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

Living Up To My Calling

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photo by pensiero

One of the things I find so enjoyable about my work is the type of clients I get to work with. Many of them are motivated to become, for lack of a better description, their ‘higher self'. Based on their background and belief system they may use many different terms and phrases to describe this desire, but the core desire is basically the same. Many of them use the term “calling” for this, believing that there is something higher compelling them to live in this way.

Often my clients find themselves struggling because they feel they are falling short of their goal, or because they believe they don't understand what their true calling is.

It's very common to be quite hard on one's self for falling short. I have observed with many clients that the way they beat themselves up is often far harsher than the failings they are beating themselves up for. It's so easy for us to believe that because we can see the vision of our higher selves that we must become our higher selves right now.

This is not the case. Whatever our motivations, we need to understand that there is a process we need to go through to reach this vision.

This is a struggle I have experienced in my own life: wondering if I am living to become all that I can and wondering if I am even clearly seeing this vision of all that I can be. When I bump into this I am brought back to the words of Thomas Merton. I have found them very useful to pray and to tap to.

Try tapping along:

“My Lord God. I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are always with me, and you will never leave me to face perils alone.” – Thomas Merton [How to use these phrases]

Struggling To Get Tapping/EFT To Work

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I know Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT/EvEFT) and tapping works, but for some reason there are a few issues that I can't seem to make any progress with at all. Do you have any advice for jump-starting progress on a stubborn issue?


photo by ittichai

This is a very common experience. When we bump into an issue we aren’t making any progress with it is very easy to get frustrated and to lose faith in tapping.

There are a number of reasons why you might be struggling with success with tapping. Here are few of the most common:

1) Not being specific enough.
This is the most fundamental reason that we stop seeing progress with our tapping. We can only be successful with the issues we are able to bring into our thought field while tapping. There are two basic ways we can approach this:

First, we can use different ways to tune into the problem. Most people run into this problem when they are struggling to find the “right words” to tap to. We can also tune into issues by using imagery, tuning into how the body kinesthetically feels, or seeing what the issue reminds us of. Here is a list of a number of different ways you can tune in if you are having trouble being specific enough.

Second, sometimes the reason we can't get specific is that we are too close to the situation, issue, or emotion. Because we are so close to what is going on it's hard to separate the facts from the way we are interpreting them. A good idea to get some outside feedback. This doesn't mean you need to look to someone to solve your problems, but the outside point view can be very helpful.

Most of the clients I work with are very good at tapping and do it regularly on their own. They come to me because I am trained to help them see things differently and/or I can cut more quickly to the root of the issue precisely because I'm not involved in it.

2) Psychological Reversal
It is possible the body isn't in a state that will allow healing. When most of us received our basic tapping training we were introduced to this idea. (Unfamiliar with the term? Psychological Reversal read more…) There are many types of reversal, not jut PR. This is not my area of expertise, but if you are looking for some great introductory information on the different types of reversal and how to deal with them, check out the many on-line videos.

3) Resistance To Change
Even though we consciously want to make a change there is a part of our system that doesn't think it is safe, reasonable, or helpful to do this. There must be some resistance, because if there weren't, you would have already made the change. You can find a list of articles on the different types of resistance and how to get past them below; many include tapping phrases or tap-along audios.

4) The system is not ready to heal or it has healed as much as it can for this session.
As much as we would like our system and issues to heal in an instant, there are times when too much change too fast can be an unhealthy experience.

Take weight release as an example. It would be great to shed forty-five pounds overnight, but that would be much too hard on the body. Rapid weight release might seem like a good idea, but there is a speed of releasing the weight that is healthiest for the body.

The release of emotional issues is no different. Often it is very possible to completely release an issue in one tapping session. Other times, because of the magnitude of the change, it is better for the system to heal the emotional wound in stages.

When you are working on an issue and you feel like you have plateaued in your progress, I have found it very helpful to tap on:

I thank my body for its ability to heal…I am thankful for this time to work on myself…it is possible for me to get frustrated because I am not making progess as fast as I would like…sometimes I even feel like I am not getting anywhere at all…I give my body permission to know that I want it to heal at a rate that is safe and healthy…so that the changes that I am making are long lasting…and for my highest good…I would love to make more progress now…I would love to have more information now…I would love to know what else I could do now…but I know my body has wisdom that will help me to move forward…and it will make me aware of what I need to do in due time…I give the body permission to know it can be at ease as we work through this…I give my body permission to know that this not the last time I am going to ask it for information…this is not the last time I am going to spend time working with it…if this is all the healing that can be done in this tapping session…then so be it…I will continue this work when the body is ready. [How to use these phrases]

When we tap like this there are two possible outcomes. First, the system will open up and give us new information to work with. Second, we will be at peace with the progress we have made, making it possible for us to come back to tapping in the future with hope and enthusiasm.

Remember, every round of tapping is useful and successful regardless of the outcome. What we can learn from each round of tapping

Pod #15: Tapping for Financial Success w/ AnaMaria Herrera

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In this day and age financial success seems to be on everyone's mind. For those of us who have been doing change work we know there is much more to this than just the money in our bank account. We need to understand our own issues around money and success as well as have a clear vision of what success looks like. In this podcast EFT practitioner AnaMaria Herrera shares a few of the common mistakes people make when tapping for financial success as well as giving a number of tips on how to get to the root cause of our limiting beliefs around money.


AnaMaria Herrera

AnaMaria Herrera is a Santa Barbara, California based EFT practitioner. She specializes in teaching practitioners in how to help their clients find their core issues and business owners of all types grow their business and practices.

Music used in this podcast from stefsax and panu moon

Pod #14: Tapping for Animals w/ Susanne Peach

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Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)/tapping is not only a powerful tool in transforming our own lives, but we can use it to care for our loved ones. This is not limited to just humans, but we can extend this love and care through tapping to our animals as well. In this episode I talk with Susanne Peach about how tapping for animals is similar and different to surrogately tapping for humans. Susan give a number of very practical tips in how you can start tapping right way for your animals.


Susanne Peach

Guest: Susanne Peach

Susanne's Contact Info: web @ Animaleze.com, phone @ 303.926.5414, e-mail @ contact page

About Susanne: Susanne Peach, Animal Energy Behaviorist, has been surrounded by animals her entire life. She has had the opportunity to study the energy of animals in many instances, from time spent on her godmother's farm in Germany to a designation as a certified wildlife rehabilitator. After successfully using EFT on humans, she learned by trial and error how to apply it to animals. She's dedicated her life to helping animals have emotionally happy and healthy lives, tapping for animals all over the world.

Links & Resrouces From Episode:

Music used in this podcast from stefsax and panu moon

What more info on surrogate tapping:

Fertility Issues

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My husband and I are having trouble conceiving a child. Can tapping help?

photo by Aldo Risolvo

There are few things more heart breaking than working with clients who want to grow their families, but are having a hard time doing it. Even with infertility medicine there are still many couples that have trouble conceiving. In this article UK based Sejual Shah talks about some on the non-medical reasons that can make conceiving difficult as well as advice on how to approach some of these with tapping (EvEFT/EFT).

[Sejual Shah is a Hertfordshire, UK base practitioner. She works in person, by phone, and webcam with clients on over 4 continents. She loves seeing the joy her work brings to her clients. She can be contacted @ healthyinmind.com]

Wanting to conceive a baby is a natural part of our growth and development as humans. However, many find starting their families difficult. Using controlled practices such as timing intercourse to ovulation can lead to a lot of stress for both parents and conceiving even the first baby becomes a nightmare instead of the anticipated joy.

Pregnancies attempted late in life are perceived in the medical field as difficult since a woman’s fertility declines heavily after her mid-30s. What many Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) practitioners, myself included, are finding is that these and other problems can be neutralised with tapping to enable a healthy conception leading all the way to realising that cherished birth of innocent joy.

The support I give is of help to both people in the relationship. Men’s stress levels and worries about conceiving are equally important as the problems a woman experiences as both parents need to be healthy to create a baby.

Common Problems with Fertility
The most common problems I encounter in my practice and have success in helping with EFT are:

  • Unresolved grief about earlier miscarriages, stillbirths and traumatic loss of loved ones
  • High stress levels
  • Residual post-natal depression
  • Previous problematic births
  • Couple problems – relationship and communication issues.

This article will deal with the first two.

Unresolved Grief
Conceiving a child is an act of joy. When we are harbouring a deep-seated grief it is too far removed for the joy and happiness to come in. It is like the two sets of emotions are incompatible and as the grief has been there longer it stops the new possibilities from coming in.

This grief comes in so many shapes and forms. “Heather” was 44 and was still waiting to conceive her first child. She felt the pressure of not being able to, conceive. She had tried natural approaches and IVF, but nothing was working. When we talked about her personal history it quickly became evident that she’d never finished grieving over the loss of her beloved mother ten years before. She still had her mother’s ashes in a cupboard in the bedroom.

Very gently we tapped away the grief. We created emotional space so Heather could express all the things she never got to tell her mum before she passed away. Over several sessions Heather went through a gentle clearing process to lastingly let go of the grief. With this approach she was able to create mental space within herself to bring in new life. Four months ago she gave birth to a healthy set of twins that have brought countless joy and new opportunities for growth in her life.

Lasting grief often accompanies pregnancies lost before the baby reaches full term. One client shared, “I miscarried at ten weeks. The doctors just said it happens to everyone and that I should get over it”. Yet, in those ten precious weeks that same woman was already connecting from the heart with this longed-for baby. While it may have been as tiny as a beetle, that baby was still real and alive for her. If we can’t grieve properly over what could have been, then it’s difficult for us to make way for what we wish to realise.

It’s equally important to clear that grief over stillbirths, or other upsetting losses like losing a sibling when they were young.

High stress levels
Stress can be a huge barrier to conceiving. Stress can come from high-pressured jobs, draining situations in our lives, and feeling that we must be perfect at everything we do.

Some of the women who come to me for help have very full active lives. They feel empowered by their successes – and they have every right to – but nobody has yet taught them how they can release the accompanying stress that constantly builds up. Keeping up their work successes turns sour – they’ve fought for their career progression but now it is cruelly taking away a cherished goal.

In this situation, I help them address their work stress so that instead of constantly fire-fighting, their bodies can relax and get on with conceiving.

“Diane” came from a background where her parents were proud of her high-flying achievements. She had gone further than her brothers and sisters in her studies and was a well-paid executive. That hard work attitude had helped her create huge success, but hard work didn’t pay off when it came to conceiving. She and her husband had been trying for years and wondered if the time had come to give up. But it wasn’t in her nature to quit – hadn’t she fought for each promotion?

Initially she came to see me for help in moving up the next rung of the ladder up to the boardroom. She saw the glass ceiling and was determined to crack it.

Diane and I worked to help her relax in these work situations and so have more energy to put into her work. She learned to thrive without high levels of stress in her demanding role by using EFT in sessions with me, and then learning how to do basic structured tapping exercises outside of our work. Her body realised she didn’t need to feel stressed all the time.

In that process of releasing the stress she conceived naturally and used our work to help her manage her still hectic schedule with the demands the growing baby was making on her physically, so that she could still nurture the foetus. Her baby son was born bouncingly healthy one year ago. With the work we had already done she was able to devise a healthy strategy for balancing her return to her career while enjoying motherhood in a balanced way.

EFT as a stress management tool can also support a man experiencing problems with sperm health as a result of a pressurized life-style.

Conclusion
There is a very complicated connection between our physical and emotional health. Many times the emotions we are carrying prevent the body from fulfilling its potential. By doing work on these core emotional issues we can see transformation in our physical health.

[Note From Gene: Recently I had the opportunity to interview Dene Ballantine about the grief some people feel after being part of an abortion decision. You can hear that interview in Pod #10]

Pod #13: Solution Focused Brief Therapy w/ Rod Sherwin

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One of the most common questions I get about tapping (EvEFT/EFT) is “What do I do when I don't know what memories from the past are effecting my behavior or emotions today?” In this interview I talk to Rod Sherwin about a very cool protocol call Solution Focused Brief Therapy. In this protocol you don't have to worry about why you are the way you are, but instead it focuses on how to move to what you want. Personally, I find this to be a great approach because even when I don't know why things are the way they are I am going to know where I want to be or who I want to be. In this interview Rod lays out the basic steps of SFBT that can easily be added to any tapping routine.


Rod SherwinGuest: Rod Sherwin

Rod's Contact Info: web @ tap4health.com, e-mail @ rod@tap4health.com, phone @ +61 3 9650 0250, twitter @ rodsherwin; facebook @ facebook.com/Tap4Health; youtube youtube.com/rodsherwin; google+ Tap4Health

About Rod: Rod Sherwin, known as “the tapping man”, is an Energy Therapist from Melbourne, Australia. Rod runs the Tap4Health EFT Practice and works with clients all over the world on issues such as stress, anxiety, trauma, abuse, anger management, depression, weight loss, public speaking and presenting. Rod's approach is an unconventional and original combination of genuine warmth, respect, intuition, and skill.

Rod's primary tool is the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) which he combines with his experience in Energy Medicine, Solutions-Focus Brief Therapy, 6-Human Needs Psychology, and Neuro-Associative Conditioning. Rod's original qualifications are in Computer System Engineering and Computer Science which gives him a very grounded and practical aproach that focuses on getting real results.

Rod loves spreading the word about EFT and speaks to groups, small and large, including community groups, social groups, and corporates.Rod has lived in Melbourne for since 2005 and, while he enjoys the city life, he is originally from a small country town in North Queensland called Charters Towers.

Links & Resrouces From Episode:

Music used in this podcast from stefsax and panu moon

Tapping For Poker

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photo by Christian Fortier
Some people aren’t comfortable with the idea of gambling, but my experience working with a professional poker player demonstrated how our emotions can override our logic, how this can be disastrous, and how easy it is to use tapping (EvEFT/EFT) to make changes.

There are types of gambling that are pure chance such as the lottery or slot machines. These games require no skill. The only choice the player makes is whether or not to play. With each play there is a statistical chance of winning and losing.

Poker is different from games of chance. There is a component of chance involved in the cards that you are dealt, but poker players make a number of choices on how to play their cards. A good poker player considers the playing patterns of his opponents as well as how the other players at the table think he plays. All of this is in addition to the cards he has been dealt. Because of this, it is much less about the cards that have been dealt and much more about how the cards are played. For this reason poker is not a game of chance, but a game of skill with chance elements.

Because there is an element of chance in poker, a player can run good or bad in a short period of time, (a small sample set of hands) based on the cards he/she is dealt, but over the long run a player’s skill is going to show. The more hands that are played, the more likely it is that the better player is going to be a winner overall.

Professional poker players understand this. They don’t think in terms of winning one hand, or of being a winner over one session of hands, they think in terms of their average over time. Very good players will know this right down to an average hourly wage. For example, a particular player might know that if she/he is playing in a game that has a minimum bet of $2, they will make forty dollars an hour – in the long run – because of his/her skill level.

A comparable example would be investing in the stock market. Stocks and markets move up and down each day, but over a long period of time they have trends. A good investor knows the longer he is in a certain investment, the more likely his long-term return is going to match the trend.

The way a poker player is able to combat this variance (up and down swings), is by playing as many hands as possible. The more hands they play, the more they are going to insulate themselves from up and down swings. With the advent of internet poker, players are able to play many games at the exact same time by opening multiple computer windows. To combat this variance some players are known to play as many as one hundred hands an hour… in six games at once… for stretches of ten or twelve hours straight. That’s as many as six thousand hands in one stretch!

You can imagine the amount of concentration it takes to do this. Not only is a player constantly recalculating the different statistical outcomes of a hand based on each new card, they are also having to keep track of the play tendencies of the eight other players involved in each hand.

As play unfolds it is possible for players to get very emotional. It is possible to lose a hand that you had a 90% chance of winning, causing great anger. It is also possible to win a hand you were a significant underdog in, causing great joy. Both of these circumstances can be very dangerous. When a player becomes too emotional (regardless of which emotions) he/she can start making poor decisions. In poker terms this is called going on ‘tilt’.

When a player is on tilt they are not paying attention to all of the factors they normally pay attention to. They begin to play very poorly, and they can lose all of the money they had won over a number of hours (or days) of play, in one or two hands.

Recently a professional poker player, “John”, who was having a major problem with his game, approached me. John plays six to eight hours a day, five days a week, and poker is his full time income. John understands how long he can stay focused. He never plays more than eight hours at a time because he knows that as his mind becomes fatigued it is harder for him to make the good choices that make him a winning player.

John’s problem: he was finding it very hard to get up from the computer after a losing session (meaning that on this day he had lost money overall). He understands the variance of his winning and losing. He knows that over the long term he is a winning player, but he had a mental block about getting up near the end of the losing session.

It’s easy to see how this problem would multiply itself. He would have a losing session, causing him to keep playing past his mental peak. Since he was past his mental peak, he’d play worse, causing him to lose more. This would push him on tilt. By being on tilt he would play worse, causing him to lose more. This cycle would repeat until he walked away in frustration after losing far too much money.

I had John tune into the feeling of not wanting to get up at the end of his most recent losing session. As we investigated the feeling, he described how he knew because of his skill and experience that he was better than everyone he was playing with. He knew intellectually about the swings of the game, but emotionally he couldn’t let these players get the best of him. We began by tapping on the facts of the situation with phrases like this (I don’t remember the exact phrases):

“I know I am a better player than most of the people I play with…I understand that poker does have chance elements in it…there are going to be times when players who are worse than me are going to get the better of me…because of the variance of the game…over the long term I am a winning player…there are ups and downs in the game…I never play in a game that I can’t afford…I am playing with players I can beat…it is okay to have one losing session because I know over the long haul I will come out ahead…I know I need to get up after 8 hours of play…because I lose my mental edge…and play worse…I give myself permission to know that I can get up after a losing session knowing I will come out ahead in the long run”

After doing the tapping I had John tune back into the feeling of needing to stay at the end of the losing session. He said most of the desire to keep playing was gone, but there was still something hanging around. I asked him what the feeling reminded him of. He then said the classic line, “I don’t know if this has anything to do with this, but…” and then proceeded to tell of a time when he was playing youth hockey and was screamed at by a coach after a loss. He talked about how much he hated losing.

We quickly used tapping to do some clean up on the emotions of that memory. I then had him once again tune back into the feeling at the end of the most recent losing session. He reported there was no desire to stay at the computer playing.

Six weeks later John reported that he had had some losing sessions during that time, but he had never once stayed past his mental prime of six to eight hours. This resulted in an increase of his profitability, more than he expected. He hadn’t realized just how much this problem had been affecting his game.

Pod #12: How Our Emotions Serve Us

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This week’s podcast deals with two of the most common questions I receive from clients and readers. First, we look at how negative emotions like anger, frustration, jealousy, and sadness can serve us. Second, we cover how to come up with tapping phrases and if we need to say them out loud when doing borrowing benefits work.

Links & Resources From Episode:

Host: Gene Monterastelli
Contact Info: web @ eftQandA.com, e-mail @ eftQandA.com/contact, twitter @ twitter.com/genedavid

Bio: Gene Monterastelli is a Baltimore based EFT practitioner. He regularly works with clients in the areas of stress, weight loss, limiting beliefs, anxieties, learning disabilities, pain management, and relationship issues. He is the editor of EFT Q & A. There is a very special place in his practice that is dedicated to parents of special needs children, especially for parents of children who have diagnosed with Autistic Spectral Disorder (ASD). Gene works with clients from all over the world one-on-one and in groups.

Music used in this podcast from stefsax and panu moon

Pod #11: Tapping for Romantic Relationships w/ Gina Parris

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As humans one of the places we have the opportunity to find joy and discover who we are is through our intimate relationships. Because of this we have a tendency to over-think, over- analyze, and over-function as we seek out these relationships. In the pod I talk to Gina Parris about how we can use tapping to find and develop thriving romantic relationships.


Gina Parris

Guest: Gina Parris

Contact Info: BuiltToWnCoaching.com

About Gina: Gina Parris is an internationally sought-after peak performance speaker and coach who has spent twenty years helping people overcome their obstacles to reach their full potential – joyfully. Her clients range from professional athletes to solo-preneurs. She is passionate about helping people balance all the areas of their lives so that their relationships thrive amid great personal and professional growth.

Music used in this podcast from stefsax and panu moon

When Reward Systems Go Bad: Food As A Reward

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photo by Infidelic

We are all familiar with reward systems (even if we don’t use that name). “If you clean your room you can watch TV.” “I will read one more chapter and then take a walk.” “Once I pay the bills I will go get a smoothie.”

Reward systems are very effective as a motivator to get a task done, but they can also become problematic unless they are carefully created and used. Sometimes they can be created and we don’t even realize it is happening.

Here is an example of how a reward system had become transformed. Although at one time it was beneficial, it had become a problem.

My client “Linda” was trying to change her diet. For some reason she was craving and eating sweets and carbohydrates, even when she was not hungry. Normally when I encounter cravings and mindless eating it’s because the food is being used to fill an emotional hole of some sort. Even though that was my assumption I knew we needed to check in with her system to see if this was the case.

After doing a few minutes of investigation using a guided imagery technique and a parts technique it became very clear that the food was being used as a reward system. Every time she did something good she got to eat something that was sweet.

But this is not how things were playing out.

She was having these cravings in the evening when she was watching TV. These cravings weren’t coming after she had done something that deserved a reward.

With a little more investigation it became clear that the evening was her lowest emotional point of the day. This was her least busy time, and therefore she was free to let her thoughts wander to all the limiting beliefs she had about herself as well as to her worries about her life.

This is when the reward system kicked in, but it did it in reverse. It started to work like this:

  • When I do something that is good it means I have value as a person
  • I get a treat when I have done something good
  • The more treats I get the more good I must be doing
  • The more good I am doing the more value I have
  • If I am eating lots of treats it must mean that I am really good and have lots of value
  • I am feeling bad about myself so I am going to have a treat because the only reason I would get a treat is because I have value

This is a really subtle shift. All of a sudden treats go from being a reward to becoming a way to feel better.

Through another technique we are able to take the reward system and transform it into a more useful resource.

Lessons form this session:
1) Your expectations can be wrong
Because of my past experience I had a strong belief why a particular action/belief was happening. I was wrong. Just because we believe we know the cause and effect doesn’t mean we do. Even when you are certain you know why a belief exists, ask the system for information. We think we know, but the body truly does know.

2) The issues and beliefs that are hindering us exist because in some way we think they are helping us.
This is a perfect example of this fact. The reward system created to remind Linda she was doing good, may have improved her self-worth, but eating enough junk to keep her self-worth high made her feel worse because of her poor eating choices. Trying to understand why it was being helpful, we came to understand the issue and transform it. If we had approached it from the point of view of, “It’s bad. It must be eliminated”, we never would have understood why it existed, making the fast transformation an impossibility.

3) Resource that were once helpful might not be helpful today
Our point of view changes, our lives change, and our circumstances change. For this reason we need to revisit why we act the way we do to see if it’s still serving us.

Being able to say “No.”

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Sometimes the hardest word to say is “no”. We want to be helpful. We want to give. We don’t want to be seen as selfish. We want to be asked again in the future. There are so many reasons to say “yes”. But there are also many good reasons to say “no”.

We have too much on our plate. We need to spend some time on ourselves. We are being asked to do something we can’t do. We are being asked to do something we just don’t want to do.

We need to be ok with saying “no” so we can say “yes” when the time is right. If you have a hard time saying no, here is a tapping patter that will help. If you have real trouble saying no, you might want to revisit this patter from time to time.

I have a very hard time saying “no”…I want to be helpful…I want the people in my life to know I care…I want to not be selfish…because I have so much…I want others to know that I have something to offer…I want to be there for others…I want to be asked again and I feel if I say “no” now I won’t be asked again…

I am allowed to say “no”…I can say “no” because I can’t do something… I can say “no” because I don’t want to do something… I can say “no” for no other reason than it is my choice…the only way I am going to be healthy is if I take care of myself…the only way I can take care of myself is by not always taking care of everyone else…by taking care of myself I can better care for important others in my life…I can say “no” even if people are thinking I am being selfish by saying “no”…it is much more important for me to take care of myself than it is to worry about what others think about me…when I say “no” I am also saying “yes” to many other possibilities and opportunities…therefore “no” is not a negative…it is a choice to allow the other…I give myself permission to make the choices that are best for me…”yes” or “no”…I give myself a chance to make the choices that are going to allow me to flourish and grow…I must take care of myself before I can take care of others…this doesn’t mean I ignore other’s needs…but I must also consider my needs when making choices…that is what is best for me…that is what is best for others…

I give myself permission to be easy with myself for all the times that I have said “yes” when I should have said “no”…there are times I have made my life harder because I’ve said “yes” when I should have said “no”…I‘ve said “yes” to things I could not do…I have said “yes” to things I shouldn’t have…I have made my life harder…I forgive myself for the times I should have said “no” but didn’t…it is ok that I have done this in the past…I choose to know I’ve learned from these moments…I choose to know I can make better choices in the future…I can change this pattern…and I will change this pattern…I will start by saying “no” to holding on to this regret…

I also let go the resentment I hold towards others who have taken advantage of my always saying “yes”…I am taking responsibility for my response….just because someone has asked doesn’t mean that I have to say “yes”…I take responsibility for the times I have said “yes” even when I didn’t want to…by taking responsibility for the times I have said “yes”, I am giving myself permission to take responsibilities for my choices in the future…by taking responsibility for my past…I get to have control over my future…I therefore let go of blame to others whom I have said “yes” to…I am now in control…I can and will make the choice that is right for me…be it “yes” or “no”.

Pod #10: Healing The Wounds of Abortion w/ Dene Ballantine

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Dene Ballantine

There are few wounds that run deeper than being part of a decision about abortion. In this pod I talk with Dene Ballantine about how it is possible to heal this type of wound. Dene offers expertise from her own story and her practice. There are many pearls of wisdom in this interview for anyone who is trying to heal.

Guest: Dene Ballantine

Contact Info: DeneBallantine.com/, 512-775-3363

About Dene: Dene works with clients using the tools of EFT and NLP. She is a speaker, an author, and a radio host.

Music used in this podcast from stefsax and panu moon

Pod #9: Turn your issues into your allies

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Every issue we have exists because it is functional on some level (example: fears are trying to protect us). The problem is these tend to create problems in our daily lives, due to misinformation or protection from something beneficial (example: irrational fear of water). This can slow the healing process because we are “at war” with ourselves. The healing process can be transformed when we first approach these issues with gratitude for their functional uses. By doing this we can work with these beliefs instead of fighting them, as we work to health and well being.

Links & Resources From Episode:

Host of Class EFT: ELEANORE DUYNDAM
Contact Info: web @ tap4freedom.com
About Class EFT: Get your questions answered about how to use EFT to help yourself and others. Each week we feature a different EFT Topic and have interviews with guest EFT experts. You can call the live show and get personal assistance using EFT. Listen in to find out how to win a FREE EFT SESSION, given away once a month. EFT is a unique energy balancing technique that helps alleviate emotional and physical problems by using key phrases while tapping on the body’s acupuncture meridians. EFT has been proven successful in thousands of clinical cases and it applies to just about every emotional, health and performance issue you can name; it often works where nothing else will. Tens of thousands of people worldwide are now using EFT.

Tapping For Learning and Trying New Things (part 2)

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Can I use meridian tapping (EvEFT) to help me learning new things?

photo by Steven S.

In part 1 of the series (“Attitude About Learning“) we looked at the way our beliefs (conscious and subconscious) can prevent us from learning something new, with all our energy. In this part we will look at how to use tapping in the process of learning or studying something new.

Process of Learning
Here I’ve found tapping useful in three parts of the learning process: before, during, and after.

Before
We live in a time of multi-tasking. Study after study has shown that multi-tasking is not a good way to work or learn because we spend too much time and energy shifting from one activity to another and another. We are going to study at our best if we are completely focused on that task.

To get ready for a study session I will

  • Clear my mind to be focused and relaxed
  • Remove any worry I have about the topic I am studying
  • Be open to knowing I will able to learn in this time

It only takes a minute or two and looks something like this:

I am going to spend the next 45 minutes working on [learning more Spanish]…I am happy to have this time to commit to learning and expanding myself…today has been a hectic day…I have a lot of things on my mind…I can deal with all of these things later…for the next 45 minutes I am going to be present to the task at hand…I let go of any of the worries I have about the other things going on in my life…I will get back to them after I study…It is now time to be present to the task at hand

I might be worried about my ability to learn this stuff…this might be outside my comfort zone…but that is what learning is about…stretching myself…I have learned lots of things in the past…and I am going to learn this…even if it takes longer than I like…I am going to do this…humans are made to learn new things…humans are made to adapt…I can and will learn during this time

Any blocks that I have to learning…I let them go…I know my mind is fertile…I make my mind open for the next 45 minutes to be a sponge…my intention is not just to understand…but to make this new information part of me…it is such a blessing to be able to learn in this way…at this time.

During
Tapping can also be a very powerful tool when it comes to learning something that is difficult. When I’m trying to learn something new (be it a concept, a definition, vocabulary, or even a phone number) I will say what I am trying to learn and remember out loud a few times while tapping form point to point.

After
After I have finished a study session I will spend a few more minutes tapping. I do this mostly from the point of view of gratitude. I believe we will return to anything we are grateful for.

My post study tapping looks like this:

I am so happy that I had this time to commit to learning something new…I learned more in this time than I think…there are concepts and ideas that have become part of me in ways I can't imagine…the simple fact I have time to learn something is a blessing…as the rest of the day unfolds and through my sleep tonight I know this information is going to be integrated more fully…any blocks I have to making this information a part of me I let go right now…I look forward to the next chance I get to study this material…because I will surprise myself with how much I have remembered.

Conclusion
There are two basic ways we can use tapping to help us learn more. We can use it to clear any of the stumbling blocks we have to learning something new, and we can use it to be fully present during our study session..

Tapping For Learning and Trying New Things (part 1) – AKA Finding the reason we don’t do the things that will improve our lives

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Can I use meridian tapping (EvEFT) to help me learning new things? [Note: In this part of the series I use tapping to learn something new as to show how we can find the reasons we talk ourselves out of making the choices and taking the action that will move us forward.]

photo by m00by

Tapping is a great tool for learning new things and can be helpful in two regards. The first is our attitude about learning new thing and the second is the process of learning new things.

Attitude About Learning
On the surface it might see a little odd to consider our attitude towards learning. It makes sense that we might not be skilled in a certain area, making learning something harder for us than it is for others. It would seem that if we want to learn something new our attitude would be in the right place. But this isn't always the case.

No matter how much we want to make a change in our lives it is very important to consider the consequences of the change. Every change we attempt is going to have a ripple effect in other parts of our life. If part of us believes that these ripples are going to have negative consequences them we are going to talk ourselves out of making the choices we need to make to achieve our goal.

A very simple example of this is the fear of failure preventing us from stepping out. When we have a part of us that is very scared that we might fail — and believes failure to be painful — it is going to work very hard to come up with excuses not to spend time working on the new skill. (“I can do it later.” “I need to do the dishes first.” “I don't study well at night. I can wait until morning.”)

In this case, fears of the pain of failure is going to prevent us from trying, even if we know the new choice is something we really want. If we are able to name the beliefs that are going to prevent us from moving forward and clean them out then we are going to be much more likely to make the changes we want.

As we look at doing something new, like learning, I am going to speak of these in terms of cost because with everything we do we are spending a number of resources. Not only do we sometimes spend our money to make a change we are also spending our time, our emotions, and our energy.

Just because something is a cost doesn't mean it is bad. I am very happy to pay with my emotions, my time, and my money for things that bring me joy and improve my life. But understanding that there is a cost involved in making changes helps us more clearly understand where we might resist making this change.

In each of the areas I am providing a series of questions you can ask to help you unearth the tappable issues. These are by no means comprehensive but will provide a good start.

The Cost of Failure
The reason I used this example above is because it is the most obvious source of worry that can prevent us from trying to learn something new. No one likes to feel like a failure. It is no fun to invest our time, resources, and emotions in to something only to have it fail. Not only do we feel like was have wasted these resources we don't like having it pointed out that we are no good at something.

Ask yourself:

  • What happens if I try this and fail? How will I feel?
  • How have I felt about failure in the past?
  • What are other people going to think if I say I am going to do this and then don't follow through?
  • How will I feel if I only accomplish half my goal?

Failure is a fact of life (at least for me). I am not going to get everything right the first time. The more we can do to equip ourselves to deal with these failure the easier it is going to be for us to try something new.

Many times the fear of failure feels so much bigger than actual consequences of failing itself. There are times were I have been able to tap on the idea of “It is possible I might fail at this, but it won't be the end of the world. The upside to trying is so much bigger than giving it a go and failing.”

The Cost of Time and Other Resources
Almost every change in our life takes more than simply changing our mind. If we are going to learn something new we have to spend time in the learning process. In some cases it is even going to cost us money for classes and/or study aides. It is important to understand what these costs are before we begin.

Ask yourself:

  • How much time am I going to have to invest to achieve my goal?
  • What am I going to have to give up in order to have the time to work to my goal?
  • How much money is it going to cost me?
  • Is the goal worth the time and money it is going to cost to achieve the goal?
  • How is perusing the goal going to effect other people in my life? [Ex. Does going to night school mean less time with the family?]
  • Is there anyone in my life who is going to be frustrated with me if I invest my time in this goal?

This might seem like a trivial example, but this is something that really came up with a client. My client “Jane” was looking to add exercise to her daily routine, but was worried how the other ladies at the coffee shop would take it if she didn't come in and talk every day. These were not her close friends. There was still a part of her that was worried what they were going to think. Exercising was going to cost her time hanging out in the coffee shop. Once we were able to name this we were able to tap on the fact that it really didn't matter what the ladies in the coffee shop thought about her. The exercise was much more important.

The Cost of Achievement
This is an example of another cost that doesn't always come right to mind. There are consequences (and perceived consequences) to us achieving our goal. The fear of success can talk us out of making the choices and changes we want to make.

Ask yourself:

  • What happens if I do achieve this?
  • Will people expect more of me?
  • Will people expect me to live up to this standard again and again?
  • What happens if I achieve this, enjoy the change, and then loss it?
  • What will other people of me think if I achieve this?

The last question is a tricky one because it brings up a fear that on the surface is very illogical. Why would what other people think matter? The amazing thing is how commonly this fear can affect us. For example, we could be worried that other people in our lives are going to think that we are snobbish because we have taking the time and effort to move forward.

I am sure you have people like this in your life. They say things (or think things) like, “Who does she think she is getting a new job? Does she think she is better than the rest of us?”

Worried about how others are going to perceive our success can be very powerful is slowing us down. Again, I am not suggesting that we don't act because people might think this way, but instead by naming these worries we are able to tap our way emotionally clear making it easier for us to act.

Conclusion
It is possible for us to have thoughts and feelings that prevent us from trying to do new things or learn new things. It is important that we spend a little time identifying and clearing these issues before we start something new.

This doesn't mean that we need to be completely clear before we start. This is going to be an on going process. As we do or learn new things we are going to find new resistant thoughts and feelings.

What is most important is to be away of the thoughts and feelings that are possible pit falls. We are much better dealing with the possible issues that are named than the ones that go unnamed.

In part 2 of this series (“Act of Learning“) we will look at using tapping during the act of learning and studying.

Pod #8: Energy Hygiene – Managing the Energy of Other’s Emotions

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After podcast #7 (Sensitive Temperaments) I was inundated with requests. Lots of readers and clients said something to the effect of, “Rue was talking about me. I never knew what was going on. Now that I know this is who I am, what do I do about it?”

In this episode I go through five of my favorite ways of dealing with the emotions of others that sensitive temperaments feel so deeply.

We’ll explore what surrogate tapping is and a couple of the current theories on why it can be so effective, as well as how surrogate tapping can be beneficial for us even when we think we are doing work for someone else’s issues. Finally we talk about a very simple way you can add surrogate tapping to your tapping tool set.

Links & Resources From Episode:

Video: Energy Hygiene – Managing the Energy of Other’s Emotions

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After podcast #7 (Sensitive Temperaments) I was inundated with requests. Lots of readers and clients said something to the effect of, “Rue was talking about me. I never knew what was going on. Now that I know this is who I am, what do I do about it?”

In this episode I go through 5 of my favorite ways of dealing with the emotions of others that sensitive temperaments feel so deeply.

Show Topic: Surrogate tapping can be one of the most confusing topics when learning Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT/EvEFT eveft.html). It can be difficult enough to accept that tapping on the body while tuning into physical and emotional issues can provide relief. It can be a much more difficult leap to believe that tapping in the same way on our own body will provide relief for someone else.

We’ll explore what surrogate tapping is and a couple of the current theories on why it can be so effective, as well as how surrogate tapping can be beneficial for us even when we think we are doing work for someone else’s issues. Finally we talk about a very simple way you can add surrogate tapping to your tapping tool set.

Links & Resources From Episode:

Host: Gene Monterastelli

Contact Info: web @ eftQandA.com, e-mail @ eftQandA.com/contact, twitter @ twitter.com/genedavid

Bio: Gene Monterastelli is a Baltimore-based EFT practitioner. He regularly works with clients in the areas of stress, weight loss, limiting beliefs, anxieties, learning disabilities, pain management, and relationship issues. He is the editor of EFT Q & A. There is a very special place in his practice for parents of special needs children, especially for parents of children who have been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Gene works with clients from all over the world, one-on-one and in groups.

Sensitive Temperaments

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Everyone in my life says that I am “way too sensitive” and it’s frustrating. I love the fact that I feel so deeply, but I don’t like everyone thinking I am overreacting. Is there something wrong with me?

There are lots of people in the world who are very aware of and in tune with their own emotions and the emotions of others. EFT Master Rue Hass describes this as having a “sensitive temperament”. People with sensitive temperaments feel very deeply their own emotions and the emotions of those in their lives.

There is nothing wrong with having a sensitive temperament, but it can be hard having a sensitive temperament because you can feel that your emotions are out of control and that others don’t understand what you are experiencing.

When I interviewed Rue for Pod #7 – Sensitive Temperaments she talked about how we can use EFT to feel more comfortable as a person who has a sensitive temperament.

During the interview she talked about ways in which we can use EFT in this process.

Below is a number of thoughts and resources that Rue (Intuitive Mentoring) provided me after the interview on how to understand sensitive temperaments and how to work with that point of view.

Blessings of Sensitive Temperaments

The essence of the sensitive temperament is the spirit of:

  • Freedom
  • Creativity
  • Imagination (Flow, Movement, Flexibility, Growth, Change, and Expansion)

The intention of the person with a sensitive temperament is to foster:

  • Profound awareness of sensations
  • Loving goodness
  • Mission to bring peace
  • Deep sense of connection
  • Vision of possibilities/Idealism
  • Healing
  • High standards
  • Intuitive, empathic, perceptive
  • Sense of unity, oneness
  • Originality
  • Deep sense of joy, beauty
  • Love of nature

Struggles of Sensitive Temperaments
Common worries, struggles, and questions of people with sensitive temperaments are:

  • What is wrong with me?
  • Told I am too energetic, too smart, too talkative, too emotional
  • I am not good enough
  • I can't express who I am
  • Let me out , I'm trapped
  • I am all alone, no one understands
  • I have to tough it out and soldier on
  • I have to save the world   before I can tend to myself
  • I have to make the world a better, safer place, so that I can be here
  • Only death will bring me peace
  • Overwhelmed
  • Dissociation
  • Compulsive helping, boundary issues
  • Low self worth
  • Perfectionism
  • Fear, anger, shame, grief
  • Chronic emotional/physical pain, illness

Reframing Sensitivity
A profound tool that can be used with EvEFT is to reframe our point of view. A reframe is nothing more than looking at something in a new way. Some common ways to reframe the characteristics of people with sensitive temperaments are to:

  • See Too Sensitive/Overwhelm as Profound awareness of sensations
  • See Compulsive Helping as Mission to bring peace
  • See Boundary Issues as Deep sense of connection
  • See Perfectionism as Vision of possibilities

Tapping Phrases if You Have a Sensitive Temperament
Here are a number tapping phrases that sensitive temperaments can use as a jumping off point:

  • Especially because I LOVE THAT I AM SO SENSITIVE…
  • I CHOOSE to deepen and expand my sensitivity in even more powerful wonderful ways.
  • I hunger for deep and meaningful relationships.  I make creating and maintaining a good and satisfying relationship with myself my first priority.
  • I have a mission of bringing peace into the world, I CHOOSE a mission of bringing peace into my own life. I deserve this!
  • I CHOOSE TO STAND UP FOR MYSELF, and express who I am with love and a light heart.
  • I CHOOSE to love and appreciate and honor this world-changing soul quality that I embody.  The world needs what I have to offer.  I am ready to be more!

Make sure you check out the interview with Rue (Pod #7) and her web site (Intuitive Mentoring)

Pod #7: Sensitive Temperaments w/ Rue Hass

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Have people often told you, “Oh, you are just too sensitive…You take things so hard…Why can’t you just let it go…What’s wrong with you…You are such a cry baby”? If the answer is yes, then you probably have a sensitive temperament. BUT that is not a bad thing. In this podcast I talk with Rue Hass about what a sensitive temperament is, how it can be a blessing, and how you can use EFT to manage the challenges of having a sensitive temperament.


Rue Hass

Guest: Rue Hass

Contact Information: IntuitiveMentoring.com, rue (at) intuitivementoring (dot) com

How Rue describes herself: When I first meet a new client/customer/co-creative partner, I walk them through an interesting process of understanding their life as a story. It concludes with asking them to consider what they want their life to leave in the world as a legacy. How do they want the world to be a better place for their having been in it?

When I contemplate this in myself and ask, “What do I want to focus on in this phase of my life, as a culmination of everything I have learned and gained?”, what emerges for me is the concept of “spiritual eldering.” This impulse finds expression in my work with individuals and local groups, inviting and assisting people and communities to move into a sense of the real transformative power of their spiritual Presence in the world.

I particularly like to work with young people, adolescents and young adults as a mentor/coach. I have always been drawn to the kind of kid who might find him/herself in trouble in school, academically or socially, but who on the inside is bright, sensitive, perceptive, intuitive, often artistic or athletic, deep hearted and imaginative, and who just doesn’t fit the norm. I want to make it easier for these young people to find their place in the world. I think they are here to save it.

Links & Resources From Episode:

Video: Sensitive Temperaments w/ Rue Hass

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Have you ever heard, “Oh, you are just too sensitive…You take things so hard…Just let it roll off your back…Why can’t you just let it go…What’s wrong with you…You are such a cry baby”??? Then you probably have a sensitive temperament. BUT this is not a bad thing. There are many blessing that come with a sensitive temperament. In this podcast I talk with Rue Hass about what sensitive temperament is, how it can be a blessing, and how you can use EFT to manage the challenges of sensitive temperament.

Guest: Rue Hass

Contact Info: IntuitiveMentoring.com, rue (at) intuitivementoring (dot) com

How Rue describes herself: When I first meet a new client/customer/co-creative partner, I walk them through an interesting process of understanding their life as a story. It concludes with asking them to consider what they want their life to leave in the world as a legacy. How do they want the world to be a better place for their having been in it?

When I contemplate this in myself, and ask, “What do I want to focus on in this phase of my life, as a culmination of everything I have learned and gained?”, what emerges for me is the concept of “spiritual eldering.” This impulse finds expression in my work with individuals and local groups, inviting and assisting people and communities to move into a sense of the real transformative power of their spiritual Presence in the world.

I particularly like to work with young people, adolescents and young adults as a mentor/coach. I have always been drawn to the kind of kid who might find him/herself in trouble in school, academically or socially, but who on the inside is bright, sensitive, perceptive, intuitive, often artistic or athletic, deep hearted and imaginative, and who just doesn’t fit the norm. I want to make it easier for these young people to find their place in the world. I think they are here to save it.

Links & Resrouces From Episode: