What I discovered about Matrix Reimprinting in Healing Trauma.
When I first heard about Matrix Reimprinting I was fascinated to know more. It sounded like a sci-fi movie and I wondered what this could have to do with trauma. I signed up for the course after some research and hearing feedback from other Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioners and Trainers as to how powerful and effective the technique was and how it took EFT to a whole new level. Wanting the very best tools for my clients I needed to know more.
The creator, Carl Dawson in his book "Matrix Reimprinting using EFT", hinted on the cover of his book what was to become a big part of my work; "Rewrite Your Past, Transform Your Future". At first it felt like a huge promise to make. Transformation was such an overused word and I had been on many programs and courses that had promised transformation but had never quite lived up to that promise. Emotional Freedom Technique was the one technique that did and made the greatest and most significant impact on my life and the life of my clients. EFT already transformed my life, so would this technique improve the transformations I had already experienced?
What I didn't realise until after my first session of Matrix Reimprinting was this, that EFT didn't go far enough. With EFT The memories of the past were neutralised which was fantastic but what I later discovered with the Matrix Reimprinting Technique was we could go so much further.
The foundations of the Matrix Reimprinting technique were based on EFT tapping and the basic Tapping routine. We would begin with the the set up statement "Even though I have this...problem I deeply and completely love and accept myself" and then tapping around the body on the main meridian points on the head, face and hands until the emotional intensity would come down. At that point I would then ask the client "when was the first time you felt this way?". This is a very powerful question which seems to speak directly to the subconscious mind.
The first time I asked my client this question her subconscious mind took her to a memory that she had long forgotten. What was remarkable was how instant it was. The client didn't need to try to find the memory, it just came up much like opening a file retrieved from the computer system of our mind. The file would open and all would be revealed often in incredible detail.
I understood when this occurred we would most often be dealing with a trauma or negative experience that remained with the client since that time. These memories would often be from their childhood and had left a lasting impact on their lives.
My client, who I will call Julie although not her real name, told me she remembered being bullied at primary school. Julie was a shy and timid woman with not much confidence. She was suffering a great deal of social anxiety. Julie told me she could see herself standing in the playground. She could even see the clothes she was wearing and how her hair was tied back in a ponytail that day with a blue ribbon. She explained how terrified and powerless she felt. After doing some rounds of basic EFT to neutralise all the intensity of the event down to a very low level I was able to guide her with Matrix ReImprinting.
I asked Julie to create a movie up on an imaginary screen in front of her and if she felt completely comfortable that she could step into that scene to help her younger self and give her resources and support she did not have at the time. Julie was very keen to go into the movie and help her younger self. She felt very protective of her, as she could see how scared and vulnerable she was at the time.
I asked Julie to pause the movie and for her to step in and be there for her younger self. It was a beautiful and healing moment of reconnection. Tears of relief flowed from Julie's eyes as she connected with her younger self. What came next really surprised me, her younger self had a voice and was able to communicate what she needed and what needed to happen next in the movie. Julie's younger self asked for a hug...they hugged for a long time. Julie's body sunk down into the massage table with relief. Julie was then able to tap on her younger self whilst I tapped on Julie to release the fear and trauma. Julie's body completely relaxed, her younger self was free of the trauma and so was Julie.
I then asked Julie what did her younger self need to happen next. Her younger self was given several options and decided she wanted to go home to be with her mum and dad, so Julie took her home where she could feel completely safe.
The girl that had bullied her had told her not to tell anyone otherwise she would be "beaten up". Julie's younger self felt safe at home and "she" and Julie created a new outcome including telling her parents, who let the school know what had been happening.
When we asked what core beliefs Julie's younger self had made at the time she reeled off a number of beliefs that still played out in her life. The included, "It's not safe to speak my truth", "strangers can't be trusted" and "the outside world is not a safe place". These programs began at that time and continued to run her life.
The new outcomes Julie's younger self created were of her attending a school that was safe and nurturing and that the bully was removed from the school. She was safe to return and this was visualised and this image was brought into her body and her heart centre.
Julie changed significantly after that session. She seemed brighter, cheery and more confident in herself. When she came the following week she told me the intensity of this event was very low. We did some basic tapping to take down any negative feelings that were still left around this event until it was no more than a very distant memory. In fact Julie told me that whenever she thought of this event she kept getting the picture come up in her mind of her happy, safe and in a nurturing school and all the friends she had.
Julie knew this event had happened, EFT and Matrix Reimprinting had not erased the original memory but it no longer troubled her, she said she felt completely free of that past event. In the coming months Julie's confidence grew as we dealt with other events that had knocked her confidence subsequently. Her social anxiety dropped right down until she declared one day that she felt totally comfortable around strangers now.
What I Learnt About Matrix Reimprinting and the Mind
When we experience a trauma, especially in early childhood which means any time we go from fight or flight into the freeze response, we dissociate from our bodies at that age. That part of us (our "echo") never stops experiencing that trauma at a subconscious level, it stays with us. It's as though that part of us fragments and freezes in time. When something occurs in our lives that trigger that old memory there will be a re- traumatisation and we will be taken back to the same feelings we had at that age. This technique helps not only releasing the freeze but also addresses the negative beliefs or decisions made at that time. Beliefs including (such as in Julie's case) "the outside world is not a safe place", "strangers can't be trusted" and many many more. These beliefs keep us caged in a reality that has no ultimate truth and are often irrational but to the subconscious mind feel very real. These negative beliefs can lie at the very root of anxiety, stress and depression. With Matrix Reimprinting we can choose to heal the frozen aspect of our echo and adopt and integrate new positive beliefs for our age now as adults that are life-enhancing rather than detrimental to our well being. Thanks to the progressive development in the last few decade in neuroscience, we are just beginning to understand that our brains are not hard-wired after all but are rather fluid and changeable. This is very good news as it means because of the brain's flexibility, issues related to our brain are workable and change can happen both in function and structure. In addition, we now have a greater understanding of the right hemisphere of the brain - the home of the unconscious mind which deals with the management of our emotions and nonverbal communication as well as relationships, coping with stress, empathy, trust, identification with others and identity.
With Matrix Reimprinting we can access and rewire old limiting patterns. Old ways of feeling or behaviour may be loosened up and replaced by a more harmonious emotional world that also has greater spontaneity, flexibility and compassion.
Matrix Reimprinting is an important tool especially in working with early trauma which often lies behind anxiety, depression, phobias, depression and low self-worth. There is great hope for us that we can truly heal from traumas and past negative experiences and at last really be able to "rewrite our past and transform our future."
For more information about Matrix Reimprinting:-
Carolina Kerridge,
LLB (Hons), Holistic Therapist, Cert. and Accredited EFT and Matrix Reimprinting Practitioner, Holistic Coach and Meditation Instructor at Heartstream Wellness Centre, Richmond, Nelson, NZ.
I specialise in stress, anxiety, trauma, addictions and negative emotions. I choose to support those looking for true personal transformation.
My vision is to "heal and transform the planet one person at a time".