Firewalking: A New But Dangerous Motivation Technique

Firewalking means walking on red-hot coals. It is a controversial motivational technique that has become popular in recent years. But many people have problems with it. Some people see it as a somewhat effective method. But others say it’s complete nonsense.

People are promoting firewalking as if it were a new technique. But the fact is that the earliest references to this practice of walking on burning coals date back more than 4,000 years. A similar religious ritual existed in India. It was part of ceremonies for healing, initiation, purification, invocations for a good harvest and many more things.

We know that there are ancient populations who still practice the practice of walking on burning coals, such as the Kahunas (priests) in certain indigenous groups in Hawaii. Today they walk on burning lava. The indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert in Africa have similar rituals.

Firewalking is therefore anything but new. What happened is that it made its renaissance in the United States in the 1970s. Then it started to get popular. The main proponent was Tolly Burkan. He said he read an article in  Scientific American  on physics and has been walking on hot coals ever since. He has also published books. Aliens would have kidnapped him.

The fundamentals of firewalking

The proponents of firewalking say it is a motivational technique that encourages personal growth. In their mind, it’s a useful tool to boost your confidence, confront your fears, and boost your motivation. They divert all this from the idea that if you manage to walk on burning coals, you will feel more capable. You will have a better picture of yourself.

They say almost everyone is afraid of walking on coals. But the people who overcome that fear and take the first step will be able to take all the next steps as well. Apparently it will flow into their daily lives. It is a “radical change” that eradicates negative beliefs and develops the positive kind.

There are also some life coaches who are great advocates and practitioners of firewalking. They usually use metaphors to internalize or reinforce your positive beliefs about yourself. So walking on burning coals would be a metaphor for what happens to the rest of the challenges you face.

Walking on coal

People who promote firewalking say that both the successes and the failures that occur will affect your mental programming. By this they mean your values ​​and beliefs. And once that happens, you will create a picture of what you are capable of. This then affects your self-confidence.

They say walking on coals at 480°C helps you reprogram your mind. If you can beat this dangerous challenge, you will certainly be able to change your self-image.

There are three steps in the firewalking process. Here they are:

• Identification. This consists of examining your limiting thoughts. You determine your personal goals. You examine which of your mental programs is holding you back from achieving your goals.
• To learn. The purpose of firewalking is to help you overcome your fears and learn to trust yourself. So you can continue.
• Change. In this step you are feeding your desire for change. Because it means you learn to break down the barriers between you and your goals.

The hope behind firewalking is that it helps people face difficult situations. They want the experience of walking on hot coals to help you internalize the idea that if you don’t move forward you will be burned. If you don’t keep walking, you will get more injuries. You also have to walk with confidence and no matter what happens, keep going.

Today, firewalking is a technique that is especially often used in the business world with the intention of trying to ’empower’ the employees. Here are some examples of companies that have tried this technique: Microsoft, American Express and Coca-Cola, among others.

What happens when people walk on coal?

The whole idea is that persons are spiritually strong enough to walk on burning coals and make it across without injury. This will show the participant that he or she is stronger and more capable than he thinks. But from a physical standpoint, there are some things we can’t ignore.

Alfonso Gámez criticizes firewalking and is the author of the article ‘254 € to learn to walk on coals’. According to him, there is nothing great about firewalking. He says that basically anyone can do it. You don’t need any preparation. And you absolutely don’t have to pay anyone to show you how to do this. He bases these claims on physical facts. We summarize them here:

• Walking on hot coals is like holding a lighted candle to your fingers. And actually the candle flame is hotter than the coals. Because it can reach temperatures of up to 815°C.
• The embers of the coals are not as dense as the human body. So they don’t conduct much heat.

• The process of heating your foot is very slow. The temperature is also very low when you lift your foot to continue.
• The promoters of firewalking put a thick layer of ash on top of the embers. This blocks the transfer of heat.
• Gámez says this so-called life coaching technique is nothing but a scam to get money from people. He talks about the skeptic John Nevil Maskelyne. He said that “people with a lot of money and no brains are perfect for the people with a lot of brains and no money.”

An interesting experiment

Richard Wiseman is an English psychologist who wanted to put this controversial motivational technique to the test. On his BBC show,  Tomorrow’s World, he  did a simple experiment.

He made a carpet of burning coals. But this time he didn’t use the usual firewalking standard that determines the length of 3 meters. Instead, he made a carpet 20 meters long. He invited two well-known firewalking promoters to cross the coals on live television.

The first person stepped on the coals and made it to almost 7 meters. But he had to jump off the coals because he burned. Exactly the same happened to the second person. The third person no longer wanted to participate. The first two people needed medical attention. Because they had second-degree burns on the soles of their feet.

Wiseman had thus succeeded in proving what he had set himself: “spiritual strength” ended at about 7 meters. That’s why the firewalking gurus use those short distances. They checked exactly how long they can make the carpet before people get burned. Not a single positive thought will help you once you pass the 20 feet of burning coals.

A “trick” that ultimately still works

Most of us like to dream and think that extraordinary things are possible. There are many myths about ‘the power of the mind’. They can be quite large but not enough to bend the laws of physics. And absolutely not after a session with guidelines that sometimes only lasts 3 hours.

But there are still many people in the world who claim to have seen unimaginable results of firewalking. They say their lives have changed in a radical way. Some companies make statements saying that their employees have improved their performance after walking on burning coals. Of course there are also many people who come out of the experience with burns. Then they say, “I wasn’t ready.”

We end with this comment. One of the greatest powers of the human mind is the power to believe, even against all the evidence. If you want to believe something and it helps you settle some discomfort, you will take it for granted. The same happens with the placebo effect. If it makes you feel better, who are we to question it?