Release from the Past

Working with different therapies, it often strikes me that all of them are really aimed at pretty much the same thing – release from the thoughts and blocks created in the past in order to be fully present and allow our natural state to shine through. This is a state of peace, happiness, health and a sense of wholeness and connection. Every book I read and every technique I learn really has this at its core and I find this consistency reassuring.

Life will always throw challenges up; that is the nature of the world. But the more we can allow things to come, be experienced fully and then let go, without hanging on, the easier life will be. The problems start when this does not happen and past experiences are stored in our bodies or our minds and continue to have an effect on us in the present. Holding on to how things should have been, past hurts, old traumas trapped in the body, keep us away from our healthy functioning; which is always present somewhere underneath, even in the midst of our most difficult times.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is one of the clearest examples of this – its aim is inherent in its name – that is of clearing the excessive emotion caused by the past, in order to be free. EFT is aimed specifically at the energy disruptions triggered during past events and stored in our bodies that have not been fully released. Once these are cleared we can live fully in the present and enjoy our natural, healthy and balanced state.

Cognitive Therapy directly addresses the thoughts that lead to unhealthy and overwhelming emotions. These thoughts are often formed from our past ‘programming’ and once investigated, challenged and fully illuminated, can be released, and we can live fully in the now.

Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, similarly divides our experience between our past programming, which predominantly dictates our thoughts and therefore much of our emotions, and our natural divine selves – the self with no past or future, where our true mental health lies. His focus is on clearly seeing these thoughts simply as objects from our past that come and go, but which need have no lasting effect on us, if we see them for what they are. Focussing on our present experience, fully in the now and more often than not, free from thought, leads to release from this past programming and a sense of joy and connection.

This is the peace and balance that people seek when they are meditating; a letting go of thoughts about the past or the future. It is also the state we experience during intense physical exercise when all of our attention is on our bodily experience, leaving little or no energy left to spend on thinking. This ‘clears our mind’ and is exhilarating in itself. It is also one of the reasons why regular physical exercise is so effective in helping with depression.

Reiki, as pure healing energy, bypasses the thought system and brings us in touch with our essential self. This is why it can be such a calming and nourishing experience. Like being held in a warm safe blanket and re-energised from within – a re-lighting of our internal flames.

There is no magic to any of these techniques. The magic is already within us, waiting to be experienced once we clear the filters of our interpretations of the past, through which we experience so much of the world. Like cleaning a dirty window, once this is done the light can come through again.

We are all born into a natural state of joy, wonder and present-centeredness – that is our birthright. Think of how young children and animals experience the world, simply because they have not had time yet to unlearn or doubt it. All therapies aim at once again tapping into this – uncovering our own internal light and allowing it to shine brightly once more, so that we can bring this light and joy, not only to ourselves, but to all of those we come into contact with.