Distractions

OK. My last post was in January and we're now into March. This does rather suggest that I've been procrastinating again.

The thing is that I find I get very heavily involved with all sorts of things which take up my time. Some are things I need to do but most are things I want to do. Maybe this is a common factor with procrastinators. It's not that I don't get around to doing anything but rather that I want to do too many things. Since my last post, I've made a terracotta udu, put my illustration website together (and produced a number of new illustrations specifically for showcasing on it. This has taken up the lion's share of my time) and renewed my interest in playing guitar so I've been active and, to some degree, productive.

This, I think, is the thing with procrastination. It's very easy to be far too busy with distractions to do the things you have to do. As a procrastinator, I am rarely idle. Sitting down and watching TV is something I tend to do only if there's something I really want to watch on (even then, I get impatient if the programme's too long and get on with something else). Consequently, it would be easy for me to deny that I'm a procrastinator.

Have I been working on my coursework (an obligatory aspect of my job)? Er.... no. I've been far too busy.
Have I fixed that towel rail in the bathroom? It's on the list for tomorrow... honest!
Have I dealt with the various financial issues that are creeping towards crisis point by default? Not yet (always sounds better than plain "no" as it suggests one is getting there, which, of course, I'm not).
Have I even finished that bloody painting? Hmmm! OK. This is getting uncomfortable now so I think I'll change the subject.

Even now, there are things that I should be doing instead of writing this post. So, although writing to my blog is something I neglect as a procrastinator, it's also a distraction that I choose in favour of something more important. An interesting point. Maybe I could identify tasks that I tend to neglect as distractions. This has only just occurred to me so I can't say anything about the viability of this approach.

I haven't been tapping 'though God Knows I have issues to tap on. It's just that there are always things I'd rather be doing. One possible barrier is that tapping helps to focus on the things that need to be addressed. The fact that they need to be addressed is symptomatic of my reluctance to focus on them so tapping becomes one of the many things that I'm "far too busy" to find time for.

Catch 22 situation? Only if I let it be so. Will I let it be so? Probably, but watch this space.

Sorting wild claims from reality

Well, it has certainly been a while since my last entry. Readers may be forgiven for thinking that I may have succumbed to a fatal tapping incident; but no. Life simply took over my activities. There you have it! It’s not my fault; it’s Life’s fault. I resolve myself of all responsibility. I didn’t burn the cake..... the cake just burned.

You’re not going to let me get away with that, are you? I thought not. OK. I’ve let things go a bit. Actually, I may have continued to let things go a bit had I not been contacted by a reader with encouraging comments that served as a gentle kick up the arse (we Brits say “arse” but it means exactly the same as “ass” except –– call me biased –– but I think it has more charm). Thank you, Lori (Lori Barnett, an holistic therapist and EFT practitioner from California. Check her website out at: http://soul-escape.biz but not yet as I haven’t finished wri.... NO! COME BACK!! Oh well. On the off-chance that there’s still somebody there, I’ll carry on).

One thing I noticed about Lori’s site is that it is mercifully devoid of the hard-sell hype that often accompanies self improvement techniques. This brings me rather neatly to the subject of this entry and one of the problems I have not so much with the Law of Attraction and EFT as such but the way in which these ideas are generally expressed.

Many of the ideas expressed are based on sound principles but are then ‘marketed’ in the same way that a traveling medicine show would market a ‘miracle cure’ for baldness that probably doesn’t work. The substance is sound but it is packaged as utter tosh. This is a pity as many people who would otherwise benefit are alienated by the hype.

I’ll discuss it in detail here not just to grouch (although I am not adverse to grouching for its own sake) but to point out to the skeptical that just because something is dressed up as dross, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is. Perhaps even someone about to launch a website on self-help techniques may take note. Who knows? I’ve listed below some of the marketing approaches that put my teeth on edge (we Brits are known for our edgy teeth):

1. The Big Secret that ‘they’ (whoever ‘they’ may be) don’t want you to know about. The word “secret” implies something that has been deliberately withheld. Something that is not widely known is not necessarily a secret. The atomic weight of molybdenum is not widely known but, as far as I know, it is not classified information. No one is taking steps to ensure you don’t find out. People do seem to have a fascination for secrets and conspiracies and I think this is regarded as a ‘marketing hook’. However, if EFT and the Law of Attraction are secrets, they are the worst-kept secrets in the history of subterfuge. It’s hard to move through cyberspace without tripping over an EFT site or a LoA site. Dressing these up as some kind of secret and particularly implying that there are people (usually the rich and successful) that have a vested interest in keeping this information out of the public domain serves only to make the whole thing look like a scam.

2. Self-improvement = acquisition of untold material wealth. Whereas I fully accept that increasing one’s income could help to improve things, it’s not necessarily the goal that everyone is seeking and is certainly not the solution to all problems. Rich and successful people may need help in addressing issues too and there is considerable evidence that emotional problems are as rife among the rich and successful as they are among those of us who lead more modest lifestyles (if not more so if the celebrity culture is anything to go by). If the Ultimate Goal is acquiring what the rich and successful already have, where do they turn for help? The Law of Attraction is not just about attracting material wealth. It is fundamentally a solipsistic concept that we each create our own experience incuding the elements that are seemingly beyond our control. Consequently, we can influence any event that occurs within our experience to positive effect. It is a complex and very sophisticated concept and to imply that it is all about “getting that car” or “getting that lifestyle” or even, as Mohammed Latiff suggests, getting that “swimming pool full of money” (http://ultimatesecretsofsuccess.com) simply cheapens what is actually a sound philosophy. Incidently, if you do happen to find that you can ‘manifest’ untold wealth and acquire considerable sums of money, please (and I can’t emphasise this enough), please do not keep it in the swimming pool!

3. Exaggerated claims. It may well be that EFT can cure cancer and, if this is proved to be true, it could represent a phenomenal breakthrough. But such incidents are extremely rare and when it does occur, there is no hard, scientific evidence that EFT was solely responsible. Claims that it can cure incurable illnesses simply press the skeptic button. EFT helps with many conditions and I have no doubt that it also helps with potentially incurable illnesses such as cancer. Any anecdotal evidence that EFT or any form of therapy can have results verging on the miraculous should be discussed rationally and with an open mind. It’s interesting that those of us who are prepared to consider the possibility that things may not be as they seem or as they are claimed to be are often accused of being ‘closed minded’. Accepting claims without question or debate is as much the product of a closed mind as denying claims without looking into them. To be open minded is to accept and consider all possibilities; not just the one.

4. The endless testimonials. There’s nothing wrong with testemonials as such and they can help people to make a considered judgment, particularly if they can be substantiated. But we know that negative testimonials will never be included even if they outnumber the positive ones so they have limited value in this respect. We also know that it is possible to make up testimonials or even pay others to endorse our product or services. One or two positive testimonials can enhance confidence; twenty five or thirty positive testimonials can seem like driving the point a little too hard and often have the opposite effect by raising suspicions that maybe this is just another scam. This is possibly a cultural thing as testimonials are very much a part of American marketing. The British tend to be less convinced by them and too much emphasis on testimonials are a put-off. A perfect example of the cultural difference in British and American marketing can be seen in the Marmite ads that are hugely successful in the UK but failed to take off in the US. The ‘love it or hate it’ campaign takes on board the fact that there are people who find the taste of Marmite disgusting and no amount of advertising is going to bring them on side. On the other hand, many people find Marmite delicious and are already regular consumers so targeting those would be preaching to the converted. The ads are aimed at those who have yet to try it. Remember that the objective of advertising is not just to convince consumers of the product’s qualities; it is also to fix the brand firmly in the mind. Marmite is particularly successful in this respect by breaking the two Golden Rules of advertising. (A) the ads acknowledge that some people don’t like the product and (B) feature only people who don’t like the product rather than those who do. The ads are funny and very memorable because they stand out from the crowd. Consequently, sales shot up. People who had never tried it just had to check it out. Those who loved it became regular consumers and even those who hate it bought at least one jar to try it out. In the US, the manufacturers could not find an advertising company willing to take the campaign on. This difference between the British and the American psyche is the reason that so many of us find the American ‘hard-sell’ approach (or, as we call it: ‘over-egged’) a little spiky for our pallets.

There. I’m glad I got that off my chest. But, dammit! I’m now in full ‘grouch’ mode. I’m going to have to tap on this to restore my Alpha rhythms but, before I do, I just want to make one more point –– albeit a little off-topic: Why do shirt manufacturers go to the bother of using soft, comfortable fabrics to make the actual shirt and then decide to make the label out of something that feels like fibreglass stitched in with wire and conclude that the best place to put it is in the back of the neck where it’s most likely to cause irritation???? There. I’ll be OK now.

Even though I have this compelling urge to object to absolutely everything, I completely accept and love myself exactly as I am.... even the parts of me that get right up my nose... (still needs some work.... I’ll get back to you in the next paragraph.......) Even though... (God! I’m going to have to change this bloody shirt!)...................

OK. Fifteen rounds of tapping, a fresh shirt (and an old one with the collar ripped off) later and I think I’m ready to look benignly upon the world again. I should temper the comments above by adding that I am aware that not all sites, books, DVDs etc. follow the hard-sell marketing model identified above. Gary Craig’s website does not claim that EFT will bring untold wealth although the video, in my view, does not present a balanced argument. For example: Hank Hadley suffered from MS and is now free of the disease. I don’t doubt that Hank himself considers this to be wholly attributable to EFT –– which might indeed be the case.

However, although comparatively rare, there are many cases in which people have recovered from seemingly incurable and degenerative conditions and recoveries are often attributed to various elements ranging from positive thinking to numerous therapeutic approaches. One thing they all tend to have in common is the strength and determination of the individuals who have recovered against all odds.

The medical profession has always held that the most powerful aid to recovery is a positive attitude and the determination to get well. I don’t doubt that EFT was a powerful contributing factor in Hank’s recovery but I wonder if he is truly giving himself the credit he deserves. It doesn’t take an expert to realise that Hank aint gonna hand his wallet over to a mugger. He’s clearly the kind of man who, when he encounters a ravine, says “How do I get across?” not “Let’s turn back”. As well as the EFT that undoubtedly helped him, his strength of character should also be taken into consideration.

Also, I have expressed concerns over the claims made by Dr. Patricia Felici regarding the Live Blood Cell Analysis both here on the blog and on the forums on Gary Craig’s site (see “Questionable claims on the EFT video” http://eftcommunity.emofree.com/forums/t/1299.aspx ). Here my concern was that Dr. Felici appeared to be claiming that the blood cells “clump together” when a person has “some health issues”. Such clumping of blood cells would be symptomatic of very specific and extremely serious conditions and “some health issues” struck me as a drastic understatement for a condition that would be life-threatening. What wasn’t made clear on the video and which Dr. Felici pointed out in the thread on the forum was that this is how blood behaves on the slide after the sample is taken, not while still in circulation in the body. I hope she has no objection to me reproducing her comment below:

“As to the efficacy of whether or not characteristics of a person's blood can be seen under a darkfield microscope and that what is seen has a standard basis of repeatability has been proven time and time again. What the writer, Ron Tocknell, does understand is that conditions of blood on a slide are not the same as the conditions of blood inside a person's body. I completely agree that clumping of red blood cells within a person’s body would present a serious if not life-threatening situation. However, the writer then leaps to the conclusion that the conditions of the blood seen in the slide is then completely inaccurate. When in fact, this may not at all be inaccurate. The clumping of red blood cells on a slide can be an indication of many health issues. A properly trained practitioner will know what conditions apply and do not apply to a sample. To make the assumption that because something may have a different appearance, that the conditions shown should be completely discounted, is a bit narrow in view and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the application of the technology. The writer's general statements are true concerning that the conditions of a sample are different inside and outside of the person's body. His comments however, are not applicable to a properly taken and properly read liveblood sample. I have found that prior to making blanket statements, or discounting something summarily, it is better to understand it well first. It is not what we know that is important, it is what we don't know and what we don't know that we don't know that is important. The key to the scope of Liveblood Cell Analysis is complete understanding of the technology from the sample being collected properly to the slide being read properly. A properly trained professional follows a solid protocol designed to give a properly arrived at qualitative conclusions, within the scope of the technologies usefulness. When done correctly, the tool is extremely accurate and gives good information.

Dr Patricia Felici, Clinical Nutritionist and Doctor of Alternative Medicine.”

I certainly have to hold my hand up to the fact that I jumped to only partially informed conclusions and would certainly agree with her statement that: “It is not what we know that is important, it is what we don't know and what we don't know that we don't know that is important” (although I had to read it a couple of times and think about this before I was sure that I’d got the gist). However, some concerns remain. Blood begins to congeal as soon as it is taken out of the circulatory system and, although it would be wrong to disregard the fact that she is a trained professional and that samples were taken under controlled conditions (as I admit I had done when initially expressing my concerns and for which I apologise), there is clearly scope for error here even taking account of Dr. Felici’s professionalism and the conditions under which samples were taken. None of this is made clear in the video which is a little misleading.

I also pointed out that the effectiveness of Live Blood Cell Analysis as a diagnostic tool is widely disputed, which it is. However, this should not be taken as a credible argument against the procedure considering that the effectiveness of many holistic and alternative therapies are also widely disputed despite a proven track record of success rates that the pharmaceutical industry can only dream of. As much as I hold that the claims made on the video were misleading, so too, were the comments I made in jumping to the conclusions I did. I hope this goes some way to redressing the balance.

The difference between balanced information and hype is that balanced information includes the grey areas and elements that may question the view being put forward whereas hype simply disregards them. In conclusion, I feel there is clearly a problem with the way in which many self-help techniques, therapies and philosophies are presented. Accentuating the positive and eliminating (or disregarding) the negative may make a good subject for a song but, in reality, I’m afraid we do have to mess with Mr. In Between in order to not only present a balanced view but also to help distinguish between the profound and the absurd.