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Q. Why do I have to say negative statements? Q. Why do I have to say negative statements? This is indeed a frequently asked question and a valid one. By stating the problem (usually something negative) it brings to the surface feelings and emotions about an event or issue, alerting the body and our sensitive energy system where the blockage might be (remember the cause of all negative emotions is a blockage in the body's energy system). By saying the negative but true statement while stimulating the meridians, you are sending tiny vibrations or shock waves throughout your energy pathways. By doing so, you are gently nudging away the blockage or disruption that causes the negative emotion. If you stated a positive affirmation instead, such as, "Even though I was just robbed and beaten, that's OK, I feel safe and secure now" your system would surely rebel. There would be a giant "tail ender" saying "What? Are you kidding me? I don't feel secure or safe at all!" Your subconscious (or even conscious) would have the same reaction if you left off the negative occurrence as well and made only a positive statement. Believe me; many have tried this approach to no avail. It's true that when we tell ourselves "It's OK, I'll be alright" we can sometimes calm ourselves down. But calming ourselves is not the purpose of EFT. Using EFT can completely eliminate the negative emotion, pain or issue. That said, however, once the intensity is at a lower SUDs level (3 or less) you can then switch to a more positive choice statement. Read more about the Choice Method on the Free Stuff page. Q. Do I tap on one side or both? You may have already noticed that many practitioners do tapping differently. I tap on both sides. My belief is that you have a better chance of getting to the blockage and dislodging it quicker by bi-lateral tapping. If you use one hose to wash your car, you'll still get it clean. But if a friend joins you with another hose on the other side, you'll get the car cleaner faster (and probably have more fun). That said, probably half of the practitioners out there just use one side and get good results. I've tried it both ways, and for me, double-sided tapping gets better results. I suggest you do whatever works best for you. Q. Is it better to use the Karate Chop point on the side of the hand, or the Sore Spot on the chest as the set-up? These points are virtually the same when it comes to effective set-up statements. However, I use the sore spot on the chest for health issues. The points on the chest are at the body's lymphatic drainage system and rubbing them consistently helps disperse the accumulated toxins (which is why they are sore). This disperses them throughout the body to be diluted and flushed out. You can use either point. Q. Why do people use different tapping points? The body has 14 meridians throughout the body. These energy pathways come to the surface in several places throughout the body; the face, head, upper torso, spine, ankles, wrists, etc. When Gary Craig developed EFT, one of his objectives was to make it simple. You can keep EFT effective and simple by just doing the basic "shortcut" points outline in Gary's 79 page manual; EB, OE, UE, UN, CH, CB, UA. However, by adding a few more points, the inside of the wrists, liver spot (over the liver on the right side), and the crown of the head you are therefore increasing your effectiveness rate by over 50%. There are really no right or wrong points. We tend to do what works best for us. And for me using the 10 points (thus all 14 meridians) mentioned above brings extraordinary results. Q. How do you deal with relationship challenges using EFT? Relationship challenges are just symptoms of a bigger, underlying cause. There's ALWAYS something underneath the problems, jealousy, anger, frustration, hate, guilt, etc. Often the husband reminds the wife of her controlling father, or the wife reminds the husband of his dominant, non-affectionate mother (or whatever). Many times someone brings their hurt from past relationships into the new one, punishing the "innocent" new partner for sins from the old partner. That is usually the cause for their friction, not the current relationship. I deal with the cause for the strife that results in anger, resentment, frustration, etc. Most people see significant positive change after the first session. While each person and each couple has their individual issues or problems, the formula is pretty much the same; deal with the cause and the symptom easily dissipates. The number of total session depends on many factors including the severity of the issues and the willingness of the participants to do the homework between sessions. Q. Can EFT be used on children, the infirm, or pets? Yes, EFT can be used on virtually anyone (including pets) with good results. For babies, pets, the elderly, and those unable to tap themselves you can use surrogate tapping, which is tapping on yourself, for them. To learn more about this phenomenon search for articles on Gary's site www.emofree.com for pets, children or the elderly. When people first find out about Animal EFT, they immediately think that it is about tapping ON animals and ask where they should tap their animals. It works the same as with surrogate tapping on people. Therefore the below protocol applies whether it's a child, an infirm person or someone in another country. Of course animals do have a meridian system, but many of the points are in places where animals truly do not like to be touched, never mind tapped. The wonderful thing about Animal EFT is that you DON'T tap on the animal directly, but you tap on yourself to make the changes happen. This is called Surrogate tapping and has lots of advantages: You can do it at any time and even anywhere - you do not have to be in the same room with the animal or person. Once you have learned the simple technique, you can use it on any problem, on any animal and you don't have to know anything at all about their various meridian systems or points. You can do it much more often than an animal would generally permit. You can help wild animals, animals that don't belong to you, and animals that you can't really touch much, such as birds and fish. Q. How does Surrogate EFT work? When you focus your attention on an animal, you connect your energy system with theirs. When you keep the focus of your attention on a specific aspect of that energy system (a problem, disease, behavior, state of mind and so on) and you change YOUR system by tapping on the points, YOU ARE ALSO CHANGING THEIRS through the connection. This was originally discovered when a lady, distraught because she was sitting by the side of her premature baby's incubator and unable to touch him, treated herself for the baby's problems and the baby responded by breathing more easily and slower, and finding from somewhere the will to live and to fight on more strongly than before. Since then, thousands of people all over the world have been absolutely astonished to find that by tapping on themselves while holding another living being's problems in their mind, they can make changes without touching them or even being in the same room. I don't expect you to believe this right away. I didn't believe it either when I first heard about it. But I tell you, when you neighbor's dog 100 yards away stops barking after an hour just because you have tapped a round of EFT on yourself, a shiver goes down your spine and you KNOW you made that happen as if by magic, it is a real convincer experience. Q. How long do I have to tap to get results? The short answer is: Until you get the result you want. I want to expand on that a bit though. Normally you can resolve an issue in 3-4 rounds, which only takes a few minutes. Simple issues are particularly quick and easy to deal with. Sometimes, however, it may take 5-6 rounds, or even 10-12 to resolve a difficult issue. You may need to go through several "doors", look at many different aspects, and dig for the core issue, to get the optimal end result of complete resolution. That takes time. But, that could be an hour or two at the most, to completely resolve a painful, lifelong issue. Traditional therapy could take months or years to resolve the same problem. We often get spoiled with "one-minute-miracles" getting impatient when something is taking too long. But we must keep it in perspective and realize that even the most difficult or complex cases can be resolved to completion in a fraction of the time any other therapy might hope to offer. Patience and persistence is the key to successfully resolving challenging issues. Time should not be a factor. I want to point out that it's also important to make sure an issue is completely resolved before leaving it. Some people say "Gee, I feel better now" and stop at that. Later when they feel a negative charge again about the same issue, they will think that EFT didn't work. If you truly get all of the aspects resolved and get an issue to a zero on the SUDs scale, then it's likely gone for good. That's not to say that at some point an aspect that was missed might not pop up for you. But resolving it should be very easy, since the bigger components have already been collapsed. So, stay with it until you're sure an issue is completely resolved. Test yourself by trying to get upset about it again. If you just can't find a charge, then you're likely done. That's how long it takes. Q. Why is it important to know my SUDs level and what does SUDs stand for? SUDs stands for Subjective Units of Distress (the 's' at the end was superfluous), but I call it subjective Units of Distress or Disease scale. It's important to know your intensity level so you'll know where you are and where you need to go. If you simply say, "I'm really upset" that doesn't give you much information. If you can put a number to it, say a 9, for instance, even if it's subjective, you at least you have a guesstimate of a starting point. Then as you tap and get in touch with your decreasing SUDs level on subsequent rounds, you'll know you're making progress. You'll also have a handle on how far you still need to go to completely resolve an issue. Conversely, if your number hasn't changed after a couple of rounds, you know you're missing something, and will need to make some changes (see the "9 Stumbling Blocks of EFT" to give you direction). Likewise, if you get down to a 2, you know you're close, but not quite finished. You want to keep going until you can say for certain that you're at a zero. It's important to remember that the objective of EFT isn't just to "feel better" (although that's certainly nice). The ultimate goal is to realize a complete cessation of a negative emotion or issue. So don't stop just because you start to "feel better". Keep tapping until you're feeling great and the issue has been completely put to rest. If you truly get to a zero on the event, issue, pain or whatever, it's unlikely it will return. To make sure that you've really neutralized problem, test yourself by trying to get upset. Revisit the issue, even the formally painful aspects and see if the intensity rises at all. If it does, you still have some work left to do. If the event, pain or issue seems 'fuzzy', hard to remember or difficult to grasp, and there's no "charge" left, then you are likely done. When my clients get to a zero, I ask them how they know that. Often it's the cessation of a physical manifestation, such as tightness in the shoulders or neck, or an upset stomach. Or, they might feel profound relaxation, feel lighter and experience renewed energy or peace of mind. I love using the SUDs rating and check it several times (usually after every 2 rounds of tapping) in the course of eliminating an issue. Q. What if I don't know my intensity level? It's not always easy to figure out, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much your shoulder hurts, or how angry you are at your brother-in-law, or how afraid of spiders you are. At best, it's a subjective guess. While many people come up with their SUDs level right away, many others struggle with this little aspect of EFT. I ask clients to guess what their number would be. Try saying this sentence out loud rather fast, without pausing at the end. Just say what comes to you. "Even though I don't know what my intensity level is, if I had to guess I'd say it was at a....." This simple little trick bypasses the conscious mind and allows the subconscious to provide the answer. Good practitioners generally know where someone stands as they talk about their issues. So, if a client's number is far off from the estimate of the practitioner, he or she would have occasion to question the client's answer. When working with yourself, however, you can only guess and do your best. Chances are if you don't analyze it too much and just go with your gut feeling, you'll be just fine. As stated in the above question, it's important to get the SUDs rating so you'll know where you are and where you need to go. Q. How do I deal with an intangible issue or get a SUDs rating on it? What if I have a problem like procrastination, or lack confidence around new employees, or want to lose 30 pounds, or I'm just stuck and can't get going? How do I measure or test issues like that? To deal with intangible or hard-to-measure issues, I use what I call the Ultimate Truth Statement. Here's how you can use this interesting and effective tool: Develop a sentence that would represent the most positive outcome you would like to achieve. For instance, if you have a problem with procrastination, use an Ultimate Truth Statement of "I always complete tasks in a timely manner, never putting things off, and always keep commitments with myself and others." Q. Does EFT work for...? One of the most common questions EFT Practitioners hear is, "Can EFT help with.... PTSD, diabetes, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, pimples, etc?" To which we almost always respond "Probably! Try it on everything!" A more thorough, and accurate, answer, however, would be: "Many others have experienced great results with your issue, so it is highly likely that you will get resolution too." It's safe to say that EFT has been tried on just about every issue, problem or physical ailment you can image. We know EFT can bring miraculous results to virtually anything...especially in the hands of an accomplished practitioner. And since EFT has never been known to harm anyone, it's painless, and it works when nothing else has, go ahead and try it on your issue. In experienced hands, EFT delivers significant relief over 90% of the time (the medical profession would love to have those results). Many cases, however, especially if complex, require more than just applying the basic sequence. So, if you've already tried EFT and aren't getting the results you want, it's unlikely any shortcoming of EFT, but rather that you're missing some important element. Virtually all complex issues should be dealt with by a competent EFT Practitioner. There is an art to EFT that goes far beyond what you can learn in the 79-page manual or even by watching all of Gary's wonderful videos that only comes with experience and practice. For instance, there are several obstacles that can impede EFT's progress. I suggest you read the article "The 9 Stumbling Blocks of EFT" which you can find on this site on the Free Stuff page. Or enter the above title in the search bar at Gary's site www.emofree.com. Q. What's the best way to learn EFT? There's so much to EFT that you should take several routes. EFT is elegant in its simplicity, however, there is SO much more to it than meets the eye. EFT is effective for hundreds of simple issues and can be self-applied; however, for more complex issues you should see an experienced practitioner. Start the learning process by downloading Gary's free 79-page manual at www.emofree.com. While there, consider purchasing Gary's fabulous video programs on EFT. One of the best ways to learn EFT is by doing an EFT Workshop. Level 1 is for beginners; even those who have watched the videos and read the manual. Move up to Level 2 after doing 1 and when you have more experience with EFT. Take Level 3 when you are ready to take your knowledge to the next level. While Level 3 is not exclusively for aspiring practitioners, it is often the serious student who will take that course. Read the book "Freedom at Your Fingertips" by 20 World Class EFT practitioners. Another way to learn EFT is by seeing a practitioner for your own issues and learn as you go. You can also learn a lot about EFT on our EFT pages. There is a wealth of information there, including case histories, testimonials, workshops and teleclasses. And by all means, check out our Free Stuff page. There you'll find many other resources for learning EFT. If you can't attend a workshop live, try one of our Teleclasses. Q. Where can I find a workshop? Visit my Events Page for upcoming workshops or check out Gary's site www.emofree.com. Q. I've tried EFT, but it's just not working for ME. What now? When people try EFT for 'old' problems, or complex issues, and aren't getting the results they want, they may think EFT just isn't working for 'them'. Others think that maybe the testimonials they've heard aren't real. Actually, neither is true. As wonderful as EFT is, there are several impediments that can get in the way of its success. For one, beginners should only try using EFT on "simple" issues, leaving more complex problems to experienced practitioners. Sometimes, even we experienced practitioners need the eyes, ears and intuition of others to get to the heart of the matter - especially for complex issues. Q. What's the difference between Simple and Complex issues? First let me "broadly" define "Simple" issues. There are no hard and fast rules, but typically simple issues are problems that are usually: Single faceted, like the hiccups, or your boss embarrassed you at the sales meeting, or you're disappointed that you didn't get the promotion you wanted, or you're stressed after a tough day at work. Recent, as opposed to something that happened years ago, or has been going on for a long time. Not chronic; that is it's not a persistent problem like chronic pain, anger or grief A simple pain or injury, as opposed to a complex medical issue or a serious illness Fear or simple phobias Emotions like stress, frustration, anger, embarrassment, cravings, etc. Ones you can generally work on and resolved yourself, with some basic knowledge of EFT I believe there are Two Tiers of complex issues, which almost always involve more than one aspect. Tier one issues include things like grief, chronic pain, "minor" traumas, allergies, some abuse issues, weight issues, food addictions, stuttering, and most non life-threatening illnesses. If you're not getting a resolution, you should contact a practitioner. The second, or more-difficult-to-work-with, Tier 2, includes child abuse, sexual or ritual abuse, traumatic or life-altering accidents or deaths, severe and sustained physical or emotional abuse, drug addictions, morbid obesity, and so on. Tier two complex issues are usually highly charged emotionally, or often, a result of very traumatic occurrences. Also included in these more difficult cases would be psychological problems, such as bi-polar, schizophrenia, multiple personalities, and serious illnesses and so on. Here's what's important to remember: Most simple issues can be handled by anyone, including you. Complex issues, especially Tier 2, need to be dealt with by an experienced practitioner. Q. What words and phrases do I use? This is a simple, yet complex question and one of the most frequently asked. The easy answer is this simple formula: Add an acceptance affirmation to your problem, such as, "Even though I have this (fill in your issue), I deeply and completely accept myself." However, there is a bit more to it than that. What's important to remember is that you can't do it "wrong", but some phrases are more effective than others. Try it different ways, until you get the result you want. Being specific, finding the core issue, and getting rid of Reversals are imperative to successful EFTing. Remember, being specific is important. Here are some examples of set-up statements: Even though I have this fear of speaking to groups over 5, I deeply and completely accept myself." "Even though a part of me doesn't want to forgive my mother for hurting my feelings at Christmas, I accept who I am without judgment." "Even though I have this sinus headache above my eyes, I deeply love and accept who I am. "I deeply and completely accept myself, even though I have anger towards my father for yelling at me last night." Even though I have this stiffness on the right side of my neck, I completely accept myself and love my body." "I deeply accept myself unconditionally, even though I have a killer craving for chocolate right now." "Even though I have this fear of snakes, I love and accept myself anyway." "I deeply and profoundly accept myself, even though I'm really sad over my breakup with ________." Q. How many sessions will it take to deal with my issue? There isn't an easy, pat answer to this question. There are so many variables among people and issues that it could take 1 session or 5. Some might even be more than that. Complex issues, weight issues, abuse, trauma, and many others often take several sessions. Often I'm done with someone in 30 minutes, depending on the circumstances. I find that we can often deal with 1-3 issues per session. However, many people have multiple issues making it hard to tell without really getting into the matter. So the answer to this question is "It depends". However, long it takes will be considerably less than tradition therapies of any kind, and likely much more effective. Q. Why do I sometimes get sad, depressed or agitated after a session? It's not uncommon for people to experience a negative reaction after (or during) an EFT session, especially if you are tapping for yourself. Feelings such as anger, anxiety, uneasiness, sadness or even temporary worsening of the issue(s) might emerge. They are not side effects of EFT, nor is there anything wrong with you. There are several possible causes for these odd-feeling emotions you may experience during or after tapping. Here are some of them: You may be regretting previous choices you've made in life (or things that have happened to you.) Or you may be saddened when reminded of the "opportunities wasted" in your life due to your issue. These regrets or feelings are often suppressed until EFT is introduced and things become stirred up. It's natural to think, then, that EFT has caused these "new" feelings, when in fact EFT has simply reminded you of something you have suppressed that needs to be dealt with. Remember EFT's Discovery Statement is "The cause of ALL negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system". Left untreated, those energy blockages (manifested as negative emotions) can lead to a plethora of physical ailments. While in the process of clearing major traumas or issues with EFT some people become anxious or fearful sensing the possibility of living life with a different set of rules. Being free from past baggage might mean risking rejection rather than living inside a "bubble of protection" provided by the previous challenges. For instance, those who have been victimized may have often blamed others for their crummy life or bad choices. Once EFT starts lifting the curtain of pain, blame, shame and resentment, they realize that they don't really know how to live a life of accountability. They might feel like a fish-out-of-water as they begin to see life from a completely different perspective. We often have two parts of us that battle for dominance. The old, familiar part feels out-of-sorts or fearful because it doesn't know how to conduct itself in a different paradigm...with a new identity. Being accountable, responsible and optimistic can be frightening if you've never or seldom experienced those sensations. Yet the "other" part of you may yearn for that freedom and peace of mind. It could be this dichotomy that causes the discomfort during or after tapping. Another cause for anxiety or fear during or after tapping is that there may be a payoff for keeping your issues. Some people are financially compensated for a disability, while others may get emotional support with attention, sympathy or special favors as a result of their issues. When these payoffs are threatened by using EFT, a part of you may be reluctant to change or to give up these payoffs. Similarly the grief over losing a loved one, the pain from being traumatized or victimized or the memory of a horrific incident can grow into an "excuse" for your life not working. The realization that you may no longer have this excuse might be overwhelming. Please don't misunderstand. I'm not saying that you would consciously choose to be incapacitated, or stay ill, or continue to live in pain or to remain traumatized. However, a part of you may be very protective of these secondary benefits and therefore be reluctant to let them go, triggering the anger, sadness or anxiety after an EFT session. A part of you may be sad (or even sick to your stomach) when you strive to leave the old identity behind. Sometimes there's a reluctance to do say goodbye for reasons that vary among different people. Just as people stay in bad marriages or keep a clunky care because it's at least familiar, we sometimes want to stay with what we perceive as a safe place, habit or personality. To change what's become so familiar is disconcerting to some, while exhilarating and uplifting for others. The most likely cause, however, for feeling unsettled after doing EFT is that you simply haven't reached the core issue yet. Sometimes getting close to a painful memory causes us to back off. Perhaps you've peeled the first layer of the onion and the layer underneath is "stinging your eyes." You may be only partially into your issues and are stirring things up before completion. Zoe Walton says this about core issues: "If you don't know what your Core Issue is when you start a session and you proceed to tap on the various aspects you do know about, you may end a session without finding the actual cause of your problem -- the Core Issue. For example, you may be tapping on an uncomfortable emotion or body sensation that is happening at the moment, such as rage or tightness in the throat. But you would only be addressing a symptom, not the main cause. Underneath that rage, a deeper Core Issue, such as "he never really loved me" or "my mother abandoned me" still needs to be addressed for full resolution. When the Core Issue is not dealt with, it is like chopping off the green weeds in a lawn but never getting to their roots. Also there might be many Core Issues around a particular issue and one session only dealt with one Issue, leaving more work to do. Confusion, "foggy-headedness", anxiety, headaches, anger, or sadness often means that you're simply not done with the problem or haven't found the all-important core issue. It is often hard to discover Core Issues on your own. It is sometimes hard for us to see our own problems clearly, just as a dentist would have a hard time giving himself (or herself) a root canal. That is where a good practitioner can help." There's still another possibility for post-tapping problems. It's highly likely that you are working on issues far too complex for you to handle alone. EFT is magical and extremely effective in the right hands. Beginners should generally stay with simple, rather than complex issues. Serious trauma issues, abuse, depression and other complex topics usually need the perspective of an accomplished practitioner. Sometimes people get frustrated that EFT isn't working for them, when in fact it's just that they're not experienced enough to deal with their own issues. Look at it this way -- if you experience negative stirrings after a session it's actually a good sign that EFT is in fact starting to work. Your body or emotions are reacting because you've scratched the surface of something that needs to be dealt with. So if you get stuck, don't stop! Find some help to work through your issues. Important note: While EFT has produced remarkable clinical results, it must still be considered to be in the experimental stage. Neither Gary Craig nor Frances Soda is a licensed health professional and certain issues should be addressed by such professionals. You must take complete responsibility for your 1234 Dufferin Place, Windsor, Ontario N8X 3K1 519-977-5959 |
