“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God, Your playing small doesn`t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won`t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It`s not just in some of us, it`s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

                                                     Nelson Mandela. Excerpted from the 1994 Inaugural Speech

One of the sometimes frustrating and elusive goals that we have as individuals can be the search for and attainment of our full potential. That can prove to be a never-ending journey and maybe at some level it is meant to be, so that we can continue to learn and grow. However, when it is painfully obvious that a person has all the attributes but never quite `makes it`, one needs to look beyond the `obvious` and look at what other factors may be involved.
Many of the clients I see can fully relate to the fact that at times they are their "own worst enemy", i.e. they know one thing, but do another. This is a state of  `self-sabotage` and is in effect THE factor that needs to be recognised and treated/shifted in order for the path to potential and possibilities to be cleared. Although with my clients we are mainly talking sabotage as it relates to addictions, I have worked with a number of athletes who have identified that the same issue has resulted in a lack of transference from their training intensity and times to actual performance/race results. There are many examples on a world class level whereby an athlete performs well at a National/Provincial/State level, but then moves up to a major Games and consistently seems to `flunk` the opportunity to excel or to even perform to the level of expectation. Even at the club level, many of us may speak about someone who appears gifted/talented but never quite pulls off the performances that their training would suggest they could. It may be that they pull out an occasional great race but lack consistency, or that they drop out of races for the slightest of reasons. In my role as a race announcer I have, on occasion, been able to clearly see when someone is going through the motions but has internally given up, yet on paper was the undisputed favourite.
This self-sabotage is not about a lack of ability or effort, and nor is it necessarily about a lack of desire. One has to recognise the role of the mind-body connection and how "what the mind dwells on, the body reveals". Again it should be remembered that this self-sabotage, which from this point on I shall refer to as a state of  `reversal`, can impact every aspect of our daily life - work, relationships, play, money, self-worth etc. How many of us have experienced the feeling or have clearly stated that we are having, or have had, `one of those days`.  By that we have usually meant that nothing appears to have gone in our favor, or that no matter what we do nothing appears to be turning out `right`. That is what is meant by "being in a state of reversal".
There are some simple ways to demonstrate how statements, thoughts, images, beliefs and substances can either be compatible to us or can throw us into a state of reversal. I personally like to use Applied Kinesiology, or as it is also sometimes called  Muscle Respone Testing or Contact Reflex Analysis. I will not go into much detail on that here but info is easily accessible on the internet or in books which are noted elsewhere on my homepage, as are any references contained herein, i.e.. What is reversal/neurological switching? (Whisenant p.15)
 A state of reversal was often called `resistance`. It is not a moral issue, except possibly when it is consciously known and a person chooses not to do anything about it, but it is sure nice to know that we have the ability to self-correct it, whenever we choose to, that there is no cost attached, no pills necessary and no negative side effects.
 The aspect of the body`s energy system known as the conception vessel is meant to move upwards from the perineum to the bottom lip, while the governing vessel comes up the back over the head and down to the upper lip, just under the nose. When the energy of the conception vessel is running downward instead of from the perineum to the bottom lip, then our system is in a state of reversal.
The body cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined. We know this as humans often have a physiological reaction to dreams/nightmares. We can, therefore wake up in the morning, not even remembering that we have had a dream or one which contained something our system/subconscious perceived as  `negative`, and then throughout the rest of the day may have found that one is tripping over things, figuratively and literally, saying east when meaning west. Many may relate to it as being when you feel or state that you have been having `one of those days`. This is when we tend to go against our own best interests, self-sabotage, are living in a state of paradox or ambivalence, i.e. `knowing one thing but doing another`.
Anxiety, fear, painful memory, anticipation, stuck ego beliefs/protection, toxins, allergies, pollutants etc. can all create the effect of reversal. For some, it can have links with an original sense of not getting unconditional love or acceptance – therefore some level of self-rejection may occur and a belief that one doesn`t deserve success/wealth etc (Janov p.71)
Imagine if you would what would be happening to your energy system if your thoughts, when in any form of competition, (running for example), turned to self-doubts; "Don`t know if I can do this." "I`m alongside John S. and he`s much faster than I - I shouldn`t be here - I`ve gone off too fast - can`t hold the pace - have never gone this far/fast before" "It`s too hot/cold/far/hilly/rough/windy - I never race well in these conditions." "I hate a sprint finish/have never beaten anyone in a sprint before/what`s the point/suffering sucks!", "I`m at 20 miles, this is where everyone tells me I`m going to Hit the Wall" and so on. Use A.K. to test what happens to your resistance when you make those statements aloud, without even being in a race situation!
If you want a clearer demonstration then time yourself on say a hard 800m/1km run while constantly repeating in your head "I can do it", then after sufficient rest do the same run with the same level of intensity but repeating the words "I can`t do it". Check to see the difference in time and how you feel about the two runs. Try it another week later but reverse the order of the phrases. My guess is you`ll notice a difference in the times and the level of comfort both mentally and physically.
Peggy Claude-Pierre, who runs a clinic for eating disorders, has coined the term Confirmed Negativity Condition (CNC) (1997, p.36) "an eating disorder victim must have CNC." Other possible negating manifestations of CNC may include depression, agoraphobia, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or somatic disorders (including any other way such victims may internalize their pain). (p.36) She states that in order to correct the eating disorder symptom, the CNC must be addressed and reversed.(Claude-Pierre, p.87)
The Accelerated Information Processing techniques (Though Field Therapy, Tapas Acupressure Technique and Emotional Freedom Techniques) that I utilise in my counselling, all work on the basis of giving attention to the problem (addressing) and then releasing  the blockage/disturbance/perturbation in the body`s energy system (correcting any reversal).
The origins for same can create emotional/physical blockages, which thereby stunt possibilities/potential and creates `neurological backfiring` and negative cellular memory, such as have been written about by such luminaries as Alice Miller (For Your Own Good)
I will not go into great detail here as to how to clear major traumas etc, but I wish to provide a simple, easy-to-follow procedure for prevention and correction on a daily basis, so that your full self  may always allow for biopsychosocialspiritual congruency and open-mindedness towards possibilities and potentials.
There are four reversal correction points that I would ask readers to consider and test out for themselves. These are ones that I use on a daily basis, first thing in the morning, and then again if anything has happened during the day that has caused some obvious energy disturbance or if I realise that my reactions are not coming from a healthy perspective.
The first one is to do what has been called the adrenal massage, or in other words, stroking up the conception vessel. This is accomplished by placing the index finger on one side of the belly button and the middle finger on the other side, pressing into the skin and stroke them up to the neck, when you get to that point take the hand a few inches away from the body and repeat about ten times. Do not bring the fingers or hand back down the conception vessel as that will send you into reversal. One can use Applied Kinesiology to test this, but always finish by stroking upwards.
The second is usually for major (persistent) psychological reversal, but I use it on a daily basis. Take two fingers and on your left side, press into the area around the heart and notice if you have a point on you in that area that feels more tender than anywhere else. If so, take the two fingers, keep them pressed into that spot and then turn the fingers clockwise around that tender point (kneeding). This acts as a way of dissipating the build-up of matter (getting it back into proper circulation), in a sense, just as heart attack victims would be given blood thinner.
This has an impact on the heart chakra/thymus gland. `When there is a blockage of pranic flow through the heart chakra because of problems in manifesting love towards self and others, there is a diminution of vital energy flow to the thymus gland` (Gerber p.381) `…thereby susceptibility to various bacterial and viral infections (ibid. p.383) It also helps strengthen your ability to give and receive love (from the self as well as from others) It is necessary to run the persistent reversal point in a clockwise direction i.e. “When the chakras are functioning normally, each will be `open`, spinning clockwise to metabolise the particular energies needs from the universal field. A clockwise spin draws energy from the UEF (Universal Energy Field) into the chakra, very much like the right-hand rule in electromagnetism, which states that a changing magnetic field around a wire will induce a current in that wire”. (Brennan p.71)   The heart`s electrical current is about 50 times as strong as that produced by the brain. Crystal-like structures in the heart act as transducers, converting this force (which could be regarded as spiritual) into electrical frequency data reflected in the ECG (Glen Rein-Brain/Mind Bulletin Jan `94 p.8) The heart`s electromagnetic qualities act on matter as does a magnet with iron filings, and therefore matter that is not dissipated attracts and builds up in the heart area and causes clogging and pain i.e. a broken heart.
The blood of normal individuals has a subtle energetic quality associated with the clockwise rotation or polarity. A majority of cancer patients possess this counterclockwise blood polarity. According to Dr. Richard Gerber the Mora device can be used to correct blood polarity (Gerber p.461)
The third reversal correction point I would recommend would be tapping the side of the hand (the karate chop point) about ten times. This is the small intestine acupuncture/acupressure spot and is used by practitioners of  Dr. Callahan`s Thought Field Therapy and Gary Craig`s Emotional Freedom Techniques. If one does Applied Kinesiology on someone who is focusing  on a `negative` image i.e. something that the person doesn`t like - a person, food, chore, place etc., and the arm goes weak or lacks resistance, tapping the Karate chop point and then re-testing on the same image should show a major improvement in the resistance. That is to say that the person`s energy need not go into reversal when having that thought or any `anticipatory anxiety` about that issue.
The fourth reversal correction point is directly under the nose, which is the end of the governing vessel. This should be tapped by the index and middle fingers. This particular point appears to be very helpful for those who have memory blocks, such as when faced with an exam. Many people can be well prepared in terms of their studies, but suffer from `mind-freeze` once they have to produce the answers. For schoolchildren it can be used, along with the other correction points while their attention/focus/mindfulness is on the subject that they seem to have the most difficulty with. A.K. should precede,  and follow, the use of the correction points so that one is able to see the difference in the level of resistance once a correction has been made.
The is a need for the therapist or tester to make sure he/she is not in a state of reversal or is `neurologically disorganised`. A correct diagnosis cannot be made if the tester is reversed and therefore one can either do the corrections on oneself just in case (remembering that it will only correct a reversal if you are in that state- it will not put you into reversal if you are already in a balanced state) or you can bend down and touch toes and make a truthful statement then check again making a false statement. If there is no difference in the ability to stretch down you are probably in reversal. If using A.K. and there are no shifts in resistance when a person makes a true or false statement then one can assume that someone may have what is termed `Neurological Disorganisation`. The purpose of this information is to keep things simple, but if you wish to learn how to deal with N.D. or to understand it further, then I would recommend reading Walther/Whisenant or Durlacher on ND and Psychological Disorganisation. (See my recommended book list)
The use of these techniques has been noted by others as effective for some schizophrenics (Wakefield/Flint) and for dyslexia and other learning difficulties -  coordination and physical gait. Some of these simple points are incorporated in other correcting therapies/systems such as Brain Gym.
Making clear statements about one`s goals and utilising A.K. after each statement may provide information as to where a particular problem lies. There are three levels on which testing can be done, for instance, if the goal was to quit smoking the statements would be; 1) “I want to quit smoking“ 2) “I will quit smoking.” 3) “I deserve to quit smoking” If, when using the arm testing A.K procedure, any test weak, you can work on that specific issue.
When one thinks about one`s own experiences with the law of attraction it is easy to recognise that `Worrying is praying for what you don`t want`. It therefore behooves us to focus our thoughts on what we want to happen rather than expending our time and energy on those things which we do not wish to draw to ourselves.
I have no proprietary interests in any of the tools/therapies/systems/techniques that I use and am only suggesting that if you feel that you wish to challenge any self-sabotaging/potential blocking  thoughts or actions, it is only an investment in a few seconds a day for a month that might allow you to notice a difference in how you think about , respond to or perceive the world and your Self. The reason for me suggesting at least a month is because studies have shown that it takes that amount of time of conscious effort to produce a new habitual response.
Again, there are many other possibilities for further exploration on specific issues but for generalised positive energy I suggest that you start by keeping it simple and using the four reversal correction points first thing in the morning, and then as and when you feel you need to shift any negative energy.
The protocol in a nutshell;
1. The adrenal massage, upward stroke.
2. Tender spot near heart, clockwise rub.
3. Tap under nose.
4. Tap side of the hand (Karate Chop).

Copyright Steve King @1999