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More Guest Articles:
A Veteran
uses EFT for Combat Stress by Ingrid Dinter
Why Does Tapping on the Side of
the Hand Work? by Rue
Hass
Tapping
away your Holiday Blues By Figen Genco,
BA
A Veteran uses EFT for Combat
Stress
The following article by Ingrid
Dinter assumes some familiarity with EFT and was directed at other EFT
practitioners. Nevertheless, I thought it illustrative of the power EFT
can have, even for very intensive situations such as the one described.
Joe is a 62 year old US Marine who connected with me through the EFT
forums
for Trauma/PTSD.
When Joe asked his counsellor at the VA how long it would take
before his
treatment at the VA would bring noticeable improvements, he received
the vague
response that "it will take as long as you want it to take", and
whether he gets better would be "up to him". Joe felt angry and let
down that there was no advice on how he could move forward, even though
he was
ready. He felt that talking about the past didn't help but only brought
back
bad memories and emotions with no solution.
Fortunately, Joe had always been a survivor, and the military
had trained
him to never give up, but to target and resolve problems as they occur.
So he
reached out to EFT.
Sleep Concerns
Like many Veterans, Joe did not want to address specific
traumatic events
from his time in Vietnam, and I honored that. But he was interested in
improving his sleep pattern, which he described as very random and
exhausting:
It took him hours to fall asleep, he woke up at all sorts of times
during the
night, often at 2:30 am, the time when he used to go on watch, and he
was
always fatigued. Naturally, his focus was off, he couldn't finish
projects
around the house, and his martial arts training, which he performed as
best as
he could, was frustrating, since he could not memorize most of his
routines.
I offered Joe 4 free EFT sessions over the phone and asked him
to fill out
an informed consent form and keep a daily sleep log, which he did. When
we
began our work together, Joe was skeptical and full of physical pain,
and his
energy level was very low. :
So we tapped for his low energy level:
Even though my energy level is low…
Even though my energy level is low, I allow myself to
safely raise my
energy to a level that feels natural and comfortable now.
Even though my energy level is low, I choose to release
anything that
could stop me from raising it to where I want it to be.
His energy went from 3 to 5, and he reported that he was
sitting straight
now. But now, something was going on in the back of his head. So we
tapped:
Even though I have something going on in my neck…
Even though all this is a pain in my neck…
The tension went away, and so did the neck pain.
As EFT’ers,
we are used to
those quick results, but for him, this was very exciting. "It is
working!" He called through the phone "I can't believe it is truly
working! Nothing ever did! Maybe - there is hope."
It was touching to hear that, and I decided to move along this
physical path
with him. He had multiple leg cramps at night, which woke him up. So we
tapped:
Even though I don't feel safe during the night, and my
legs remind me
that I shouldn't be sleeping.
Then we worked on the aches in his body, which he rated at a 5
on a scale of
0 to 10, and they disappeared, too. Next, we targeted his hip socket
and
muscle, where he believed to have bursitis and his VA doctors have not
been
able to help him. He was in a lot of pain. When the pain went away his
voice
flipped over with happiness, "This is magic!" he exclaimed "EFT
is working!"
With rapport established in such a great way, Joe now was
willing to target
his focus. He was angry that he was wasting so much time not being able
to
memorize his martial arts routines, and felt very frustrated. We tapped:
Even though I am frustrated that I cannot remember my
routines…
A fear of going to school (he was trying to get into the
teacher training
program) came up for him, so we tapped that and several other aspects
away,
too. He relaxed, and we closed our session.
That first evening, after Joe returned from his Karate
training, I received
an excited email:
His trainer had immediately noticed a change in him. His words
to Joe were
"Something's happening here. I don't know what it is, but I like it."
Joe was very proud. Then he not only relearned a routine, but he was
able to
memorize it at home without any problems!
But he also noticed emotional change:"I experienced happiness
during
the day which was quite unusual and very nice." In the past, feelings
of
sadness quickly turned into anger or anxiety, and he had to leave the
room to
get some fresh air before he could calm himself down again. Now, when
he felt
sadness and negative emotions coming up that were causing him to want
to cry,
he noticed that his way of dealing with them had changed: "I accepted
those emotions and relaxed about them. Those emotions subsided and went
away." A huge improvement for him!
It got even nicer the next day: Joe had fallen asleep on the
couch and,
after transitioning to his bed, he expected to lay awake for hours.
Instead he
just turned over and woke up at 7:00 am. No night cramps, no sweating
from
nightmares, just quiet, restful sleep. His energy was now up from a 3
to an 8,
and when I called him the next morning, he had already returned from
running
some errands, which he usually doesn't start before 1:30 pm. So this
was a
great start.
Joe and I worked for another three hours on a number of other
issues which
he found troubling, but the only traumatic event we touched was 9/11,
which had
caused his PTSD symptoms to flare up and leave his life in pieces.
Tinnitus addressed
We also worked on his tinnitus, which reacted beautifully to
EFT, improved
greatly, disappeared for stretches of time, but at some point came back
in
different pitches, so this needs to be explored more. After the second
EFT
session, he reported:
"My martial arts training is going very well now. I surprised
myself
with what I can remember. Even techniques that I was taught a long time
ago.
(Long term memory)! I took my grand kids to their class, and I taught
today.
Something I had not done in a long time. I really enjoyed it." (Social
discomfort)
Four days later, he wrote: "My sleep and my focus have
increased very
much. Today, I spent the majority of the day working on a project that
I have
been working on for a year. I almost completed it today." (Before, he
couldn't concentrate for more than 5-10 minutes on any project!) "And
my
sleep is still at around 7 to 8 hours a night.
He continued, "My focus has been the most surprising since we
started
tapping. Now I'm getting to the point where I can translate (my martial
arts
routines) from memorizing the techniques to executing them. Something I
had not
been able to do before."
Three weeks later he emailed: "Well, I have been sleeping very
well. No
waking up during the middle of the night. I have been so busy during
the last
week that I can't keep up. Not only did I finish the project that I
delayed for
7 or 8 months, but started others, and I'm in the middle of those. My
focus has
increased and has affected other areas. My short term memory has
increased by
leaps and bounds. I can remember my Martial Arts Techniques very well.
I told
you I went from 10 to 15 routines, I'm now up to 22 and some of those
are very
complicated. I went back to the instructor training class. Excited
about
that."
And finally three months after we finished our work together:
"I am
doing more things outside the home. And, more social things outside the
home. I have become more involved with the grand kids. I take two
of my
granddaughters to dance and karate. I volunteered to dance the
father/grandfather dance and the teacher asked if I would participate
in one of
the scenes as a figure that is one of the dancer's father. Well,
surprise for
me, I volunteered. This is something that I don't normally do."
Now, nine months later, Joe still sleeps restfully through the
night with no
signs of nightmares. He has been accepted into the martial arts teacher
program, and his withdrawn lifestyle has improved. He is aware that
there is
more cleaning up to do with regards to his war experiences, and when he
is
ready, he will proceed with EFT.
Blessings
Ingrid
"Why Does Tapping on the Side
of the Hand Work?" by Rue Hass
This
question was posed to me by a participant in my EFT Circle class
recently, and as a question-loving person myself, it sent me off on a
research project. I knew that the side of the hand is the place in EFT
that we tap for what is called Psychological Reversal. What captured me
in the question was the "Why." I realized that I had some knowledge but
not enough for a complete answer.
Even
though it is a little scary to be asked a question that I can't
automatically shine at answering, especially when there are lots of
people listening, I actually like the experience. I reframe it to mean
an opportunity to learn something, and then share what I have learned.
And I love learning and sharing.
I
will give you the direct answer, first. Then later I will probably
offer some more articles on Psychological
Reversal, a term first
introduced by Roger Callahan. When EFT "doesn't work," it is often a
sign that there is a paralyzing conflict held deep within.
The
direct answer to the question is about the energy meridian at the side
of the hand, the Karate Chop point in EFT, which is the small intestine
meridian. Each energy meridian is part of a network that is related to
a body organ or function, and each one embodies a way of thinking, a
story about what is happening inside us, physically, mentally,
emotionally and spiritually, our way of responding to life.
When
the energy is flowing freely, the small intestine meridian's essential
purpose is to support our choices about what information to incorporate
when we are feeling divided, or pulled in more than one direction. This
makes sense when we think of what the small intestine does
physiologically. Its job in digestion is to separate what is most
useful in the food from what will become waste.
The small intestine meridian
is paired with the Heart.
According to Chinese medicine, the
Heart holds the Spirit,
the totality
of the person's life force as it expresses through the personality. So
the function of the Heart network is to propel the blood, enfold the
Spirit, and maintain awareness.
The
small intestine protects the Heart by filtering out negative input,
both from food waste and effects of damaging energies like shocking
surprise, deep sorrow, or even overwhelming joy. When we are under a
lot of stress, the Heart is disturbed and our thinking becomes
confused, and we become exhausted, breathless and anxious.
The
Heart meridian is the most important meridian for healing thought,
feeling and personality. A balanced Heart energy is joyful, radiant,
out going, loving, generous, optimistic, and giving. When it is
unbalanced it is careless, forgetful, distracted, restless, maybe
unrealistically idealistic. Often when I ask someone my favorite
question, "Where do you feel that emotion in your body?" they will say
something like "a heaviness in my chest," my heart hurts", "my heart
feels tight and constricted."
So
think about what we are doing when we tap on the side of the hand in
EFT. In thought and action, in intention and in energy, we are saying
to ourselves inside: Even though I have this stressful problem
that is upsetting me, I love and accept myself and how I feel anyway.
Even though I am having these stressful experiences, and am telling
myself negative things about my self worth, I understand and appreciate
myself anyway, and I am doing the best I can. There is hope! I value my
Spirit.
Just as the
small intestine's job is to filter out waste
from
nourishment in what we eat, emotionally its job is about sorting out,
as best it can, the conflict that is created when a conscious part of
our mind wants one outcome, and an unconscious part of our mind wants
another, conflicting outcome.
What we believe or are told to believe can contradict our
experience.
What we intend can be contradicted by what we find ourselves doing.
This
is what is called Psychological Reversal. Here are some ways to spot
it. When EFT “doesn’t work,” look to the inner soldiers who are trying
to help. They are working from a strategy that was useful when it was
adopted, probably a long time ago, probably one that meant our very
survival in their family. It is their family's ancestral story about
how life is.
If
you suspect a Psychological Reversal in yourself or your client,
approach it gently, with deep acceptance and compassion. Help the
person to move from their distress and disruptive behavior to
understanding that they have been trying to take care of themselves
with a long outmoded strategy that used to work, but is just getting in
the way now.
It
is always useful to invite the person to ask inside, of the part that
is managing the conflicting behavior, "If there were a better, more
powerful and effective way to get what you are trying to get by
perpetuating this conflict, would you be interested?" See if you can
get a yes. If you don't get a yes, don't barge in anyway! Go slowly,
find a way to gain rapport with the part that is holding on to the
conflict.
By Rue Anne Hass, M.A. of Intuitive Mentoring and I-Mentoring. Please
visit Rue's web site at www.intuitivementoring.com for additional articles
and resources on EFT and Sensitive People.
Tapping away your Holiday Blues
By Figen Genco, BA
Even though it’s already December and there
is too much to do to prepare for the holidays, give yourself a break
and tap
along as you read this article by Figen Genco. A simple approach is to
tap the
karate spot while repeating the sentences that resonate with you. Then do a couple of rounds of EFT. Enjoy your holidays! (MT)
1. SHOPPING BLUES:
Even though I have no clue about what to buy for all the
people that I need
to buy gifts for, I deeply and completely accept myself.
I love and forgive myself for waiting until the last moment.
I love and forgive myself for shopping for myself while I am
supposed to be
shopping for others.
Even though my basement is filled with gifts that people gave
me that I
never opened, and presents I bought thinking I would give to people, I
don’t
feel like going to the basement and digging through stuff to look for
them, I’d
rather go buy more; and I choose to accept myself anyway.
2. HOLIDAY CARDS
Even though I am late once again writing my holiday cards, I
choose not to
blame myself. I am open to the possibility to think that when the cards
are
received after the holidays, people might be more interested in them,
and they
might actually have time to read them.
Even though receiving cards from others with their PERFECT
family pictures
and stories make me feel inadequate, I forgive myself for not being
like them.
I love and accept myself with my imperfections!
3. FAMILY GATHERINGS
Even though I know that I will be overindulging with food at
these
gatherings, I choose to give myself permission to do so before even
going
there.
I forgive myself in advance for eating more than I need to.
Maybe I
won’t eat that much anyway. Giving this permission to myself already
feels
good! I love myself.
Even though, it is inevitable that there will be conversations
which are no
interest to me, or hurtful to me, I love and accept whoever is going to
say
them. They are doing the best they can with what they have. I choose
not to get
upset, and listen to them as a third person, not as myself.
4. RECEIVING GIFTS
Even though I might not like, or get offended
with whatever is
given to me,
I completely and deeply accept myself. I love and forgive myself for
not caring
for what I am given. I love and forgive the giver of
the gift
for not reading my mind and giving me what I wanted!
Even though I don’t think I deserve the gifts I get- after all
what I give
out was much less- I deeply and completely accept myself for not
feeling
deserving. Maybe the giver thinks I am deserving. Maybe it’s all in my
head,
and I will feel much more relaxed if I let go of all these speculations
about
giving and receiving gifts.
5. GENERAL STATEMENT EVERYDAY
I choose to be calm, loving, compassionate and at peace during
holidays!
Figen Genco
www.lovethewayyoulive.com
Feng Shui/EFT/Organizing Consultant
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