7 Stages Of Healing In EPT™
The Stages of Healing that I use in Emotional Polarity Technique come from Barbara Ann Brennen’s book Light Emerging. They are very similar to the stages of grief from Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s book On Death And Dying. But Barbara adds a couple extra bonus stages: stage 6 “Light Emerging” and stage 7 “Creation of New Life”.
The stages are not static, you are always moving forward. You can be in more than one stage at a time. For example, you may be in “Anger” with your relationships, but you are in “Acceptance” in your professional life.
When you arrive at stage 7 and you are creating new things, patterns, ideas, in your life, then you come back around and do them again, until you create again. Additionally, you can move through these stages SUPER quick seemingly skipping over stages. Human healing and changing capabilities are incredible! Here are the stages of healing with a brief description below:
Denial
“I’m fine,” is the mantra of the person in denial. The world may be falling apart around them, and it is all happening too fast to make sense. They may also think, “I cannot believe this is happening.” That’s your basic form of denial.
However, there is another kind of denial that can grow in a person, a denial of self. A person might deny who they are, or what they want, or give up their power as a form of denial. They are essentially saying, “I do not matter.” For some reason, they deny love to themselves.
Once our brain has finally settled into the truth of whatever discomfort we were denying, it becomes time to move into the second stage.
2. Anger
“I hate this. Why me?!” is the mantra of the angry person. Whatever struggle they are going through can become enraging. How could this happen? Why do I have to deal with it? I cannot believe they did this to me!
A lot of people get stuck in anger with the emotional challenges of their lives, but they do not know how to fix it. Forgiveness is the key. But before we get there, we may have a bump at the third and fourth stages.
3. Bargain
People who are looking for help are often coming in bargain. They think, “Maybe if I do this thing or that thing, then it will finally get better!” It is good to be searching for this healing, but the root of bargain is coming from a place of anger, discomfort, and hate, and not from a place of radical self-love.
Don’t get down on yourself in bargain--keep going! Unfortunately, stage 4 can feel like you are walking through a foggy swamp...
4. Depression
Depression can feel like a place where nothing is getting better. You feel stuck beyond belief, and you’ll do drugs or use something/anything to make it better. It can also feel hopeless like you have tried everything, and it didn’t matter.
The affirmations that really help a person get through depression are often about releasing fear. Fear can hold back the healing and change. Statements like these help:
I love and accept myself even when I’m afraid I’ll never get through this.
I love and accept myself when I’m afraid nothing will change.
I love and accept myself even when I’m afraid nothing will work.
I love and accept myself even when I’m afraid the change and healing will just make things worse.
Leading right into the fifth stage.
5. Acceptance
Unlike bargain, where you take action because you hate your life. Acceptance is the place where you begin to take action because you love your life.
In every session, I hope to get people to feeling a place of acceptance. It isn’t always comfortable, but it is movement forward. There is actually a light at the end of the tunnel: stage six is here.
6. Light Emerging
Light emerging is a stage with mixed reviews. It might feel exciting, but it can also feel scary like the bottom is dropping out. It can be painful like giving birth, but birth is where new life comes from.
7. Creation of New Life
This is a great place to be: new changes are happening and you are confident and happy about what is happening. This is not just a place of change, but a place of joy in the change.
It is an empowering model to see how you can grow and change in different place in your life. But of course, we get stuck in certain places. In each session at open heart holistic therapy I work with the client to push them forward into light emerging and creation of new life.
If you are feeling stuck somewhere in these stages, reach out and get some help. I’m happy to offer my expertise in healing, energy, and forgiveness so that you can finally live your live with more joy.