Experience Integration Exercise–Basic Level
One of the profound effects of PEG (see article "ABOUT P.E.G.") is a gap between what you know and what you experience. EIE gives you tools to close that gap.
EIE is a Frontal Lobe Activation into your body and consists of tools for Safety Enhancement and Awareness Enhancement.
GOALS:
1) Develop the ability to stay present with yourself through focusing on the experience of peace and safety.
2) Develop the ability to remain aware of the experience of joy, peace, faith and love—the experience of the Goodness of G-d—no matter what your circumstances.
Frontal Lobe Activation Skills
–Mind’s Eye Placement
–Independent, Specific Motor Activity
–Sensory Activity
–Focus of Respiratory Energy
Areas of Activity:
1) Thymus
2) Solar Plexus
3)♂ Navel
♀up to 2cm below Navel
Lie on your back, knees bent. (You may do the exercise in any position. Most people find the supine position easiest to maintain a higher level of concentration.)
1-Mind’s Eye Placement: Close your eyes and imagine you are looking at a point on your body from the inside. Strongly concentrate on that point. Be aware that a subtle defense mechanism is to be not fully present, i.e. to unconsciously avoid bringing your mind’s eye to the specific point by being high or low by even ½ cm. Develop more specificity by “scooping” in to the point from above or below. You will come to feel this with certainty the more you practice, be”H.
2-Contact the area with your middle knuckle of your palm, one hand overlapping the other, fingers and thumbs closed together.
3-Using the local musculature, raise the area of contact towards the ceiling while simultaneously…
4-Breathe in your nose, directing your breath to the area of contact.
IMPORTANT: Use only a small amount of breath. The breath is not causing the movement. It is for the purpose of directing your awareness.
5-Breathing out your mouth, allow the area to lower, sinking in as far as comfortable. Open your mouth and allow the breath to release easily as when you speak. Don’t blow the breath out.
IMPORTANT: Keep your mind’s eye present for the entire expansion and contraction.
Where it is easy to do the exercise is an area of safety. Where it is difficult signifies that your brain is having difficulty locating the area and is a sign of defense.
IMPORTANT: Do not try to force an area to move. You will be battling your unconscious which will increase your unconscious feeling of threat, increasing the depth of the defense state.
In other words: EASY IS IT.
Safety enhancement tools:
–Elbows close to body
–Verbal acknowledgment: “Here I feel connected.” “Here I feel disconnected.”
–Palms over eyes (or forehead, or thighs) to remind yourself of a sense of quiet.
–Toning into area of safety/quiet.
–Verbal acknowledgment of despair:
“Sometimes I feel...
...nothing works.”
...so helpless.”
...so hopeless.”
...there’s no way out.”
...it’s never going to end.”
...I’m never going to be loved.”
...like such a failure.”
...so overwhelmed.”
...like I’m always going to feel overwhelmed.”
...I’m going to die.”
...G-d doesn’t care about me.”
Remember, these are acknowledgments of unconscious feelings stored in your body. Many times, you will find that a statement which has no relationship to how you think will actually cause a significant change in your ability to move a specific area. This is because, in defense, there is a separation wall between what your intellect tells you and what your heart tells you.
NOTE: Before making the statement, place your hands on the area and focus your mind’s eye; say the statement out loud and then do the integration.
Awareness enhancement tools:
–Elbows raised, increasing intensity of contact
–Toning into area of defense
–Silent scream into area of defense
–Prayer while focusing on area of defense.
Alternate between creating a greater sense of safety and increasing awareness. Always finish by connecting to the area of greatest safety in your body.
REMEMBER: This is not a competition. Be honest with yourself. If it is not easy to connect to a particular area, leave it and find where it is easy. Once you have increased your connection to ease/safety, then come back to the area of defense and observe if it has changed. If so, great. If not, also fine. In time, you will see that all areas will become easily connected, be’H.
Do the exercise at lease once a day. The more the merrier. All you need is a few minutes to remind yourself of the sense of quiet. Although lying face-up is usually the best position, you may do this standing or seated, i.e. while waiting in lines or while traveling.
HAVE A WONDERFUL JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY!