You CAN Heal With EFT

You CAN Heal

with

(Emotional Freedom Techniques)

By Jo Hainsworth

True emotional freedom is

being able to be and do

anything that you desire,

from the bottom of your heart,

to be and do.

This e-book is available to be downloaded free from www.selfheal4me.com

Disclaimer: This book is not intended to be a substitute for the services of health care professionals. The

author takes no responsibility for any consequences incurred by those using or misusing the information

presented herein. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the readers discretion

and is his or her sole responsibility.

2008

This book has a heart symbol where you would normally find a copyright symbol. The heart symbolises the authors

gratitude for having healed using EFT and her desire for everyone who desires true emotional freedom to be empowered

with the tools that can enable that. Please share this book with anyone you know who you think may benefit from it. It

is available for download without charge from www.selfheal4me.com

This book is dedicated to my two doggie friends, without whom I may have never discovered the

power of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). When first introduced to EFT, I was a real

sceptic. I thought it was a strangely mechanical method unlikely to be of much use. When I

rediscovered EFT a couple of years later, I was still very sceptical. I decided to put it to the test.

Flop and Tuft were abandoned at around 4 months old. When I came to live with their adoptive

Dad, they were terrified of going in the car. I wondered whether perhaps it was because they had

been thrown out of a car when abandoned. I didnt really expect it to work, but decided to use

what Id read about EFT for animals, to try to cure their fear of going in the car.

Tuft became my first of what is known in EFT circles as a One Minute Wonder. After two

rounds of tapping, I jokingly opened the back of the car and asked him if hed like to go for a

drive. He jumped in and, wagging his tail furiously, looked at me as if to say, Well what are you

waiting for?

Flop became my introduction to the world of aspects, and how its not all about one minute

wonders. After a couple of weeks of tapping, clearing all the issues that I could think of, Flop

started happily joining us on our adventures in the car.

I will be forever grateful to my two doggies pals for opening my mind to the power of EFT. And

to their Dad for introducing me to it (and them!).

Contents

Introduction.............................................................................................................................................6

Setting the Scene Symptoms as Warning Lights .........................................................................6

Section I What is EFT?.........................................................................................................................8

Introduction to EFT............................................................................................................................8

What can you use EFT for? ................................................................................................................8

How does EFT work? .........................................................................................................................9

Section II How to do EFT.................................................................................................................. 11

The Basics.......................................................................................................................................... 11

Step 1 - Estimate severity ............................................................................................................ 11

Step 2 - The Setup Phrase............................................................................................................. 11

Step 3 - Tapping the points .......................................................................................................... 12

Step 4 Continuation ................................................................................................................... 13

Alternatives to Tapping................................................................................................................... 13

But thats way too simple ............................................................................................................ 13

Simple and Powerful Method for working alone....................................................................... 14

How long should I tap for? ............................................................................................................. 14

The Generalisation Effect and the Table Top ............................................................................... 16

9 Gamut process ............................................................................................................................... 17

The Choices Method ........................................................................................................................ 18

The Writing on our Walls................................................................................................................ 18

Specific uses for EFT........................................................................................................................ 18

Using EFT with Physical Illnesses ............................................................................................... 18

Using EFT to Lose Weight............................................................................................................ 18

Using EFT to Stop Smoking......................................................................................................... 18

Using EFT to heal Chronic Physical Pain.................................................................................... 19

Using EFT for Depression ............................................................................................................ 19

Using EFT to heal a Major Trauma.............................................................................................. 19

Using EFT for Phobias.................................................................................................................. 21

Using EFT for Kids and Animals................................................................................................. 22

Using EFT for Hayfever and Allergies........................................................................................ 22

Section III - When EFT is Not Working ............................................................................................ 23

Common Challenges........................................................................................................................ 23

Why arent I a one minute wonder? ............................................................................................... 24

When you want to heal but ......................................................................................................... 24

Its just not working for me......................................................................................................... 26

Concentrating too hard ................................................................................................................ 26

But I dont love and accept myself .............................................................................................. 27

I just want to get rid of this .......................................................................................................... 27

Not feeling safe enough to heal ................................................................................................... 28

Escaping into our imagination..................................................................................................... 28

Need for Testing ........................................................................................................................... 29

Im tapping and its getting worse, not better ........................................................................... 29

Using the Choices Method to clear Blocks .................................................................................... 29

Forgiveness as Healer ...................................................................................................................... 30

A word about guilt ........................................................................................................................... 32

When nothing else is working........................................................................................................ 32

Section IV - Why I am so passionate about EFT................................................................................ 34

Section V Reflections on Healing Chronic Illnesses & Patterns .................................................. 36

Section VI Where to Learn More...................................................................................................... 38

Section VII - About the Author and Acknowledgments.................................................................. 39

Section VIII - Appendices.................................................................................................................... 40

Appendix A - The Tearless Trauma Technique............................................................................ 40

Appendix B: The "Tell the Story Technique ............................................................................... 41

Appendix C: The Movie Technique: A tool for being specific .................................................. 43

Appendix D: Asking the Right Questions ................................................................................... 45

Appendix E: Questions to Ask for Physical Symptoms.............................................................. 48

Appendix F: Dr Carol Looks Compulsive Overeating and Weight Loss Protocol.................. 51

Appendix G: Dr Carol Look Stop Smoking Protocol................................................................... 55

Appendix H: Clearing Blocks to EFT ............................................................................................. 57

Appendix I: Finding Core Issues.................................................................................................... 59

Appendix J - Resolving Self Sabotage - Healing Parts That Don't Want to Heal ..................... 61

Appendix K Tips for when you are having difficulty accessing your feelings...................... 63

Appendix L The Benefits of having a Healing Buddy .............................................................. 65

Appendix M Surrogate Tapping.................................................................................................. 67

Appendix N Difficulty using SUDs Scale.................................................................................. 69

Appendix O Sample Self Healing Session................................................................................. 70

Appendix P A Structure for Healing - The Personal Peace Procedure .................................... 74

Appendix Q Healing and the Inner Child.................................................................................. 78

Appendix R When its just too scary to go there .................................................................... 80

Appendix S Aspects Diagram ...................................................................................................... 82

Appendix T EFT Approaches How to be your own creative practitioner ............................ 84

Note: All the articles sourced from www.emofree.com are included in this book in accordance with Gary

Craigs Copyright rules, which can be found at the following location on the internet:

http://www.emofree.com/FAQ/useEFTmaterials.htm.

You CAN Heal with EFT

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Introduction

This book contains information about a powerful method of healing that you can learn to free yourself of

painful emotions and physical symptoms. If you want to gain an overview, or find information on a

particular topic, you can simply print the sections that you are interested in. For ongoing reference, print

and bind the whole book to refer to over time so that you can continue to add to your knowledge about

and experience with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). If you are new to EFT it is recommended that

you read Sections I & II to start off with, and only read the other sections once you have used the basics a

few times and are comfortable with them. EFT is both an incredibly simple and a more complex tool. In

many cases the simple instructions are all that is required to resolve issues.

Section Title Description

Introduction Important information to set the scene

I What is EFT? An overview of what EFT is and what it can be used for

II How to do EFT All you need to get up and running with the basics of

EFT, and ideas for using it for different types of issues

III When EFT is not Working Information on how to approach EFT if you have been

using the basic information and are having difficulties

IV Why I am so Passionate

about EFT

The authors story of her healing a chronic physical

illness and other issues with EFT

V Reflections on Healing Discussion on other ingredients often needed in our

healing toolkit, alongside of EFT

VI Where to Learn More Information on where you can access further free

resources to learn more about EFT

VII About the Author &

Acknowledgments

About the Author notes and Acknowledgments

VIII Appendices Various articles referred to throughout the main text of

the book

Note that if you reading online you can click on any Blue Highlighted words to go directly to the section

mentioned. If you are reading a paper copy you will find all the highlighted words on the contents page,

with a page number reference.

Setting the Scene Symptoms as Warning Lights

It can be helpful when learning about any new method to set the context of what we are trying to achieve

with it. Most people come to a technique such as this because there is something in their life which is not

working the way they want it to; be it physical symptoms, depression, a lack of something they want in

their life or one of the myriad of the other challenges we face in our daily lives. One helpful analogy is to

see anything in our life that is not as we wish it to be as being like a warning light on a car dashboard. If

you have a warning light coming on in your car regularly and take the car to the mechanic, the last thing

that you would want the mechanic to do would be to disable the warning light mechanism.

Unfortunately when we take painkillers or some other medication on a regular basis, without doing

something to heal the cause of the symptoms, that is exactly what we are doing in our bodies we are

simply disabling the warning light that is there to tell us that there is something wrong.

Rather than working on disabling the warning light EFT, is a method which enables you to do for your

body what you would expect the mechanic to do for your car to get under the covers and resolve what

is causing the symptom to appear. So rather than simply doing something to make the symptom go

away, EFT gives us the tools to clear the underlying emotional causes of the symptoms, so that they are

no longer needed. Seeing symptoms, whether physical such as pain or illness, or other symptoms like

anxiety and depression, as warning lights on a dashboard is a new way of looking at them for many

people, however it is a powerful way to orient ourselves to true healing.


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It can be difficult to comprehend that physical symptoms could have emotional causes, so here are a

couple of examples to illustrate how EFT enables us to get behind the cause of a symptom:

Strawberry Allergy

Two young children, who previously loved eating strawberries, suddenly developed an allergy to them.

Their mother took them to see an EFT practitioner as she wasnt sure what had caused it. She suspected

that the strawberries might have been sprayed with something toxic, and that perhaps that might have

caused her children to no longer be able to eat them without their lips and gums swelling, causing them

to no longer want to eat strawberries.

On questioning the mother about when the strawberry allergy appeared, and then what was happening

in the family at around that time, the mother realised that the very first time the children reacted to

strawberries was after eating them while the parents were having a huge argument. The practitioner had

the mother tap for the children on the fear and worries that were caused due to them witnessing the

argument, and from then on the children could once again enjoy strawberries without any reaction.

Back Pain

In a case reported in the EFT newsletter Jasmine Bharathan narrates the following:

Here is a stunning account of how EFT can be helpful even in a structural problem.

As a result of an accident around 8 years back, my client was completely bed-ridden and paralyzed from the hip

down for a year and a half. After 3 months of Homeopathic treatment, he was able to walk; however, he suffered

from constant agonizing pain in his lower back.

An MRI scan of Lumbo-Sacral spine showed partial destruction of lower discs in the spine and even some

compression of a nerve root due to narrowing of the spinal pathways. He was keen on trying EFT for the pain as he

was unable to sit on a chair, could not bend down to pick up anything from the floor, had great difficulty getting

into a car- in short, constant, agonizing pain- day and night with no respite at all.

Jasmine goes on to detail the things they applied EFT to, which included:

The physical symptoms of the pain

Current emotions about the pain, including his anxieties about what would happen in the future

if it continued

Specific events from the clients past on the theme of his current emotions

The clients beliefs about the pain

Jasmine then writes:

He has been pain-free since then! It has been a year and a half. He ran 6 km at the local marathon with absolutely

no pain or discomfort! I checked with him just before submitting this article and he continues to be pain-free. His

x-ray to date shows no further damage or destruction. In fact, there is no change at all. This was a structural

problem and was supposed to cause pain. However, the gentleman is living a completely pain-free life enjoying

easy and effortless movements in daily living. He continues to treat his back with love and care although it does not

hurt anymore.

(Source: http://www.emofree.com/Pain-management/back-pain-no-pain.htm)

This is a typical example of where EFT has been able to help someone with a physical issue, which clearly

had a physical origin (an accident). In many cases despite surgery and medication, until the emotions

around an incident such as this are resolved, pain continues. After the emotions have been resolved,

despite the physical abnormalities caused by the accident sometimes remaining, the pain ceases.


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Section I What is EFT?

Introduction to EFT

Based on the same ancient principles as acupuncture, EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a simple

method where we focus on an issue in our life while tapping gently on easily accessible acupuncture

points on our face and upper body and hands. EFT can help us to heal from traumas, physical illnesses,

phobias, limiting beliefs, allergies in short anything that we can possibly have a belief or emotion

associated to.

EFT was introduced in 1995 by Gary Craig, a Stanford engineering graduate who trained in several

methods that were predecessors of EFT. One of the methods was developed by psychologist Roger

Callahan. Heres how Gary describes what lead to Callahan developing his method (Source: the free EFT

manual available from www.emofree.com) :

In 1980 Dr Roger Callahan was working with a patient, Mary, for an intense water phobia. She suffered from

frequent headaches and terrifying nightmares, both of which were related to her fear of water. To seek help, she had

been going from therapist to therapist for years with no material improvement. Dr Callahan tried to help her by

conventional means for a year and a half. He didnt make much headway either.

Then one day he stepped outside the normal boundaries of psychotherapy. Out of curiosity, he had been studying

the bodys energy system and decided to tap with his fingertips under her eyes (an end point of the stomach

meridian). This was prompted by her complaint of some stomach discomfort. To his astonishment, she announced

immediately that her phobia was gone and she raced down to a nearby swimming pool and began throwing water in

her face. No fear. No headaches. It all went away including the nightmares. And it has never returned.

She is totally free of her water phobia.

Many people feel uncomfortable with methods that have not yet had a lot of scientific studies done to

prove that they work. Studies have shown that only around 14% the population are able to embrace new

methods, with most preferring to wait until they have been proven over time. Fortunately for all of us

who are suffering from the pain of past traumas and current physical illnesses, Gary and Roger and

countless other practitioners and self helpers have used EFT for all manner of issues, and shown time and

time again that it is an extremely simple to learn and very effective method. While studies over the

longer term are important and planned (see http://soulmedicineinstitute.org/researcheft.html#Anchor-

The-49575 for details), there are many of us who are very thankful for having been able to use EFT to heal

minor and major emotional and physical issues in our lives, despite the current lack of scientific studies

or explanations as to how it is that it works at all, let alone so effectively.

What can you use EFT for?

EFT can assist you in any area of your life where you dont have true emotional freedom. True emotional

freedom is being able to be and do anything that you desire, from the bottom of your heart, to be and do.

Anything that stands in the way of that is limiting your emotional freedom, and is a candidate for EFT.

An example of where EFT is really leading the way is working with war veterans who have been crippled

by nightmares and horrendous memories for 30 40 years, who with the help of EFT, are finding true

emotional freedom and being able to move on from the trauma that they have suffered. Many of these

veterans have been in conventional therapy for decades without being able to resolve the issues, and

have found freedom from them using EFT. There can be a tendency to think that EFT can only heal what

are obviously emotional issues, such as with those suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

However it is being shown time and again that unresolved emotions play a major factor in physical

illness and many people have completely healed physical illnesses as a result of using the tapping. As we

find emotional freedom we tend to find freedom from what restricts us and causes us pain physically at

the same time. See the Introduction for a couple of specific examples.


- 9 -

A common phrase in EFT circles is Try it on Everything, because as we do that, we discover more and

more uses for EFT. EFT can assist with a wide range of emotional and physical issues, including:

Fears & Phobias

Emotional/Physical/Sexual Abuse

Stress & Anxiety

Trauma

Headaches & Migraines

Allergies & Sensitivities

Addictions

Weight Issues

Financial Blocks

Relationship Issues

Self Esteem Issues

Sleep Issues

EFT has been shown over and over again to be useful in areas where people have been searching for

answers for a long time, or who are resigned to never being able to move on from trauma so big that they

cannot see a way forward. For example, it has helped people to heal the emotional components of cancer,

which has resulted in them healing physically as well; many people have healed the wounds of

childhood abuse; and many have healed from PTSD after years and years of disabling memories and

emotions as a result of something too big for them to handle.

If you would like to read an example of how EFT has helped someone to heal a chronic illness see

Section IV - Why I am so Passionate about EFT. You can also read many, many case studies of people

who have healed from all sorts of challenges by using EFT at www.emofree.com.

How does EFT work?

The short answer is that we still dont really know for sure! However since most of us also dont really

understand how electricity works, and yet we learn as a result of the light coming on when we flick the

switch that it does, that neednt stand in the way of us using it.

EFT is based on the foundational statement that:

The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the bodys energy system.

We have many channels of energy that run throughout our bodies, the channels that, using acupuncture,

are unblocked via inserting needles into certain points along the channel. Whenever we suffer something

too difficult for us to resolve emotionally it can result in a disruption in the free flow of energy

throughout these channels. If blockages to the flow remain over many years physical illness can result.

Clearing the blockages allows us to release all the pent up emotions that we were unable to process at the

time of the event and doing so often results in healing of any physical illnesses that the stress contributed

to.

An alternative to inserting needles into the acupuncture points to clear the blockages is gently tapping on

the points while using the EFT procedure. While acupuncture is an excellent method, it takes many years

to learn. One of the advantages of EFT is that it is very simple and quick to learn, and can in many cases

be applied as a self help tool without assistance from a trained practitioner. In some cases EFT is also

able to assist someone to heal even though they have previously had acupuncture treatments with no

success.


- 10 -

Fortunately we dont really need to understand how EFT works to be able to get up and running with it.

If however you have a burning desire to understand more of the theories behind how it works, you can

read some of the (very technical) articles on the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology site

at: (http://www.energypsych.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=85). If you would like to read

results of some of the preliminary research into the Energy Psychology methods (the group of methods

that EFT falls into), you can read Energy Psychology A Review of the Preliminary Evidence by David

Feinstein, Ph.D (http://www.innersource.net/energy_psych/epi_research.htm).

Doesnt it just stir up old stuff better left alone?

A common response to EFT goes along the lines of, Doesnt this dredging for old emotional wounds just

stir stuff up that is better left alone? It is important to address this up front for anyone considering EFT

who has this concern. To answer it is important to look at it from two angles:

1. With EFT there is no need to dredge up old emotional stuff. We simply tap on the current

challenges we face and follow the trail of what comes up. Where we need to we ask ourselves what

the earliest memory of feeling like this is, in order to be able to tap on specific events and memories

that could be contributing to our current challenges. As we do this there is no need to re-experience

the old emotions, we are simply tapping on the events to clear them. If you find it difficult to do this

without being upset by old emotions surfacing read the section on Healing a Major Trauma.

2. It is very common for us to believe that we have dealt with something already, and because we are

not consciously aware of it still causing us challenges, that it would be better left alone.

Unfortunately our conscious mind is only aware of a fraction of what our subconscious mind stores

for us, so our not being consciously aware of a problem does not mean that there isnt one. It is very

common when tapping to find old memories surfacing that we thought we had dealt with, that in

actual fact still have an emotional charge. When the emotions that we were not able to process

around the event are still stored in our subconscious mind and body, they have a tendency to cause

us to react to things in our lives or experience emotions, despite us not realising what is going on.

When we clear the emotional component of these old events they are no longer able to dominate our

emotional landscape, and we become free to live with true joy. It is interesting to note that those with

serious auto-immune illnesses, by way of example, tend to be people with high levels of emotional

trauma in their early childhoods. While this is an extreme example of how unprocessed emotions

continue to haunt us until we clear them, by showing up as physical examples, this can be a factor for

all of us with the everyday challenges we faced growing up, which can eventually manifest as

symptoms in our bodies.

An example of this can be seen in the authors own life:

When I heard on an EFT training DVD that allergies are often caused by not feeling safe in the world, I struggled to

comprehend how this could be relevant to me. I had been on large amounts of prescribed medication over many

years as a child and teenager, and I was convinced that my allergic reactions were a result of damage done to my

immune system by both the illness and the drugs I took in an attempt to heal. I had no conscious awareness of not

feeling safe in the world, and basically wrote this off as being irrelevant.

A little while later, while tapping on something unrelated, I remembered my mother saying that I was born in a lot

of distress, and I wondered whether perhaps I might have arrived into the world feeling unsafe. When I tapped on

my birth I had no conscious memories of it (obviously!) and felt that it was a waste of time. However while tapping

I felt a lot of emotions surface and resolve, and the end result was that I have not had an allergic reaction to

anything in the 18 months since (and in the past I reacted severely to a lot of different foods and chemicals.)

(To read more about this see Section IV - Why I am Passionate about EFT.)


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Section II How to do EFT

The Basics

There are four main parts to the EFT process, and its really important not to skip any parts when you are

first starting. The method presented here is the shortcut method, there is a longer method that you can

learn from the free EFT manual at www.emofree.com if you want to, but practitioners rarely use it now,

and find the shortcut just as effective in most cases. If you would like to watch a short demonstration of

the tapping sequence you can watch EFT Master Judy Byrne demonstrating the sequence at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b15Zhu6fEdg

If you would like to tap along with some audio files with the author leading you through the process, to

help you to learn it, after reading the basics below you can download and listen to four short files from

http://www.selfheal4me.com/Books.php

Step 1 - Estimate severity

Its a good idea to start by estimating the severity of the problem on a scale of 0 to 10, 10 being serious

distress or pain, and 0 none. A lot of people get hung up on this but its just the first number that comes

into your mind, as a benchmark so you can see if its going down. For more detail on this if required, see

Appendix N.

Step 2 - The Setup Phrase

We all have aspects of our subconscious that are not ready to heal, because part of us thinks its safer to

stay as we are. The setup phrase is designed to help all parts of us to be ready to heal.

(Note that this concept is covered in more depth in the section entitled When you want to heal but

When first learning EFT the best thing to do is just use the standard phrase and see what happens when

you do the tapping. You will only need to explore this further if you find that the standard approach is

not clearing issues for you quickly.)

With the setup phrase, you tap on the Karate Chop point (see picture on next page) with the index and

middle fingers of your dominant hand (or any other way that feels right), while you say (preferably out

loud, but in your mind if necessary):

Even though I have I completely love and accept myself 3 times

For example Even though I have this throbbing pain in my lower back, I completely love and accept myself.

Or

Even though I have this fear of heights, I completely love and accept myself.

This is often an important step. Some people want to miss it out because they feel its crazy accepting

something they dont want, but if we dont accept ourselves the way we are, we often cant get to where

we want to go. It is also really important to be as specific as possible with this. So for instance, instead of

this pain in my back, describe it as exactly as you can, for example this throbbing and pulsing pain in the

centre of my lower back etc. If you find yourself very resistant to saying I completely love and accept

myself read Appendix H and try the process there.


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Step 3 - Tapping the points

Now go through and tap each of the spots in the diagram below, about 5 to 7 times on each spot, while

saying at each spot. For example, this throbbing lower back pain or this fear of heights.

Note that the points start at the top of the head and then you move sequentially down the body, finishing

under the arm. (The gamut point is for another process detailed later in the book). Alternatively some

people like to start with the eyebrow point and finish by coming back up to the top of the head. Either

way is fine.

Note that once you have mastered the basic tapping sequence, you dont have to stick with saying the

same thing on each point. You can simply say however it is that you are feeling about the issue as you

tap through the points. Say whatever comes to mind, and really let yourself go with the flow.

Top of head - the highest point

if you trace your finger up the

midline from your nose

End of eyebrow Side of eye (on bone)

Under eye (on bone

directly under pupil) Under nose

Chin (midway between

bottom lip & chin) Collarbone (the junction

where the sternum,

collarbone and 1st rib meet

Under arm (on side of

body, at a point even

with nipple (for men)

or in the middle of bra

strap (for women)

Karate point (anywhere on part

of hand you would do a karate

chop with)

Gamut (see text for

description)


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Important: As you are tapping on the points, be mindful of any memories or emotions or thoughts or

feelings in your body that surface, and incorporate them with either the current or the next round of

tapping. As we tap our subconscious mind often gives us clues on what we need to tap on next, and

even if they initially seem unrelated, it pays to trust that they have come up for a reason and tapping

on them will most likely be useful.

Step 4 Continuation

Now you estimate the severity again, and if it has gone down, but isnt zero, you do another round, but

for this and any subsequent rounds you adjust the wording as follows:

For the setup phrase it becomes Even though I still have some of , I completely love and accept

myself, and the reminder phrase becomes remaining (each time with

replaced with your specific pain or fear etc).

So to continue the above example you would tap on the karate point with: Even though I still have this

throbbing pain in my lower back, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Then continue as above with

all the tapping points, saying this remaining throbbing lower back pain, and keep going until its down to

0, which often only takes one or two rounds.

Be sure to incorporate any memories, thoughts, emotions or feelings in your body that come up as you

are tapping, into the current or subsequent rounds.

Alternatives to Tapping

In some situations it is easier to use the Touch and Breathe Method instead of tapping. To do this simply

touch each point with your fingertips and take a deep breath, as you go through the sequence. Another

alternative that is particularly useful if you are in a public place is to simply imagine that you are tapping

on the points. Studies have shown that the same parts in the brain light up whether you are actually

doing a particular activity or simply imagining yourself doing it. It can be useful to do the tapping

physically several times before trying this technique, so that the body already knows the activity.

But thats way too simple

Many of us tend to write the simple off as not being powerful enough to really help us. The author was

guilty of this the first time she was introduced to EFT, and is so incredibly thankful that she had an

opportunity to revisit it several years later. After searching for many more answers to her chronic illness

in the intervening years, three sessions of EFT, without the assistance of a practitioner, completely

resolved her physical illness! If you would like to learn more from this story see Section IV Why I am so

Passionate about EFT.

When we first learn EFT many of us tend to be concerned about what language we should use for the

part to replace in the standard phrase. It is important to understand how EFT works and

then you can relax when it comes to the language you use. EFT works by you tuning in to an issue in

your life, and tapping while you tune in to it. The words that we use in the tapping phrases are simply to

help you to tune into the issue. We generally do the setup phrase just to be sure that we are ready to heal,

however in a lot of cases this isnt necessary. It is generally quicker to do the setup at the start of each

round than to use a method to determine whether or not it is required. If something has just happened

that has made you very angry, it pays to still say the setup statement to be sure that all parts of you are

ready to heal, but as you will already be tuned in to the issue, its likely that you wont need a reminder

phrase. By simply tapping you will probably clear the blockages associated with it. If however you are

not really tuned into an issue when you tap on it, the phrases help you to tune in to what you want to

work on.


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It can be really helpful to have a couple of sessions with an experienced EFT practitioner by phone or in

person to get up and running with EFT, however this is often not necessary at all. One of the great

benefits of working with a good EFT practitioner is simply that you will realise that more often than not,

all they are doing is taking the words you said to them and reflecting them back to you as tapping

phrases. (See Appendix L for helpful ideas for when you cant work with a practitioner.)

Simple and Powerful Method for working alone

For a simple way to start working on your own, sit down and write all you can think of about an issue, as

if you are describing it to an EFT practitioner who doesnt know anything about you. Write everything

you know about the issue, using the following questions as guidelines of areas to explore:

Describe the challenge you are having in as much detail as you can

How does it feel to have this challenge in your life?

What is your theory as to why you still have this challenge in your life?

When did the problem first occur in your life?

What was happening at that time (see above question)?

What fears, worries or concerns do you have in relation to this issue?

Is there anything else that comes to mind as you write about this that you could include?

The next step is to take every sentence you have written and turn it into a tapping statement as detailed

above (simply add Even though to the start of each sentence, and I deeply and completely love and accept

myself to the end of each sentence). Then look through the sentences and group them into groups of up

to three statements that seem to go together, and tap through each group, being sure to note what comes

to mind as you are tapping and incorporate that into the tapping. This can be a very simple and

powerful way to do your own healing.

How long should I tap for?

A common question when someone first learns EFT is, How long should I tap for on each issue? The

answer to this is basically as long as you need in order to clear the issue*, however simply tapping the

same thing over and over when you arent seeing any movement isnt the most effective way to work. If

you have a forest full of trees that you want to cut down and you are trying to fell them with a blunt saw,

it will be hard work and slow going. Just as with cutting down trees it pays to stop and sharpen a blunt

saw, the same applies to EFT if you have been tapping several rounds on something and the intensity

isnt coming down, it pays to stop and sharpen the saw. There are several ways you can do this:

1. Ask yourself whether you are being specific enough. If you are tapping on a very global issue

(for example, Even though I have bad self-esteem), its often the equivalent of trying to cut down

a tree with a blunt saw. Make your phrases more specific and you may find yourself making

much quicker progress.

2. Is the setup statement working for you? When you tap with and I deeply and completely love and

accept myself, does it feel OK, or are you finding major resistance and a feeling that you are just

saying the words but dont really buy into them? If the latter, try the process in Appendix H

Clearing Blocks to EFT.

3. If youve been tapping through various aspects of an issue over a period of time and are finding

that the issue itself just doesnt seem to be budging, try reading the Common Challenges section

to find some new approaches.

4. Some long term issues really hang in there and it just requires persistence to keep tapping and

keep dealing with aspects. In this case it can be useful to tap three times a day on the issue for a

while and watch how things change over time. Consider doing an Aspect Diagram in this case.

5. Remember to listen to your body to know when youve done enough tapping for the particular

session. If you are feeling tired, it may be that you need to rest to integrate the changes taking

place in your body as a result of the tapping that you have done.

* If you arent sure how to know whether or not you are clear on an issue, see the discussion on Need for Testing.


- 15 -

Tapping Tips

The most important thing with EFT is that you tune into the issue you want to work on and you tap. If

you have any concerns about being able to do this, then use that as the focus of your initial tapping

statement (Even though Im worried Im going to do this wrong, and I wont be able to find the right words, I

deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway.) The more you can be aware of the subtle thoughts

going through your mind surrounding the healing of the issue you are working with, the more you will

be able to shine the light of EFT on them and move forward with greater emotional freedom.

It is also important to remember that while we like to think that our conscious mind can resolve

everything, that is not in fact the case. If it was, no-one would be reading this book! As we work with

EFT we learn to respect the immense power of our subconscious, which stores so much information for

us, information that our conscious mind cannot possibly process in its entirety in each moment. With

EFT this translates to needing to be open to things arising into your mind that you may not have

previously been aware of, which could hold the keys to your resolving the issue you are working on. The

reason you are having difficulty moving on from some event, or have a physical symptom, may well be

entirely different to what you consciously believe it is!

Here are some tips on getting the most from your tapping:

Be as specific as you can. Instead of tapping with this pain in my back, describe it as specifically

as you can, for example this throbbing pain in the bottom left side of my spine Instead of low

self-esteem, tap on specific examples of things in your life that could have contributed to this

issue, like my teacher told me I was hopeless in front of the class when I was 7. It may be helpful to

do an Aspects Diagram for the issue (see Table Top and Appendix S for more information.)

If you were just starting mountain climbing, you probably wouldnt take Everest on with your

first climb. As with any new skill it pays to start with smaller more manageable issues and gain

confidence as you see things changing, instead of starting with the biggest issue in your life.

There can be many aspects to some issues, and some people stop after a few rounds and say its

just not working. That usually just means you havent got to the core of the issue and need to

keep searching for it. Simply tap on whatever comes up, knowing that as you follow the trail,

you will uncover the aspects that need to be addressed.

If you are working on something physical you may need to find the emotions or beliefs

associated with it. Doing this can be a real art. There are some very effective questions in

Appendix D and Appendix E which could help you to find the issues to tap on if you are

working on your own. If you are having difficulty with this, try posting a question on the

emofree forums to see if one of the practitioners or people using EFT for themselves can help you

out. (http://www.emofree.com/forum_landing.htm) Sometimes no matter how much we want to,

we cannot see what is in our blind spot without help.

When working with physical symptoms, including pain, a common phenomenon is to find that

the symptoms or pain move to a new area in the body as you tap. This is known as Chasing the

pain and is a very good sign. If you had a throbbing head and a slightly aching tooth, you may

well not have even noticed the aching tooth until the headache diminished. As you remove the

pain in the head, the toothache will come to the forefront of your attention. Simply keep tapping

until you no longer have symptoms or pain coming to your attention.

If you are having difficulty clearing issues, see Section III When EFT is not Working

Sometimes people have great success with EFT then just suddenly stop using it. This is

sometimes to do with that part of them that doesnt feel ready to heal. A good way to deal with

this is to tap on Even though I dont want to do EFT right now Many people using EFT for their

own healing have used EFT to get past this and go on to incorporate EFT really successfully into

their daily lives, whenever they need it.

If you would like a structured approach to healing, the Personal Peace Procedure is excellent for

giving us some structure to work through. You can find the PPP in Appendix P. Alternatively

you could pick one of the items on the summary to EFT Approaches in Appendix T.

Remember that persistence pays off!


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The Generalisation Effect and the Table Top

Often when we start tapping on an issue, we start with something very global, like Even though I have low

self-esteem. Sometimes we are lucky and the issue collapses with the global tapping, but in many cases

with long term issues that have many aspects, this global tapping is insufficient to clear the whole issue.

A metaphor that Gary Craig uses to explain this is the Table Top. Imagine that the issue you are

working on is a table top, which can only stay up if supported by a certain number of legs under the

table. With the self esteem example the table top may be I have low self esteem. You could pound on the

top of a table for decades and still not cause the table to collapse. However, if you sawed off a leg or two

(depending on how many legs there are holding the table up), the whole table top would crash down.

Its the same with the issue of self esteem the table top of low self esteem is being held up by a number

of specific events that happened earlier in your life, which resulted in your low self esteem. Simply

tapping on Even though I have low self esteem can be like pounding on the top of the table. A far more

effective way of working with EFT is to find the legs that are holding the table top up, and collapse them

one by one. So you would ask yourself, What is my earliest memory of feeling bad about myself? and work

on whatever memory comes to mind.

There are two important things to note about this metaphor:

1. Simply tapping a little on each memory or event without completely clearing the emotional

charges associated with it is like sawing a little off the bottom of each table leg the table top is

still supported, and the table doesnt fall. Lowering the emotional charge a little on several

events is not as effective as completely clearing one event.

2. There can be a tendency to think that because some issues have many, many events holding them

in place, no matter how much tapping you do on an issue, like low self esteem for example,

youll never clear it. Fortunately there is something in EFT known as the Generalisation Effect

whereby once weve cleared a certain number of the events holding the issue in place, all the rest

of the events seem to clear with them. There is no way to know how many events need to be

cleared to heal a certain issue, but it is usually only a handful of them, and even in the case of

major issues is rarely more than 5 to 20 events. A good example of this is some war veterans

who had hundreds of very traumatic memories, none of which caused upset any longer after

tapping on and clearing 3 or 4 specific events.

Another way of looking at this is to draw a comparison with gardening. If you have an overgrown area

of your garden in which many weeds are competing with each other, and you want to grow flowers

there, simply chopping the tops off some or all of the weeds will not enable you to successfully grow the

flowers. However if you pull the biggest weeds out, roots and all, they will not only not grow back, but

most likely you will find a whole lot of small weeds come out with the big weeds as you remove them.

With EFT, simply tapping a little on a wide range of issues is like chopping the tops off the weeds, they

just grow back. If instead you can work on specific events that resulted in the challenge you face, you

will find yourself making lasting progress much more rapidly. Like with targeting the biggest weeds in

the garden, it pays to target the biggest contributors to the issue in your life, which tend to be the earliest

memories you have associated with the challenge.

A good example of this can be seen in the EFT Course DVDs, where a woman works with Gary tapping

on the earliest memory she had of ongoing sexual abuse, and after clearing that memory (which was very

traumatic to her and caused her to be so upset she couldnt say the words as she tapped), she was unable

to get upset thinking about any further instances of the abuse. (Note that in this case Gary was working

quickly on the side of the stage at a conference and did not have the luxury of time to approach it more

gently. When working on your own or with a practitioner, you do not need to work in a way that results

in you becoming upset by thinking about the specific memories. See the section on Using EFT to heal a

major trauma for more information on this.)


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9 Gamut process

The 9 gamut process is a part of the long form of EFT that was originally taught, which is not used a lot

these days. However this process can be very powerful in removing all the links in our brain to traumatic

events, and some practitioners believe it is very important to perform this process when clearing

traumatic events. The most common initial reaction to the process is that it is too complicated, but once

youve done it one or two times, you soon get the hang of it. The second most common reaction is that it

just seems too strange to even consider! The process involves moving your eyes in certain directions,

counting, and humming, and does seem rather strange. It is designed to activate the left and right

hemispheres of the brain, and to clear all the different areas of the brain, as you perform the actions while

simultaneously tapping on the gamut point (see below) and tuning in to the issue.

The gamut point is on the back of either hand and is 1/2 inch behind the midpoint between the knuckles

at the base of the ring finger and the little finger. If you draw an imaginary line between the knuckles at

the base of the ring finger and little finger and consider that line to be the base of an equilateral triangle

whose other sides converge to a point (apex) in the direction of the wrist, then the gamut point would be

located at the apex of the triangle. (See diagram of tapping points.)

In most cases you will find that this process is not necessary. If however you are finding an issue is

taking a long time to clear, it would be well worth trying. As you follow the directions, take your time,

tapping gently and spending several seconds on each step, and making sure that as you move to each

step you bring the issue to mind again to tune in to it.

Here are the 9 steps which are done, while simultaneously tapping on the gamut point and tuning in to

the issue:

1. Close your eyes.

2. Open your eyes.

3. Turn your eyes hard down right while holding the head steady.

4. Turn eyes hard down left while holding the head steady.

5. Roll eyes in a circle as though your nose was at the center of a clock and you were trying to see all

the numbers in order.

6. Same as #5 only reverse the direction in which you roll your eyes.

7. Hum 2 seconds of a song (suggest Happy Birthday).

8. Count from 1 to 5.

9. Hum 2 seconds of a song again.

If you find that you are clearing issues without using the 9 gamut process, then there is no need to use it

at all. If however you are having difficulty clearing something, or are working with a very traumatic

event, it is recommended that you try this process. If you havent done it before, or are having trouble

remembering the 9 steps while being tuned in to the issue you are working with, you can follow an audio

file with the author leading you through the process. The file can be downloaded from

http://www.selfheal4me.com/Books.php.


- 18 -

The Choices Method

Dr Patricia Carrington has developed a variant of EFT that is used widely by practitioners and those

using EFT for themselves, and is highly endorsed by the creator of EFT, Gary Craig. With this method,

the setup statement is modified, and in place of the I deeply and completely love and accept myself, we use a

choice that reflects where we would like to be with the issue. For example, if you are upset about

something, and want to be able to calm down and move on from it, you could tap on the karate point

with:

Even though Im so upset about this I can hardly think straight, I choose to relax, breath deeply and calm down.

This method is such a powerful way to move through issues quickly, and is well worth learning. You can

learn all you need to know to use the Choices Method for yourself from Dr Carringtons e-book, which is

available to download free of charge at

http://www.masteringeft.com/PDFs/TheMagicofChoicesinEFT.pdf.

The Writing on our Walls

This metaphor, which is a favourite of Gary Craig, is a powerful way of thinking about what limits us,

and aiding us to track down beliefs that we can tap on to release ourselves from what is holding us back

from achieving our dreams. It is also a very important concept to understand from the point of view of

using EFT to heal. If you are not familiar with this concept you can read about it in Gary Craigs series

The Palace of Possibilities. (http://www.emofree.com/palaceof.htm) Once you understand this concept,

you will be able to use it to search out the writing on your walls that is resulting in you not achieving

your dreams, including great physical health.

Specific uses for EFT

Using EFT with Physical Illnesses

The best place to start with any physical illness is to work specifically with the symptoms. EFT Master

Rue Hass has a great series of questions that she asks to help find things to tap on for physical symptoms.

You can read these questions in Appendix E. Dr Carol Look also has a very useful series of questions

available to assist you with healing physical illnesses. You can read the questions in Appendix D.

If you are struggling with understanding how it is possible that emotions can contribute to a physical

illness, it may be useful to read an article written by a doctor explaining how cancer can develop as a

result of repressed emotions, you can read the article at http://www.alternative-cancer-

care.com/The_Cancer_Personality.html

Using EFT to Lose Weight

EFT has been used successfully by many people to lose weight. Dr Carol Look has written down the

protocol she has used to help a lot of her clients to achieve their ideal weight. Ideally you would work

through this protocol with a practitioner or a friend you can rely on to help you to be objective, but

people have also had success working through the protocol on their own. The protocol can be found in

Appendix F.

Using EFT to Stop Smoking

Dr Carol Look has used EFT very successfully to help many people stop smoking. She has generously

shared the protocol that she uses. Ideally you would work through this with a practitioner or a friend

you can rely on to help you to be objective, but people have also had success working through the

protocol on their own. The protocol can be found in Appendix G.


- 19 -

Using EFT to heal Chronic Physical Pain

For many of us with chronic pain, we have either been told it is due to an abnormality on a scan, the

result of a physical accident that we were involved in, or that its all in our head because no abnormalities

have been found. In an interview of pain expert Dr John Sarno by Medscape, Dr Sarno stated:

Here's an example: There was a paper published in 1994 by a doctor and her colleagues in the New England Journal

of Medicine. They performed MRIs on about 98 people who had no history of back pain. The researchers found

normal discs in only 36% of the people. Everyone else had bulges, herniations of various kinds, and so on, and yet

no pain.

Dr Sarno has shown in thousands of cases that an abnormality in the spine does not necessarily result in

pain. He has had great success in helping people to heal from chronic pain, by clearing the emotional

issues associated with the physical pain, and helping them to be free of it whether they have some

abnormalities in that area of their body or not. EFT is an excellent way to heal chronic physical pain.

EFT Master Rue Hass has written an excellent series of articles that has been published on the EFT

website (http://www.emofree.com/Pain-management/chronic-pain-rue.htm), that is very helpful in

working through any issues with chronic pain. If you are serious about healing chronic pain, it is

recommended that you study this series of articles and work through the tapping that arises as a result of

them. This series of articles is very long. If you would prefer to work with a printed book, all the

information in these articles and more is available in Rue Hass inexpensive book Opening the Cage of

Pain with EFT.

EFT Master Paul Lynch has also written an excellent article entitled The Colour of Pain which is

available from http://www.emofree.com/Pain-management/color-of-pain.htm.

For an example of how someone has healed chronic pain with EFT, see the story about Back Pain in the

Introduction to this book.

Using EFT for Depression

Another area where there has been a lot of success using EFT is with depression. In some cases people

are able to clear the sadness and underlying emotions simply by tapping on how they are feeling on their

own, others find that support from an experienced practitioner is invaluable. Like with most issues with

EFT, there is a wide range of stories, from incredible one minute wonders where years and years of

depression has been resolved in moments with tapping, to cases where a lot of persistence is required to

track down the causation and clear it with the tapping. A search on the emofree website returns many

cases with suggested approaches on working with depression using EFT.

Using EFT to heal a Major Trauma

If you are interested in learning EFT because you have experienced a major trauma in your life anything

that has been difficult for you to move on from, for example the loss of a loved one, an accident, sexual

abuse it could be a good idea for you to work with a practitioner if this is at all possible. If this isnt

possible for any reason, then following the guidelines on the next page may make the process easier for

you:.


- 20 -

If you are new to EFT, try working on a few smaller issues for yourself before taking on the big

ones, so that you are comfortable with the tapping and have found ways that work best for you.

This can help you to build confidence with the process, and make it easier when you sit down to

tap on the major issues.

There is tremendous power in there being another person there to support us in our healing.

Sometimes it is simply not possible for us to feel safe and supported enough to heal a major issue

if we are working alone. A supportive way to work can be to sit down with a trusted friend who

knows a little about EFT, who you can support you. Be sure to have your friend read the emofree

tutorial on the Tearless Trauma Technique (see Appendix A) and understand it prior to you

starting the tapping. The tutorials on the Tell the Story Technique (Appendix B) and the Movie

Technique (Appendix C) are also both important ones for you and your friend to understand.

Also ensure that you and your friend have read Appendix L, which gives guidelines for being a

supportive healing buddy.

It is NOT necessary to re-experience the emotions and details of the trauma in order to heal. The

best way to heal trauma is to take it very gently, and avoid re-traumatising yourself as a result of

thinking about things that really upset you. If you are easily overwhelmed by emotions, really

take the time to tap on this with EFT with the help of your friend before even considering

tapping on the trauma. Tap with all your concerns about how you might feel when you tap on

the trauma, and dont continue to work with the main issue until you feel ready to.

Sometimes when we are doing EFT, no matter how gently we tread, we find ourselves in the

midst of strong emotions. If at any stage this happens for you, simply stop talking, and continue

tapping, and focus on your breathing. While it's uncomfortable to be overwhelmed with tears or

emotion, it does mean that you are really tuned in to the issue and is a real opportunity to keep

tapping, and to let go of a lot of what has been causing you pain.

It is important to realise that when we go through any major trauma, it is quite common for a

part of us to be frozen in time, unable to move forward and process what happened to us. For

this reason it is very important to work very gently with EFT with any major traumas, taking the

time to hear the feelings inside of us, and if necessary dialogue with the different parts of us to

hear how they feel. If, for example, you sit down to do some EFT with a friend and you find

yourself saying that a part of you doesnt want to even go there, then that is the place to start

working Even though a part of me doesnt want to go there, I deeply and completely love and accept

myself. Tap on this or any similar thoughts that are coming up and deal with all the feelings

associated to these thoughts prior to even considering working with the Tearless Trauma

Technique.

Sometimes we may consciously decide it is time for us to move on from something that has

happened to us, but a part of us isnt ready to do so. The more we can bring compassion to the

parts of us that are not ready to heal, and listen to their stories with empathy, the gentler our

healing process is. Listen carefully for the ways you talk about what happened to you, and ask

your friend to listen carefully for any beliefs that you may have taken on as a result of the

trauma. Often, for example, when a parent has lost a child to an accident, they have a belief that

it should have been them instead. Sometimes it is very difficult for us to see these beliefs, and

that is why working with a practitioner can be supportive. However if that isnt possible, by

working with a friend you trust, and talking through how you are feeling (preferably while

tapping), you may be able to identify the points of view and beliefs that you took on as a result of

the trauma, and therefore tap on them.

If you arent able to get any intensity around something that you are sure is still affecting you,

one possible approach is to ask yourself whether you are able to forgive everyone involved in the

trauma, including yourself. The purpose of this question is not to be able to answer a particular

way, but rather to help you to see any issues that may still be standing between you and peace on

the issue. In most cases where we feel that we are unable to forgive, it indicates that there are still

emotions blocked in our system that we need to tap to release. If you arent sure what the

emotions are, simply tap on how you are feeling, for example, Even though there is just no way I

could even consider forgiving John for this, or myself, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. For

more on forgiveness, see the section Forgiveness as Healer.


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Using EFT to release Limiting Beliefs

Sometimes instead of working with physical illness or pain or trauma, we simply have something that

isnt working in our lives the way we want it to. Perhaps we are struggling to earn a living doing

something we love, having difficulty finding a long term partner, struggling financially, or simply feel

that we are not living the best life we could be. EFT is great for working with limiting beliefs and

releasing them and enabling us to create the sort of life we desire. An excellent way to work with

limiting beliefs is to use a process that Rue Hass kindly shared in an article on the emofree website. Here

are the statements Rue suggests working through to find leads to tap on

(sourced from http://www.emofree.com/Articles2/wild-pony-within.htm):

"I had to __________ or else___________"

A BELIEF (behavior, outlook on life, self-image...) about this that I got from my family is...

That has created a problem in my life because (or when - )...

A good example of that was that (particular, specific) time when...

The worst part of that particular incident was...

That made me feel...

It made me think I was...

I feel that in my body here:

Sometimes I even think maybe I don't deserve...

But deep inside, I yearn for...

If I had that I would feel...

So now.... I forgive myself. I was doing the best I could. I choose to ___________ instead.

Using EFT for Phobias

Another area that EFT has been very successful is in clearing phobias and in doing so, giving many

people the freedom to do something that they formerly would have been terrified to even consider.

There are lots of stories about phobias on the EFT website.

Sometimes phobias clear rapidly, just after tapping on the basic phobia (for example, Even though Im

terrified of flying) and other times a phobia is found to have a number of aspects which need to be dealt

with, before the phobia clears. The easiest way to work with phobias is to just keep imagining yourself

doing the activity, and see what comes to the forefront as the worst part of it, and tapping on that, then

imagining it again, repeating as many times as necessary.

Sometimes it is also necessary to ask what your earliest memory of a response to whatever is causing

your phobia is. Often when we tap on the earliest memory we have of something, which may have been

quite traumatic to us as a child, even if it seems silly looking back on it as an adult, this can result in us

letting go of a phobia weve had for many, many years.

See the section on Need for Testing for an approach to testing how you are going with a phobia.


- 22 -

Using EFT for Kids and Animals

Children and animals often respond rapidly to EFT. Obviously for babies, very young children and

animals it is not possible to teach them the process themselves, but you can tap for them in one of two

ways:

Tapping on the points on their body for them as you say the phrases

Tapping surrogately for them, on your own body, while saying the phrases.

While theories abound as to why it is possible for someone to tap on themselves for another, none of us

really understand how it works. It is one of the seemingly strangest parts of EFT, and yet it has been

shown time and time again to be highly effective, so many of us use it regularly.

To tap for someone else, simply tap on yourself intending for it to be for the other person or animal. If

you would prefer, you can change the phrases to use their name (Even though Mary is upset and just cant

stop crying). For children, instead of using the standard Even though I deeply and completely love and

accept myself, the phrase Even though... Im a great kid and my parents love me very much is more suitable.

A search on the emofree website will reveal many, many cases where children and animals have

benefited from someone doing EFT on their behalf. There are also articles giving ideas of how you can

teach children to do EFT for themselves once they are able to follow the tapping, and many children are

able to clear the issues of the day rather than letting small upsets become big ones.

For more information on Surrogate Tapping, see Appendix M. For some excellent ideas on tapping to

clear any birth trauma for your children see http://www.sageenergetics.com/EFTforParenting.html

Using EFT for Hayfever and Allergies

EFT is a powerful way to heal allergic reactions, including reactions to foods, and hayfever symptoms.

There seem to be two different types of allergies, from the perspective of using EFT:

1. Reactions to a specific substance, or a limited number of specific substances, whether a particular

food or pollen etc.

2. Reactions to a wide range of different substances.

For the first type, simply tracking down when the first reaction occurred, and asking what was

happening in the persons life at that time, and tapping on whatever comes up, is often sufficient to clear

the allergy. An example of this is where someone had experienced hayfever symptoms for the last 15

years, each spring, and it was traced back to a particularly emotional time during spring in the year that

she first had the reactions. Tapping on the emotional issues from 15 years ago resulted in the person

going through the next spring without any symptoms of hayfever at all (much to the amazement of her

family, who like she had in the past, all suffered from these symptoms each spring.)

For the second type of reactions, some more investigation is often required. Many practitioners who

work with clients with environmental illnesses and allergies have noticed that nearly all of these clients

have a deep subconscious belief that they are vulnerable and cannot keep themselves safe. This belief

often goes back to early childhood experiences, including in some cases a traumatic birth. Working on

the theme of Im not safe can result in all the reactions clearing (see the section Why I am passionate

about EFT for an example of this.) Also see Appendix H for some ideas on exploring the safety theme.

NB: For serious allergic reactions, it is probably better to work with a qualified practitioner. DO NOT test

a serious allergic reaction without taking appropriate cautions (for e.g. having medical staff available).


- 23 -

Section III - When EFT is Not Working

Note that it is recommended that you dont read this section until you have tried the basics as outlined

in Section II, a few times on some simple issues for yourself. In many cases, that is all that is required

to heal an issue. This section details ideas for working with more complex issues, and is best read

after trying EFT on simpler issues a few times.

Common Challenges

Here are some common challenges with EFT, with suggested approaches to deal with them:

I have no idea where to start 1. Try the Simple and Powerful Method for Working Alone

2. Read the example of how a tapping session might unfold in

Appendix O.

3. Once youve worked with EFT on something simple and had

success with that, consider trying the Personal Peace

Procedure (Appendix P), which gives a structured approach

to healing that can help us to clear a few issues each day.

Alternatively, pick something from the EFT Approaches

Summary in Appendix T, or try an Aspects Diagram

(Appendix S).

Nothing I tap on seems to be

clearing

1. Read through the whole of Section III, noting anything that

might help you to use EFT in a fresh way.

2. Consider working with a trusted friend (Appendix L)

3. For more ideas, read EFT Master Lindsay Kennys excellent

10 Ways to Ensure Success with EFT

(http://www.emofree.com/Articles2/ensure-eft-success.htm)

Im frustrated that Im not a one

minute wonder

Read the section below entitled Why arent I a One Minute

Wonder?

I cant use the 0 - 10 scale Read Appendix N.

Im tapping and its getting worse

not better

Read the section below entitled Im tapping and its getting worse,

not better

I want to heal but I just dont want

to do EFT for my issues

1. Read the section below entitled When you want to heal but...

2. Try working with a trusted friend (Appendix L)

Ive hit something I dont want to

deal with, or am afraid to deal with

1. Read the section below entitled When you want to heal but...

2. Read Appendix R When its just too scary to go there

3. Try working with a trusted friend (Appendix L)

Its just too traumatic Read Healing a Major Trauma and consider working with a friend

I have real difficulty accessing my

feelings while tapping

1. Read Its just not working for me

2. Try working with the Inner Child (Appendix Q)

Its too overwhelming to know

what to work on, I need some

structure to help me do this

1. Read Appendix P A Structure for Healing The Personal

Peace Procedure

2. Try an Aspects Diagram (Appendix S)

Ive been tapping on everything I

can think of and Ive still got the

problem

1. Its just not working for me

2. Read Appendix I Finding Core Issues

3. Read the section Using the Choices Method to clear blocks

4. Try the 9 Gamut process

5. Read Section V Reflections on Healing

6. Try a conversation with the Inner Child (Appendix Q)

7. If you havent already, try the process in Appendix P The

Alternate Personal Peace Procedure or an Aspects Diagram

(Appendix S)

Nothing is working for me Read the section below entitled When nothing else is working


- 24 -

Why arent I a one minute wonder?

The One Minute Wonder is much touted in EFT circles and often when someone doesnt heal their

issue within a few rounds of tapping, they wonder why its not working for them. It is very important to

realise that while there are a significant number of One Minute Wonders, and sometimes they heal issues

that go a long way back with a big emotional charge, they are not the norm. Healing is a process, and for

some issues all that is needed is to tap and clear the energy blockage while tuning into the bigger picture

of the issue. Its great when that happens, but it is definitely not the norm with a chronic physical illness

or long term pattern.

The more common healing process is one where we work through each aspect that has resulted in

blockages in our energy system. While this can seem time consuming next to the One Minute Wonders, a

good way to look at this is to realise that the more time you spend tapping, the more issues you heal! If

you clear something in one round of tapping, you are unlikely to get to know yourself better, or to clear

issues on other seemingly unrelated matters. When there are several aspects to an issue, and you tap

through each one clearing it, inevitably you end up covering ground that reaches into other areas of your

life as well. You might be working on issue A, but find that issues B, C & D all ultimately have the same

core beliefs. When you resolve the core beliefs underlying issue A, all of a sudden issues B, C & D no

longer seem to bother you. This happens rarely, if at all, with One Minute Wonders.

Gary Craig often says that the three most important aspects of EFT are persistence, persistence and.

persistence! If you tap a round on an issue and it clears just like that - great. If not, keep tapping, keep

exploring the aspects and know that as you do so, you are moving to greater emotional freedom in many

areas of your life. Remember that in most cases its taken you years to create the blockages, so a little

patience is warranted in clearing them. If you are having trouble finding the patience, remember that the

medical and counselling roads are generally a lot longer and fraught with side effects and frustration!

When you want to heal but

Quite a common experience with healing is to learn about a new method, think that it sounds like it

might be worth trying, but just not get around to actually using it. Our head thinks its a good idea, but

there always seems to be a reason why we dont do it. Or we start tapping, and something comes up that

we really dont want to have to deal with, so we find a good reason not to continue with the tapping.

Usually when this happens, whether we realise it or not, there is a voice in our head providing running

commentary along the lines of how hopeless we are that we dont just get on with it and resolve the issue

we want to be free of (moving us even further away from the emotional freedom we are seeking!).

To understand how common this is with EFT, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Have I ever made a New Years Resolution?

2. Have I ever made it to the 20th of January and realised that the New Years Resolution has gone

completely out the window?

If you answered yes to each of these questions, welcome to the human race! Just as most people have

consciously decided that they are going to do something at the beginning of the year, only to find that it

just didnt happen, nearly all of us have some resistance to dealing with the unresolved emotions

underlying the issues that are still bothering us. Unfortunately instead of holding ourselves with

empathy and a curiosity which would allow the reasons for our resistance to be heard and dissolved,

most of us unwittingly add more pressure to ourselves by beating ourselves up for not doing what we

decided to do.


- 25 -

Anyone who has spent much time in EFT circles will have heard the phrase PR (Psychological Reversal)

bandied about. Its the reason why we do the setup statement, and its a part of EFT that receives a lot of

attention. Essentially having PR means that while a part of you wants to heal something, another part of

you might not. It is the force in action that prevents you from sticking with your New Years Resolutions,

even though you were determined to do so. It is common to hear someone saying that they are

reversed on healing an issue, when using EFT.

Here is a way of looking at this that can be very supportive. When you really look closely, you are likely

to find that there really is no definitive I that is feeling something, but rather when we think I, it is

really a collection of feelings, thoughts and beliefs, some of which are completely inconsistent with each

other (for example I really want to stop smoking and Smoking is OK, it gives me the relaxation I need).

Instead of seeing ourselves as reversed on healing an issue, with the inherent judging that inevitably

seems to come with this, we can approach our healing with the attitude that there are simply unheard

stories inside of us, that make up the different thoughts and feelings we have. When we aren't

consciously aware of the thoughts and feelings, they have a tendency to work in the opposite direction to

where we are heading, like children who appear obstinate when they are told to do something they don't

want to, without the parent taking the time to hear their objections. If we take the time to sit down and

listen to the thoughts and feelings inside of us, just as we would with an upset child, the reasons for the

upset can bubble up to the surface, and more often than not, once the "resistance" is truly heard, it

dissolves and we are able to move forward.

Blocks to us doing EFT, that show up in the form of resistance to even trying the tapping, are often major

indications of areas that we need to work in. Most of us grew up in situations where our parents simply

lacked the ability to teach us how to deal with all of our emotions, because they hadnt been taught

themselves. As we grow up, we therefore become pretty smart at finding ways to protect ourselves and

feel OK, even if we cant process all the things that happen to us emotionally. So rather than being

simply a pain in the butt, that internal resistance to doing the tapping is most likely your friend, who has

been helping you to function in the world for a long time. Instead of beating yourself up about not

moving forward, you can simply see the resistance as a friend inside of you who has been doing

something for you, and use EFT to hear that friends story and in doing so, allow the blocks to you doing

EFT to dissolve.

So if you find yourself wanting to clear an issue but are just not getting around to using EFT to do it, or

you are really resistant to doing EFT for some reason, then you can use the EFT process to clear these

blocks to your healing. Heres an example of where this might be useful:

It is very common for people to deci

You CAN Heal With EFT

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