Happy Mind: The Philosophy and Science of Happiness

 

A new treatment is available in Brighton. It's called PSYCH-K and it promises to help with a number of issues, including stress, prosperity, relationships, self-esteem, spirituality, health, weight and addictions. It combines a number of therapeutic techniques into one approach and claims to reprogram the unconscious mind, replacing the beliefs that hold us back with positive ones like “I am free to be happy and healthy”.
 
Sceptical, but intrigued, I meet therapist Cazzie Dare to find out more about PSYCH-K and try it out myself. Cazzie is warm and friendly, and makes me feel at ease straight away. She explains that her interest in the treatment started in November 2005, when she attended a conference which exposed her to the ideas of Robert Williams, the originator of PSYCH-K.

 

“His approach resonated so much with me," she says. "He had made the same progression I had, having studied Reiki, neuro-linguistic programming and counselling. I had been wondering how to combine it all and he'd done it already. PSYCH-K brings together the therapeutic techniques I've learnt into a very simple and effective one.”
 
Cazzie decided to train as a PSYCH-K practitioner and now offers the treatment at the Acupuncture Clinic in Portland Road. She also carries out telephone consultations and works at a centre which supports young people.
 
“[After learning the technique]I have changed in myself,” she says. “Friends have commented on this, saying things like 'Whatever you're doing, keep doing it, it's working'. It has helped my self-esteem and confidence and also to clear the limiting beliefs I held that were preventing me from doing what I enjoy.”
 
The day before the session, Cazzie emailed me a questionnaire to help me identify the issues to work on, so we start by talking about my answers. Under 'health' I wrote 'sore throat', as my throat and vocal cords have felt irritated since June. My GP has sent me to do a number of tests, to try to figure out what's causing the ache, but we haven't found an answer yet, although it seems to get worse when I use my voice more than usual. Cazzie notices I've also mentioned a desire to enjoy and pursue social occasions more and wonders whether there might be a connection between my sore throat and my solitary inclinations – could I be using the ache as an excuse to be quiet when I'm bored by the small talk?
 
We try a technique called 'muscle testing', which involves me contemplating a number of statements while extending my arm and resisting the pressure Cazzie applies. Muscle testing is based on an alternative therapy known as applied kinesiology. The idea behind the technique is that it's possible to tap into the unconscious mind by measuring muscle resistance. According to Cazzie, the electrical signals travelling from my brain to my muscles will be stronger when I contemplate thoughts I unconsciously believe, like 'My name is Katherine', and weaker when I contemplate thoughts I do not unconsciously believe, like 'My name is Trevor' – well, assuming my unconscious does not go by the name Trevor!
 
Muscle testing has its critics. According to Ray Hyman, the results of applied kinesiology can be explained by the 'ideomotor effect', the tendency for suggestion or expectation to influence involuntary motor behaviour. Double-blind tests carried out by Hyman in 1999 supported this theory, as he found that applied kinesiology only worked when the subjects knew what physical response was expected of them.
 
“There is little doubt that the muscle movements detected by [applied kinesiology] are unconsciously triggered, but there is scant evidence that they are triggered by amazing databases of truths,” argues philosopher Robert Todd Carrol, author of The Skeptic's Dictionary.

Using muscle testing, Cazzie comes to the conclusion that my unconscious is keen to work on the problem of my throat. I'm pleased, if a little surprised, as I don't see it as a psychological problem, but it's not the first time that Cazzie has dealt with complaints which would normally be seen as medical.
 
“A guy I've been doing telephone consultations with had a lump at the back of his head,” she tells me. “He didn't know why it was there, but after we cleared certain beliefs the lump started to shrink. We did another session, on the phone, and he told me he could actually feel the lump shrinking as we spoke. He also suffered from nerve numbness on a finger. He hadn't had any feeling in that finger for ages, but, after we identified and cleared the right belief, the feeling returned.”
 
We use muscle testing to identify my self-limiting beliefs and then Cazzie instructs me to reprogram my unconscious by silently reciting to myself statements like “I nurture my physical body in healthy and loving ways”. While I do this, I cross my wrists and ankles, which is meant to create 'whole-brain integration', a state in which 'cross-talk' between the two hemispheres of the brain is increased. At the end, Cazzie checks, using muscle testing, if the new beliefs have been successfully 'downloaded' into my unconscious. She says they have, and we celebrate by cheering and clapping.
 
“The unconscious mind can be likened to a precocious five year-old,” she says. "When a five year-old is praised, he likes the feeling and wants to do more of the same. The unconscious mind is the same. When we do a balance and make a change, and then celebrate in whatever way makes us feel good, the unconscious mind wants to give us more of what it is we are celebrating about.”
 
Cazzie also uses a visualisation technique called VAK, which stands for Visual Auditory and Kinaesthetic. She asks me to imagine what it will be like once my sore throat has gone. I picture myself in a cafe with a friend, chatting animatedly. I describe what I will see, hear and feel. I'm quite a daydreamer, so I enjoy this part of the session the most.
 
“I have a friend who used to always be late for work,” says Cazzie. “We did a session and found a relevant statement about using time creatively. I asked her what she would see, hear and feel when arriving at work on time. The next morning, she called me and it was exactly how she had imagined it. From then on she's been on time.”
 
Before I leave, Cazzie uses muscle testing again, this time to check whether my unconscious believes in PSYCH-K.
 
“Your conscious mind might still be sceptical, but your unconscious believes me!” she says.

My conscious mind regards this with predictable suspicion.
 
She tells me it's difficult to say when I will feel a change, as improvements can be subtle, but to watch out the next time I find myself in a cafe with a friend. Time to put it to the test, then...

 

 

© Katherine Power 2007. Published in Insight City News, February 2007.

 

Katherine E. Power is a freelance writer and the editor of Happy Mind. Her website can be found at: www.katherinepower.com.