post by Nightingale on June 13, 2023 »Hello John,
Many heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the Emotional Clearing process that you've developed - I love it! A question for you ...
For each Center of Consciousness, you’ve clearly described three categories: reactive emotion impulses, first-level emotions, and core negative feelings. What I’m wondering about: is there a fourth category relating to feeling integration? For example, in the Power Center when victimhood, anger, and feeling used are released do the qualities of strength, wisdom, or courage, that may have been in the background, now come forward into conscious awareness?
The above is based on my clearing this morning when I was working with a rather mundane recurring angst around driving when people cut in front or move ahead of me at an intersection when it’s not their turn. As I tuned into the feeling level, I could see clusters of curled up tendrils nested in my body, as if the tendrils represented the many repetitions of this angst habit and I was observing them unfurling. My body was moving a bit as often happens in my sessions. Then I became aware of my hands and the strong sense of eagle feet and talons. My hands began literally transforming into eagle’s feet with my fingernails as talons. As I flexed and extended my hands/feet I had the feeling of true strength, and the thought of how strong eagle’s feet must be to pluck their prey. The sense of STRENGTH that emerged felt really good!
Many thanks for your insight and perspective.
Jill
Many heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the Emotional Clearing process that you've developed - I love it! A question for you ...
For each Center of Consciousness, you’ve clearly described three categories: reactive emotion impulses, first-level emotions, and core negative feelings. What I’m wondering about: is there a fourth category relating to feeling integration? For example, in the Power Center when victimhood, anger, and feeling used are released do the qualities of strength, wisdom, or courage, that may have been in the background, now come forward into conscious awareness?
The above is based on my clearing this morning when I was working with a rather mundane recurring angst around driving when people cut in front or move ahead of me at an intersection when it’s not their turn. As I tuned into the feeling level, I could see clusters of curled up tendrils nested in my body, as if the tendrils represented the many repetitions of this angst habit and I was observing them unfurling. My body was moving a bit as often happens in my sessions. Then I became aware of my hands and the strong sense of eagle feet and talons. My hands began literally transforming into eagle’s feet with my fingernails as talons. As I flexed and extended my hands/feet I had the feeling of true strength, and the thought of how strong eagle’s feet must be to pluck their prey. The sense of STRENGTH that emerged felt really good!
Many thanks for your insight and perspective.
Jill
36
THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / Re: catchup
« Last post by Kat on May 05, 2023 »Yes, John, your perception of my mental/emotional projections and how I dealt with them is correct. And, it was less painful having to deal with them when I could laugh at my projections, such as the time I did "The Work" on a certain NBC nightly newscaster: I was completely honest with myself about how I felt about him, saying that if I had to choose an animal this individual looks like, it would be a kangaroo, because he moves his drooping right lower lip and jaw a lot like a kangaroo does. In the end, I had to soothe myself while being as honest as I could by realizing that if he looks like a kangaroo, I've been sending him through a "kangaroo court," and that caused my disdain for him to completely dissipate. To this day I have no "negative" feelings about him thanks to being able to realize that's where I was "sending" him in my mind. But I recognize I still may need to use EC on the original feelings and original final conclusion about him.
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
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THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / Re: catchup
« Last post by John Ruskan on May 03, 2023 »What I think you are saying is that you recognized that you were projecting, but didn't then know what to do with the feelings, and fell into making-wrong. This corresponds to what I call the first level of projection, where we see ourselves in others because we overlay or 'project' the rejected and repressed parts of ourselves onto them. Then, maybe it combines with the second level of projection, where you start to feel strong feelings, for example you might feel rejected, but this is only a reflection of the stored rejection/abandonment within apparently being caused by another, according to EC theory. So if EC has given you a way to reframe your philosophical approach and work with the feelings, good going!
38
THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / catchup
« Last post by Kat on May 01, 2023 »Hello John,
I hope you are well!
I took a few weeks off from studying the EC program, knowing I'd now learned a great deal about it, wanting to absorb it more deeply on its own terms, and recognizing I could return to the study of it with fresh eyes. So,now I'm back.
The first and only thing I randomly "plugged" back into last night was your discussion in Deep Clearing of self-acceptance, where you state: "the ATTITUDE [my emphasis] of self-rejection is worse for you than the feeling to which it is applied; that when you 'make-wrong,' reject, and disvalidate any feeling--including painful feelings of any sort--you are hurting yourself more than the feelings themselves could hurt you because you are building the suppressed subconscious and laying the foundation for ongoing emotional stress."
Reading that section of Deep Clearing (page 115) brought me back to the 15 years I worked with Byron Katie's teachings. From her I learned that when I saw something as less than loving and friendly in another human being, I was simply projecting and shifting my recognition about myself to that other person or persons. While there is some/a lot of truth in that assessment, I was never able to move beyond the concept of projection to a healthier emotional state, and I became "stuck" with that mind-set. No way seemed available to address those feelings on a deeper level, let alone spiritually join in with or move toward that other person, other than to notice what I was thinking and feeling. Thus, existing in that very tough spot, I had to singularly reject my negative feelings AND my projections, if that makes sense. Another way to say this is that my emotions became "frozen into projections." And, so, without a whole EC type program to work with, I was--and many people can be!--intellectually hijacked by cerebral observations of feelings and emotions. And, what "sealed in" that mind-set was the awareness that I was often able to put a humorous spin on my own verbalized projections, and, as a result, I didn't want to give them up and move past them toward the expansion of my understanding of myself. Today, I'm exploring the possibility that such an overall attitude, as described above, helped lead the way to a well-defined but non-terminal physical ailment I've had for six years.
All of the above-described was further complicated by my desire to see my perceptions of Byron Katie's philosophy as "perfect" and "all-inclusive"--which it is not!--and by largely unconsciously feeling the "terror" of not being able to find any other way or person (until you) to enlighten me more fully on what is possible.
In the end, I simply made myself 'wrong' while in the act of projecting my feelings and emotions onto somebody else.
So, thank you for writing your books and making your Forum available!
Care to comment?
Kat
I hope you are well!
I took a few weeks off from studying the EC program, knowing I'd now learned a great deal about it, wanting to absorb it more deeply on its own terms, and recognizing I could return to the study of it with fresh eyes. So,now I'm back.
The first and only thing I randomly "plugged" back into last night was your discussion in Deep Clearing of self-acceptance, where you state: "the ATTITUDE [my emphasis] of self-rejection is worse for you than the feeling to which it is applied; that when you 'make-wrong,' reject, and disvalidate any feeling--including painful feelings of any sort--you are hurting yourself more than the feelings themselves could hurt you because you are building the suppressed subconscious and laying the foundation for ongoing emotional stress."
Reading that section of Deep Clearing (page 115) brought me back to the 15 years I worked with Byron Katie's teachings. From her I learned that when I saw something as less than loving and friendly in another human being, I was simply projecting and shifting my recognition about myself to that other person or persons. While there is some/a lot of truth in that assessment, I was never able to move beyond the concept of projection to a healthier emotional state, and I became "stuck" with that mind-set. No way seemed available to address those feelings on a deeper level, let alone spiritually join in with or move toward that other person, other than to notice what I was thinking and feeling. Thus, existing in that very tough spot, I had to singularly reject my negative feelings AND my projections, if that makes sense. Another way to say this is that my emotions became "frozen into projections." And, so, without a whole EC type program to work with, I was--and many people can be!--intellectually hijacked by cerebral observations of feelings and emotions. And, what "sealed in" that mind-set was the awareness that I was often able to put a humorous spin on my own verbalized projections, and, as a result, I didn't want to give them up and move past them toward the expansion of my understanding of myself. Today, I'm exploring the possibility that such an overall attitude, as described above, helped lead the way to a well-defined but non-terminal physical ailment I've had for six years.
All of the above-described was further complicated by my desire to see my perceptions of Byron Katie's philosophy as "perfect" and "all-inclusive"--which it is not!--and by largely unconsciously feeling the "terror" of not being able to find any other way or person (until you) to enlighten me more fully on what is possible.
In the end, I simply made myself 'wrong' while in the act of projecting my feelings and emotions onto somebody else.
So, thank you for writing your books and making your Forum available!
Care to comment?
Kat
39
THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / Re: Embodying shame
« Last post by John Ruskan on February 12, 2023 »I talk about shame in the Deep Clearing book, although I don't go too deeply into it. I regard shame as similar to guilt and blame. I see it as an involuntary emotional-mental reaction to deeper core feelings, not a core feeling in itself that needs to be processed. Certainly it's possible to be coerced into shame or guilt, but if one is able to grasp the principles of EC work and develop an inner-focused meditative practice, accessing and releasing core feelings, I believe shame, guilt, and blame will be transcended, regardless of the nature or intensity of the traumatic karmic experience. With clients, I tell them to put the shame aside and go to the first-level emotions and then the core feelings related to the incident. I don't usually regard shame as a built-up suppressed emotion that needs to be processed, but if it is especially severe, some processing time can be allotted to it, stepping back and witnessing. Since shame is not primarily a suppressed core feeling that needs processing, it can be treated to a certain extent by cognitive interventions as well - understanding that regrettable actions were the result of childhood trauma, etc.
40
THE EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCESS / Embodying shame
« Last post by jude.alexander on February 10, 2023 »Hi John
I have re-read your emotional clearing book after some years as well as your new book on my kindle over the past few months after contemplating the idea of becoming a counsellor. I'm also looking into your EC facilitator course which looks very interesting. Your ideas are extraordinary and very intricate. It is clear to see you are a very deep thinker much like myself.
I was watching a Gabor Maté documentary: the wisdom of trauma yesterday after watching his book launch online and I had quite a potent thought come to me. A lot of it is set inside a jail and documents the pasts of inmates. These scenes are made to emphasize the effects of childhood trauma, in particularly being physically beaten as a child. A women asked all inmates that had been beaten as a child by a parent to step forward, to which probably 90% them stepped forward. The exercise was supposed to allow them to get rid of some guilt and to maybe generate some self compassion and see their wrongdoings from a newer, kinder perspective. What I admired about the scene was that the mediators of the exercise showed all of the inmates (some who were in for murder and other violent crimes) nothing but compassion and love in spite of their crimes. You could tell they were all incredibly damaged individuals who, for the most part, under their masks, were pure hearted.
After watching the documentary, I started thinking about how even though they were met with love and compassion by Gabor Maté's team, they wouldn't receive anywhere near the same level of kindness in the outside world after being released. No matter how much they are able to 'repent' or embrace a new life path, for example, a spiritual/religious one, the stain of their past will most probably always remain and they won't be able to avoid being painted with that same brush for the rest of their lives. This is especially relevant with serious crimes like murder or sexual crimes such a rape or domestic violence. Once that is the case, it obviously isn't possible to live a normal life and some would argue the potential to ever be truly happy and content with oneself is impossible. You see this in the media when 'celebrities' are found guilty of crimes- it completely derails their careers (in certain cases, rightly so) and public image forever and they are constantly shamed online.
In these circumstances, do you not think it would be much harder to step back and witness your feelings or see them as projections? The shame that is pushed on criminals makes it practically impossible for them to not embody that feeling. Also, surely you can't meditate and feel at peace when you know that the circumstance you find yourself in is very real and can't be distanced from. Sometimes when meditating I try to picture how it would feel if I were to go blind or lose my limbs, as weird as it might sound, just to see if I would truly be able to find inner peace if, god forbid, those situations were to ever happen. Because wouldn't that be true unconditional self love? Whenever I try this, it gets too painful to bear and I just end up feeling overwhelmed and thanking god that I have not been given such a heavy load, but then I also think "there are people out there that have to deal with these misfortunes everyday and cannot simply thank god for their blessings and ruminate gratitude because those blessings simply don't exist for them". I know spirituality is about not over identifying with your physical body or ego, but that is much easier said than done and the ones preaching this message often have never been in a situation as serious as the ones I have mentioned.
Going back to the original comment, I remember reading somewhere in your book that you don't agree with criminals being shamed and that they should instead be met with rehabilitation. Do you think that some crimes are indeed completely void of the opportunity for forgiveness and that shame is just something they will have to become accustomed to for the rest of their lives? Or not?
I know most people in the world are oblivious to spiritual principles as well as what leads a person to commit crimes, so the idea that forgiveness can even come into the equation is unfathomable.
Thank you John. I hope you don't mind sharing some insights.
Kind Regards
Jude
I have re-read your emotional clearing book after some years as well as your new book on my kindle over the past few months after contemplating the idea of becoming a counsellor. I'm also looking into your EC facilitator course which looks very interesting. Your ideas are extraordinary and very intricate. It is clear to see you are a very deep thinker much like myself.
I was watching a Gabor Maté documentary: the wisdom of trauma yesterday after watching his book launch online and I had quite a potent thought come to me. A lot of it is set inside a jail and documents the pasts of inmates. These scenes are made to emphasize the effects of childhood trauma, in particularly being physically beaten as a child. A women asked all inmates that had been beaten as a child by a parent to step forward, to which probably 90% them stepped forward. The exercise was supposed to allow them to get rid of some guilt and to maybe generate some self compassion and see their wrongdoings from a newer, kinder perspective. What I admired about the scene was that the mediators of the exercise showed all of the inmates (some who were in for murder and other violent crimes) nothing but compassion and love in spite of their crimes. You could tell they were all incredibly damaged individuals who, for the most part, under their masks, were pure hearted.
After watching the documentary, I started thinking about how even though they were met with love and compassion by Gabor Maté's team, they wouldn't receive anywhere near the same level of kindness in the outside world after being released. No matter how much they are able to 'repent' or embrace a new life path, for example, a spiritual/religious one, the stain of their past will most probably always remain and they won't be able to avoid being painted with that same brush for the rest of their lives. This is especially relevant with serious crimes like murder or sexual crimes such a rape or domestic violence. Once that is the case, it obviously isn't possible to live a normal life and some would argue the potential to ever be truly happy and content with oneself is impossible. You see this in the media when 'celebrities' are found guilty of crimes- it completely derails their careers (in certain cases, rightly so) and public image forever and they are constantly shamed online.
In these circumstances, do you not think it would be much harder to step back and witness your feelings or see them as projections? The shame that is pushed on criminals makes it practically impossible for them to not embody that feeling. Also, surely you can't meditate and feel at peace when you know that the circumstance you find yourself in is very real and can't be distanced from. Sometimes when meditating I try to picture how it would feel if I were to go blind or lose my limbs, as weird as it might sound, just to see if I would truly be able to find inner peace if, god forbid, those situations were to ever happen. Because wouldn't that be true unconditional self love? Whenever I try this, it gets too painful to bear and I just end up feeling overwhelmed and thanking god that I have not been given such a heavy load, but then I also think "there are people out there that have to deal with these misfortunes everyday and cannot simply thank god for their blessings and ruminate gratitude because those blessings simply don't exist for them". I know spirituality is about not over identifying with your physical body or ego, but that is much easier said than done and the ones preaching this message often have never been in a situation as serious as the ones I have mentioned.
Going back to the original comment, I remember reading somewhere in your book that you don't agree with criminals being shamed and that they should instead be met with rehabilitation. Do you think that some crimes are indeed completely void of the opportunity for forgiveness and that shame is just something they will have to become accustomed to for the rest of their lives? Or not?
I know most people in the world are oblivious to spiritual principles as well as what leads a person to commit crimes, so the idea that forgiveness can even come into the equation is unfathomable.
Thank you John. I hope you don't mind sharing some insights.
Kind Regards
Jude