Why Wasn't I Burned Firewalking at Tony Robbins' San Jose Seminar?

Why Wasn't I Burned Firewalking at Tony Robbins' San Jose Seminar?

by Michelle Carr Crowe, Silicon Valley guide and Cupertino real estate pro

The San Jose Mercury News reported 21 people were burned firewalking at the Tony Robbins "Unleash the Power Within" Workshop in San Jose, Calif. on July 19, 2012.

I also firewalked that day, which happened to be my birthday.

While I have successfully broken boards with my bare hands, thanks to self-defense training at The Home Church in Campbell, no one I personally know had firewalked before.

Considering that I suffer from extreme foot pain issues-plantar fasciitis, fibromyalgia and neuropathy, some family members were surprised I chose to firewalk.

Walking on aggregate concrete is torture for me-it feels like I'm walking on sharp rocks and needles, so walking on fire…well, probably even more painful.

I endured the 11 hours of training/brainwashing (no breaks), and practiced the visualization exercises with the other 6,000 attendees.

This part is still incomprehensible to me: prior to the visualizations, Mr. Robbins talked about burning flesh, losing limbs to fire and described his pain when burned by coals stuck to his feet after his 24th firewalk, and then admitted at the last city, “14 people were burned and 3 died.” After a shocked silence, he said, "I'm just f---ing with you, nobody got hurt."

That interlude seemed unlikely to empower people to firewalk. Perhaps it was some sophisticated neurolinguistics programming I’m unfamiliar with, or a filtering mechanism so the truly unprepared would not participate.

I felt like he was maybe trying to scare people away so fewer would do the firewalk. Maybe Satan was at work. It felt strange and inappropriate for the exercise.

Chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" we walked toward the beating drums and the waiting 12 lanes of fire. Once we arrived we were instructed to take off our shoes, and darn it, it was another 90 minute wait just like the "check-in" time that morning.

Apparently my fire lane wasn't hot enough-they poured a wheelbarrow full of fresh hot new coals on my lane just 5 people before my turn!

I praised God and prayed a lot before firewalking, in addition to using the techniques taught us by Tony Robbins. My special power trigger was envisioning and making the same motions as when I broke boards before with my bare hands. I specifically prayed that my firewalk would be like Jesus walking on water.

When it was my turn I firewalked across effortlessly as if it were the easiest thing in the world! Even during the middle of it I looked down (something they told us not to do) and only felt a pleasant warmth (the warm fireplace visualizing must have helped). Hallelujah! 

Yes! I Walked on Fire! Now if I can walk on fire, I can do anything!

For me, walking on the aggregate was excruciating, walking on fire was effortless.

So I was shocked to hear that apparently 21 people were treated for burns and 3 were hospitalized during the firewalk. Of course, the reality of walking on fire is you would normally get burned.

Honestly, I think Mr. Robbins talking about how painful burns are and then joking that others had been hurt planted that idea (or curse) in the minds of the people who got hurt.

Mr. Robbins talked about how important our "State" meaning our mental state of victory and power was in the exercise and cautioned people against participating if they felt they were not firmly "In State" to succeed.

But I am a person with physical weaknesses. I was literally in excruciating pain standing on the aggregate sidewalk waiting for my turn to firewalk.

I know am psychologically susceptible to being overwhelmed by someone else's pain to the point of feeling it myself or when seeing violent visuals in movies absorbing the impact as if it were literally happening to me. (I'm not a big fan of horror flicks.)

So Why Wasn't I Burned Firewalking at Tony Robbins' San Jose Seminar? 

When you open up yourself psychologically, such as in a "life-changing" seminar like this one, you can get hurt. I prayed for God's protection and angels to be about me the whole time. I also specifically prayed that my experience would be like Jesus walking on water. I feel asking for God's protection and His example made a huge difference for my experience.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those who attended and got burned. I hope and pray those who were hurt are healed and whole soon.

But anytime you play with fire, there’s a chance you may get burned.

Aloha & God bless you,

Michelle

Michelle Carr Crowe Real Estate Agent Keller Williams Cupertino	P: 408-252-8900 F: 408-850-6911 E: GetResultsTeam@gmail.com	20230 Stevens Creek, #E Cupertino, CA 95014 www.MichelleJudyCarr.com

Michelle C. Carr-Crowe, DRE #00901962, and the Get RE$ult$ Team (established by the late Judy Carr) are known as the "Lynbrook and Cupertino Schools Experts." Michelle is a creative catalyst for positive change in people's lives.She is a Silicon Valley-based multi-million dollar real estate consultant who works by referral only.

Her designations include: Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), Accredited Consultant of Real Estate (ACRE), Accredited Luxury Home Specialist (ALHS), Accredited Staging Professional (ASP), Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE),  Property Marketing Expert (PME), Real Estate CyberSpace Specialist (RECS), and Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES). In addition, she is an internationally-published freelance writer with over 1,000 traditional articles in print and online, as well as over 62,000 blog posts on Blogger, ActiveRain, MySpace, FaceBook, Realtor.com, Trulia, RealBird and others. She enjoys reading, traveling, animals, dancing, staging and praying. Check out her blog at www.activerain.com/results or visit her online at www.michellejudycarr.com or www.lynbrookhighhomes.com. For RE$ult$ ... Just Call ... (408) 252-8900.