Why is it that fretting, stewing, or worrying about an issue consciously doesn’t dissolve the emotions, but tapping while expressing it does?

photo by Sacha Fernandez

In part one of this series we looked at how models of information work. We looked at how these models of information serve us, making it easier for us to function in the world.

We also saw that there can be negative consequences when these models are inaccurate or incomplete.
In the last part of this series we demonstrated how these inaccurate models can be detrimental by looking at a fear of mice where a past experience contains the model that mice are very dangerous and that when we encounter them we must escape.

Now let’s take a look at how we use EFT to change these inaccurate models.

Changing Models with EFT
If I were to use EFT to work with my fear of mice the first step is to tune in to my fear of mice. I could just picture a mouse running under my chair and my heart would start to race. When I tune in to an issue, I am accessing a model of information. I think, “mouse under my chair,” and the model is applied. This is what we do when we are worrying about some issue. We are just accessing the models we hold. But, we aren’t making any changes to the model itself. When we access the model in the future we will have the same feelings.

The next step in EFT is to start tapping on the issue. According to the theory of EFT, when we are thinking a thought that is not in line with health and well-being, the energy system of the body is in some way out of balance or disrupted. Every time we apply an inaccurate model to a scenario we are creating this state of energetic imbalance. By tapping we are bringing the system back to balance. This is the reason we feel better about the issue after tapping.

The amazing part of EFT is that we bring the energy system back into balance as we tap, and we also make a change to the model. We are taking the inaccurate information in the model, and we are replacing it with information of health and well-being.

By changing the model, the next time the model is applied I respond more appropriately. In our example:

• I think about my fear of mice.
• I tap on the system with EFT to bring it back to balance, my natural state.
• As the system comes back to balance the model is corrected.
• The next time I see a mouse I apply the updated model and I am less afraid or not scared at all.

EFT is a mechanical process. If you tune into a model and then tap while tuned into the model, you will correct some or all of the inaccurate parts of the model. Since EFT is a mechanical process, if you do the steps correctly, improvement will occur.

This brings us to the third part of the question. How is intention involved in the healing process with EFT? As we have just shown, if the protocol is applied correctly, it doesn’t matter if you have the intention for release. I have done EFT with a number of skeptical people. They didn’t believe EFT was going to work and it did. But it did because they fully engaged in the process. This is not a small point.

If you don’t have the intention for release and health it’s more likely you will do the protocol incorrectly. Remember the words we use are not magic. The words help us to tune into an issue, but it is possible to say words, “this fear of mice, this fear of mice, this fear of mice” and to be thinking about what is on TV tonight and not mice. Even though it looks like I’m doing EFT correctly, I am not — I am just tapping on my body in some random fashion. Successful EFT requires tapping as well as tuning into the issue!

Therefore intention is not a prerequisite for EFT to work, but I encourage all my clients to have the intention of health because it will help them to stay focused and on task.

A few thoughts to keep in mind:

• We hold models of how the world works to make the world easier to navigate.
• It is possible to have inaccurate or incomplete models of the world.
• Simply activating these models will not change them.
• If we are tuning in to our inaccurate or incomplete models of the world while tapping we can correct the models.
• Intention is not a requirement for EFT to work but it helps us to do the process correctly.

We have now examined how we model information, how this affects our current choices, and how we can use EFT to clean up inaccurate models. It has been shown that we don’t have to have the intention to heal for EFT to work, but in the third and final part of this series we will look at how our point of view and disposition can affect our ability to do EFT effectively.

Why do I have to tap? (part 1 of 3)
Why do I have to tap? (part 3 of 3)