I have found EFT to be a very powerful tool. I have used it to clean up a number of deep emotional issues, but have noticed a number of unusual sensations after doing a session. Sometime I am really tired after a session, while other times I feel a little more emotional than when I started but wake up the next day feeling like a new person. Are these common experiences? Is there anything I can do after a session to make sure I’m taking care of myself? Is there anything I can do to make sure the results of the session stick?

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a very powerful tool, but as stated in the question there can be effects of doing EFT that go beyond just the issues we are working on. When we are doing EFT (regardless of the magnitude of the issue) we need to pay very close attention to the information our bodies and emotions are giving us.

Here are 4 basic things to keep in mind.

1) Knowing when enough is enough
Doing any sort of change work can stir up memories and beliefs that we are not ready to deal with. EFT is wonderful because it allows us to creep slowly up on problems, but there are times where we uncover more than we can handle on our own.

Also, there can be a point at which we have done as much healing as is healthy just then, having resolved only part of the problem. We might feel driven to soldier on because we’re not done with an issue, but we need to accept whatever stopping point is best for us.

Just because running 3 miles a day is healthy doesn’t mean running 100 miles a day is better. The body can only do so much before it needs rest. It’s the same with EFT. Just because there is more work to do doesn’t mean the body can deal with that work right now.

I had a client who was physically exhausted after just three rounds of tapping. He headed right to bed after less than 5 minutes of work.

Listen to your body…It will know when you are done for the session.

2) How to care for yourself after a session
There are lots of different ways the body can respond to an EFT session. Even when we work on the same issues, no two sessions produce the same effects in us. These feeling can range from light and euphoric to totally wiped out. Regardless of how we feel after a session there are two basic things we can do to take care of ourselves.

First, make sure you drink plenty of water. This is good advice even if you don’t do an EFT session, but it is especially important after doing EFT because we generally use and release a lot of energy. It takes time for our bodies to recharge. Water will help this process. You don’t need to drink so much that you float away, but it is a good idea to keeping sipping as the day unfolds.

Second, make sure you get enough rest. If you expend or release a lot of energy during an EFT session it’s a good idea to take it easy. You shouldn’t do anything that requires a great deal of energy, and you should make sure you get a good night’s sleep or even take a nap. As you will see in the next item, sleep can be important in the healing

3) The next day
When clients have a particularly emotional session I like to touch base the next day to see how he or she is doing. There have been times when we’ve done all we can do in a session, but my client is still emotional. When I touch base with my client the next day he/she is doing great. Many have described themselves as feeling like “a new person”.

When we are doing profound work it’s going to affect many parts of our life, not just the issue we are working through. The best analogy I’ve come up with is that it’s like doing a software update on our computers. Sometimes the changes are so fundamental to the way the computer works that the computer needs to be restarted for the changes to take effect.

I see a similar thing happening when we do major energy work. It takes a “reboot” for the changes to work through our system. This happens for us when we sleep. Scientists are still not completely sure why we sleep or dream. Many of the theories assume this is the time for our minds to sort out all the new data we’ve received throughout the day and integrate it fully into the body/mind/spirit.

The next time you do a major EFT session, either with a practitioner or on your own, pay attention to how you feel the next day. Even if you have a fitful night’s sleep, you will notice great changes beyond what you felt at the end of a session.

4) Getting it to stick
Sometimes we can find it very hard to sit down to do an EFT session. We know we will benefit from it, but something just keeps us from doing it. The reason is because in some fashion our issues benefit us. (See Getting Started) The same thing can happen after we do EFT. There may be something in us that resists the change working its way totally through the system (like discussed about) because something in us still sees benefits in keeping the problem.

I have found a very simple way around this problem. Tapping on it! (*wink*)

At the end of a session it is really easy to add some tapping phases like this:

I am so happy I had the chance to spend some time doing EFT…I am thankful that my body was able to reveal the areas that needed healing through my physical body and my emotions…I am thankful I found the time to do this work…I know over the next few hours and days these changes are going to slowly creep into every part of my life…the life, love, and energy that was opened up in this session is not going to just stay in this session…but is going to continue into my life….As my day unfolds I give my body permission to keep giving me information about the areas that need healing…I give myself permission to know this healing work is not over…I will have opportunities to do more work…Over the next few hours as these changes and healings become more and more real they are going to fill my life…tonight as I sleep I am going to have a restful night’s sleep…As I sleep these changes and healing are going to become more and more real in my life…My dreams will help me to sort out these changes to make them permanent…As good as I feel now…I am going to wake up tomorrow and every day of my life feeling better and better…As good as this feels…and it feels great…ever better things are to come…I am thankful for the chance to learn more and heal more [How to use these tapping phrases]