The Sedona Method

I thought I would write a post about the Sedona Method, explaining what it is, why I use it as one of my primary approaches in my counselling practice, and why I continue to use it in my own life. The Sedona Method has made an immense change in my life and my way of being in the world. I was introduced to the Sedona Method about 11 years ago by my mom. At first I did not think much of it. My first impressions were that it seemed too simple for me, and where I was on my path of self-improvement and well-being. Then two things changed my mind. One was that I read the story of Lester Levinson’s shift from suffering to freedom. There was something in that story that resonated with what I had experienced on my path and what I was aspiring to. The second thing that changed my opinion about the Sedona Method was when I heard the opening talk that Hale Dwoskin gave at one of the Sedona Method retreats. Hale took over the teaching of the Sedona Method from the founder Lester, and continues to be the primary teacher today. Hale started the retreat by stating that “there is no place you need to go, and no one you need to be, in order to be what you already are”. This was the first time that I had ever heard a presenter tell his audience that they were already complete as they were, and that coming to his seminar was not going to add to their completeness in any way. This sold me, I had to learn more about this person and the method he was teaching.

So what is the Sedona Method? The official website describes it as “a simple, powerful, and easy-to-learn technique that shows you how to uncover your natural ability to let go of any painful or unwanted feeling in the moment.” This is as good an explanation as any, and yet it only scratches the surface of the depth of the method.

I use the Sedona Method because it is a tool that assists me in flowing through the world with a greater sense of peace and ease. How does it do this? Well it is easier to explain by looking at what prevents us from living at peace and ease in the world. Let’s say that reality flows in a particular direction. When we are fine with the direction that it is flowing in then we are happy. When we want reality to flow in a different direction than it is flowing, then we are unhappy and we suffer. The Sedona Method helps me to notice when I want reality to be different than how it is, and to let that want go. It is really that simple.

Of course, it is simple, but not always easy. Because it is not always easy, the Sedona Method has a number of different techniques to assist us in letting go of wanting things to be different from how they are. With this variety of tools available there is hardly ever a time when I am not able to let go, and be more at peace.

It is actually so simple that we can walk through one of the processes in this post.

1)     Think of a situation that is current in your life, that is causing you discomfort and you wish was different.

2)     As best you can, just allow the whole situation to be as it is in your mind. Allow all of the thoughts, feelings, pictures, and sounds to be in your recollection of the event. Be sure to include everything. This is an important first step, as often when there is a difficult situation in our life, there can be parts of it that we don’t even want to think about. Unfortunately not thinking about those parts does not make them go away, it just puts them in the background where they can impact our lives unnoticed. This first step can be the most challenging and by holding the whole situation in our mind, it may cause emotions to arise. Those emotions may be familiar to the situation, or they may be new and surprising to us. As best you can, just allow those emotions to come up and be there as long as they need to be. Once you have welcomed the whole scenario and allowed it to just be held in our consciousness, move to the next step.

3)    Then bring to mind all of the ways that you want the situation to be different from how it currently is. Typically we are pushing the situation away and want it to go away, but there may be parts of a situation that we want to keep as they are, and so we hold those parts close. It does not need to make sense. Just welcome anything that you want to do about the situation. Once you have a sense of how you want the situation to be different, move to the last step.

4)     The last step is to bring to mind all of the aspects of this situation that you take personal. In other words all of the ways that this situation is a reflection of who you are as a person. For example, if the situation is about a struggle you are having with a colleague at work, you may have thoughts that you want to be seen as a “good” employee, also that you should be listened to and your side taken, and you may also feel like the job is part of your identity. Just welcome all that come to mind regarding how the situation is personal.

Once you have gone through these three steps, your relationship to the situation will likely have changed. Typically there will be less resistance regarding the situation. If nothing has shifted, or if you feel that there is still more “stickiness” there regarding the situation, go through the three steps again.

This process is called the Triple Welcome. It is named this because we welcome the three key aspects of the situation. This is just one of the techniques for allowing what is to be, that the Sedona Method offers. I have found this technique to be very effective and I use it whenever I am feeling stuck around a situation.

In my experience, combining the techniques from the Sedona Method with mindfulness meditation is a well rounded toolbox that will help anyone struggling in their life with unwanted feelings and emotions. If you are interested in learning more about the Sedona Method, I would invite you to visit the official website at www.sedona.com. If you want to explore more about how the Sedona Method might help you in your life and would like to work with someone to go deeper into the method, please visit my website at www.justthis.ca and sign up for a free consultation session.

Happy Welcoming!