In our previous interview segment about beliefs, Dr. Tania Bandak shared that her patients typically feel better within a single session. This helps them realize that they do have within their bodies the ability to feel better which challenges their own beliefs and helps them shift into a healing mindset. That said, I was curious about what made Tania seem more open to the energy work than has been my experience with many others in the medical field and if she was initially skeptical.
Rachel: Tania, were you initially skeptical? If so, what resolved your skepticism?
Tania: I wouldn’t call it skeptical, because skepticism starts from a place of doubt–of assuming something isn’t true–which can be as limiting as assuming that something is true without examining it. When I first heard about you, I would say I was curious. I was familiar with the notion that in Eastern Medicine the body is seen as an energy system, and I knew that other energy modalities such as acupuncture have been shown to be beneficial for the management of certain conditions, but I had never heard of Energy Medicine.
Rachel: How did you make the leap to consider it a modality that you would recommend for your patients?
Tania: I came to see you to understand your method, how that method was developed, and the science and philosophy behind it. However, when you described muscle testing I was definitely skeptical about that!
Rachel: What about that made you skeptical?
Tania: Even though we in traditional medicine accept that thoughts, feelings and actions are interrelated and impact physical health, it is a huge cognitive leap to consider thoughts as having a real-time physical effect on muscles. I mean, don’t we conceptualize thoughts as existing in some cartoon conversation bubble hovering above our heads? To consider that they have a footprint–or a thought-print–in our physical bodies is pretty revolutionary!
Rachel: So what resolved your skepticism about the muscle testing?
Tania: Well, you muscle tested me and I felt that when you tested a truth for me I was physically stronger, and when you tested a falsehood, I was weaker. Initially I wondered whether your were pressing harder with the falsehood, but if this were true that would mean that you were intentionally manipulating the situation, which I did not believe you were doing. We had already talked about your motivation to do this work, which I understood to be a genuine intention to help heal.
Rachel: So my motivation was important?
Tania: Yes, understanding your motivation was key. I asked you how you came to do this work, how you trained, and why you do it. I think that when we look for health practitioners, we focus on credentials and training, which is very important. What I think is equally important is the motivation of the practitioner. This isn’t something we usually examine, but is essential if we are to take the leap of faith necessary to trust them with our health–whether this person is a traditional physician or an alternative healing practitioner.
Rachel: What else shifted your perspective?
Tania: Seeing how our patients have responded. Not all of them have–but I think there is important information to be learned from the few who haven’t. The vast majority have really responded to the work they’ve been doing with you, and the reproducibility of the effect of your process does suggest to me, at least, that the process is based on something “real.”
Rachel: What do you mean by “real?”
Tania: That’s a great question. By “real” I mean something that addresses the root cause of the issue and helps people feel lighter when they leave. HOW DO YOU DO THIS???
Rachel: That is a question for another day. ; )
Stay tuned… in our next segment, Tania turns the tables on Rachel and interviews her!