Tapping Q & A with Gene Monterastelli - Get the most out of tapping and EFT

Not Knowing Where To Start

by

I am new to Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping and love it, but I don't know where to start. I set time aside everyday to tap. When I sit down to tap either nothing comes to mind or everything comes to mind all at once. I know there are lots of areas of my life that need transformation. Any suggestion on getting started?


photo by Jon Marshall

One of the misconceptions we have about tapping is the belief that we need to know what we are going to be tapping on before we start tapping. We think, “I need to know exactly the issue at hand and what I am going to use as my set-up phrases before I can begin.”

Here are few suggestions that will help you when you find yourself in this situation.

Tap While You Are Trying To Figure Out What To Tap On
Yes, it is true the more specific we are the faster we are going to find results. This does mean that we are going to be unsuccessful while we are being unspecific. As a starting point I recommend that you tap while you are trying to figure out what the issue is you would like to tap on.

For example, you know that work is causing you stress. There could be lots of reasons for this. It could be your relationship with your co-workers, a demanding supervisor, a pressing dead line, or work that is unfulfilling. It might even be many or all of these things.

It is a good idea to figure out exactly what part of your workday that is causing you stress. Instead of making this two steps, figuring out the issue(s) and tapping, why not do both at the same time. While you are thinking though your workday and all the relationships you have with co-workers you should be tapping. Not only will this help you clarify the issues faster it will also start to bring relief before you do your specific tapping for an issue.

This process can be used for any and all parts of your life. You know that you want better health, stronger relationships, success in your work, ease at public speaking, or anything else. Just start tapping, moving from point to point, as you think about this part of your life. I have found when I do this I feel calmer and find my way to clarity of the real issues I need to be working on.

Tap On Not Knowing What To Tap On
Another very useful tool you can use when you don't know exactly what to tap on is to tap on not know what to tap on. It could look something like this:

I know I need to do some tapping…I know tapping has worked in the past…and it can work now…I know the more specific I am about the issue the faster tapping can work…and right now I am not sure what to tap on…but just because I don't know what to tap on…doesn't mean that I can't be successful right now…as I tap and try and figure out what to tap on…I know I am making a small bit of progress….I know I don't need to know all the details of what is at hand for progress…by relaxing about needing to know exactly what I need to work on…will make it easy for me to make progress…therefore I choose to let the problems unfold in front of me slowly….knowing the system will give me the information I need for healing when I need it….the system knows the rate I can heal safely…

I have found this sort of tapping bring clarity very quickly to very specific areas that we can tap on.

Stress About The Issus
What I have found in my practice (both in dealing with my own issues and with working with my clients) is often times the stress about an issue/situation is much trouble some than the issue/situation itself.

Often times when we are able to release and relieve the stress we have around an issue we are able to look at what is going on much more objectively and find an outcome that is very satisfactory.

To that end, when we don't know where to start with an issue and great place to start is with the stress you feel about the situation. In many cases I have found just by dealing with the stress of the issue we can find as much as 80% (and often times total) relief before we even deal with the issue at hand.

Here is a list of great ways to start off dealing with an issue.

Reframes for stress:

  • I don't have to deal with this all at once
  • I don't have to deal with all of these issues all at once
  • It might not be the big deal I am making it out to be
  • I have dealt with things tougher than this
  • People really aren't thinking of me as much as I think
  • I don't have to go diving into all the issue to heal this
  • The stress is just a signal telling me something is wrong
  • Things are not going to be this way forever
  • It might think it helping by running, but it is going to get worse by running from it
  • I can release this issue without knowing what the root causes are
  • I can release this issue without having to know what the original event was
  • I can release this issue without having to dive in the a past painful memory

If you follow these three approaches you will find your way to what the specifies are you need to tap on as well as to relief quickly with tapping.

Medical Implants Effect On Tapping Success

by

Can people with neurostimulator implants or pacemakers receive benefits from tapping? I understand the presence of the body's natural energy (electricity) system, but don't both of these medical devices also produce electrical charges within the body?

[Note: I am not a medical doctor. I am not qualified to provide medical advice or diagnosis. This article is provided for informational purposes only. Please consult with your primary care physician before making any changes to your health regimen.]


photo by John (jlcwalker)

I believe there are two ways we can approach this question, and improve the effectiveness of tapping, by working with the implant and the energy created by the implant.

The Implant
Our bodies are designed so that they are very effective in fighting off substances that might be harmful to our system. We have processes and protocols that deal with environmental allergens, diseases, fungus, and viruses. As effective as these systems are, they are relatively primitive.

These systems simply detect what is foreign and proceed to eliminate it. There are times when they over respond (e.g. a major allergy attack), or when they attack something that is actually helpful for the body. A good example is an organ transplant. It's obvious to us that something foreign has been replaced for health reasons, but the body doesn't recognize this and attacks the new organ as if it were harmful. This is equally true for any sort of medical implant.

A number of years ago I was working with a client who had surgery where her rib cage was opened up. The ribs were then reattached to each other with wire to keep them in place as they healed back together. She was having a very hard time post operatively.

Her body was trying to expel the unfamiliar substance, which had been added in a very traumatic way. This wire had been chosen specifically to last and stay in place, so her body was simply going to keep fighting and fighting and the wire wasn't going to go anywhere.

As strange as it sounds, the way we worked on the problem was to reconcile the body to the wire. The tapping went something like this:

“There is a wire that is in my body…I did not choose to have it placed there…the doctors put it in without my consent…the surgery was an emergency and I didn't have a choice in the matter…I am still angry and frustrated about the surgery…but I am not angry at the wire…the wire didn't force its way into my body…the wire doesn't choose to stay in my body…it is just there…the wire was placed to help my body to heal…the wire was used to help the bones to grow back together…I am happy the wire is trying to help my body heal…even if my body thinks the wire is something that needs to be expelled…I give my body permission to know that in its current form the wire is not a danger to my health…I want my body to continue to work to remove anything that is a danger to me…but this wire is not a danger…it is there to assist the healing…the wire is not something that needs to be fought…I am happy my body is working so hard to keep me safe and healthy…but it doesn't have to work on the wire…I choose to make the wire a member of my body until it is no longer needed…I release any hurt, anger, and frustration I have towards the wire…it is not the wire's choice to be inside me…it does me no good to hold hard feelings against the wire.”

You will notice in this tapping pattern we dealt with both the physical response to the wire as well as the emotions about how the wire got there and the fact that it was still there.

The client reported a great deal of relief after this tapping. I have found it very helpful to do this sort of tapping for any type of implant.

First, get emotionally clear about the need to have the implant. Second, work with the body to help it to understand that even though this is a foreign substance, that doesn't mean it's a danger.

Energetic Charge In The Body
There are specific types of implants that also have an energetic charge to them because of the function they perform, like the ones mentioned in the question. The approach I would use for this is very similar to any other implant, but I would add the following.

“The implant that I have is creating an energetic charge…the energy it is creating is there to help my body find healing and relief…this is a foreign source of energy that my body does not know…I am happy my body is trying to keep me safe…I ask my body to reconcile with this new form of energy…I am not asking my body to accept all energy as good and healthy…I am asking my body to tune into this particular new form of energy…I ask the body to understand with the wisdom from my higher self why this new energy has been added…I ask my body to utilize this new energy for my health and well being…only accepting in ways that are helpful and healing…knowing full well that my body is designed to and needs to keep me safe…I trust my body can find balance to use this energy for my health and well-being…I trust my body to reject any energy that is not useful and unhealthy…I let my body know I do not think it has failed and that is why I have added this implant…I let my body know the reason I have added the implant is to help it in its job…I let my body know I will continue to check in with it around this issue…I will continue to listen to the feedback from my body around this issue…I want the body's feedback around this issue…I will continue to work with my body around this issue.”

Tapping in this fashion will assist the body in discerning what is helpful and what is not, open it to being more accepting of what is helpful, clear the emotional charge around the new energy, and give it encouragement to continue communicating its needs with us.

In the long term all of these outcomes will be helpful.

Tapping For Physical Issues AND Can I Tap Too Much?

by

In the past week I discovered that I have high blood pressure. I am fit, a vegetarian, and in my forties. Because of a medical condition from my thirties the high blood pressure is a serious issue. I am under the care of a medical doctor in regards to this, but am wondering the best way to use tapping to assist the healing process. Also, should I go overboard and tap every hour, or is there such a thing as too much tapping?


photo by Reavel

Before I answer the question I want to point out a very important idea. Tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques/EvEFT) should not be your only form of self-care. Our health is going to be maintained through diet, exercise, meditation, western medicine, and a whole host of tools and techniques used in concert. I love tapping as much as anyone, but make sure you are making good choices and taking total responsibility for your health and well being.

When it comes to tapping there are three things to keep in mind and work on: the response, the symptoms, and balance.

1) The Response
This might seem slightly counter intuitive, but the place I always start when tapping for anything is my emotional response to what is going on.

If we are feeling fear, anxiety, overwhelm, anger, or resentment towards a situation, it is going to be very difficult to heal the issue at hand. These emotions will prevent us from focusing and tuning in to the issue at hand. Also, any emotion that is not in harmony with health and well being is going to slow or stop the natural healing processes.

I have found that spending some time with the emotions surrounding the issue not only speeds the healing process, but it also helps us to gain clarity on what the real issue is.

When we have an issue, e.g. high blood pressure, jumbled in with the emotions of fear for our health and feeling overwhelmed by our possible future, it's very hard to know where to start. Often it is easier to tune in to how we feel about the situation than the situation itself.

This does't mean that you need to get completely emotionally clear before working on the issue, but the clearer you get the easier and more effective the tapping is going to be. Simply ask yourself how you feel about what is going on. Spend a little time with each of these emotions.

If you are looking for some guidance on how to do this check out “Not Knowing Where To Start/A Good Way To Start”

2) The Symptoms
Now that you have spent some time clearing the emotions it's now time to move on to the issue itself. There are many different ways you can approach this.

The example given above is about a physical symptom. I have written a number of articles on how to deal with physical symptoms. For more information check out:

3) Finding Balance
Tapping/EvEFT is something that can be done anytime, anywhere. This is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it only cost us our time and makes healing so accessible, literally putting control in our own hands. It can be a curse, because we can become very frustrated with ourselves for not using this tool as often as we could.

If I had a nickel for every client who was feeling bad about not doing all the tapping they could between sessions I would be a very rich man.

With this in mind, when considering how much tapping we need to do around a particular issue, there are two things to keep in mind:

First, we need to make sure we are taking it easy with ourselves and the healing process. It does us little to no good if we get stressed out about how much tapping we need to do or the fact that we are not tapping when we ‘should'. This questions is the prefect example of how worrying about tapping can compound a problem. The last thing a person with high blood pressure needs is more stress in their life around how little they are tapping.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the optimum tapping schedule, just tap on that issue:

“I know tapping is a powerful tool…I know it can help and speed my body's healing process…but I don't want to get too worked up about the process…as much as I would like to be healed right now…I know the body knows the right rate for me to heal…I know if I spend the time I need in caring for myself…the healing process will happen in due time…I give myself permission to be easy with myself…especially when I don't do all the tapping I can…My body can heal…My body will heal…I am going to let that healing unfold.”

The second thing to consider is knowing how much tapping is enough and how much is too much. I have found in most cases that there is a physical limit to how much tapping is beneficial at any one time. It's a lot like running. Just because running one mile is good for you doesn't mean running fifty miles is better.

Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to knowing how much is too much. This threshold is going to vary from person to person and from issue to issue.

The key is to trust your system.

Be easy with yourself. Don't feel like you need to do everything right now. After you have tapped for a while to calm your mind, take a few deep breaths, and ask your system if you can do more work now or if you have done as much as you can for the moment, knowing full well that you can come back and do more work later.

Abundance

by

At the beginning of every yoga class our teacher asks us to pick a word or short phrase to use as the intention for the class. Last night the word that came to mind was “abundance”. Obviously this is something my higher wisdom is wanting me to spend some time with, but I am not sure what to do with the word. Do you have any suggestions on how I could incorporate this idea into my tapping?


photo by (nz)Dave

Abundance (or any specific desire, for that matter) can be a double-edged sword. It is good that we are recognizing a part of our life that we would like to see improvement, growth, and/or development in. The contrast between where we are and where we would like to be becomes the motivation for us to make the changes.

Problems can arise out of the frustration that things are not how we wish they were. We can feel overwhelmed by the perceived work it is going to take for us to move forward. We can feel saddened by the fact we have missed opportunities in the past that would have moved us closer to our goal/desire.

When we want more abundance of any type in our life, it is important that we don't get hung up on the desire to find abundance. If our primary thought is “I want abundance”, we're going to continue to create more opportunities for us to want to find abundance and we will keep ourselves in a perpetual state of longing for more.

The easiest way to find our way to abundance is to recognize all that is here already. When we notice it around us, everywhere, then we're moving from wanting abundance to allowing the abundance that surrounds us into our lives.

For me, the easiest way to understand this is in terms of grace. God's grace is not something that is doled out discriminately, but instead is surrounding every part of my life. That grace has a direct impact in my life when I have the awareness to see it. My task is not to seek it, but to see what is there. The more I notice grace, the easier it is to let it in. The more I let grace in, the easier it becomes to recognize it. Now it becomes a process that builds upon itself.

When we add tapping to this process, we are not tapping to find abundance, but to open ourselves to recognize the abundance that is already present. Tapping might look like this:

“I know there is opportunity and abundance all around me…there are opportunities for growth, development, and healing in every moment and in every place…many times I miss these opportunities and moments…I forgive myself for missing these moments…I am easy with myself for missing these moments…right now I give myself permission to know the abundance, grace, and opportunity that are saturating this moment…I give myself permission to open my eyes to these opportunities…knowing full well I don't need to capture everything at once…by opening my eyes to this for just a moment it is going to make it easier to do it again in a future moment…I recognize the grace around me right now…helping me to move to who I would like to be…in all parts of my life…Right now I know I am surrounded by abundance….I am surrounded by grace…I am surrounded by opportunity…Even if I miss it right now…It will all be present in the next moment…and the next moment…and the next moment…I will see what is in this moment…not needing to find it…all that I need is already here…even if I can't see it right now…bit by bit I open myself to seeing this.”

Can I Tap In Something Bad?

by

I have a very important decision to make. When I consider one of the options I have a very strong emotional reaction. I am not sure if this is my higher-self warning me about making the choice or if it is a limiting belief that I shouldn't heed. I am worried that I am going to tap away my higher wisdom and make a bad choice. How do I know if I should use EFT/Tapping on this issue?

photo by Orin Zebest

This is a great question. I am often asked if we can tap something useful away or something harmful in. The great news is we can't.

When we are using EFT/tapping we are not tapping something in or tapping something out. We are bringing the system back into balance. This being true, we can't do damage by tapping.

For example, if I have a very strong fear of tigers I can tap to get to the point where I can watch a tiger on TV and no longer get scared. But if I tapped non-stop for the next ten years I would never clear the fear I would feel if I was three feet from a tiger that was growling at me.

In this case balance exists between a natural fear that serves to keep me safe, and an excessive reaction to something that is not a real threat.

The emotions experienced by the questioner above are very useful to him. They could be the higher-self giving very important information or they could be arising from a limiting belief that is not accurate. If he takes the time to tune into these emotions and tap on them, he will achieve one of two possible results: either he will clear a limiting belief, making it easier for him to access a better choice on the matter; or he will be getting more information from his higher self, which will further clarify what is in his best interest.

Regardless of what the root is, by taking the time to tap, we are going are going to much clearer about our decisions.

Also, as a side note, I think it is important to point out that if we are receiving information from our higher-self and it has an emotional charge to it, then we are not congruent with that information. When we are congruent with the information from our higher-self, we see it as truth.