I want to do EFT for a major issue in my life, but somehow I always find an excuse not to do EFT. I know it will help me. I do want to get over this, but it just doesn’t happen. What can I do? photo by (Erik) I have been teaching people Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for a number of years. I’ve noticed an interesting pattern. Certain people learn to use EFT, see the benefit of it in their lives, and yet have decided it’s not for them. At first I took this as some sort ...
When We Don’t Know The Root Cause Of An Emotion
My 11-year-old daughter has suddenly developed a fear of school. She has previously been very, very happy there, and can’t give a reason for feeling like this. She really wants to go but feels she can’t, and doesn’t know why. Any ideas? photo by Martin LaBar Obviously, with so little information, there is no real way to answer this question. A whole host of reasons could be contributing to this fear. The reasons might involve the classroom, the play ground, or problems with ...
Hope for the Future
For some reason I have very little hope for the future. I just can see anything working out. I think EFT can be helpful, but there is so much going on I can't seem to find the core issues. Do you have any suggests on where to start? Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a great tool for clearing out the sense of gloom and doom that we can have for our future. The obvious problem with dealing with these feelings is they are often very general. They are feelings of "no opportunity" "no hope" ...
EFT Losing Its Effectiveness
When I first learned EFT it worked really quickly on everything. Now it isn’t working as well. Do we build up a resistance to EFT? Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a wonderful and powerful tool, but just we knowing how to do EFT doesn’t mean we are going to heal. I often use the example with clients, just because we know how to sit-ups doesn’t mean we’ll have washboard abs. EFT is no different. It only works when we take the time to use it. We have all experienced the obstacles people ...
Future Choices
I need to make some very important choices about my future. Is there anything I can do with EFT to help me make the "right" decisions? photo by Paul Hocksenar I love this question because often we only think of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) as a tool to help us with issues that already exist, such as dealing with physical pain, memories that still affect us today, and the emotions we feel in this moment. EFT is also a great tool for helping us to clear up issues so we can ...
Emotions and Physical Pain – AKA:Can Pain Be Our Friend?
I have heard a lot of talk about how pain can have emotional issues. Is this true? If so can I use the pain to discover and work on the emotional issues tied to the pain? [Note from Gene: I asked Pennsylvania-based EFT practitioner Chip Engelmann to answer this question. Chip does a great job explaining the reasons for pain and how we can use it to identify some of the emotional roots. Make sure you check out Chip's website, ChipEFT.com for many great articles, ebooks, and recordings of ...
I Feel Tired After Tapping
Has anyone mentioned to you that they feel REALLY fatigued after an EFT session? I have had about three sessions with clients where some really amazing core issues moved. At the end of the session the clients felt quite tired after. Is this normal? photo by Brian Barnett It is important to remember when we using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) we are changing the energy system of the body, energy that is used to power all of the body’s systems and functions. Whenever we do ...
Physical Therapy/Range of Motion
After an accident I have had physical therapy and I’m doing better. As part of my therapy I am supposed to do sit-ups/leg raises, but the strain on my lower back is too much and the next day I can barely stand up or bend over. I know as I do more therapy it will get better, but I was wondering if I could use EFT to do the sit-ups/leg raises to build my muscles? photo by Matthew Fang Here is a similar experience I had with a client which I think will shed light on what you’re ...
How long to tap, how many session to tap, getting 100% clear
How long should I use EFT on an issue? Is it important that I tap on an issue until it is 100% clear? How many sessions should I work on the same issue? There are a number of things to consider when approaching these questions. Let’s take these questions one at a time. How Much Work In One Session? When it comes to how long to tap in one session it is good let our bodies be our guide. When tapping we are doing energy work. We’re clearing energetic blocks, causing energy to move ...
Facts of the Situation v. Emotions We Feel – AKA – I don’t know what to say (Part 5)
I’m very effective at using EFT for physical pain and small frustrations, but when it comes to the big emotional issues, I just don’t know where to start. I tap on all of the issues and emotions I can think of, but it doesn’t feel like I’m making any progress. Is there a way that I can break down an issue so it’s more manageable? One of the reasons I love Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) so much is because it is very effective at dealing with the emotions we feel, right as we are feeling ...
Why do I have to tap? (part 3 of 3)
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 Mike In part one of this series we looked at how the human mind creates models of information from our experiences which enable us to quickly assess the situation we are in. We also looked at the way these inaccurate and/or incomplete models can cause us problems. In part two of this series we looked at how Emotional Freedom ...
Why do I have to tap? (part 2 of 3)
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 ...
Why do I have to tap? (part 1 of 3)
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 Alessandro This thoughtful question is about many topics at once. Embedded in this question is: Why and how do emotions, memories, and issues affect us emotionally and influence the choices we make? Why is tapping necessary to make a change? Is it important to have the intention of healing while tapping? In this three-part ...
When Healing Has Consequences
I am in talk therapy and I do my EFT. I think I have been not succeeding/just barely making it, because I am worried my mother is going to take credit for my success (just like she did when I was younger). I’m stuck, and I’m not sure that I want to be unstuck because of this fear. Any suggestions? I have always felt the reason we as humans are different from other animals is our amazing ability to hold two completely contradictory thoughts in our heads at the same time and think both ...
Permission to Heal
Why do you use the phrase “I give myself permission” so much in your EFT phrases? photo by Matthew Fang I use this phrase because we don’t often feel like we deserve the things we actually do deserve. In that case, something in us is likely to resist that healing. The most common resistance to this healing is a feeling of not being worthy of the change. The feeling of unworthiness generally takes two forms. The first is the feeling of not being worthy of healing from ...
How To Kill Craving
I have decided (once again) that I need to cut caffeine out of my diet. In the past I have given it up cold turkey but have ended up with withdrawal headaches. Is there a way that I can use EFT to help me kick the caffeine habit in a pain-free way? I get questions about craving management all the time. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a great tool for dealing with any sort of craving (sweets, cigarettes, caffeine, or any thing you absolutely must have right now). There are four basic ...
I don’t know where to start.
What do I tap on when I don’t know what to tap on? I've heard the same story from many clients. "I've tried Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) a few times with someone who knows what they are doing. I have seen great results and I'm very excited, but now that I'm on my own I don't know were to start." Here are four easy suggestions for starting points when you don't what to tap on. I Don't KnowI don’t like feeling lost. I don’t like feeling inadequate. I really don’t like the feeling of not ...
Emotional Trigger (Part 3 of 3)
Is there anything I can do with EFT to help with my emotional triggers? photo by ShimShamB In part 1 of this series we looked at emotional triggers after they have been set off. In part 2 we examined the emotional triggers we know we have. In part 3 of the series we will look at how to take the emotional charge out of the triggers we might encounter in the future. Looking into the future to see what’s coming up. Many times our emotional triggers catch us off guard. There are ...
Emotional Triggers (Part 2 of 3)
Is there anything I can do with EFT to help with my emotional triggers? photo by Fergus Ray Murray In part 1 of this series we looked at what emotional triggers are and what we can do after one of these triggers has been set off. In part 2 we are going to talk about the emotional triggers we know we have. You know what your triggers are. Do something about them! Our emotional triggers are not a secret. We know them. Our friends know them. Our family knows them. The ...
No Words At All – AKA: I don’t know what to say (part 4)
Is it really necessary to verbalize the issue and give a number rating when doing EFT? Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a very flexible tool. There are no hard and fast rules of how you must do things. However, it is important that you understand the intention of each step. If you know why you are doing a step, it will give you flexibility in exactly how to do the step. 1) The words we say The words are not magic. There is no perfect phrase. We say phrases out loud to help us ...