Few days ago I shared a material about 10 Fingers Technique. In that material you have the latest version of the 10F process, basic ideas on which it is based and a few ideas about possible applications of the technique in your everyday life.
This material is the case study with the 10F process (one of many) which one of my clients did while he was working on his goal.
Let’s look at this simple example, so you could better understand what we are really doing in the process.
10F process example:
Client’s goal was to finish the book he was writing for some time and he made a decision to work on it for at least 45 minutes every day after coming home from work.
When he came home from work for the first time after making that decision, he wasn’t very enthusiastic about the plan. He “didn’t feel like doing it and he wanted to relax and watch TV.” Of course, this situation is a perfect opportunity to use the 10F process, so he applied the technique to eliminate that “negative” state.
This is how the 10F process was done:
- Decide which undesirable emotion or belief (or some other mental content) you want to integrate. Write it down.
I don’t feel like writing my book. I would rather relax and watch TV2.
- How strong is undesirable feeling? (Rate it from -10 to 0)
Rating is -7.
- What would you like to experience instead of that emotion or belief? Write it down.
Energy and enthusiasm to write
- Going through 10 fingers:
Put the thumb of your left hand at the table.
Experience (feel, become aware of) that you don’t feel like writing, and you would rather relax and watch TV. While you have that in your mind, inhale and exhale.
Put the thumb of the right hand at the table.
Feel that you would like to experience that you are full energy and enthusiasm to write. While you have that in your mind, inhale and exhale.
Put the index finger of your left hand at the table.
Experience (feel, become aware) that you don’t feel like writing, and you would rather relax and watch TV. While you have that in your mind, inhale and exhale.
Put the index finger of the right hand at the table.
Feel that you would like to experience that you are full energy and enthusiasm to write. While you have that in your mind, inhale and exhale.
Repeat the same with all remaining fingers. (First the finger of the left hand experiencing “negative” emotion, and then the finger of the right hand, feeling that you would like to experience the “positive” emotion you identified in point 3.
While he was going through the fingers in this process, client realized that the initial feeling is not a problem for him anymore.
- Is there something that you could conclude from this process, about that feeling, yourself or the world in general?
Client’s realization was that he should be aware of his final goal (publishing his book), when he decides if he wants to write or watch TV, and he realized that he really want to achieve his goal.
- What is the rating for the “negative” emotion now?
“Negative” feeling didn’t completely disappear (rating -2) but client felt really good about his goal and writing.
- If the “negative” feeling didn’t completely disappear repeat the process with remaining part of that undesirable state. So he went to the beginning of the process, and continued it with the remaining part of the problem.
Next process (with the remaining part of the problem):
- Decide which undesirable emotion or belief (or some other mental content) you want to integrate. Write it down.
Small confusion. I don’t know exactly what to write
- How strong is undesirable feeling? (Rate it from -10 to 0)
Rating is -2.
- What would you like to experience instead of that emotion or belief? Write it down.
The clear vision of what exactly I want to say in that chapter
- Going through 10 fingers:
Put the thumb of your left hand at the table.
Experience (feel, become aware of) confusion that you don’t know exactly how to start. While you have that in your mind, inhale and exhale.
Put the thumb of the right hand at the table.
Feel that you would like to experience the clear vision of what exactly you want to say in that chapter. While you have that in your mind, inhale and exhale.
Repeat the same with all remaining fingers. (First the finger of the left hand experiencing “negative” emotion, and then the finger of the right hand, feeling that you would like to experience the “positive” emotion you identified in point 3.
Quickly after he started the process (On his 4th finger), client realized that the confusion doesn’t exist anymore and knew what he needed to do.
- Is there something that you could conclude from this process, about that negative feeling, yourself or the world in general?
Client’s realization was that he should first create a draft of what he wants to cover in the introduction of his book (that was the fist chapter that he was going to write).
- What is the rating for the negative emotion now?
Negative feeling didn’t exist after this process (rating 0) and the client immediately started to make the draft of the first chapter of his book.
As the “negative” feeling doesn’t exist anymore the process is completed. (Of course, if he noticed that something else existed (if the rating wasn’t 0) he should have done another process on that remaining part).
It’s interesting to notice that the client also realized that in order to avoid similar confusion about whole book, he needs to create similar draft for it (which topics he needs to cover in which chapters etc.). So after completing the outline for the first chapter he started to work on the basic structure of the whole book.
Also notice that although the general emotional state after the first process may be good, you shouldn’t fail to do the process on the remains of the undesirable state.
If he didn’t process that “small” confusion which was left after the first process, he would have start working from the confusion, and he wouldn’t notice the lesson which was the result of the second process.
He wouldn’t realize that before starting to write he should have a clear vision of what he will write about and therefore that he needs to make a plan before he starts writing (he considered that to be truly precious realization for everything he does).
You should also notice that it’s important to verbalize the cognitions and realizations you have during the process. 10F will work even if you don’t do that, but the benefits will be better and positive changes deeper and more stable if you verbalize your realizations after the process (this is what you do in the step 5).
Another thing that you might have found interesting is the fact that the term “negative” emotion (or state) always had quotation marks in this text. Can you tell why this is so?
:)
Wishing you harmony and success,
Filip
