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

Cold and Flu

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Cold and Flu season is coming. Is there a way I can use EFT to keep myself healthy?

I have used Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) very effectively against cold and flu symptoms in two ways. One is preventive and the other is symptom management.

Prevention
I have found it is very helpful to take a little time each morning and night to do tapping for general health. I take a few deep breaths to relax myself, tune into my body, and tap on phases like this:

I am so blessed to have the body I have…it is so sophisticated in all that it can do…it is a system that is built with amazing balance…when something doesn’t work well it has the power and tools to correct and heal…I know my body has everything it needs to maintain optimum health…my body was made for heath…I am thankful for this fact…right now I give all my intention to the healing powers of my body…if there are any blocks to the healing power of my body…I tune into them right now…I see these blocks clearly…and I let them go…my body can remove these blocks effortlessly…as the blocks are removed my body is able to function as it was made to…in total health…I tune into any bacteria, fungus, or virus that prevents my body from being at total health…be these bacteria, fungus, or viruses be known or hidden…I release the body’s healing powers on these bacteria, fungus, and viruses…my body is able to manage all of these intruders…bring my body back to total health…I am thankful for how my body is able to work back to health…any resources the healing part of my body needs to bring my body back to health I hand those resources over right now…once again I tune into any blocks to my healing that are in my body, mind, or spirit…I give my body permission to let these blocks go…anything that is preventing my body from maintaining health I remove and clear right now…I now tune into any part of my body that is designed for growth…I give thanks for the parts of my body that are committed to my growth…I tune in to any of the blocks in my mind, body, or spirit that are preventing my body from growing in the ways it is designed to grow…I let go of any and all of the blocks I have to growth…these blocks are no longer needed…I see and feel them being let go…I give thanks for the amazing power of my body…I know my body is made to heal and grow…I give my body permission to heal and grow [How to use these tapping phrases]

Symptom Management
Just because I know (and teach) the tools of keeping my body healthy it doesn’t mean that I always use them, so even I get sick. One of my favorite techniques for dealing with cold and flu symptoms is what I call the “Tissue Technique”.

This technique is very simple – all you do is blow your nose AND spit into the tissue.

This sounds gross, but what you’ve just done is collected a live culture of most of the bugs that are in your system.

Next you hold the tissue in your hand, place your intention on what is in your hand, and begin tapping on all the bugs at once. I recommend doing this every hour or so.

Note: Just because you are no longer feeling the symptoms does not mean that you have gotten rid of all the bugs. I have tended to forget tapping every hour once I feel better, giving the bugs a chance to reclaim my body. I recommend that you use this technique for 24 hours past the time that you feel better. This will insure you are completely cleaning out all the bugs.

When I was first introduced to this technique I was very sick. Over the course of a day I had a spit cup that I spit into throughout the day. Every hour or so I’d pick up the cup, focus on it, and tap. As I did this I could feel congestion breaking up and my energy level rising. Yes, that’s really gross! But it’s worth it to get healthy.

Forgiveness Equals Condoning The Action

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I was introduced to EFT about a year ago and I love it. I’m amazed at the way it quickly gets rid of unwanted emotions, but I’m wondering if this is always a good thing. I made some really poor choices in the past. I feel really bad about these choices. I know EFT would be a great tool for getting rid of these emotions, but I’m afraid that if I don’t feel bad about them that I am condoning the past behavior. Is it okay to let go of these negative emotions about my past choices?

At its core this question is about forgiveness. Sometimes this question is about forgiving ourselves (like the questions above); other times it’s about forgiving others. “If I forgive them for hurting me I am saying what they did is okay.”

The person who asked this question is exactly right. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a great tool for helping us to forgive, but forgiveness can be a tricky business.

Forgiveness can come along with lots of baggage.

  • “If I forgive myself I am going to make the same mistake again”
  • “If I forgive I am saying what happen was right”
  • “If I forgive they are going to do the same thing to someone else and I will have condoned it.”
  • “I did something wrong and I deserve to suffer, not to be forgiven.”
  • “If I forgive them then I am going to give up my status as victim and I don’t know how to live not as a victim.  People only give me attention because I am a victim and they will all leave me.” [This was a real fear of one of my clients.]

When discussing forgiveness it’s a good idea to look at forgiving oneself and forgiving others separately.

Forgiving Ourselves
Forgiveness and un-forgiveness are routinely accompanied by regret and/or guilt. Even though these two emotions are very similar they are different in a very striking way.

For example, I may say, “I regret eating that extra candy bar.” When I make this statement I am saying I wish I had made a different choice because I now understand the consequences of that choice, but it’s not something I am emotionally bound up in right now.

To feel guilty about something is not only to wish we had made a different choice, but we also feel emotionally bad in the moment. “I feel guilty for eating that extra candy bar.” With this statement I am saying I wish I had made a different choice and I feel bad about that choice right now.

When we forgive ourselves we are not saying we made a good choice in the past. We are not saying we will make the same choice again. We are not saying we didn’t learn from the past. Instead, when we forgive we are moving from guilt to regret.

Guilt is debilitating. Regret is instructive. That is why forgiveness of our self is so important. When we forgive we move from being an emotional prisoner of the past to learning from the past.

Forgiving Others
When it comes to forgiving others the most powerful idea I have encountered is, “When we hold a grudge and refuse to forgive someone else we are wishing ill on them and taking the poison ourselves.” When we refuse to forgive someone else we are not hurting the person in any way. We are only hurting ourselves by carrying around the ill will (and sometimes hatred) for someone else.

When we choose to forgive someone else we are doing this solely for ourselves. We are not condoning their action. We are not saying they can take this action against us (or anyone else) again. We are simply saying, “I choose not to be a prisoner to this past action. I will no longer carry this poison of guilt, hatred and un-forgiveness in my body.”

How To Use EFT To Forgive
Often we hear the phrase, “forgive and forget.” This is a really accurate — and sometimes destructive — sentiment. When we forgive we are not forgetting what has come before. We still keep the lessons from the past. We are going to make choices in the future to keep us safe from the same situation. When we forgive we are simply choosing not to be an emotional prisoner to the past.

With that in mind, I think it is very important to carry the ideas of why we forgive into our tapping, not just the fact that we are forgiving. By doing this we are able to not only deal with the emotions around what needs to be forgiven, but we are also dealing with all the resistance we have to offering forgiveness.

Here is a sample tapping patter for forgiving oneself:

Just because I am forgiving myself for past actions, this doesn’t mean I am saying those were good choices…those choices are who I was…not who I am…I have learned from those choices…I don’t need to be holding onto the guilt to make sure I make good choices in the future…by holding onto guilt I am continuing to punish myself…I don’t need to keep punishing myself…I give my self permission to forgive myself…I choose to know forgiving myself is allowed…I choose to know forgiving myself is a path to health…and not forgiving myself is not a path to health…I forgive myself for not forgiving myself yet…I know I have learned the lesson from the past poor choice…I give myself permission to let this go and move on. [How to use these tapping phrases]

Here is a sample tapping patter for forgiving someone else:

I give myself permission to forgive [insert name]…When I forgive them I am not saying what they did is right…when I offer forgiveness it is all about me…it has nothing to do with them…it has nothing to do with condoning their actions…I am letting go of this so I am no longer imprisoned by the past…when I hold a grudge it is like I am wishing ill on someone else but taking the poison myself…I need to forgive for my health and well being…this choice is for me…it is not for them…I also forgive myself for not giving forgiveness earlier…what matters is that I am now choosing to move on…by giving forgiveness I am not giving them permission to do the same thing again…when I forgive it doesn’t mean that I have not learned a lesson from this…I have learned from this…when I forgive I am not inviting this in again…I am forgiving so I can move on…when I forgive I still might remember what happened, but I am no longer imprisoned by what happened…forgiveness can be hard…I give myself permission to be easy with myself as I go through the forgiveness process…I am doing this for me…and no one else…and I am allowed to do this for myself…it doesn’t matter if the other person deserves forgiveness…I deserve to forgive…because it is the best thing for me [How to use these tapping phrases]

Using Color With EFT

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I was on the teleclass you did with Catherine Poole on color and I loved it. But there is still something I am confused about. She talked about how each type of physical issue is related to a color (or a couple of colors). It sounds like if we are suffering in that part of our body we could tap using EFT and just image that color coming in. My questions is how do I know which color to bring in?

I asked Catherine if she would answer this question by creating a list of issues, by color, that we could pay attention to when we are doing EFT on ourselves or with a client. Below you will find her response on (in her words) “how to listen to what the body needs”.

[This article is by Catherine Poole. Catherine is a medical intuitive who has spent decades studying and teaching color theory. In this article she explores what each color represents when it comes to healing. At the end of this article there is a short audio which shows you how to combine color with EFT. Catherine is available for private readings (which can be done in phone sessions) and can be contacted at http://CatherinePoole.com/.]

Base/Red Energy
What do they talk about?
Do they complain about family, their church, their government? Parents (living or dead)? Childhood? Job? Money?

Parts of the body or dysfunction:

  • Foundation/Solids
  • Any system or organ that relates to solids can be affected when one gives too much of this base energy away or they are attracting too much to them.
  • Arthritis
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Constipation
  • Teeth
  • Joints
  • Muscles
  • Bones
  • Legs
  • Weight
  • Lower Back
  • ED

Sacral/Orange Energy
What do they talk about?
Do they complain about one particular person that “ticks them off”? Are they emotional? Afraid? Resentful? Guilty? Do they have sexual issues? Mother issues? Daughter/Son issues? Sibling issues?

Parts of the body or dysfunction:

  • Kidneys, Urethra, Bladder
  • Lower Back
  • Reproductive System
  • Lymphatic System
  • Circulatory w/Heart Center
  • ED/Impotence/Frigidity
  • Endometriosis
  • Infertility
  • Cysts/Cancer
  • Allergies
  • Bedwetting (incontinence)
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Diarrhea
  • Lymph glands (Hodgkin’s, Swollen)
  • Kidney Stones
  • Lupus
  • Breast Cancer (also Heart Chakra)
  • Compromised Immune System

Solar Plexus/Yellow Energy
What do they talk about?
Do they consistently apologize? Choose to “not make waves”? Are they always “tired” of something? Depressed? Confused? Feel that others control their life? Always worried? “I’m afraid”

Parts of the body or dysfunction:

  • Represents element of fire: how we burn energy.
  • Stomach
  • Pancreas, gall bladder
  • Small intestine
  • The sugar level in our blood relates to the amount of sweetness and love in our lives.
  • There is a great desire for affection and love, yet an inability to know how to act if it is received.
  • This gives rise to anger and resentment, a blaming of others for our own inner fear and confusion in dealing with love.
  • Acne (low self esteem)
  • Anorexia (rejection)
  • Bulimia (abandonment)
  • Blood Cell Disorders (not worth living)
  • Crohn’s Disease (gripping fear)
  • Diabetes (sweetness)
  • Obesity (ashamed)
  • Agoraphobia
  • Adrenal Gland Challenges (fight or flight)
  • Indigestion (can’t stomach life)
  • Back Pain (5th-11th Dorsal Vertebrae)-material
  • Nausea (worry)
  • Motion Sickness (control)
  • Ulcer (no control)

Heart /Green Energy
What do they talk about?
Are they fearful of relationships? Letting go, being free? getting hurt? being abandoned? Family members getting hurt? Do they “hate” things? Do they need constant reassurance? (always ask if everything is “OK”?)

Parts of the body or dysfunction:

  • Element of Air anything that flows.
  • Heart
  • Lungs
  • Esophagus/Trachea
  • Arteries/Blood
  • Immune System: thymus, lymph glands
  • Asthma (take on too much)
  • Upper Back and Neck (stop being the emotional support for others)
  • Cancer
  • old (easily influenced by external forces)
  • Cough (easily irritated)
  • Hiccups (enough is enough, gain control)
  • Snoring (repressed your “noise” during the day)
  • Blood Disorders: urgent message that you need a profound shift in self-image
  • High cholesterol  (arteriosclerosis)
  • High Blood Pressure

Throat /Blue Energy
What do they talk about?
Do they often say “to tell you the truth”? Do they “uhm”? Are they shy? Quiet? Inconsistent? Unreliable? Manipulative? Have trouble expressing their thoughts? Clear their throat? Persistent cough? Use words associated with talking, hearing, listening?

Parts of the body or dysfunction:

  • Any organ that involves communication.
  • Ears/Mouth/Throat
  • Thyroid/Parathyroid
  • Hearing Loss
  • Inner Ear (off balance)
  • Vertigo/Meniere’s Dis-ease
  • Ear Infections
  • Lip Biting
  • TMJ (anger, resentment, revenge)
  • Teeth (defensive, fear of wrong decisions)

Third Eye/Indigo and Violet Energy
What do you talk about?
Are they undisciplined? Oversensitive to the feelings of others? Read too much into things? Other examples are authoritarian personalities, “egomaniacs” are opinionated visionaries, there is an imbalance between higher self and ego self. Nightmares and night terrors as well as overactive imaginations can create deficiencies in this area.

Parts of the body or dysfunction:

  • Pineal Gland
  • Third Eye
  • Eyes
  • Sinuses
  • Nose
  • Nose: Represents Self Recognition
  • Sinus (Irritation to one person)
  • Nose Bleeds (Recognition)
  • Snoring (also with green and blue)

Crown/All (White) Energy
What do they talk about?
Do they talk about feeling hopeless? Or a relationship being hopeless? Lack joy? Refer to someone or something as “a headache”? Are they constantly frustrated and can’t make decisions? Saying “I don’t know”?

Parts of the body or dysfunction:

  • Corresponding Organs
  • Crown of the Head
  • Pituitary Gland
  • Brain
  • Only place on the body where bone (foundation) covers tissue rather than tissue covers bone.
  • White energy represents the capacity to process
  • Autism
  • ADD, ADHD
  • Coma (escape, fear of something, someone)

What if you don’t know what color to bring?
Still confused on what color you might want to add to your EFT? The body knows what you need. Trust its wisdom. Here is a simple way to make sure you get the right color.

  • Would you like to have a version of this audio you can download, burn to a CD or load on your mp3 player? Buy it here
  • You can hear a full version of the teleclass Catherine gave here: Color, Disease, and EFT

Not Sure How To Be Specific – AKA I Don’t know what to say (part 6)

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I know EFT is most effective when I am really specific about what I am tapping on, but I am really having a problem with that because there are so many emotions at once I don’t know where to start. One thought leads to the next that leads to the next. What do I do when I don’t know what to focus on because there is so much going on at once?

Almost every resource on Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), including mine, will tell you that the fastest way to have success with EFT is to be as specific as possible. But there are times when this is really hard to do. Unfortunately, when we don’t know where to start we are much less likely to do any EFT at all.

Having a whole constellation of emotions all at once is much more common than you would think. It most often happens with my clients when we are starting a session. At the beginning of a session, after the small talk, I generally ask the client, “What would you like to spend our time on today?”

My client will then share what their hope is for the session. Sometimes they will have a whole list of issues. These issues can be related to each other, or they might be just a whole group of issues that have come up since we last talked. Often after talking about what they would like to work on they will be very emotional (because of all the emotion they stirred up as they described their issues) or they will say something like, “…and I have no idea where to begin.”

In these cases I would lead them in a tapping session much like this:

“I would like you to start tapping and close your eyes…take a deep breath…I would like you to tune into all the emotions and issues you just brought up…not in any specific way…but just in a general way…tune into the total constellation of emotions…don’t try in any way to see any specific part…just tune into them all together…you might notice them somewhere in your body…or outside your body…just listen to my words…right now I have lots of emotions all at once…I am not sure where to start with all these emotions…but that’s okay…we have lots of time to deal with them in the order they need to be dealt with…I am thankful for all these emotions…every one of these emotions represents a part of my that is trying to protect me…or a lesson my body wants me to learn…I am thankful that my body is willing to do this for me…to take care of me by having me feel these emotions…but right now what I really want to do is learn these lessons…and let these emotions pass…I thank my body for its healing ability…and the fact that I can let these go right now…right now I see light and energy and healing pouring into this constellation of emotions…there is some other place these emotions are needed in the universe…they are no longer needed here…so any of these emotions that need to go somewhere else can do that now…any of the emotions that want to stick around are now changed into something else that is helpful to me…just feel the constellation of emotion melting away…one more deep breath…and open your eyes. [How to use these tapping phrases]

After we do this, I check in with my client to see what has come to mind and where we need to head next. Typically this has calmed my client down a great deal, enough that they can see much more clearly what they need to be tapping on next.

This might be compared to cleaning a house that hasn’t been lived in for a long time. When you first walk in it’s completely overwhelming because trash and dirt are everywhere. The first step is to get some big plastic bags and just walk through the house grabbing all the big things that are obviously trash. After you do this you can see more clearly what the next step is.

You don’t need to be working with a practitioner to do something like this. The next time you’re struggling to know where to begin your tapping, take a few moments to just tap on the group of emotions. After you do this you will have a little more focus knowing which issues to tune in to first.

The Power of Color

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There are a number of healing traditions that use color as part of the healing process. Is it possible to use these techniques or color in general in combination with EFT?

[This article is by Catherine Poole.  Catherine is a medical intuitive who has spent decades studying and teaching color theory. In this article she explores what each color represents when it comes to healing.  At the end of this article there is a short audio which shows you how to combine color with EFT. Catherine is available for private reading (which can be done in phone sessions) and can be contacted at http://CatherinePoole.com/.
Teleclass with Catherine Poole: Color, Disease and EFT]

Your body knows what colors you need to improve and balance your emotional state. Color is not simply a pleasurable aesthetic experience. Color is energy and our bodies are energy. Color does not solely exist in order to make our world look pretty. Color vibrates, is energy, and it gives us energy and can help with our moods. Color influences each of us physically as well as psychologically and emotionally. Color is associated with specific qualities and certain colors can be used to promote certain abilities.

Every color projects a mood because each color effects certain emotions and certain centers of energy in your body, and also influence certain organs and functions. I taught color theory and human response to color for many years and was a professor at the University of Notre Dame from 1991-2001. I now use my research and knowledge to help clients, doctors and their patients understand color, energy, health and attitude. As a medical intuitive, my work is similar to how a criminal profiler works with police, I help clients understand WHAT their body is communicating and how to listen, understand and heal. Color is a vital factor in the healing process. Color can provide you with energy, healing opportunities and insight into your life.

Red symbolizes raw human emotions therefore sex, drugs and rock & roll! It is unpredictable, intense and can be associated with fear and control. It stimulates the release of adrenaline into the blood stream. Red is associated with all body parts involving solids. Bones, muscles, teeth, and organs dealing with solid waste (large intestine and colon) are all associated with base or red energy.

  • Provides strength, stamina, energy and can indicate one to “stop” and make a choice.
  • Loosens muscles, relieves joint pain
  • Aids in reconditioning paralyzed muscles, great for physical therapy.
  • Helps with circulation
  • Beneficial to people that chill or catch colds easily

Orange influences areas of your body dealing with fluid/water such as kidneys, lymphatic system, blood, even menstrual flow and reproductive areas. Orange also represents emotions and creativity, promotes a happy outlook, so it helps with issues of sadness.

Bring on the orange when:

  • you need to speed things up
  • you need to initiate interest in what is going on around you
  • you need to stop taking yourself too seriously
  • you are afraid to enjoy yourself (sexually)
  • you can’t let go of your past (“what if’s” or “if I had only’s”)*

Yellow represents your sense of self. Yellow influences areas of your body that burn energy, such as stomach, pancreas, small intestine and any organs which deal with metabolizing food. Yellow promotes healthy self-image, and supports ego. Yellow stimulates thinking and supports the quest for knowledge.

Bring on the yellow when:

  • there’s confusion or indecision
  • there is a tendency to SAD in dull weather
  • dieting
  • there is nervous exhaustion, “burn out” panic attacks‚ – boost a weak, confused immune system

Many associate the color pink or red with love. However, it is actually green which emanates love. Green represents teaching and relationships. Green assists us in relating to our environment, our relationships with ourselves or others, and with our spiritual source. Green influences areas of your body dealing with air, control and nurturing such as lungs, heart and breasts. I do not encourage wearing a lot of green when healing from cancer, blue is more beneficial, although green holds the self-esteem qualities of yellow and the healing qualities of blue, green can promote growth, so use it in balance, but not extensively.

Bring on the green when:

  • you’re feeling restricted
  • you need change but fear the unknown
  • there is a need for new ideas
  • you would like to break habits or patterns
  • you need balance

The throat center is your center of communication. Truth, loyalty, honesty are all represented by the color blue. Blue influences areas of your body that address communication, such as the throat, ears and even hands. Blue is calming and healing. I often recommend those healing from breast cancer wear blue bras, but also wear a blue stone or necklace which helps enhance the healing process.

Bring on the blue when:

  • Blue is the OPTIMUM healing color! When healing, wear blue, envision blue.
  • You want to calm agitated, excitable, or chaotic states
  • You want to communicate clearly
  • You are looking for peace, detachment, solitude and rest

Violet is the color of intuition and integration of ideas. It is associated with eyes and your sinuses. It combines the healing, calming qualities of blue and the energy of red, therefore it helps in balancing your life.

Bring on the violet when:

  • You want to speed up natural healing of the body
  • You want to calm hyperactivity or energize lethargy or depression
  • You want to remove obstacles from your life
  • You want to stimulate your imagination in positive ways

Indigo holds more healing qualities of blue, whereas violet has a tendency toward red.

Bring on the indigo when:

  • A need to focus on personal issues, beliefs and ideas
  • A need to cool and quiet normal mental processes
  • A need to relieve physical, mental and emotional pain
  • A need for temporary relief of everyday
  • A need for space and solitude

White is all colors and when added to create pastels, white brings a sense of calming. The addition of white promotes a “higher” quality of the color from which it originates. Pink, for example is nurturing and spiritual because it takes the passion and energy of red and calms it down to the nurturing qualities of pink.

Black is what I refer to as a magnifier. Those trying to intimidate by wearing all black are really communicating they need direction! Black magnifies any adjacent color Black absorbs color and is easily influenced. If you need benefits of a color but do not want to be decked out in red or yellow, wear black and accent with the color you feel you need. Let black do the work for you and take the color healing and color energy to the place on your body that needs it most! This can be done with jewelry, a scarf, a belt or a shirt or sweater.

Accenting with a color can bring in a mood or certain direction into your life. If you are depressed, buy an orange mouse pad or placemats. Drink from a green coffee mug if you do not like who you are at the moment! (“I love me” is a great corresponding affirmation with green.) You can change the entire energy of a room by painting a corresponding stripe on the wall or changing the throw rugs or accent pillows. It does not have to be a complete renovation. But again ask yourself what you need to bring into your life and work with the corresponding color. What was going on in your life when you decided to paint your bedroom?, bought a new shirts? or introduced a new color in your life? You can better understand what is happening and what energy you need by comparing color to what is occurring in their life. Chances are you need the energy of that color to help you heal and move forward.

  • Would you like to have a version of this audio you can download, burn to a CD or load on your mp3 player? Buy it here