My gratitude for your many responses as they have created this opportunity to share my perspective in a positive light.
But first, a little history.
When EFT was first created in the ‘90's, it was but a dream in my mind ... an inspiration ... a spiritual undertaking that could bring healing to the world in ways previously unknown. Further, most people could do the basics for themselves and the costs would be minimal. EVERYONE could use it ... from the ultra rich to the poorest people on the planet. It is an exquisite thought ... and one that I cherish.
I imagined a world where anger, greed and trauma would eventually be replaced by love and cooperation. This is possible, of course, but only if we can neutralize our resentments, fears, etc. with a tool like EFT.
It is also necessary to have cooperation among multitudes (you). Without a cohesive band of dedicated souls working TOGETHER, this dream would lapse into chaos.
So the EFT Community was born in 1997 with an email list of 20 people. It has been a beautiful experience to watch that initial seed grow into rose gardens and majestic forests. Today, even though we have never advertised, our email list has grown to 440,000 and the free EFT Manual has been downloaded over 1 million times. We are now appearing regularly in the media and are developing an impressive array of validating research.
In short, we have hit critical mass and the EFT phenomenon is poised to explode worldwide. I expect we will have a commanding presence in the world within 5 years.
But this would be impossible without a cohesive EFT Community. One man cannot do this alone. It takes all of us. It takes your dedication and enthusiasm and your joint voices to echo this message to every corner of the world. You are doing this from San Francisco to London to New Zealand and beyond. I sit in gratitude and awe at what you are doing and have been doing so for over a decade.
There is nothing more powerful than a team that works seamlessly together. The coach (me) helps guide the team. I create the plays and provide tools and inspiration. But the team (you) plays the game. Our joint accomplishments to date have been stunning. Together we have provided an ocean of personal peace and healing not to mention the personal satisfactions you have generated for yourselves.
Life isn't perfect, however, and not everyone is a team player. That is why I legally registered the terms Emotional Freedom Techniques EFT in the US and elsewhere around the world many years ago. Initially I did this to keep disreputable interests from registering the terms for themselves. If I hadn't done this, exploiters would have registered the terms and would now have the right to control use of the terms, potentially interfering with your ability to conduct workshops and use the terms in your websites, books, etc. They could also put you out of business for trespassing on these terms.
I have these same rights but, as you know, I choose to use them quite differently. In my hands, my trademarks are a guiding mechanism. A rudder to guide this ship into the waters of integrity and spiritual wonderment. I call it the Open Hand Policy.
At first the Open Hand Policy gave very wide latitude, asking only that "Emotional Freedom Techniques" and "EFT" be used ethically. I could not have known in advance what liberties people would take with this generous permission and so I waited and watched how things unfolded. Over time I noticed that people were using the EFT logo improperly so I adjusted the Open Hand Policy to create appropriate rules. Later, there were questionable activities regarding workshops, websites and practitioner listings associated with EFT. Accordingly, the rules were adjusted again. More recently, we developed an official EFT Certification program to bring consistency to the credentialing process and adjusted the rules yet again.
Whenever I make these necessary adjustments they are always made for the overall good of the EFT Community. That's what must be understood by everyone. Without them, chaos would reign and our team would fall apart.
I am always amused at how these adjustments lead some folks to say, "Gary has changed." Not so. It is the EFT landscape that is ever changing. This is inevitable as we grow. For example, you live in a country where the laws are forever changing to reflect the changing social, financial and political atmosphere. Where would your country be without these laws? Would you like to live in a country where everyone could do as they pleased without any rules?
I am pleased with the overall acceptance and compliance with our Open Hand Policy. Most people recognize both the legal and ethical need to comply and I have yet to take any one to court for enforcement. That doesn't mean that everyone has complied yet. Some people, for example, don't read our newsletter or website and aren't aware that they are out of compliance. Later this year, I expect to assemble a team to bring these rules to the attention of everyone.
I appreciate Mr. Ortner's cooperation and understanding in the matter of the proper use of the EFT trademarks and agreeing not to mis-use the EFT trademarks in the future (i.e. using another term such as "tapping"). He has graciously even agreed to pass his new material by me to ensure he is in compliance with our policies. Accordingly, I consider this whole EFT World Summit matter as a "mistake of enthusiasm" and am letting it be. Investing more energy on this serves no useful purpose and distracts us from moving forward with the many exciting projects in front of us.
Onward.
Love, Gary
PS: There are a some clarifications needed regarding the previous communications.
First, I was not objecting to anyone making money as a result of selling EFT products. I have promoted this ability for years, so long as it is done ethically and according to our Open Hand Policy. My point was not that Mr. Ortner was earning money but rather HOW it was being done ... AND ... that these marketing methods were being done under a presumed EFT banner.
Second, some concluded that I was casting dispersions on the integrity of the presenters. This was not my intention and I apologize for any misunderstanding.
Third, Mr. Ortner DID offer me a place on the EFT World Summit. This was done after the announcement was made and after I objected. I declined his offer as my appearance could be seen as an endorsement.
Finally, our Open Hand Policy is a work in progress and I will be coming out with a significant revision later this year. In the meantime, here is the current version.
http://www.emofree.com/FAQ/open-hand-rights.htm