I don't consider myself an expert (something I have to clear hehe), but here are my thoughts on your questions.

What's the underlying structure/governing principle that allows a clearing method to work?

I think the short answer is You. Bashar says that ultimately any process, technique, method, etc is just a permission slip created by yourself to allow yourself to become more of who you really are; not exactly his words but what I remember from hearing him.

In Abraham's terms, I think fundamentally any clearing method works because you feel relief so you start getting closer to your inner being. If you use a thought-first method, then by reaching to better feeling thoughts you reach a higher vibration, and you know it's a better feeling thoughts because you feel relief compared to the current thought you have (there's no end to how much relief/up you can go).

According to Robert Smith, FasterEFT works because it disrupts the mind-body communication. When the mind thinks a bad feeling thought/memory it signals the body to react accordingly (stress hormones, etc). By disrupting the communication the body doesn't react according to the thought, so the mind basically rewires itself and treats the previously bad feeling thought into something neutral; it's no longer necessary for the mind to send all the previous signals because now it knows it can react differently.

What makes some vibrational topics move to better feeling with greater speed?

I get that it comes down to releasing resistance/moving up the emotional scale. But what's the difference between some topics that I can clear up in a single session of 2-3 minutes vs other topics that I keep returning to over a period of weeks/months?

• Is it the "amount" of resistance (i.e. how far down I am on the emotional scale)?
• Is it stronger momentum (LoA bringing me similar thoughts to where I currently am)
• Being too general/vague about the issue instead of dealing with the component parts individually.

I think it depends on each individual and how they represent and structure their problems (paraphrased from Robert Smith). So it ends up being relative to each person.

Having said that, the more you practice a memory/thought/vibration the better you get at it (like anything else). Adding more and more table legs to support your problems, creating more momentum, etc.

On the other hand @Stingray has said that it's easier to go from feeling really bad to feeling really good because there's more energy in those states than go from feeling slightly bad to feeling slightly good (I can't find the answer where he said that). I think Abraham has said something similar in the past.

Also, when clearing for example with EFT, FasterEFT, it is crucial to connect to the feeling, immerse in the memory, etc. The better you are at entering into that trance the more powerful the clearing will be.

So, there are so many variables that I think it's a combination of them all and not necessarily due to a single one.

Thought-first vs Sensation-first Clearing Methods

It seems like there are 2 broad categories of clearing methods...

1. Deal with the thoughts. A lot of the Abraham-inspired processes (focus blocks etc.) seem to fall into this category. I like these because you use them any where on the vibrational scale.

2. Address the physical sensations. A lot of the energy techniques (FasterEFT, Sedona method etc.) seem to fall into this category. I find that they can help reach neutral but to move higher up, I need to use one of the thought based methods.

For those more experienced doing vibrational work, it what situations do you find thought-first methods to be more effective? In what situations do you find sensation-first methods to be more effective?

I think you answered yourself there ;-). For me personally I think I find it easier to use sensation-first methods, sometimes I get in the flow and thought-first methods are a breeze, but I guess I haven't practiced enough to being able to consistently obtain the same results.

How can I be "lazier"?

I guess this is the really important one ;). How do I get the most bang for my buck with my vibrational work? What if I only have 15 minutes in the morning? What if I have an hour?

I think that would depend on where on the emotional scale you find yourself and what your disposition is. The fact that you have a free hour doesn't mean you will feel like it to spend it all clearing stuff for example. If you do that's great, but not necessary.

If you have something bothering you, I think ME-5 or something similar it's your best bet.

If you are in the vortex or higher up I think positive aspects, rampages of appreciation or playing the 68 seconds game. I recommend you download the testing version of the spreadsheet, it has functionality to support the last one and it's really fun.

In case you don't know the game: you write for 68 seconds regarding a specific topic what you want and why do you want it, when the time is up, you go to a different topic and repeat.

On my first tries I did it for about 8 minutes and it was really incredible. You have to choose topics that feel good and without resistance because otherwise it will get you out of the vortex.

Sorry for the long post. Hope it helps.