Series of Exercises: The Trust Workshop - Healing Deep
Seated Mistrust
Summary:
Allowing Your
Higher Self
to Teach You to Trust
For Quick Access to
This Exercise:
To get to the parts of this exercise you are most
interested in viewing, click on the link below to go
there. For best results, read through the entire exercise
at least once.
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Earth Cradle: Know more trust by deeper connection with Earth.
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Trust Walking: Know more trust by taking a blind walk.
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Blind Trust: Know more trust by releasing fears of the dark.
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Empathy Trust: Know more trust through a Buddhist initiation rite.
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3Positions Body: Know more trust via physical sense memory.
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1Position Mind: Know more trust through a Japanese trust ritual.
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Back-to-Back: Know more trust via alignment of "energy stars".
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Front-to-Front: Know more trust through intensive touching.
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Eye Contact: Know more trust through intensive eye contact.
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Hand Contact: Know more trust through the Palm Chakras.
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Proximity Detector: Know more trust through physical closeness.
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Fall Back: Know more trust through falling into another's arms.
Background:
Your
Higher Self
is the most perfect form of "you"
that exists in the universe. It is always gently guiding
you on your journey through life. It's guidance manifests
itself in your life in many ways: as a still small voice,
as vivid images, as flashes of insight, and as intuition
and knowingness. If your Higher Self has led you to these
exercises and has gotten you to read this, then you are
ready to do them.
Trust always contains an element of risk inside it. If
the person keeps your trust, then all will be well. If
the person fails to keep your trust, then you are risking
all the consequences that flow from the breaking of that trust.
Goal:
In past lives, people suffered and
died when the trust they placed in others was broken. Often,
such painful experiences leave an individual unable to trust
others. If you find yourself unable to trust others,
doing these exercises can help to open you up to trusting.
You are here because lack of trust has/is ruining your life.
If there is one thing old souls have in common, it is that they find
it hard to trust others and to trust life. Often the deepest mistrust
issues are those which drive our behavior... for reasons that we are
totally unaware of because we have forgotten the painful emotions
causing them. We cannot heal what we do not know about. This series
of Trust exercises are designed to bring the sources of hidden-unconscious
mistrust issues directly to the surface of your conscious awareness.
1> When you are in a quiet place
where you will be undisturbed for 30 minutes.
2> When you are with someone else
who you trust deeply.
The
participant
is the one who
experiences the exercise.
The
partner
is the one who
assists in the participant in their experience.
These exercises are designed for pairs
cannot be done alone. Each exercise
is done twice so each has a turn at both roles. The point is to
reach out to someone else and discover for yourself that it is
safe to do so... this is the essence of trust. The more open you
are, the greater the release of any painful mistrust inside.
3> Do just one exercise at a time.
Do each exercise as often as it takes for you to feel
comfortable with it. Mistrust that was built up over
centuries in past lives will take time in the present
to break down. Remember that trusting is essential to
create vibrant health, abundant wealth, and happiness
in relationships.
4> How ready you are to receive
guidance from your
Higher Self
(assuming that your body is reasonably healthy and clear)
is what will determine how long it will take you to connect
with it. The more you open yourself to trust, the more
easily you will feel your Higher Self's guidance flowing
through you.
"It is better to suffer wrong than to do it.
It is happier to be cheated than never to trust." (Samuel Johnson)
Earth Cradle:
Know more trust by deeper connection with Earth.
The Earth teaches us to trust. We just expect that the Earth will
always be there under our feet, that there will always be air to
breath, and that we can always co-create the food, shelter, and
clothing we need.
We take the Earth for granted, trusting that it has-is-always-will-be
there for us. The Earth holds all of our memories: those that we
remember and those that we have forgotten… until we find that it is
safe to remember them.
Although we might have forgotten things, the Earth never forgets and
it helps us to release what no longer serves us when it is safe for
us to do so. Connection with the Earth-nature helps to release these
issues.
This Trust exercise is meant to be done outside
in temperate weather.
- The participant lies with their back on the Earth, intentionally
connecting their
chakras
to it.
- The partner beams unconditional love to the participant one Chakra at
a time from the
Root
all the way to the
Crown.
- This is a
silent exercise:
allowing the participant to connect
to the Earth and unleash their forgotten memories.
- The participant is blindfolded and stands behind their partner.
- The participant rests their hands on their partner's shoulder.
- The partner sets the direction by walking and
talks describing the route taken.
Part 2: Trust Walk - Easy
- The participant is blindfolded and stands in front of their partner.
- The partner rests their hands on their participant's shoulder.
- The partner sets the direction by describing the route taken and
follows the participant.
Part 3: Trust Walk - Moderate
- The participant is blindfolded and stands beside their partner.
- The participant rests one hand on their partner's shoulder.
- The partner sets the direction by describing the route taken and
follows the participant.
Part 4: Trust Walk - Hard
- The participant is blindfolded and stands beside their partner.
- The participant rests one hand on their partner's hand.
- The partner sets the direction by describing the route taken and
follows the participant.
Part 5: Trust Walk - Very Hard
- The participant is blindfolded and stands beside their partner.
- There is no physical contact between the participant and the partner.
- The partner sets the direction by describing the route taken and
follows the participant.
Blind Trust:
Know more trust by releasing fears of the dark.
Fears of the dark
are the most
deep seated fears caused by traumatic deaths in darkness during past lives.
The most fearful things often are those which happen to us in the dark...
when we cannot see what is around us.
For example, Space Mountain at Disneyworld is the most scary roller
coaster ride even though it is a fairly simple series of twists and
turns. What makes it scary is that those riding it cannot see what
is coming at them seemingly out of nowhere. So they just cannot make
any adjustments to make those twists and turns easier to bear.
The
inability to see the future
is the scariest aspect of living life
on Earth… for anything can happen at any time… changing a person's
life forever in the blink of an eye. In many past societies, life
was a grim business and death was always lurking around the corner.
If predatory humans or animals did not get you, there were always
deadly diseases, permanent injuries, or natural disasters along the way.
Many times the terror of such events was magnified when they happened
in the dark. This is why Blind Trust exercise is designed to help you
release fears of the dark… that came from past life traumas.
In the "Blind Trust" exercise, the participant
asks for fears of the dark to be released:
- The participant is blindfolded and lies on the Earth with their
hands and feet connected to it.
- The partner performs random motions around the participant
(walking around them and so on).
- The participant relates their thoughts/feelings about being
blindfolded, about their partner's actions, etc.
- The partner should only question the participant if what
they are relating is not clear.
- This exercise should last for at least 30 minutes (unless the
participant gets unduly agitated).
The true importance of the partner is to assist the participant
during the release process. A sympathetic ear, a warm hug, a
shoulder to cry on… all these are invaluable when buried memories
bubble up forcefully to the surface of the participant's conscious
awareness.
This can be a very powerful exercise for those who are open to it.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
This teaches the participant that it is
safe to trust because they can rely on their partner to nurture and
support them. At the end of this process, the dark should be much
less fearful.
Empathy Trust:
Know more trust through a Buddhist initiation rite.
This exercise is part of the Buddhist initiation rites for new entrants
into a monastery. The goal of this exercise is to promote understanding
of what it is like to be a small person in a gigantic universe. For
when we understand how truly small we are, we recognize how important
the skills of trusting and having empathy are.
The power of this exercise comes from the partner towering over the prone
participant. The participant will feel what it is like to be a small child
again. Feelings of helplessness, powerlessness, or vulnerability that
the participant has ever experienced during their life will surface.
Memories that are associated with those feelings will be reawakened.
The sources of any mistrust of others, of nature, or of life in general
are bound to come up as well. Allowing the participant to experience
long buried emotions helps them to become free of them. It also helps
them to become more open to trusting and feeling empathy for others.
When we fear trusting or showing empathy for others, we really fear
that we are risk being vulnerable.
In the "Empathy & Trust" exercise,
the participant asks for these fears to be released:
- The participant poses as "hunk-on-the-beach" (lying on one side
propping their head up with a hand).
- The partner performs random motions around the participant (walking
around them and so on).
- The participant relates their thoughts/feelings about being on the
ground, partner's actions, etc.
- The partner should only question the participant if what they are
relating is not clear.
- This exercise should last for at least 15 minutes (unless the participant
gets unduly agitated).
The true importance of the partner is to assist the participant during
the release process. A sympathetic ear, a warm hug, a shoulder to cry
on… all these are invaluable when buried memories bubble up forcefully
to the surface of the participant's conscious awareness.
This can be a very powerful exercise for those who are open to it.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
This teaches the participant that it is safe
to trust because they can rely on their partner to nurture and support
them. At the end of this process, the participant should be much less
fearful.
Trust in Three (3) Positions can help to jog sense memory in the body
about why it is unsafe to trust. We experience life either standing
up, sitting down, or lying down. When memories are recorded through
our senses, the body also notes what position it was holding at the
time (standing, sitting, lying down).
To unlock forgotten memories, the participant experiences each position
to reconnect with issues ready for healing.
- The participant stands with their bare feet connected to the Earth.
- The partner gives the participant 4 commands, one at a time:
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were ANGRY.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were FEARFUL.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were HURT.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were FRUSTRATED.
- The participant sits with their bare legs connected to the Earth.
- The partner gives the participant 4 commands, one at a time:
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were ANGRY.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were FEARFUL.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were HURT.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were FRUSTRATED.
- The participant lies down with their body connected to the Earth.
- The partner gives the participant 4 commands, one at a time:
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were ANGRY.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were FEARFUL.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were HURT.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were FRUSTRATED.
This can be a very powerful exercise for those who are open to it.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
This teaches the participant that it is safe to
trust because they can rely on their partner to nurture and support them.
At the end of this process, the participant should be much less fearful.
Trust in 1 Position can help to jog sense memory in the mind about why
it is unsafe to trust. Optimists believe that a stranger is just a
friend you have not met yet. Pessimists believe that a stranger is a
potential threat you have not discovered yet.
The truth is that people are both... friends and threats. One of the
things we are here to learn is how to discern who is a friend and who
is an enemy. If you believe that strangers are all threats to be
avoided at all costs... then you are suffering from
"People Paranoia".
This "People Paranoia" is the result of bad treatment by others
in this life and in past lives -and- is the "reason" the mind has
to mistrust others.
Overcoming the mind's resistance to trusting is a similar process to
helping the body to overcome its resistance to trusting. This exercise
was based on the belief, in traditional Japanese culture, that the
highest mark of trust is to allow another person to access the back
of one's neck. That is why the only part of a geisha that is unclothed
is the back of the neck where it joins the shoulders and torso.
This is a crucial junction in the body which is very sensitive and
vulnerable. In this neck area, the body can experience great pleasure
or agonizing pain. To unlock forgotten memories, the participant
experiences their vulnerable neck area to reconnect with issues ready
for healing.
- The participant sits with their legs connected to the Earth.
- The partner sits or kneels behind the participant and places
their palms on the back of the neck.
- The partner gives the participant 4 commands, one at a time:
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were ANGRY.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were FEARFUL.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were HURT.
Remember what you have forgotten about learning to mistrust
because you were FRUSTRATED.
This can be a very powerful exercise for those who are open to it.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
This teaches the participant that it is safe to
trust because they can rely on their partner to nurture and support them.
At the end of this process, the participant should be much less fearful.
Our world view causes us to trust or mistrust others. Yet how often
do we examine it to see if it is right? When it comes to trusting,
we live inside our own world view. Over many past lives we have formed
strong opinions about when it is and is not safe to trust people.
For example, here is what excites my mistrust:
Those who are into substance abuse because those who trash the temple
of body-mind are likely to harm others.
Those who lie routinely about everything: even when it would benefit
them to tell the truth.
Those who say one thing but do another: this is the hallmark of con
artists, scammers, and cheaters.
Those who choose not to remember significant details: resulting in
them routinely breaking promises.
Those who have power: but choose to use it for their own selfish,
controlling, and/or destructive ends.
Those who have money: but choose to be cheap with themselves and those
they claim to love.
Those who "diss" subordinates and "suck up" to superiors: their treatment
of others based on rank is rank.
This exercise challenges us to defend our world view - and in so doing
- to decide what parts of it do/do not still serve us. For when we
must defend it to others… we really are justifying it all over again
to ourselves.
- The participant and the partner sit back-to-back with their legs
connected to the Earth.
- The partner questions each item on the participant's list, challenging
them to defend it.
- If the partner "feels" that the participant is not being truthful,
they will need to challenge this.
- This works the best when the participant is open to what the partner
may tell them.
When we sit back to back, the
"energy stars"
on our backs align (energy stars are "fingerprints"
on our backs and are the way people unconsciously recognize one another).
This alignment helps us to connect with deeper truths so that we can
become more comfortable in evaluating and reassessing our world view.
When we sit back to back with someone we trust, this can open us up
very powerfully.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
The true importance of the partner is to assist
the participant during the release process.
A sympathetic ear, a warm hug, a shoulder to cry on… all these are
invaluable when buried memories bubble up forcefully to the surface
of the participant's conscious awareness. This also teaches the
participant that it is safe to trust because they can rely on their
partner to nurture and support them.
Our mistrust issues can often be uncovered by unleashing our stream
of consciousness through touch. If you think about how few people
you actually allow touch you, (apart from handshakes and other social
gestures requiring touch), you will realize that anyone's opportunities
for being touched lovingly are very limited.
Yet your body and mind require the nourishment of touch, love, and joy
as much as they require food and drink. Did you know that most people
are touch deprived? It's true. That is why being touched is a powerful
thing for anyone/everyone.
When individuals receive concentrated doses of touch directly from the
Palm
Chakra,
it can create miracles. The Palm Chakra is the most powerful Minor
Chakra in the body. Working the Palm Chakra really opens up an
individual's energy field and helps them to more easily access
their issues (because the Palm Chakra is all about unconditional love).
The power of this exercise comes from doing it for 30 minutes without
interruption.
- The participant and the partner sit front-to-front with their
legs connected to the Earth (usually they sit in the Lotus position
with their knees touching).
- The participant and the partner touch palms in a specific pattern:
Participant's dominant hand (what they write with) goes on top of
the partner's hand.
Participant's other hand (the non-writing hand) goes under the
participant's hand.
To make this comfortable, the hands rest on a pillow on their lap.
- The participant talks about whatever comes to mind on the topics
of trust/mistrust.
The partner remains silent EXCEPT to clarify things and to keep the
talk on topic.
When we sit front to front with someone we trust, this can open us up
very powerfully.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
The true importance of the partner is to assist
the participant during the release process.
A sympathetic ear, a warm hug, a shoulder to cry on… all these are
invaluable when buried memories bubble up forcefully to the surface
of the participant's conscious awareness. This also teaches the
participant that it is safe to trust because they can rely on their
partner to nurture and support them. It will also help the
individuals involved to feel more comfortable with being touched.
Eye Contact:
Know more trust through intensive eye contact.
Eye contact can be helpful in breaking down a person's resistance to
becoming more open to trust. Before the development of language and
civilization, people evaluated one another through smell and eye contact.
Even today, people take comfort is seeing photographs of others. By
looking at their face and by looking into their eyes, people make
judgments as to whether they can trust the one pictured. There is
some truth to the old saying that "eyes are the windows of the Soul"
because eyes can project love and kindness or hate and evil.
For example, when people look into the eyes of criminals, many claim
they can see "the evil" lurking inside their eyes. Fortunately, most
people have love and kindness in their eyes which invites trust… and
can help to build it.
Eye contact is the first step in establishing trust with another person
before we get a chance to speak or interact with them. Those who are
open and trusting confidently look others in the eye. Those who are
mistrustful avoid eye contact at all costs. The habit of looking (but
not staring) at others in the eye helps build trust.
- The participant and the partner stand facing each other and looking
into each other's eyes.
- They both start by consciously filling their eyes and their facial
expressions with love.
- The space between them must be no more than from the elbow to the
fingers of the largest person.
- There is no other contact between the pair except for REALLY looking
into one another's eyes.
- Sunglasses must be removed... but eyeglasses must be worn - the pair
must see one another.
- The participant relates their thoughts/feelings about this while the
partner just listens.
- This is a progressive exercise: starting with 30 seconds and working
up to 5 minutes.
This can be a very powerful exercise for those who are open to it.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
The true importance of the partner is to
assist the participant during the release process.
A sympathetic ear, a warm hug, a shoulder to cry on… all these are
invaluable when buried memories bubble up forcefully to the surface
of the participant's conscious awareness. This also teaches the
participant that it is safe to trust because they can rely on their
partner to nurture and support them. It will also help the individuals
involved to feel more comfortable with eye contact.
Hand contact can be helpful in breaking down a person's resistance to
becoming more open to trust. Hands contain the Palm
Chakra
which is the most powerful Minor Chakra and can draw universal energy
very rapidly into the body.
By varying the touches memories are unleashed. This works on the basis
of
"Sense Memory": our
"memories" are always getting jogged by "sensory" triggers. A favorite
song can remind us of a romantic date. A special scent can remind us
of a happy time. A certain smile or laugh can remind us of someone we
once loved.
When we are children, we explore and discover our world by touching
things with our hands and feeling energy though our palms. When we
are adults, we explore and discover our world with our minds and our
hearts. Yet, long before we are adults, our hands are full of memories
of different kinds of touches. A certain
touch can reminds us why we mistrust and where that originated
in past lives.
To make this comfortable, the hands rest on a pillow on their lap.
- The participant and the partner with their legs connected to the Earth
(usually they sit in the Lotus position with their knees touching).
- The participant is blind-folded with palms facing up.
- The partner does a series of moves on the palms of the participant.
These include: shaking hands, clapping, finger/fingertip lines, etc.
- The participant talks about whatever comes to mind on the topics of
trust/mistrust. Memories are bound to be unleashed by these touches.
- The partner remains silent EXCEPT to clarify things and to keep the
discussion on the topics of trust/mistrust.
This can be a very powerful exercise for those who are open to it.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
The true importance of the partner is to assist
the participant during the release process.
A sympathetic ear, a warm hug, a shoulder to cry on… all these are
invaluable when buried memories bubble up forcefully to the surface
of the participant's conscious awareness. This also teaches the
participant that it is safe to trust because they can rely on their
partner to nurture and support them. It will also help the individuals
involved to feel more comfortable with hand contact.
Look around a crowded airport when there are massive plane cancellations
and you will see loving couples in close proximity to one another.
People who have been up for many consecutive hours keep themselves
awake by holding one another face to face while rocking back and forth.
This is the ultimate form of physical trusting which is why people seek
to be in romantic relationships.
This illustrates this important learning about trust: the closer we
allow someone to come to us physically, the more we show that we trust
them. Whether we are aware of it or not, we all have invisible circles
around us.
We allow people into those circles based on their relationship to us.
If someone steps out of their place in our circles and comes too close,
we will instinctively draw back from them and create more space.
However, if we allow others to physically come closer to us, it will
make them feel like we trust them more and vice versa. Personal space
can be used in breaking down a person's resistance to becoming more
open to trust.
- The participant and the partner stand facing each other at a comfortable
distance apart.
- The participant describes their thoughts/feelings at this safe distance
(the baseline).
- The partner then moves closer (no more than 3 steps at a time).
- The participant describes their thoughts/feelings at having their
partner at this closer distance.
- This process is repeated until the participant and the partner are
only a hand's length apart.
- If the pair really trusts one another, they might want to try
touching one another with their whole body. [This should only be
done if both parties are in full agreement with doing so.]
This can be a very powerful exercise for those who are open to it.
That is why it should NEVER be attempted alone.
The true importance of the partner is to
assist the participant during the release process.
A sympathetic ear, a warm hug, a shoulder to cry on… all these are
invaluable when buried memories bubble up forcefully to the surface
of the participant's conscious awareness. This also teaches the
participant that it is safe to trust because they can rely on their
partner to nurture and support them. It will also help the individuals
involved to feel more comfortable about personal space.
Fall Back:
Know more trust through falling into another's
arms.
Falling back is another classic and famous trust building exercise!
You will never forget doing it! This goal of this "Fall Back" exercise
is to learn to let go and trust another to keep you safe physically...
when you cannot see it happening.
Quite simply, the essence of TRUST is to rely on another person to do
what they have promised when there is a risk of harm if they fail to
do so. In other words, an adverse consequence will result whenever
trust is broken.
The participant stands in front of the partner and falls backward
into the arms of their partner. This requires trust because, in
falling backward, the participant has no way to keep themselves
from being injured as would happen when falling forward.
Quite literally, the falling participant must rely on the partner
catching them to keep them safe. What the participant risks by
trusting the partner is physical injury.
Keep the following things in mind while
doing this "Fall Back" exercise:
- Taking this leap of faith should be done with safety in mind. The
falling participant should fall into an area covered with cushions,
pillows, and blankets just in case the partner makes a mistake!
There should be enough protective padding available to cushion the
participant were they to fall backward without being caught.
- Falling Participant: The one who falls must be well enough to do so.
A person with any back/neck problems or other health problems that would
make falling inadvisable should never attempt to do this exercise! If
the participant feels nervous or uncomfortable, they should not do this
exercise.
- Catching Partner: The one who catches must be strong enough to do so.
A short, petite woman is unlikely to catch a tall, burly man with any
degree of success. So use some common sense! Remember that the partner's
full attention ALWAYS should be focused on the participant's physical safety!
- If either person feels unsafe in doing this exercise, it should not be
attempted. If the participant does not know the partner well, they may
want to rethink doing this exercise. No one can learn to trust by doing
a fearful exercise.
Examples:
are included throughout the section on
"How to Do This Exercise".
Credits: from
"The Trust Workshop" and channeled information.
For Quick Access to
This Exercise:
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