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Welcome to part three of your EFT Tapping journey. We are going to be with you every step of the way and if you have any questions or comments please get in touch. gary(@)eftworldmagazine.com In this edition we feature... •
PERSONAL PEACE PROCEDURE
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DAILY TAPPING
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WHEN EFT DOESN'T WORK
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COLLARBONE BREATHING
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COGNITIVE BELIEF SHIFTS
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WHAT IS AN ABREACTION?
PART THREE Feel free to read the information below, listen to the audio or download to your computer. We have more information in the next edition. You can also download the complete introduction to the Emotional Freedom Technique in the EFT Tapping Hub at: http://www.eftworldmagazine.com Email: gary@eftworldmagazine.com
PERSONAL PEACE PROCEDURE (Taken from Gary Craig's website emofree.com) "If you are ultimately going to do something important that will make a real difference, do it now" Howard Wight The personal peace procedure that I am about to unfold for you is not just a way to feel a little more peaceful. Properly understood, this technique should be the healing centre piece for every person on earth. Every physician, therapist, spiritual counsellor and personal performance coach in the world should be using it as a leading edge tool for helping others and themselves. 3
In essence, the personal peace procedure involves making a list of every bothersome specific event in one's life and systematically EFTing their impacts out of existence. By diligently doing this we can pull out every negative tree from our emotional forests and thus eliminate major causes of our emotional and physical ailments. This, of course, propels each individual toward personal peace which, in turn, contributes mightily toward world peace Here are some uses. 1) As homework between sessions with a physician or therapist, this is certain to accelerate and deepen the healing process 2) As a daily procedure to clear out a lifetime of accumulated emotional debris, this will enhance self-image, reduce self-doubt and provide a profound sense of freedom 3) As a means to eliminate a major contributor (if not sole cause) of a serious disease. Somewhere within one's specific events are those angers, fears and traumas that are manifesting as disease. By addressing them all, you will likely cover those responsible for the disease 4) As a useful substitute for finding core issues. If you neutralize all the specific issues you will have automatically included core issues. 5) As a means for consistent relaxation 6) To become an example to others as to what is possible This simple concept should shift the entire healing field. I can state it in a sentence: Most of our emotional and physical problems are caused (or contributed to) by our unresolved, specific events, the vast majority of which can be easily handled by EFT. Not bad for a mere engineer, eh? That sentence, if adopted by every healing practitioner and patient, would likely: 1) Dramatically increase our healing rates while 2) Precipitously dropping our costs Please note that this idea completely ignores chemical causes such as those propounded by the medical model. That is because I have repeatedly seen improvements in clients where drugs and other chemical solutions have failed miserably. This is not to say, however, that drugs, proper nutrition and the like don't have their place. Indeed they do. They can often be vital. In my experience, however, our unresolved specific events are nearer the foundational cause for illness than anything else. Thus they deserve our primary attention. How obvious! Experienced EFT'ers are well aware of EFT's ability to cleanly wipe the negative specific events off our mental walls. This is the area wherein our highest success ratios appear. To date, however, we have focused our efforts on those negative specific events that underlie a given ailment such as a phobia, headache or traumatic incident. This is good, very good, and we should continue doing so. 4
On the other hand, why not use EFT on all the other specific events that are behind our more generalized, but very important, issues such as: • • • • • • •
self image anxiety depression persistent insomnia addictions compulsions feelings of abandonment
As you eliminate the emotional baggage from your specific events you will, of course, have less and less internal conflict for your system to deal with. Less internal conflict translates into a higher level of personal peace and less emotional and physical suffering. For many, this procedure will likely result in the complete cessation of lifelong issues that other methods have not touched. How is that for peace in a paragraph? The same applies to physical ailments as well. I am talking here about everything from headaches, breathing difficulties and digestive disorders to AIDS, MS and cancer. It is becoming more widely accepted that our physical maladies are caused (or contributed to) by unresolved angers, traumas, guilt, grief and the like. Many physicians in recent years are coming to the conclusion that emotional strife is a major cause of serious disease. Until now, however, there hasn't been an effective way to eliminate these health bandits. We can mask them with drugs, of course, but true cures have been hard to find. Fortunately, EFT and its many cousins now provide easy and elegant tools that will aid the serious health practitioner in killing the root causes of disease, instead of the patient! What I share here is not a substitute for quality EFT training nor is it a substitute for quality help from a masterful EFT practitioner. Rather, it is a tool that properly applied, is capable of wide ranging relief; quality training or quality assistance will add to its effectiveness. 1) Make a list of every bothersome specific event you can remember. If you don't find at least 50 you are either going at this half-heartedly or you have been living on some other planet. Many people will find hundreds. 2) While making your list you may find that some events don't seem to cause you any current discomfort. That is OK. List them anyway. The mere fact that you remember them suggests a need for resolution. 3) Give each specific event a title, as though it was a mini movie. E.g. "Dad hit me in the kitchen" 4) When the list is complete, pick out the biggest redwoods in your negative forest and apply EFT to each of them until you either laugh about it or can't think about it any more. Be sure to notice any aspects that may come up and consider them separate trees in your negative forest. Apply EFT to them accordingly. Be sure to keep after each event until it is resolved. If you cannot get a zero to 10 intensity level on a particular movie then assume you are repressing it and apply 10 full rounds of EFT on it from every angle you can think of. This gives you a high possibility for resolving it. After the big redwoods have been removed, go to the next biggest trees. 5
5) Do at least one movie (specific event) per day, preferably three, for three months. It only takes minutes per day. At this rate you will have resolved 90 to 270 specific events I three months. Then notice how our body feels better. Note too how your threshold for getting upset is much lower. Note how your relationships are better and how many of your therapy type issues just don't seem to be there any more. Revisit some of those specific events and notice how those previously intense incidences have faded into nothingness. Note any improvements in your blood pressure, pulse and breathing ability. I ask you to consciously notice these things because, unless you do, the quality healing you will have undergone will seem so subtle that you may not notice it. You may even dismiss it saying, "Oh well, it was never much of a problem anyway". This happens repeatedly with EFT and thus I bring it to your awareness. 6) If you are taking medications, you may feel the need to discontinue them. Please do so only under the advice of a qualified physician.
DAILY TAPPING My mini movie for today is: Intensity level now zero to 10 ______________ Say three times "Even though I have this ________________________ movie, I accept myself as I am" Reminder phrase "_________________________movie" Intensity level now zero to 10_______________ (Work on what comes up for you or move on to the next section) Say three times "Even though I have this fear or anxiety about ______________________I deeply and completely love and accept myself" Reminder phrase "Anxiety/fear/insecurity about _____________________" (whatever issue causes the fear etc) Intensity level now zero to 10 ______________ (Work on what comes up for you or move on to the next section) Say three times "Even though until now I have had this anxiety/fear/insecurity about _____________________________ (whatever issue causes the fear etc), I now let go and feel totally secure and capable of dealing with this". Reminder phrase "Anxiety/fear/insecurity about ________________"(whatever issue causes your fear) Intensity level now zero to 10 ______________ (Work on what comes up for you)
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Alternative Quick Method This works well for depression, feelings of hopelessness and guilt. Tap above your upper lip and say, "I completely accept myself with all my problems and limitations" three times. Using your intuition, tap any other points. See what comes up for you after tapping in this way and then get creative and make some of your own phrases. The more tapping that you do the more you will become a master in the art of the Emotional Freedom Techniques. IF YOU GET STUCK (Taken from Gary Craig's website emofree.com) Remember that most issues are like an onion: as you peel off one layer, there is another and another until finally all layers are gone. Each time a new layer appears, you are a little closer to your goal. If you have difficulty focusing on the problem, try one of the following: 1) Create an image of the problem in your mind and notice how you feel about the problem. As you think about the problem, locate any place in your body where you feel discomfort or tension and focus your attention on that physical sensation. Continue using the technique, following that physical sensation and any sense of physical discomfort that arises until you feel physically neutral. Focus your attention on the problem and pay attention to any negative thoughts that come up. Say them aloud, with feeling. Continue using the techniques following any new thoughts until you feel complete. 2) BREATHE 3) Drink lots of water! Energy flows easier when you are well hydrated. Avoid all dehydrating foods and beverages such as chocolate, coffee and alcohol if you can. 4) Balance your energy. Use whatever technique is most effective for you, including Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, Brain Gym, any form of exercise not forgetting walking outside in nature. 5) Consciously connect to spirit. Allow yourself to feel your connection in whatever way is most effective for you. 6) Eliminate toxins. Many common household products can block or interfere with your energy. A prime example is the detergent Tide. 7) If all else fails call me! We can work together on the phone. It is my hope that the Personal Peace Procedure becomes a worldwide routine. A few minutes a day will make a monumental difference in your quality of life. But these are meaningless words unless you put the idea into practice. "If you are ultimately going to do something important that will make a real difference, do it now" You can learn The Basic Recipe from reading the manual and watching the first EFT videotape. 7
From there, many people go out into the world and apply it to clients, friends and family, often with superb results (including some "one minute wonders"). However, if they don't study the rest of the EFT Course (in proper order), these practitioners are certain to scratch their heads in some instances and say "it doesn't work."
WHEN EFT DOESN'T WORK (Taken from Gary Craig's website emofree.com) Introduction to this extensive answer: When progress with EFT seems stopped, or it seems like "it doesn't work" EFT is usually not the problem. Rather, the reason for the lack of progress can most often be traced to the inexperience of the user. Why do I say this? Because those who master EFT don't miss very often. They not only get their share of "one minute wonders" but, compared to conventional techniques, impressive progress is also made for just about any problem with an emotional cause, including many physical ailments. In those cases where the masters are stumped, however, they don't point the finger at EFT for "not working." Rather, the masters ask themselves questions like: What's in the way here? What have I not seen yet? What core issue have I been unable to find? I'm not saying here that EFT is a panacea for everything. It won't paint your toenails, for example, nor will it allow you to drink gasoline. But just about anything that has an emotional cause, including many physical ailments, is a clear candidate for EFT. It often works beautifully, even in the hands of a beginner. But that doesn't mean we have perfection here. We are still learning and should give thanks for those "tough cases" that challenge us to perfect our skills. Those who want to achieve mastery of EFT will be interested in the following reasons why it sometimes appears that EFT "doesn't work." The EFT course was not completed properly I know it is tempting to skip through all those video tapes and audio tapes to get to "your topics." Many people do this despite the instructions given on the first page of the EFT Manual. This often results in taking the EFT Course out of order or, even worse, ignoring parts of the course altogether. When this happens, the importance of certain topics (e.g. aspects, psychological reversal, being specific, persistence, etc.) go unappreciated and are ineffectively used. You can learn the basic recipe from reading the manual and watching the first EFT videotapes. From there, many people go out into the world and apply it to clients, friends and family, often with superb results (including some "one minute wonders"). However, if they don't study the rest of the EFT course (in proper order), these practitioners are certain to scratch their heads in some instances and say "it doesn't work". Maybe psychological reversal needs to be done more emphatically. 8
Maybe the client is actually making progress but is shifting aspects behind the scenes. Maybe the core issue hasn't been discovered yet. Maybe the problem is being approached too globally. Maybe, maybe, maybe. These topics, as well as many of the other topics in this Question and Answer section, are covered in the EFT course. The EFT course not only teaches the basic recipe in great detail but it also goes on to display the art of delivery with over 80 people in live sessions. You see and hear how people respond. You are taught ways to get at core issues and how to deal with aspects, psychological reversal etc. And because it's all on videotape you can watch it repeatedly to pick up more fine points. The more fine points you pick up the more masterful you will be and the less you will say, "it doesn't work." I can't emphasize this "take-the-EFT-course-properly" suggestion too strongly. Therein lies the foundational problem beneath almost every "it doesn't work" claim I've ever heard. In the hands of an artist, EFT can restore clients' lives into the living masterpieces they were meant to be. For a practitioner to fall short of that is to miss the real "juice" in this procedure. The problem is being approached too globally The EFT course stresses the value of being specific where you can. Some people tap on generalized anxiety (a very global problem) and wonder why their results are either temporary or non-existent. The reason is because global items such as generalized anxiety, self image problems, persistent anger, childhood abuse, etc. are comprised of numerous specific past events. The sum total of all of one's specific fears, rejections, traumas, guilt, etc. evolve into such global problems as generalized anxiety and self image problems. Approaching the problem too globally is a fairly common error by newcomers. To illustrate, here's a letter I just received along these lines: "I cannot successfully treat my own generalized anxiety disorder. I have used EFT while focusing on "my anxiety problem" or the binge eating, or generalized mental paralysis that sometimes ensues, and I feel slightly better following, but there is no lasting effect." Usually we need to break a global issue down into its specific parts and neutralize each of them independently. This is clearly illustrated on "six days at the VA," a videotape in our EFT course wherein EFT is applied to our Vietnam veterans. Rich, the first vet on the tape, had "over 100 war memories that were 10". These contributed to his more general ailment known as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We used EFT with a couple of specific events on film and Rich worked with three or four other specific events on his own. As a result, all 100 of the memories faded and ceased to bother him. You can tap on a global issue, of course, and still make headway. However, the progress will usually seem gradual as the process will tend to chip away at the various aspects of the larger problem. One advantage of working with specific events is that we can usually provide relief for them rather rapidly, thereby allowing the client to recognize the result immediately. Another advantage is that, after knocking down a few of those negative trees in that negative forest, the whole forest tends to fall. It's as though each of the individual specific trees have items in common with all the rest of the trees. A generalization effect tends to occur and the whole problem becomes cleared. I have seen this many, many times.
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The set-up was not performed completely enough The set-up is that procedure within the basic recipe that corrects for psychological reversal (PR). When PR is present it blocks the whole process from working. So, if you aren't getting anywhere, you would be well advised to "start from the top" and perform the set-up more thoroughly. By this I mean to tap the karate chop point harder or rub the sore spot more vigorously while emphatically saying (even yelling) the affirmation. On many occasions I have been stuck and, after having the client rub that sore spot with great vigour and literally yelling the affirmation, we broke through the PR barrier and proceeded to get our normal results. One example of this is on our steps toward becoming the ultimate therapist tapes where one participant, Richard, was having difficulty getting EFT to "hold" on a stomach distress that he had suffered from for years. A few moments of an emphatic set-up (including yelling) and the problem lifted. Richard wrote me months later that his stomach ailment went away and stayed away except for rare occasions when he had unusual emotional stresses. All previous efforts with tapping (of any form) produced only temporary results at best. Also, let me extend a thank you to Dr. Fred Gallo for introducing what he calls criteria related reversals. In his experience, people who are stuck in reversal may find it useful to focus the affirmation more specifically. Examples might be: "Even though I don't deserve to get over this _________" "Even though it isn't safe for me to get over this _________" I have used this myself with good success and recommend it as a useful tool. Another way to approach PR is as evidence of a major secondary gain or loss, that is, a much larger issue hiding beneath the presenting problem. This is the presumption I make when I am making no progress. I start looking for core issues. Once found, the reversal problem seems to fade and the client reports relief. We are still learning here and I'm not sure if this theory is correct. It works well in practice, however. The client is switching aspects Often, the client makes good progress but doesn't report it because s/he keeps switching to new aspects of the problem. The original aspects are actually relieved but the remaining aspects still cause distress. The client is not at fault here because s/he is often unable to distinguish between the relief already obtained and the stress still remaining. This happens frequently and serves to fool both the client and the EFT practitioner into thinking "it doesn't work." Here's an example. Suppose a client still exhibits trauma symptoms from an auto accident of 20 years ago. When asked what bothers them about the accident the client says, "The headlights!! The headlights!! I can still see them coming at me." EFT is then applied to the headlight emotion and the client is then asked if the accident still bothers them. The client says, "Yes." Unless one investigates further here, it would appear that the client is making no progress and that EFT didn't work. 10
If, instead, the client is asked, the headlights still bother you?, the typical response will be something like, No, but I can still hear the screams in the car. Do you hear another aspect? Sure. Now it is the screams in the car. Once that is relieved you may run into other aspects such as guilt for going too fast, anger at the other driver, etc. Many emotional issues are single-aspected and it only takes one or two rounds of EFT to give them relief. They are among our one minute wonders. Others, of course, have many aspects and require more diligence. How do you find these aspects? The process is usually simple. Just ask the client to describe the problem after each round of EFT and notice how their language changes. They may start out, for example, talking about the problem in terms of fear and, after one round of EFT, discuss the problem in terms of guilt. Also, the events they focus on may change (e.g. from headlights to screams). Further, the physical sensations in their body may change from, perhaps, a "tightness in the stomach" to a "constriction in the throat." The alert student might notice here that this "aspect switching" problem, while appearing to give evidence that EFT "doesn't work," actually gives resounding evidence of the opposite. The reason the client switches aspects is because the original aspect was given relief. The headlights are no longer a problem (EFT success) so now the client focuses on the screams (the next aspect in line). A core issue is interfering This was covered above under the section on the set-up but bears elaboration here. When an important core issue is "hiding" behind a lesser presenting issue, the whole process seems to falter. This is because the real issue is not being addressed. Finding the core issue is what therapists are trained to do, of course. It is the centre piece of the therapeutic art. One way to find the core issue is to listen to how the client describes the problem. The keen ear will pick up the clues leading to "the bottom line." Another way is to develop the intuitional ability to hone right in on the real issue. This is demonstrated in great detail in our steps toward becoming the ultimate therapist tapes. Before I began to develop (trust) my intuitional skills, I would just simply ask the client questions like, "If there was a larger emotional issue here, what might it be?" I know that question seems elementary but I found it to be quite successful. I would ask them the question and often they would say, "I don't know." Then I would gently prod them to give me an answer. I might just ask them to guess or I might use my favourite NLP question and say, "if you did know, what would it be?" Eventually, they give an answer and it almost always takes us in a useful direction. Sometimes all that's missing is the human touch There is something about the "connection" between two people that sometimes allows the process to work more efficiently. I know this is an intangible item that doesn't lend itself well to scientific scrutiny. Nonetheless, I have seen plenty of anecdotal evidence for it. Sometimes, I find, the process will appear not to work until the practitioner physically taps on the client. Then, almost magically, the problem fades away. This is fairly rare but it does happen. 11
Some other procedure (e.g. 9 gamut, collarbone breathing) is called for or some other points need to be tapped As you recall, a short cut to the basic recipe was introduced in the EFT course wherein (1) only half of the points needed to be tapped and (2) it was suggested that the 9 gamut and collarbone breathing procedures could be put "on the shelf" until needed. So, if you aren't progressing, these previously omitted points and procedures could be reinstated. The need for this is infrequent, however. I would pursue the above avenues first.
COLLARBONE BREATHING You can start with either hand, but this explanation assumes you will start with your right hand. During the whole exercise keep you elbows and arms away from your body, so that you only touch your body with your fingertips and knuckles as described. Place two fingers of your right hand on your right collarbone point and with two fingers of your left hand tap your right gamut point continuously while performing the following breathing exercises. Breathe halfway in and hold for around 7 taps Breathe all the way in and hold for around 7 taps Breathe halfway out and hold for around 7 taps Breathe all the way out and hold for around 7 taps Breathe normally for around 7 taps Now place two fingers of your right and on your left collarbone point and, while continuously tapping your gamut point, do the breathing exercise again. Next bend the fingers of the right hand so that the knuckles are prominent, and place them on the right collarbone point. Again tap the gamut point while completing the breathing exercise again. Now do the same using the right hand on the left collarbone point. You have now completed half the collarbone breathing procedure. To complete the other half of the procedure do the same routines again but use the left hand to touch the collarbone points.
COGNITIVE BELIEF SHIFTS (Taken from Gary Craig's website emofree.com) One of the nice things about EFT is that its results are often very rapid (minutes instead of hours) and insights, or cognition, changes at the same time. Clients discuss the issue differently after EFT. You may have missed that. Watch Robert again on the veterans' video. He is the one who had to shoot the young boy that was walking towards him with a hand grenade. At first his insight about it contained major guilt as he said tearfully, "You don't shoot little kids!" On our follow-up the next day he discusses it in a completely different light (insight). He calmly says, I'm more rational about it now. It was him or me. I hope you see the shift in insight/cognition there. 12
He did it within himself while experiencing EFT. I didn't have to plant or reframe anything. It's still not his favourite subject, of course, and he wishes the event never happened. Nonetheless, the charge on this problem has clearly dissipated and it no longer has the tug on his heart that was the centrepiece of constant intrusive thoughts. Those vets don't complain about not having insights. That is because the insights have indeed changed in a manner that is so subtle, so normal, that they don't think to articulate them. You as a therapist, however, can prove the changes to yourself by proper questioning. It is a good way to test the power of your work. There is a lot we don't know about EFT, TFT and all the other "power therapies" and your question brings up one of these unknowns. I have not kept statistics on the above matter so I don't know for sure whether or not EFT is unlocking the previous work of one or more therapists. I rather doubt it; however, as I can think of a number of cases where cognitive change occurred in EFT clients who had never seen a therapist before. For example, many public speaking phobics don't seek formal therapy for their problem. They just don t speak in public. After EFT, however, the typical client shifts their view of an audience from "intimidating" to "friendly". I think what goes on here is similar to my views on self-image improvement. To me, our basic nature is positive, but, as our life unfolds, it becomes forested with negative trees. Life does have a way of planting them, it seems. Once these trees are removed, our naturally occurring positive attitudes are allowed to blossom. I see much evidence of this. What appears to be a cognitive shift may actually be the removal of a negative barrier so that the healthier cognition (which was always there) reappears. Some may disagree with me on this. So be it. Like I said, we have so much to learn.
WHAT IS AN ABREACTION? By contrast to almost any other process, EFT is quite gentle and rarely has any serious side effects. It is often used instead of other procedures, because of its gentle nature. In 1997, an informal questionnaire was put out to 250 therapists asking for descriptions of significant abreactions with EFT or TFT. Out of an estimated 10 000 applications of these energy tapping procedures, only 20 such cases were reported. This is approximates 0.2%.
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