February Week 4: Aroma Freedom Technique
.
Here we are on week 4. Can you believe Unit 2 is nearly over? This week we will be talking about the 5 fingers 5 Steps Technique and the AFT thought reset. These two practices will be wonderful assets to your Creation Model as you practice creating your one, awesome, amazing, perfect life.
So, as we wrap up the month and Unit 2, here is one last little self-coaching technique to help to carry you along your way.
A thought reset is a huge help to move you out of your role as victim, persecutor, or rescuer. Nobody likes the feelings those roles bring us- powerlessness, frustration, or their evil twin, rejection.
The 5 Fingers 5 Steps technique is simple and powerful. It is one to stash away in your mind files. Dr. Benjamin Perkus teaches the base of this pattern in his book, The Aroma Reset. I’ve tweaked it just a bit. Let’s review the steps and then I’ll illustrate them with a little story.
- Identify the situation that’s bugging you.
- Name the feeling you recognize is created as a byproduct of that situation. Where are you feeling that feeling in your body? Tune in. What does it feel like? hot, heavy, rough, tight, etc. Does it have a color? Often this is enough to move the emotion through, but if not:
- Identify the negative thought that is creating that feeling for you. Take a long, deep, full breath, and let the thought go. What possible alternate thought could you choose that would create a more profitable feeling?
- Reframe, choose the new thought and watch the feeling change.
- End in gratitude, taking a moment for a last long, deep breath, and give thanks for the shift. It feels so good!
5 fingers, 5 steps:
- Situation– feeling or emotion
- Where is it in your body?
- What is the thought?
- Could you reframe the thought?
- Find a reason for gratitude.
Okay, now the promised story. I chose a life partner who is as determined and purpose-driven as I am. We have been together long enough to clearly know one another’s strengths and weaknesses, along with the familiar thought patterns (you might even call them ruts) we have created over the years.
One spring afternoon I was sitting at the kitchen table sharing a tender feeling with him. It was something I’d been working through and still felt a bit salty about. As he listened, he used only 2 words in response, “I noticed.” But what power those two words had in me and my view!
Flare! This sarcastic, eye-rolling behavior was certainly not what I expected or wanted! Boy was I steamed! I quickly removed myself from the situation, but I was deeply offended and misunderstood. 2 hours later we met up again and I could barely even look at him I was so angry.
“Are you going to apologize?” I demanded.
Perplexed, my partner’s honest loving response was, “For what?” There was no guile in the statement at all.
He honestly meant what he had said at the kitchen table, “I’ve noticed.” There was no eye-rolling, sarcasm, or innuendo. He had honestly noticed my struggle and patiently waited for me to work things through. Boy, did I ever have to eat crow!
Here’s the situation: It was my thoughts- my feelings- my role change to victim/persecuted that caused MY emotional flare and judgment. With openness and humility, the awareness shifted. I was able to reroute the thought. The feelings changed. My Creator role was restored! And it felt so good!
Most of us have familiar thought patterns we use daily. Did you know that by the time we make it to age 30, 80-95% of our thoughts are simply replays of the days before? Only 15% of our thoughts are unique in a day. Obviously, as a creator, you are creating more original thoughts than average, but still, it’s good to be aware.
.
Our brain, our best friend and protector, is ever on the alert to keep us alive. As such, he will send scary, persecuted, danger warning messages through us, be they true or not. Is your uncomfortable thought traveling along one of those familiar, neural thought pathways? Take a moment, and thank your good friend, your brain, and let him know you’ve got this. Choose your own creator thought and give your brain something original, optimistic and safe to think about.
The AFT thought reset works just like the 5 fingers technique, but it uses the power of scent to help your brain let go and reset. You can use the power of commercial essential oils like Young Living’s lavender, frankincense, and stress away, or you can use a fresh citrus rind. They both work. In the thought reset, once you have identified the negative thought, the next step would be to smell your plant oils.
Inhale the scent of the oils deeply while focusing on the situation, the feeling, the bodily sensation, and the negative thought. Notice what happens to the picture of the situation and to how you feel in your body and mind as you breathe.
After you have completed this last step in the thought reset you can either get on with your day in a more relaxed, calm, and clear mood or use the Aroma Freedom Technique to clear out any issues you became aware of during the reset process.
Hope heals. Faith builds. YOU create. You are the master of your ship. Flex your faith. Let it power you on your journey as you choose your thoughts in hope to create your one, awesome, amazing, perfect life.