Why Is The Fire-Walk The Hottest Rave Now?
One of the things that has made Anthony Robbins famous is the fire-walk, or more precisely walking barefoot across a 12-foot bed of hot coals. You too can experience the firewalk right here in Malaysia with Dr Kamarul as part of the Master Practitioner Certification in NLP, Time Line TherapyTM and Hypnotherapy. Like Robbins, Dr Kamarul says that the fire-walk is to help attendees realize that indeed they can take action and do anything they set their mind to in life. The firewalk is a metaphor for overcoming life's obstacles.
“The firewalk is an experience in personal power and a metaphor for possibilities, an opportunity for people to produce results they previously had thought impossible....People have been doing some version of firewalking for thousands of years. In some parts of the world, it's a religious test of faith. When I conduct a firewalk, it's not part of any religious experience in the conventional sense. But it is an experience in belief. It teaches people in the most visceral sense that they can change, they can grow, they can stretch themselves, they can do things they never thought possible, that their greatest fears and limitations are self-imposed.” Anthony Robbins in Unlimited Power.
When you do the firewalk with Dr Kamarul, you will have a new internal representation of possibility. If this thing that had seemed so impossible was only a limitation in their mind, then what other "impossibilities" are really very possible as well? This is what the firewalk teaches you that no other self-help book or going to a dozen over motivational seminars will do!! It's one thing to talk about the power of state. It's another to experience it. That's what the firewalk does. It provides a new model for belief and for possibility. It creates a new internal feeling or emotional state for people, one that makes their lives work better and enables them to do more than they ever thought "possible" before.
As full-time University Lecturer, Dr Kamarul believes that attaining academic qualifications is important in that it gives you a solid foundation for further practical knowledge – just like a house need to be built with a solid foundation. But a foundation without walls, roofs, accessories etc is not yet a home. One must have a home. Similarly, one must get some very practical knowledge to build upon the theoretical knowledge. Also having a home without a proper foundation is dangerous. Do yourself a big favour and check the PhD qualifications (if any) of your trainer.
So the Firewalking, then, emphasizes that positive thinking is not enough; one must take positive action. “The greatest gift that extraordinary successful people have over the average person is their ability to get themselves to take action. If you can make yourselves walk through fire what can't you do?
WHAT MAKES FIREWALKING POSSIBLE?
This is an interesting question and there are a few theories:
The first is the “Leidenfrost Effect.” Several physicists suggested that the moisture on the sole of the feet created a vapor barrier that prevented the feet from actually contacting the coals. Alternatively, the water/moisture on the soles of the feet evaporates thus absorbing most of the heat before it reaches the feet.
The second is the “Poor Conductivity Theory”. The analogy used here is reaching into an oven to remove a hot cake pan. The air inside the oven is the same temperature as the metal cake pan. Yet you can reach an unprotected hand into the oven without injury. However, if you were to grab the pan itself, the result would usually be a burn. The reason for this is that the air is a poor conductor of heat, while the metal pan is a better conductor. So physicists theorized that because there’s lots of ash on the surface above the coals, and that ash is a poor conductor of heat, so people can walk safely over the coals. This may be true for some firewalk instructors who let the wood burn until a thick layer of ash forms on the surface of the coals, then let the participants walk across. Dr Kamarul does not do this and he physically separates the ash from the coals – thus the participants can see (and sometimes feel) the pure red glowing coals.
The third theory, appears to make more sense – the “Boiling Paper In A Cup Theory.” If you place a paper cup over a flame, guess what? Yes, it burns. But if you fill the paper cup with water and then place it over a flame, guess what? The paper does not burn. But leave it long enough, the little amount of water in the paper cup will start to boil. That explains partly why participants don’t get severe burns on the firewalk. But there is a lot more to it than that.
Which leads to the fourth and most plausible theory – the “Mind Over Matter Theory”. Before you do the firewalk, Dr Kamarul prepares you mentally, first. You will not be allowed to do the firewalk if Dr Kamarul observes that you are not ready. “What do you mean by prepare yourself mentally?”, you may ask. Dr Kamarul uses techniques in NLP and Hypnotherapy to get the participants to heighten their mental state, thus changing the physical nature of their bodies. Thus Dr Kamarul uses NLP to teach NLP. Very often, participants report that they felt very much like a different person. The new person is extremely charged, and on a totally different level of thinking and being.
Thus Dr Kamarul’s Firewalk Master Practitioner Certification is actually a training where you master the skills in NLP and Hypnotherapy to such a high level, not achieved in any other kind of NLP and Hypnotherapy certification training.
Is firewalking used for personal growth and development in corporations?
Well, Fortune 500 companies all over the globe, including such giants as Microsoft, Met-Life and Coca-Cola, regularly employ firewalking as a training tool and technique for personal growth. Since then many forward thinking companies all over the world are employing firewalking in their team building and leadership sessions. Dr Kamarul has done so for several Malaysian organizations including Proton Holdings Bhd, Bank Pertanian Bhd and Sam McCoy Engineering Sdn Bhd.
How old does a person need to be before he or she is allowed to firewalk?
Risking considerable criticism, I allowed my son to do the firewalk when he was eight years old. My oldest participant was 60 at that time, but I believe that he can still do it in his seventies. The firewalking seminar generates lasting enthusiasm and a deep sense that every player on the team can make a positive difference. Absolutely nothing accelerates personal empowerment and group bonding faster than this!
How long does the experience of the firewalk last?
Well, I can guarantee you this – you will never forget the firewalk experience for as long as you live.
NB: FIRE WALK AND FIRE EATING ARE THE EXTREME ACTIVITIES IN DR KAMARUL'S MASTER PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATION IN NLP, TIME LINE THERAPYTM AND HYPNOTHERAPY
WALKING BAREFOOT ON BROKEN GLASS AND EXTINGUISHING FIRE WITH BARE HANDS ARE THE EXTREME ACTIVITIES IN DR KAMARUL'S PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATION IN NLP, TIME LINE THERAPYTM AND HYPNOTHERAPY
