Behind the Scenes:
The Making of the Be Set Free Fast DVD
Dr. Nims conducted BSFF workshops in Australia, England, Canada, and throughout the United States after the first public presentation in 1998. Only a few of the sessions and presentations had been filmed. Through the generosity of Gary Craig, founder of Emotional Freedom Techniques, as well as Larry’s dear friend, Don Heggie in Australia, and Dr. Joe Mercola, D.O., workshops were filmed in San Francisco, Australia and Chicago. Most people who had previously seen Dr. Nims actually teach Be Set Free Fast were those who had attended and/or participated in workshops at the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) conferences. The only people who had actually witnessed, full sessions with Dr. Nims were those who had worked with him, individually, in his private practice or in a hallway or lobby at a conference in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, or Australia.
Since his first public demonstration of BSFF in 1998, Dr. Nims and Don Elium often spoke of getting the entire BSFF process on film for those who were not able to personally witness Dr. Nims and experience his technique. But, from 1999 through 2002, as the business of life and their professional practices pressed onward, Larry and Don often discussed the video project but were unable to pursue their excitement about it.
In 2004, three factors came into play. After finishing a long-term writing project, Don Elium decided to pursue a dream to learn film production, editing, and DVD authoring. When Don’s project was initiated, Dr. Nims emailed Don and said, “Come to the Phoenix ACEP Conference in April, 2004, and film the workshop. We can do a simple video presentation of Be Set Free Fast.” Don responded with a quick and enthusiastic, “Let’s do it!” He gathered his son, Matthew, their film buddy, Spenser, and off to Phoenix, Arizona, they flew.
The workshop was spontaneously filmed but the quality of the actual filming was not adequate and something in the “simple” concept was missing. Don went back to the drawing board and decided to try something completely different: film Dr. Nims working, individually, with real people, about real issues, in real time. Shoot the footage in a cross between instructional, documentary, and reality TV formats. Edit the film in a TV show format to give the viewer what they are most familiar with on network television. Make the learning more entertaining with a story arch. Finally, at the core of it all, include eight full counseling sessions that incorporate the step-by-step Be Set Free Fast instructions and procedures developed by BSFF creator, Dr. Larry Nims, Ph.D.
The crowning jewel came when Assistant Producer, Matthew Elium, secured a DV camera that had the option of shooting video at twenty-four frames per second (fps) instead of only thirty fps, which was the original format. This meant that the camera could make the video look like it was shot on film. In other words, the film would appear more like movies on the screen and less like television. As you watch the DVD, you can compare the difference between the film look and the video look from previous BSFF seminar footage.
These divergent ingredients mixed together in Don’s mind and resulted in a totally different approach to the Be Set Free Fast video. The outcome resulted in something that the film crew had not seen done in other instructional videos. And, the eight volunteers bravely allowed the viewers to see themselves as real people with real problems wanting and willing to get help.
And, Larry took a big step on faith
Each volunteer came to Walnut Creek, California, in the San Francisco Bay area, at his or her own expense. Dr. Nims showed incredible fortitude in working with each person in back-to-back sessions for a day and a half. Each session ended up requiring two to three hours for prep time to arrange lighting, sound, and all of the filming details plus the session, interviews, and side shots.
As the producer, Don did not want to create a video that left the viewer with the impression that it takes only one treatment or one session and then all of the personal problems are resolved. Some problems can be resolved in one session and/or in one treatment. But, in the real world, to achieve stable, everyday freedom, some issues require more treatments. Some problems may require help from a therapist or practitioner who is more experienced with the BSFF technique and has more advanced psychological understanding and training.
Therefore, pre and post session interviews were conducted with each volunteer. In some cases, post-session interviews also were conducted one and two weeks later. In two cases, follow-up interviews were conducted several months following the initial sessions. As a result, the viewer is able to see the results of BSFF when used as a “session tool” in which the counseling professional or a trained BSFF clinician guides the client through the BSFF process. In addition, the viewer is able to observe the results gained by using BSFF independently, as a personal tool, without the assistance of another therapist or clinician.
To give each session a “reality feel,” Dr. Nims was not informed about the volunteers’ issues before their sessions. The volunteers became known as “Brave Souls” prior to their treatment sessions with Dr. Nims. Also, care was taken to not influence the treatment sessions or the outcome reports of the volunteers. Dr. Nims had never previously done a complete session in front of a camera with single clients; but, within a very short time, he found his “TV groove” and the Larry that his many students have grown to know and admire, emerged. The filming was off and running!
Several Brave Souls hung around after their own sessions to watch and learn. They and the production crew observed in amazement how gently people changed, how the room filled with electricity, how little each actual problem was discussed, and how the problems were so simply and easily resolved. The intensity of these shared feelings grew as the filming and treatment sessions evolved throughout the two days of filming.
Participants who had studied Dr. Nims’ work from the beginning said that they felt like they were back in school. The Be Set Free Fast book, the e-mails, and the partial word-of-mouth instructions that had traveled several times around the world came alive in session after session. It became obvious to those in attendance that Dr. Nims’ message had a whole new dimension when observed one-on-one, repeatedly, in front of the camera. As one seminar participant put it, “BSFF is deceptively simple. You have to let go of what you already think it is and what others are teaching to really get how Larry is actually working and how our subconscious mind and energy really work.”
The DVD project took on new life. What was going to take six months took two years to complete.
The result? A unique blend of training, drama, entertainment, and a close-up and personal look at the life of a special man who brings an amazing gift to all of us.
In May 2005, his peers recognized Dr. Larry Nims, Ph.D., as he received the ACEP Lifetime Achievement Award for Significant and Innovative Contributions to the Field of Comprehensive Energy Psychology. (ACEP: Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology)
This DVD captures the work and the heart of one of Energy Psychology’s founding figures whose courage to face his own life challenges has helped others face theirs. And, in the very early stages of this personal transformation revolution, Dr. Nims’ work has helped set the cornerstone of an Energy Psychology movement that is spreading around the world, transforming mainstream thinking, and giving us a new answer to an old question:
Can we really change?
Yes, we can.
BSFF shows you how!
