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Lesson Learned From Gary Craig & His Announced Retirement

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As many of you are aware Gary Craig has announced his retirement from the EFT community that he helped to craft and create. Gary's full announcement can be found on the EFT blog. For those of you who don't know Gary, he is the one who crafted EFT out of his experience with Thought Field Therapy and other modalities.

In one of the advanced Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping classes I teach one full class is devoted to lessons we can learn from great change work professionals. Gary is one of the people I feature in the class. In that vain here are two lessons that can be learned from Gary's work and two lessons that can be learned for Gary's announced retirement.

1) Often The Best Solution Is The Simplest Solution
Evolving Thought Field Therapy/Thought Field Therapy(TFT) is an amazing tool set. It is very powerful in clearing both physical and emotional issues. For each issue it constructs a very specific tapping pattern to clear the issue. As powerful as this is, it takes a very skilled professional to be able to come up with that tapping pattern. Gary was trained in TFT, he recognized how powerful the tool was, and wonder if there was a way to make it simpler so it could be placed in the hands of the public at large. The outcome was EFT. EFT is elegant in its simplicity. I have taught the basics of EFT on the back of a napkin in a busy bar in less than five minutes.

We as people, at least I do, love complexity. We feel the more complicated the solution better the solution must be. The creation of EFT shows us that sometimes a simpler solution will accomplish as much as a more complicated one. Because of this model I ask myself, “Is there a simpler way to do the exact same thing?” before I take the first step.

2) Power of Generosity
As you read the many comments on the EFT web site under Gary's announcement the word that appears over and over again is generous. Gary is a very generous man with his time and his talents. He provided his ideas and training very cheaply. Many of the resources were offered for free so that many could have access to the amazing tool that EFT is. Because of his generosity the community that built up around him responded in the same way.

His newsletter that was published every three or four days contained 3 new articles from practitioners from around the world sharing their insight while using EFT. It would be very easy for practitioners to keep their knowledge to themselves or to only share the information with their own readership. Instead they choose to share their knowledge with the community at larger hoping others could learn and grow from their insight.

The cynic might argue the reason people shared their knowledge on Gary's site was because the traffic was so great hoping to use the exposure to build their own practice. This might be true for some, but it was not for all. When I would read an article I really like I would track the author down to see if they had other articles they had written or if they had their own newsletter I could subscribe to. Many times these articles were not written by practitioners, but by people who used EFT in their own lives and they wanted to share in hopes it would help others.

Gary's generosity to the tapping community created a tapping community that was very generous in turn, not just with Gary, but with each other. I am blessed to have many new friends because of the community that wouldn't have existed without Gary's generosity.

3) You Must Take Care Of Yourself
Gary writes:

Finally, my physicians tell me that I have had a heart attack. I am unaware of when this happened and have no symptoms. Nonetheless, the tests show clearly that part of my heart has died. Accordingly, it is sheer idiocy for me to continue with the pressures of running EFT. To do so, is to risk another heart attack, stroke, etc. No thanks.

I can only image the struggle Gary went through as he made this choice. The number of profound healings that Gary has witnessed first hand and the countless notes he has received is mind-boggling. Walking away from something that he has cared some much about and given so much energy and time to in the last 15 years must be heart wrenching.

I don't know if I could do this.

This is something I preach to my clients all the time and something Gary is living out in this choice: We must take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. If we are not safe and/or healthy then we are in no position to care for others. Often we feel selfish in making this choice, but we do others little good if we are sick. Our health is paramount to us being able to help others. Gary should be applauded for his courage in making this choice.

4) Physical Being A Metaphor For The Emotional
I experience everything in two ways. First, just on a normal level as human seeing how my surrounding and current stimulus affects me. Second, I experience things as a practitioner. I am asking myself questions about why are thing happening the way they are. As a practitioner I was struck by the following:

Also, as should be apparent to most of our seasoned readers, some EFT'ers have been hyping their products in ways that tend to erode the spiritual essence of the EFT movement. This has resulted in some behind-the-scenes disagreements, deceit and other negative experiences. At the core, I prefer peace to pugilism and wish to distance myself from these unnecessary “fame and fortune” energies. As you will see below, I'm leaving for higher ground.

…

Nonetheless, the tests show clearly that part of my heart has died.

I have some insight into what Gary is eluding to in this part of his note. I don't know Gary personally (other than a few professional email back and forth), but do have a sense at how hard some of these situations were for him. It was a moment in which something he had created had grown well beyond himself and people were making choice that Gary himself would not make. In Gary's mind these weren't just practical choice of implementation of a protocol, but they were choices of ethics and virtue. It was very obvious in one of Gary's blog posts that this was a heart-breaking situation for him.

It is amazing the way our emotions and physical body can mirror and match one-another.

He Will Be Missed
Gary's presents in the tapping and change work communities are going to be missed. Even if you have never met or heard of Gary Craig but have learned something on this web site then your life (in ways unknown) has been touched by his work and generosity. I would not be doing this work today if it was not for Gary Craig.

Using Process Instructions [UPDATE]

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photo by alice (alicepopkorn)

One of the major misconceptions clients have when they come to work with me is they believe that I am going to do something or give them something that is going to make them change or heal. There are certainly times when I teach clients new resources they can use to address the issue they are facing, but in most cases I am simply helping clients to identify the resources they already possess (but for one reason or another are not accessing).

One of my favorite pieces of hypnotic patter I use in tapping sessions with clients is to say, “As you pay attention to [issue at hand] notice the resources you possess that you did not realize would be helpful or have forgotten about that would aid you in healing and transformation. Notice these resources as they spring to mind…”

I love the sense of surprise clients have, as resources come to light that we are then able to use tapping to use to address the issue at hand. [Remember: When working with a practitioner their job is to help you to access the healing tools you already possess.]

Sometimes, without the aid of a skilled practitioner it is hard to tap into these resources we possess because we are so close to the problem. We can have a great deal of resistance that prevents us from finding those resources by simply meditating on the patter offered above. [Note: For more information on resistance see these articles.]

When I have problems (and yes I do have problems) finding my way to the tools that I have to help in my own healing I turned to an Ericksonian hypnosis technique called “process instruction”. In there most over simplified form they are the combination of an unspecified verb, an adjective, and a nominalization (abstract noun) that guides the mind to accessing new perspective and unrealized resources.

The best part of process instructions is you don't need to understand a single word of the previous paragraph to make them work for you. You can just use the table below to come up with phrases.

The way I use process instructions with tapping is

  1. Tune into an issue I would like to see transformation in my life
  2. Choose a word from each column below
  3. Start tapping while thinking of the phrase and issue at hand

As I do this I simply pay attention to the new thoughts that I have. Often I am given new insight in to the problem. Other times I feel the charge release. While other times I see new paths that I can take to my healing.

I do this process with a pen and paper close by so I can write down my new insights.

After doing this for one phase I will move on to another combination. Obviously, some phrases are going to be more powerful than others, but if you take 2 minutes with 5 phrases you will generate a great deal of insight in just 10 minutes.

Here are a few examples of possible phrase that you focus on:

  • develop useful experiences
  • enjoy helpful understanding
  • clarify relevant purpose
  • discover positive support
  • identify curious process

Now on the surface some of these phrases might seem very nonsensical, but if you give your subconscious a chance to sit with these phrase as you tap you will be very surprised at what you come up with.

Unspecified Verbs Adjectives Nominalizations
Review Appropriate Experiences
Develop Valuable Understanding
Continue Useful Attitude
Enjoy Interesting Purpose
Discover Possible Knowledge
Achieve Curious Conclusion
Create Helpful Security
Generate Comfortable Arrangement
Encounter Effective Beliefs
Appreciate Satisfying Values
Change Worthwhile Learning
Control Relevant Expectation
Identify Helpful Support
Practice Original Process
Clarify Impressive Resources
Consider Positive Meaning

[UPDATE: After posting this article there were a number of questions about this process. I have added a bonus podcast where I talk about Process Instructions. Listen to process instruction podcast.]

A Formula To Come Up With Phrases…AKA I don’t know what to say

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One of the biggest struggles newcomers have with tapping/Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT) is coming up with tapping phrases. I learned to find the ‘right' thing to say by reading lots of scripts and patter written by other practitioners. I found phrases, ideas, and formulas that will make it easier for you to come up with your own.

Recently, I found anther great formula on the late Karen Nauman's wonderful web site which sadly no longer exists.

Her approach is very simple and can be done in four easy steps:

Step 1 – Truth statement [Read more…] about A Formula To Come Up With Phrases…AKA I don't know what to say

Using Music From The Past To Clear The Past

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photo by Kevin Lawver

One of the most powerful tools I have added to my skill set from my hypnosis and NLP training is the understanding of anchors. In an over-simplified sense an anchor is really nothing more than the fact that one thing reminds you of something else, very similar to Pavlov's classical conditioning.

For example, the smell of just-baked bread can remind you of your grandmother's kitchen. Freshly cut grass might remind you of the playground when you were a child. Some anchors are stronger than others and they are not always positive. A sharp thumping sound could remind you of an auto accident you were in years ago, making you feel very tense right now.

The most common way anchoring is used in change work is to create one around something that is experienced throughout the day that will now remind us of something positive. For example, in a hypnosis session the suggestion would be set up that every time you see the color red you will think, “I am now a nonsmoker and will be a nonsmoker for the rest of my life.”

We can also use anchors another way: i.e. using ones that already exist to find our way to the roots of our issues and beliefs.

We are constantly creating powerful anchors with the music we listen to. This is particularly true with pop music. Most music is associated with a certain time because we hear it over and over while it's popular.

Depending on your age when you first heard The New Kids on The Block, The Bee Gees, The Doors, or The Beatles, you are immediately transported to a very specific time and place when you hear them again. (It's very possible that it just happened even as you read this list.)

These anchors are most powerful between the ages of 11-18, partly because these years are obviously very formative, and also just because of the sheer amount of music most of us listen to when we're younger.

Developmentally we are moving from dependence to independence during those years, and starting to create our identities as individuals. In the socially dangerous waters of middle and high schools it's very easy to have intense experiences that will create roots for many of the issues and beliefs we hold today.

Music that we are paying attention to, memorizing the words and melodies of, is playing almost constantly in the background at the same time that we are navigating through the often difficult and confusing experiences of becoming an adult. All of these emotions, thoughts, and beliefs get firmly anchored to these songs. Now we can use these anchors to our advantage.

Because we need to ‘tune' into an issue first in order to most effectively tap on it, this imbedded music is a perfect and ready-made path straight into the heart of the matter.

Recently some issues have surfaced in my own life. As I tuned in to my feelings I asked this question: “What do these emotions remind me of?” The answer was very clear: being fifteen years old. So I turned to the music I heard the most back then.

I created a playlist, loaded it onto my mp3 player and listened to it while taking my evening walk. My mind was flooded with memories; many of them good, others not so pleasurable.

I tapped while walking, but I didn't dwell long on any one issue or thought; I just let them come and go with the music. By the time I got home I was much more at peace about what was going in my life right now.

I encourage to you to play with this idea. Find some meaningful music from your past or even your here-and-now. Listen to it and tap away.

Parts Of The Body

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photo by Lady Pain

I was on a retreat recently where the retreat director spent a great deal of time talking about how we have become disconnected from our bodies in the modern world. This makes sense, as most of us no longer do work that requires a great amount of physical effort. Even though our lifestyle doesn’t require us to be in close contact with our bodies it doesn’t mean that we should lose that close connection with our bodies.

In addition to being essential to our interactions in the world, our bodies also contain a great deal of information. Injury or disease in the body can be read as a clear sign that our body is trying to share information or a lesson with us.

When I am not working on a specific issue, but instead just looking to the body for lessons and information, there are two ways I approach my body to get information and begin healing. With both techniques I have found myself starting with something small and moving to very profound healing. I call these “scanning the body” and “targeting specific systems and organs”.

Scan the Body
The first step is to simply scan the body through the following steps:

  • Sit up straight some where comfortable
  • Place your feel flat on the floor
  • Place your hands in your lap
  • Don't cross your arms, hands, or feet
  • Close your eyes
  • Take a few nice easy deep breaths

Once you are resting comfortably let your mind’s eye scan your body from head to toe paying attention to any aches, pains, stiffness, or congestion in your energy. As you do this, you will notice certain parts of your body appear most in need of attention.

As you find these places, use your favorite method to tap on them. (Tune into shape, color, weight, intensity, what the ache or pain has to say).

Continue this process as you move from part to part that needs attention.

Targeting Specific Systems and Organs
The second process I like to use with the body is to choose systems or organs of the body and tune into them and tap. This is nothing more complicated than closing your eyes and placing all your attention on your liver (for example). As you pay attention to your liver, simply move from one tapping point to another and then another.

Begin to have an imaginary conversation with your liver. Trust your intuition on this. Ask the liver what is needs and what it wants. Ask it if there is anything you can do for it. Offer it words of thanks and encouragement as you tap. Simply send healing energy to the liver.

As you do this you will be surprised at what comes to mind. When thought, emotions, and memories come up, don’t give them too much attention. Simply feel them and let them pass.

Conclusion
While on retreat Russ Hudson said, “If you are in touch with your body, mind, and spirit then, and only then, are you a candidate for real change.” In our modern world it is very common for us to lose contact with our bodies. If you use either of the exercises listed above, you’ll find yourself more in tune with your body moment to moment, and you will find your way to places of healing very quickly.