EFT practitioner and counselor, Hari Lubin, worked with San Quentin Prison inmates, helping them to arrive at a place of emotional freedom even while incarcerated. Many of the inmates had experienced severe trauma in their lives and EFT helped them release their traumatic burden. Hari passed away on March 15, 2013.
Following is his obituary, which appeared in a San Quentin newsletter, as well as letters and quotes from inmates who benefited from Hari teaching them EFT.
Obituary: Long-Time San Quentin Volunteer Dies of Stroke
A long-time San Quentin Prison volunteer, Hari “Ed” Lubin, passed away after a stroke. Born in 1932, he died March 15 at Marin General Hospital, surrounded by family and friends. “Hari loved life, food and helping people make the changes necessary to live in love and balance with themselves,” his family said in a statement. “He moved to Marin and devoted his last 10 years to the prison programs Change is Possible and Freedom in Prison.
During that time, letters from men in his counseling programs described the profound changes he helped them achieve.” He was resident caretaker at Jug Handle Farm and Nature Center in Casper for nearly 10 years. “Hari guided visitors toward a more harmonious relationship with the natural world.
During that time he received a certificate in hypnotherapy and began a practice and service that included counseling in hospice, Men’s Alternative to Violence, and the Child Abuse Prevention Program,” the family reported. In the late 1990s, Hari became director of the spiritual teacher Gangaji’s Prison Program and was introduced to the “lifers” in San Quentin. “It seems he finally found his deepest passion in facilitating their transformation toward inner peace,” the family said.
Well-Bring and Calming of Emotions
My name is Richard Lindsey. I am 51-years-old, serving a life sentence in prison for the murder of Michael Kaylor, a man I killed when I was 28-years-old. For much of my life I suffered from feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and insecurity. And, as I was unable to effectively process through and resolve those feelings, my life became one of dysfunction characterized by antisocial behavior.
I became self-centered, selfish, and very demanding of others while engaging in a downward spiral of substance abuse to cover up the painful experience of those feelings. The culmination of my dysfunction resulted in the senseless murder of Michael Kaylor.
I’ve since been able to identify many of the underlying emotions that had such a profound effect on my life. But simply identifying those emotions was insufficient to resolve them.
I’ve tried numerous self-help programs and many of them were very beneficial in helping me to “understand” the circumstances of my life, but few addressed how to “resolve” any negative emotional states that existed within me.
Emotional Freedom Techniques is one program that addresses that very need.
I’ve applied the EFT technique of “tapping” in my life for over a month now and during that time I have experienced an overall sense of well-being and calming of emotions. I generally use EFT in both the morning and the evening as well as any other time I notice some unsettledness in my life.
I have been sleeping better and some physical discomfort I have had for over three decades has all but disappeared from my life. My relationships with others have taken on a newly satisfying dimension that I never before experienced. And I notice that I am less troubled when life presents some unexpected turn of events, a circumstance that would have previously been very unsettling for me.
I intend to continue my practice of EFT and wholly endorse and support its application in the lives of anyone who has experienced emotional difficulty.
I thank Hari Lubin for his generosity and compassion in sharing this healing technique with me and others.
-Richard Lindsey
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What has Change Is Possible with Hari Lubin done for me?
In 25 years of incarceration, I had wanted to find a person to share what has been stirring in my soul. I needed someone who would listen non-judgmentally and in confidentiality, and hopefully who could understand what was happening and had happened in my life that contributed to my troubles.
In Hari, I found a caring person that was solely present to hear and make a wise suggestion or, with his discernment, point out something that may have contributed to my negative thinking and actions.
I wasn’t very optimistic at first on just what I was getting myself into when briefed on what his particular counseling consisted of. Still, I was open for change and it paid off handsomely. I wholeheartedly embraced and welcomed what Hari had to share.
I have a greater insight into myself and how my former rationalizing contributed and led to my life of crime. I am able to give a better explanation as to my thinking, self-talk, and the actions that followed. Wisdom imparted equaled wisdom gained. No longer do I wonder why; I know why.
And most important, I understand how I can live a greater quality life now and in the future by managing my emotions.
First, I was introduced to EFT tapping as the means to disperse the energy of whatever it was that was taking me out of sync. I didn’t analyze whatever the problem was. I’d simply tap until I could feel the emotional intensity drop to a manageable level. Then I’d be able to make a sound decision or take action to resolve the revealed problem.
I recently experienced one of the most difficult of trials in my life. I felt confident I’d get a release date at my Board of Prison Terms Parole Consideration Hearing. Then I was told three adverse witnesses were present. My body felt much the same traumatic sensation one would get upon suddenly hearing of someone’s death. Soon after, I began to tap and did so for about 5 minutes. I was back in fine tune and was able to appear for my hearing.
I had to listen to false testimony and accusations that could have been hard to hear. However, I was not fazed by it because I had prepared myself beforehand, by tapping and saying:
“Even though I may hear untruths or truths that will be negatively directed at me, and even though I may not be seen for the good man I am and the positive things I’ve learned to apply to my life, I deeply and completely love, accept, and forgive myself.”
I have been blessed with a tool that will allow me to better cope and manage any difficulty in my life. I can be at peace in any situation. I can make good decisions and choices because I am coming from a place of harmony, love, and understanding. This is a priceless gift I’ve been given. How could anyone express gratitude for being helped to discover such a wonderful gift?
So I, in turn, tell anyone I know who and what has helped me to live a better quality of life, in more fully caring for myself and others.
This I found in Change Is Possible. Hari Lubin has helped me much more than he will ever know. And its ripple effect is blessing others I’ve already told about this wonderful practice of tapping. I am living proof of its effectiveness, and have come from being a bit skeptical at first to becoming a true believer. I like this method of facing anything I may be up against. This really works and I will be tapping for the rest of my life.
Thanks, Hari.
-David Gonzalez, D-04912 — San Quentin S.P.
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Quotes from Hari Lubin’s Trauma Victims: Vets/Inmates
“Through the process of self-inquiry with Hari, I am now able to recognize the untrue stories I have incorporated into my life. Rather than resort to my old belief system, I no longer feed on that chaos. For once, there is freedom–I am restored to wholeness, positive self-esteem and confidence in myself.”
-Vincent R. — ex-Marine
“For over 26 years, I have worked with and been a client of various therapy programs. The sessions that Hari offers cut to the deepest inner beliefs and, by working through past traumas, Hari has empowered me to achieve positive changes in my life.”
-Thomas N. — Airborne
“Hari has a presence that inspires trust and confidence. I consider his counseling among the very best I’ve received.”
-Stephen L.
“The session yesterday was amazingly simple, yet has lifted a lifelong burden. I feel quite rejuvenated. Hari is quite something.”
-Selma L.
