Blooming service berry bushes, American Fork Canyon, Uinta Mountains, Utah
It's been a month since I attended the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) conference in Baltimore, Maryland, where I presented twice: first at their Research Symposium on a case report (first day of the conference), and second at a 2-hour Learning Lab on the Infinite Intention Technique (last day of the conference).
I know people post online about their experiences the second they occur, so my month-long delay may seem unusual by today's fast-paced standards. You might even be wondering why it's taken me so long to write about it.
Perhaps, it's because it's taken me a month to process the experience, which was simultaneously funny, scary, humbling, surprising, and uplifting. Read on for more!
Introducing New Paradigms in Psychiatry
Surprised by Success at ACEP!
Balsamroot flowers, Ridge Trail 157, American Fork Canyon, Utah
The Research Symposium presentations were scheduled to begin on June 1st at 8:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel. I entered the semi-lit, brown room, with its rows of wooden-veneered tables, separated by a center aisle, and sat down in one of the gray, plastic cushioned chairs.
I was about an hour early and waited alone in the dim, cold, and silent room. I had been looking forward to this big moment to introduce the incredible energy medicine techniques I had tweaked over the years to make my integrative psychiatry practice possible.
The title of my presentation was Successful Withdrawal from Six Psychiatric Medications Using Criteria-Based Energy Testing: Case Report.
But, unfortunately, I caught a cold two days before while riding packed shuttle buses at Zions and Bryce National Parks. Now, I sounded like a 90-year-old woman with a sporadic, hacking cough. In addition, frequent nose-blowing resulted in a raw, red area on my nose that created more of an Ugly Duckling than the Cinderella moment I had hoped for.
Each presenter had 22 minutes for their presentation and 8 minutes for questions and answers. My presentation was scheduled at 2:30 pm, the eighth out of ten presentations. All the presentations before mine were very impressive.
Given the circumstances, I tossed aside my pride and ego, and when the moment came, I presented, coughed, drank water, and kept presenting.
Afterward, I was pleased by the many insightful questions people asked during the question-and-answer period. It meant that they stayed awake even after lunch!
I was even more surprised when later that evening, during the presenters' reception, strangers I met were delighted to meet me because they had heard about my presentation.
Mountain bluebells, American Fork Canyon, Uinta Mountains, Utah
The Learning Labs began the next day at a whopping nine classes per two-hour time block. Attendees had to pick one of the nine available learning labs. My learning lab was scheduled on the last day of the conference during the last block of classes. I assumed that everyone would be inundated with information by then.
Just before my block of learning labs, Bob Schwarz, PsyD, DCEP, executive director at ACEP, announced that David Roth will be playing his beautiful, uplifting songs to entertain those who are "too overwhelmed" by all the information to attend another learning lab.
Great, I thought to myself, if I weren't presenting, I'd want to listen to David Roth instead. Now my class will probably go from five to two attendees, thanks to David's siren songs.
At the podium once again, with the scab on my nose even worse for wear, I waited for my class to start. Five minutes before starting, the class was about half full. By ten minutes into my presentation, it was standing-room only.
I was so grateful I almost cried. Instead, I stopped to thank everyone for attending, and people responded with an audible, loving, "Aww."
The presentation went very well indeed. The attendees, mostly experienced energy psychology clinicians, easily understood and embraced the greater efficiency and effectiveness of the set of Infinite Intention Techniques. Some began using the approach right away with awesome results that same day.
Here are some texts I received from one extremely experienced energy psychology clinician:
"Met H. T. at breakfast, she's already used your work in a session and the client loved it, and she thinks it helped to release very old trauma in a very profound way in 20 min."
"Used the technique extensively today, positive results in all cases. Helped a guy calm his fight or flight symptoms and feel safer, release fear of brain fog ruining his life, create a sense of peace. . . Normally, I work hard at identifying root causes, here, used intention to heal unidentified causes and create what's desired. Easier work."
I was surprised that Infinite Intention Techniques' debut went so well. I wasn't sure whether my presentation would convince people of its advantages. But apparently, it's already the new favorite energy medicine technique for some experienced energy psychology clinicians!
On June 17, John Freedom, CEHP, chairman of the Research Symposium at ACEP, emailed to ask me if I'd like to get my case report published in an international journal. Of course, I'd love that, I responded. So, now the case report is being peer-reviewed and hopefully will be published in September this year.
When I first emailed John Freedom back in January, it was over the problem of my case report not being received by him. Somehow it had been lost among his emails. Yikes!
The deadline had passed months ago, and I had been anxiously waiting for word from the research committee about whether my case report would be accepted.
Thankfully, John Freedom and the committee reviewed the case report right away and accepted it for the symposium. Imagine my horror and relief at the time!
Maybe it took me a month just to rest from the highs and lows of creating content, attending, and presenting at ACEP. It was great, but even greater now that it's all done!
Have a wonderful week! Thanks for reading!