Positive Health Online

In my first article in this series of articles on Causal Healing,[1] I highlighted the fact that any trauma will give rise to a disturbing emotion and a limiting belief. A very striking example of this which I came across recently was that of a person whose Father left the family home when her Mother was a few months pregnant. The child was not only affected emotionally by this event, but formulated the belief that her Father's action was .her fault. This response of a child to parental difficulties is not uncommon. (In this case, a few minutes application of Theta Healing [see below] released the belief, and there was a rush of warm energy throughout the body. After several months, the belief has not returned.)

In the first article I discussed how Byron Kate works to resolve the beliefs that bind us. This article will be concerned with the approach of Theta Healing. Theta Healing was founded by Vianna Stibel.[2] Key aspects of Vianna's work are:

• The use of muscle testing as a means of identifying debilitating beliefs, i.e. beliefs which prevent the client from experiencing health and well-being, whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual;
• Asking the universal consciousness to allow the client to be free of the debilitating belief. 

Muscle Testing  

Muscle testing gives us an accurate means of determining whether a belief is held at the subconscious level or not. Muscle tone is stronger if a statement is true for a person than if it is untrue.[2,3] In the method of muscle testing generally used in Theta Healing, the practitioner asks the client to touch thumb-tip with  index or middle finger. The client finds the muscle tone which just prevents the practitioner from being able to separate the thumb and finger as the client repeats "yes, yes, yes".  The thumb and finger separate with ease as the client says "no, no, no". In order to check that muscle testing is giving accurate results, the client whose name is John, can, for example, repeat the true statement  "My name is John", and the untrue statement: "My name is Jill". The thumb and finger stay together for "John", but not for "Jill". Muscle testing is accurate. Recently, a client tested "no" to the name which they stated was theirs. It turned out that they had deliberately changed their name many years ago. They tested "yes" using the name with which they were christened!

Muscle Testing "Yes" Response


Muscle Testing "No" Response

Having established reliable testing, they way is open to finding out whether a potentially debilitating belief, e.g., "I do not deserve to get better", is actually held in the subconscious  mind or not. It is important to know this, since the client or practitioner may come to a false conclusion as to the nature of the belief which is causing problems in the client's life. It is also necessary to be very precise in the words used to formulate the belief. I have found, for example, that with clients who are undertaking process work to find a clear focus in life, the statement: "I am clear as to my direction in life" may well test negative. This does not mean that the process work has been ineffective. The belief: "My way forward will be revealed to me", often tests positive in such cases. Knowing, with certainty, that this is indeed so, can lead to the client's acknowledgment of the need for them to stay open to all the clues and insights regarding their direction that are offered  to them in many ways on a daily basis.

Muscle testing can also be done standing. Vianna Stibel recommends that to do this one should face north.[2] The person stands finely balanced and relaxed. The body will move slightly forwards for a positive response, and backwards for a negative response. This enables the practitioner to test beliefs over the phone.

Resolving Debilitating Beliefs

Having identified a belief which is creating difficulties in the client's life, the need is to resolve the belief so that it loses its power. The client is asked if they wish to be clear of the belief. This is important since sometimes the client needs to retain the belief as support because of another belief they are holding. I remember failing in my attempt to help a client with severe ME. Many therapists offering different skills, as well as myself, had tried in vain to help. It was as if she held the belief that she did not want to get better. I came to realize that her illness served the purpose of attracting people to her. (This is called 'secondary gain'.) At the time I did not know how to help her to be free of the belief that, only by being ill, would she receive the attention she craved.

Vianna Stibel's unique method for resolving beliefs is to teach the practitioner how to be in the theta brainwave state. In that state it is possible to ask for the belief to be resolved. In effect, the practitioner offers a prayer on behalf of the client:

"When you access  a Theta State and call upon the Creator, you connect with the Creator of All that Is to heal a person instantly."[2]

Vianna Stibel teaches a visualization to help the practitioner reach the Theta brainwave state. After a while, entering that state becomes virtually instantaneous, without the need for visualization.  My own experience is that it feels like connecting with a non-personal field of being, something very substantial, though without form, a place of potency from which anything can happen.

From the Theta State, the practitioner asks the 'Creator of All That Is' to effect the change needed by the client, e.g., changing  the belief "I do not love myself" to "I love myself." Another example would be to ask for the healing of an ailment.

The following words are taught by Vianna Stibel[2] for the healing of an ailment:  (A similar style of prayer is used for the purpose of resolving beliefs.):

"Creator of All That Is, it is Commanded that this ailment be changed in (persons name) to perfect health in the highest and best way. Show me. Thank you! It is done. It is done. It is done."

According to Vianna Stibel, as part of the healing process it is necessary for the client to witness the healing take place. My own experience is that I experience something like an electric current and shudder travelling down the spine as a change takes place in the client. If the aim is to change a belief, it is easy to check that this has indeed taken place by muscle testing. If the session involves the healing of an ailment, I find I need feedback over a period of time is to establish whether change has occurred. Vianna Stibel describes instant healings, e.g. of malignant melanoma, in her book. My own experience so far is that the work done with a client forms part of a process, i.e., change takes place over time. As far as belief change work is concerned, much seems to depend on how much self-development work the client has undertaken. Clients who have consciously undertaken self-development work have a clear understanding of the significance in their lives of the belief that needs to be resolved. In such cases, one session often suffices. The change is indeed instantaneous.

Some people do not feel at ease with the language used, i.e. "commanding the Creator of All that Is". Language is always a problem when such subtle matters are being addressed. The important point to appreciate is that we are expressing an intention, or prayer,  in a situation in which therapist and client are embraced by a universal, non-personal, field of Being. What Vianna Stibel calls the co-creation process becomes possible.[2] This has been beautifully expressed by Don MacGregor:

"Prayer can be seen as the power of intention, focused consciousness, in which we enter in to the consciousness of God and hence influence what is to become from all the potential possibilities. We become co-creators with God by helping to bring material possibilities into existence. We are all conscious beings, and therefore have the divine spark of consciousness within us". [3]

Theta Healing and a Case of Chronic Lymphatic Lymphoma

Jane, (not the client's true name),was diagnosed with chronic Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the Spring of 2009. MRI scans showed that virtually all lymph glands were involved. She tackled this health crisis with a course of chemotherapy, whilst at the same time undergoing a journey of inner enquiry, with support from healers, journey work, and nutritional advice. We met for Theta Healing at the end of October 2009. At this time, based on blood tests, Jane was told she would probably live for four years. To achieve this would require four courses of chemotherapy. However, by December 2009, an MRI scan showed that only one tumour in the neck remained. By April 2010, the consultant spoke of "extraordinary progress" and said that the blood tests were those of a person with no cancer. Her life expectancy was ten years, without the need for chemotherapy. Jane is convinced that the Theta healing played an important part in her cure. 
  
When we met in October 2009, the lymph nodes in her neck were painful. Jane felt that more work was needed on her journey of healing. In discussion, Jane said she was sure that the illness was there to teach her something. She had been busy the whole of her life, carrying the concern of not wanting to hurt the feelings of others. I knew instinctively that this concern was significant. I therefore asked the question: What is the worse thing that would happen if you were to hurt the feelings of others? (This question often helps the client to become aware of the core underlying belief.) Crying, she answered: "They would not love me." She remembered thinking as an 11 year old: "All I want is for someone to love me." Following this insight, I asked her to repeat the statement: "I live surrounded by love." Muscle testing showed that she did not believe this. Using the Theta process, I asked that this belief be changed. Muscle testing then clearly showed that she now did believe the truth expressed by this statement. We also used Theta Healing to establish the firm conviction: "I love myself". Four days after our session, Jane sent an E-mail:

" I can't tell you how great I feel surrounded by love that I can now connect with, not to mention the loving myself bit. You have helped lift a cloud and I now walk on air."

Jane reports that the Theta work has affected all her relationships. Her husband is calmer: "It's due to being around you." She also has a greater sense of self-worth, feeling free to take what she needs from the limited financial resources available. When we met recently, I noticed that her tongue was dry except around the edges. This suggests a tendency for her to be over much in the 'fight-or-flight' response mode. We did muscle testing on the belief: "I am at ease with nothing to do." This was not true for her, but became true using the Theta process. We shall see how this belief change effects the next phase of Jane's journey.

The next article in this series will be concerned with how to work with turbulent feelings and emotions, rather than beliefs. For some clients, this may prove a more fruitful way of working.

References

1. Deavin A. Causal Healing: Freedom from the Bondage of Trauma, Beliefs, and Emotions.  Positive Health Online. Issue 170. May 2010.
2. Stibal V. Theta Healing. Rolling Thunder. ISBN 0-9671754-2-9. 2006.
3. MacGregor D. God as Consciousness. Christians Awakening to a New Awareness (CANA). Newsletter. Summer 2008.

Acknowledgement

Anthony wishes to express his thanks to Helga Frank for the advice she has given him during the preparation of this article.