So, I was all the more amazed by an encounter I once had with an experienced therapist in Berlin. It must have been around 2007. Back then, I’d started a course in energy psychology and I’d missed a few hours. To catch up, I took some one-on-one lessons at her practice. This woman must have been well over 70, and she’d been recommended to me as an extremely competent teacher of the method. Sounded promising.

Since it made sense to learn her technique with a specific problem in mind, she asked me if there was a fear I’d like to be rid of. “Injections!” I exclaimed, without hesitation. “Perfect!” she replied, because with the Energy Diagnostic and Treatment Method, we’re glad when a client has an intense, clearly defined theme. The clearer the fear, the greater the likelihood of a quick resolution. All set: task definition, muscle test, practise procedure, take notes, check results. At the end of it, she triumphantly announced: “You see, and if you do it just that way, your fear of elevators will have gone!” Come again? I was confused. Where did the elevators come from?

When she realised she’d just spent ninety minutes on a non-existent issue she looked startled, leaned her head to one side, paused a moment, then smiled and said: “Good gracious! I think I’d better forgive myself.” No sooner said than done, she put away her coaching materials and then presented me with the bill. End of story, as far as she was concerned.

I found this doubly interesting (if that’s the word) and immediately launched into a discussion in my own mind. Talk about taking liberties! Simply extracting herself from the situation by forgiving herself? Case closed, and a clear conscience? Yet, on the other hand, intriguing how unequivocally and impartially she can just lovingly accept what is. Others spend years going to monasteries to get there. Quite an achievement.

So, I decided to be thrilled rather than outraged. I was just so impressed by the swiftness of her reaction. I only knew this kind of authentic inner freedom from reading books about it. To be clear, the incident didn’t have a trace of amateurism. And it’s not that she didn’t care about me. Throughout our session she had been completely submersed in her profession and happened to totally fail on this one point. Instead of being ashamed and spluttering her excuses, she had decided to deal with the issue in a self-possessed manner and be professional on a human level as well.

No prizes for guessing which sentence I chose to add to my inner archive. Try it out yourself.

How this one sentence could change your life for the better