{It’s always a delight to speak with Lynne Shaner. She has a brilliant mind and a compassionate, thoughtful nature. She’s also one of the best EFT healers that I know. Read more about why she became an EFT practitioner — and go to one of her workshops at the National Cathedral in D.C.!}
1. EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques. Does that mean we’ll be freed from our emotions? What are the primary benefits of EFT?
No—we won’t be freed from our emotions—but we will be free of emotions, stresses, traumas that are getting in our way. The primary benefits of EFT are the releases we receive –palpable, and often swift– from traumas, emotional pain, stress, limiting beliefs, physical difficulties and discomfort.
2. You went from having a successful corporate career to starting your own EFT practice a few years ago. What prompted the shift?
I had, for some time, been interested in a variety of methodologies or techniques that reduce stress, including Reiki, prayer, and meditation. I delved deeper as my stress levels went up and was able to release some pretty significant physical problems—but then I ran into a physical problem (a skin disease) that was extremely uncomfortable, unsightly and (according to doctors) “incurable.” A friend and my first EFT practitioner told me about EFT. When I tried it, it worked and got rid of the disease, even though I still had the same stressful job. I was stunned and did a lot of research and training—there was nothing I had ever heard of or experienced that came close to what EFT was doing for me. I noticed that there was no one listed in the directories who was practicing in my area and I wanted to bring EFT here (Washington, DC). I am passionate about sharing EFT with my clients and others, and so it seemed like the best next step to open up a practice.
3. You come from a nonreligious background but then found yourself drawn to early Christian (Celtic and Catholic) mysticism and Benedictine teachings, and have developed a deep knowledge base in these areas. How do you integrate your faith with what some may consider “woo-woo” energy work?
I see no conflict among all of these approaches. The Celtic, Contemplative, and Benedictine traditions celebrate balance and wholeness—we are taking that further into explicit discussion of wellness in general, and I and others at the Washington National Cathedral are even starting a series of talks about “Benedictine Wellness” in which I discuss and demonstrate energy approaches, including guided imagery, etc. All of these approaches allow us to go deeper into our true selves, deeper into our own deep wellness and wholeness—all of which allows us to become connected more truly with our divine selves. All of this is welcomed by the Holy, by the Divine, no matter what names one uses for the Divine.
4. You are now at the AAMET Certified EFT Trainer level in EFT and will be offering trainings with another highly regarded EFT Trainer and teacher, Betty Moore-Hafter. What do the trainings entail?
We are very excited about this! Betty is offering a training first in VT. Then she and I are offering an EFT Level 1 & 2 Intensive April 22-24, in Washington, DC. We will cover Level I and all that entails– as well as Level 2, all according to the rigorous standards and curriculum of the AAMET, the foremost training body for EFT worldwide. Students will leave capable of being EFT Practitioners (there is mentoring afterward for those who wish to certify officially). We will be giving students top-notch training—it will be very experiential, so that each student will leave feeling confident and capable as EFT practitioners. It will be a very intense and intimate training, done in the style of the founder, who early on trained Betty and a few others in his own home. That level of intimacy and bonding is what we will be offering to our students, as they come to DC and train in my home office setting. It is also situated in a beautiful section of DC, known as Georgetown/Dupont Circle, so people will have a chance to see DC at its most beautiful.
5. Tell us more about your speaking engagements at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.–and any other exciting news for 2011!
I am really excited about my collaboration with the amazing souls at the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage at the Washington National Cathedral—we are doing a series of Benedictine Wellness gatherings, which started in October of 2010 and will continue in the Spring of 2011, and I also teach an intro to EFT annually there. In other news, I am continuing to explore all avenues of Mind-Body Medicine at a deep and structured way by starting on my Doctoral journey. The degree focuses on practice and I’ll also be learning, at a scholarly level, neuroscience and psychophysiology, plus basic research techniques. My training in medical hypnosis will also deepen greatly; in short, I’ll have more to bring to my clients and students as a result. Eventually I plan to do more speaking; I want these approaches to become known to everyone—there is so much individuals can do to increase their health—emotional, physical, spiritual–and I want to be part of the teams that bring this knowledge to the world.
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BIO
Lynne Shaner, MA, CHT, is a certified EFT Trainer and a certified hypnotherapist. She is also a PhD student in Mind-Body Medicine, and will be graduating with her Doctorate in Mind-Body Medicine in ’14. Lynne is Director of Praxis, a full-time EFT and hypnotherapy practice in Washington, D.C., where she works with clients across all ages and with many different challenges–from stress management to childhood trauma/abuse, to physical difficulties including pain. Her websites are: www.eftpraxis.com and www.EFTfree.net (co-founded with 3 other EFT practitioners).
