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I have briefly outlined the Cultural and Religious factors that affect a person’s behavior. Geo-Specific EFT aims to unlock the difficulties in presenting therapy to clients from different cultures. believe that a clear understanding of these will make the EFT process more effective.
CULTURE
Culture must not be confused with race, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Subjective culture includes a wide range of factors like communication styles, parenting styles, family roles, values, spiritual and religious orientations, and a lot more.
In a study conducted by Cousins & Ross & Nisbett, they found that in Japanese culture that emphasizes collective self, they define themselves in terms “meeting the expectations of others rather than of fulfilling their own private needs.” If they are asked to answer "Who Am I”, they would say “I'm an employee in this X company…. “In contrast, Americans are more likely to emphasize the content of the individual (private) self, defining themselves with such statements as “I am strong-willed.” Japanese define themselves in a social context whereas Americans are less dependent on social context. (Bordens, 2008)
Emotions - Emotions from the cultural perspective involves differences in perception and also differences in behavior and somatic reactions. Culture affects the way the emotions are expressed or suppressed. (Millon et al., 2003)
Geo- Specific is a NEW APPROACH to EFT application
that is sensitive to cross-cultural variables that influence
individual behavior. Culture and religion play an important role in the development and perpetuation of problems whereas language plays the key role in the healing process. EFT Practitioners and therapists who understand these Geo-Specific aspects are able to gain a more effective and comprehensive understanding of the client's problems and thereby help them better.
I have worked with various clients across the globe with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds and that has helped me in creating an approach that I call Geo-Specific EFT. As each person carries a unique cultural blueprint that is enmeshed in developing issues, Geo-Specific EFT Approach helps to untangle and identify the core issues.
It also helps a practitioner in not imposing his cultural and religious beliefs on the client as that can prove detrimental to the EFT process.
Read a published article on Geo-Specific EFT
Download Article
Click here to Buy the Geo-Specific EFT Manual for Practitioners
Geo-Specific EFT
(Culturally Sensitive EFT)
Even though Emotions are Universal, the expressions are not.
Self concept- what the person thinks about his own self. For example - The individual self is in relation to ones knowledge about oneself. The collective self is ones knowledge with relation to his membership of a group.
Body image and Beauty - Each culture sets its own beauty parameters. E.g. The western concept of beauty differs from the Asian concept.
Collective self (Self in a social Context)- E.g. the influence of social groups may be more predominant in certain cultures.
Personal Space - The invisible space that we protect and defend around us will differ from culture to culture.
Familial relationships - Family ties and bonding differs from culture to culture. In Asian cultures, young adults often stay with their parent which is not so prevalent in Western cultures.
Moral beliefs - There are inherent differences in moral values and beliefs; therefore right and wrong internal judgments cannot be passed in cross cultural EFT applications.
Accomplishment - Cultures play a vital role in developing the concept of accomplishment.
Conformity and Obedience - Conformity is the ability to comply with social norms and this varies from culture to culture.
Perception of Forgiveness - Forgiveness cannot be forced on an individual. It is dependent on cultural and religious orientation.
Parenting Practices - Child rearing practices and parenting styles differ across culture.
Coping Mechanisms - How the individuals cope with problems differ.
You can get more information on these topics in the E-manual on Geo-Specific Approach.
RELIGION
Some problems that arise are deeply embedded in a religious background and understanding this aspect is very important.
Healing Through LANGUAGE
EFT was originally made for the English speaking countries. However, when EFT is applied on a client whose native language is different from English, we need to understand that each word has a specific meaning in a certain context; each word carries an emotional intensity that differs in each culture.
There are linguistic differences in cultures in understanding universal terms like happiness, productiveness, loneliness etc as well. I have found while working with clients from different nationalities, that in many languages, there is no exact translation for words" love" and" accept" , especially in the context of oneself; self love and acceptance are not looked upon favorably even in some religions. Similarly Japanese language has a word “itoshii” (longing for an absent loved one) which has no exact English translation.
Geo-specific EFT explains how to make customized affirmations that is specific to the client adhering to a certain geography.
Even though EFT already is client-centric, (Cross –Cultural) Geo-Specific Approach to EFT Application that takes into account all the above factors will hasten the healing process.
Reference -
Bordens, K. S., &Horowitz, I. A. (2008) Social Psychology. U.S.A: Freeload Press.
Millon, T., & Lerner, M. J. (Eds.)(2003) Handbook of Psychology: Personality and Social Psychology. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
NOTE: Geo-specific EFT must be applied only by people who are well versed in the Classic EFT Application.
