Articles - 03:
• The "Audio Technique" for getting to core issues.
• Success and Abundance: Dr. Carol Look's Series. **
• Tinnitus (past noise events): A concept ... **
• Double Bubble technique: .. dealing with chronic issues!. *
• (Borrowing Benefits): Removing a hidden traumatic memory. **
• (Setups to find areas of frustration): Rapid Relief for Herpes. **
• Trigeminal Neuralgia: Using EFT for .. (Eye-Face Pain). *
• Positive affirmations: with EFT and your senses. **

2008-10-05
The "Audio Technique" for getting to core issues
http://www.emofree.com/Articles/audio-technique.htm
By Michel Guindon, EFT-CC, NLP, C.Ht., Canada

Non-disclosure techniques imply that the clients don't talk about what the issues are, but instead work them through in the comfort of their own minds, guided by the practitioner or, in this case, musical soundtracks.

In addition to doing EFT workshops and seeing clients in private sessions, I also work in the field of Addictions. This population has its own unique set of problems and challenges - one of them being the reluctance to look at all the "things" they've done while under the influence - not to mention what caused their addiction in the first place. I am talking here of issues such as trauma, abuse, neglect, abandonment, etc... and the resulting toxic shame that ends up affecting almost every relationship they have - both on a professional and personal level. While this technique has proven highly successful with this population, anyone will benefit from using it mainly due to its uncanny ability to bring up repressed emotions related to events which are partially or totally out of our conscious awareness - the "fine print" on our walls. I simply call them "Blind Spots".

In a nutshell, it consists of using music (songs) as a way to "connect" with past or present negative experiences and then using the EFT tapping points to remove the charge. It is amazingly easy to learn and most people are eager to do some "work on themselves" afterwards.

Although we rarely think about it, music has always had a powerful influence on our lives and most of our significant life experiences are linked to it in one form or another. We hear couples referring to a certain song as "their song" while others remember "the good old times" when a tune is played on the radio. Those same songs also take on different meanings depending on our life events. Following the break-up of a relationship or other painful experience such as the loss of a loved one for example. Those very same songs often become painful reminders - re-stimulating us instantly.

Most of us know of some people who have a tendency to isolate themselves and listen to music that matches their state of mind at the time. It seems to provide comfort to know that someone else (the artist, singer, etc...) has gone through something similar and makes them feel understood and validated in some way.

What follows is not "the way" but only "one way" of doing it.
This is how I usually do it with someone who has had no prior experience with EFT, so feel free to personalize ...

After asking about what the presenting issues are, I casually get
a brief relationship history of the client (just the headlines), to get a sense of what the family dynamics were (it usually sets the stage for whatever comes next), then move on to friendships, work and romantic relationships etc... This is not really necessary but it helps the client to connect with his/her issues (and also helps to bring out any Psychological Reversals that may be present).

I select an appropriate compilation CD to play (abandonment, betrayal, or mix, etc...) and give them headphones to wear. I then ask them to get into the songs as much as they can, listen closely to the lyrics, and feel what they have to feel while I do the tapping. The more they feel - the better the results!

I then pay close attention to body language, particularly breathing and facial expression. Often, the first thing I notice are the eyebrows. This tells me that they are connected to an issue and they are feeling discomfort of some kind (fear, anger, etc...). This is usually short lived and they start feeling the pain almost immediately. Tears roll down their faces at times and they often display that classic staccato breathing pattern as the charge dissipates. At times, I will stop the CD after a track or two and ask for a guesstimate on the intensity they felt (0-10), but most of the time I just let them go on uninterupted. Afterwards, I give them a CD copy, a chart with the tapping points to use at home.

The results speak for themselves ...

So far, all have reported significant reduction levels in stress, anxiety, and particularly, anger. Most have reported an increased level of peace of mind, self-confidence, and focus. Specifics include ...

This is like moving through the 5 Stages of Grief at Warp Speed!

On a personal level, I've had a powerful issue come up (fear of being used) while listening to Heart's "All I Wanna Do". The story is about a married woman who picks up a man on the road, brings him to a motel and makes love to him. The real story is that she wants a child, something her husband cannot give her, so she goes to plan B - namely this man she picked up. While listening to it, I associated with the man in question and the charge went up to a "10+". I felt shocked, angry, worthless, used, sad - the works! And what amazes me is that I still cannot relate this experience to any particular event in my life. After playing it several times while tapping, the charge went down to "0". Now, when I listen to it, it is just another song - nothing more and I feel great.

There are no right or wrong soundtracks - they either bring up a charge or they don't. I always suggest to clients that they go through their collection. Just reading the titles will often point to tracks that have "some meaning" to them. There are also music charts on the net that can help us to remember tracks we used to listen to when we were younger, and these can often be downloaded with appropriate software. ...

2008-10-05
Dr. Carol Look's Success and Abundance Series
http://www.emofree.com/articles/abundance-series.htm
Part 1 of 4--Clearing blocks to success
Part 2 of 4--Prosperity Consciousness
Part 3 of 4--The Law of Attraction
Part 4 of 4--Claiming Abundance
By Dr. Carol Look, Cht

After completing another of my 4 week Success and Abundance teleclass series, I thought it would be useful if I outlined typical abundance blocks with accompanying suggestions for release and healing with EFT. Anyone who is unable to clear basic blocks to success will remain "stuck." It is not enough to desire something. And no technique comes close to the power of EFT for clearing limiting beliefs and moving you towards your goals, financial or otherwise.

Whether teaching the abundance classes in person or conducting the teleseries, I find it easier to separate the work into 4 major themes or steps ...

For the teleclasses, each person is given a private turn while the remaining members (approximately 15) are placed on "mute." I ask each participant during their turn to describe their particular blocks (in the form of limiting beliefs, assumptions, fears, or general "yes, buts"). Of course the others profit from the effects of Borrowing Benefits by tapping along when it's not their turn. I instruct each caller to tap one standard round of EFT followed by one round of positive suggestions. Then they place themselves on "mute" and the next person takes his or her turn.

I consolidated my notes from the last several series and chose a few limiting beliefs that I thought would be instructive for a larger group. During Class #1 of the series,
titled Clearing Blocks to Success, one caller,
"Debbie," stated she was convinced she never made the right (or good enough) decisions for her life and because of this, she believed she would never be financially successful. When I asked her how she came to this conclusion, she said her family told her this on a regular basis. "Everyone just knew it about me."

Her father specifically told her on more than one occasion,
"You never make the right decisions!"
And then of course, this belief entered the family "truth" book.
We tapped together as follows:

Starting on the Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I'm convinced I can't make good decisions,
I choose to decide what's good for me now ..."

"Even though they convinced me I never made the right decisions,
I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway ..."

"Even though I don't have confidence in my ability to make the right decisions, no wonder I'm not successful, I choose to release this belief now."

Then we tapped the seven consecutive points of the EFT shortcut:
(1) Eyebrow(EB),
(2) Side of Eye, (SE),
(3) Under Eye (UE),
(4) Under Nose (UN),
(5) Chin (CH),
(6) Collarbone (CB),
(7) Under Arm (UA), plus
(8) Top of Head (H) as follows:


1. EB: I don't make the right decisions
2. SE: I never have
3. UE: I can't be successful unless I know how to make decisions
4. UN: Maybe my family was right about me
5. CH: I'm afraid my decisions have been wrong
6. CB: What if I'm not good enough?
7. UA: Maybe I don't deserve success anyway
8. H: Maybe I'll never make the right decisions

Then I asked her to tap the eight points for a second round
(skipping the karate chop point) focusing more on what she wanted.
1. EB: I do make the right decisions
2. SE: I have made many good decisions
3. UE: No I haven't
4. UN: Yes I have
5. CH: I'm going to make the right ones now
6. CB: It's too bad they were wrong about me
7. UA: I love knowing I am capable of making good decisions
8. H: I love feeling free of this old belief and I choose to make the right decisions

Another caller, "Anne," said she felt guilty for leaving her husband.
As a way to punish herself for this act, she has made her life a chronic struggle in every area. She felt convinced she didn't deserve to succeed. She finally "got it" that she had been punishing herself for leaving her husband who said "you'll be sorry ... you won't amount to anything" as they left divorce court.

We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though it's all my fault, and I shouldn't have left him,
I deeply and completely accept myself anyway ..."

"Even though I feel guilty and have been punishing myself ever since,
I choose to accept the decision I made ..."

"Even though I don't deserve to be successful because I left him,
I deeply and completely accept all of me."

Then we tapped the 8 points:
1. EB: I feel so guilty
2. SE: I should feel guilty
3. UE: I shouldn't have left
4. UN: I hurt him
5. CH: I don't deserve success
6. CB: Yes I do
7. UA: No I don't
8. H: I feel so guilty; no wonder I'm punishing myself.

Then we returned to the eyebrow point for the second round:
1. EB: I am enough
2. SE: I'm glad I left
3. UE: I forgive myself for leaving
4. UN: It's not all my fault
5. CH: I deserve to release the struggle
6. UA: It's time to get over this, I did the best I could
7. H: I am worthy, no matter what he said.

"Ron" said he was convinced he didn't belong with wealthy people.
Consequently, he didn't believe he could or would ever become "one of them." His parents were always referring to "them" as different in so many ways. He adopted this belief and has been living it out consistently by sabotaging his success. We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though we were too different, and I don't feel like I belong,
I deeply and completely accept all of me..."

"Even though I don't belong with them,
I deeply and completely accept myself anyway..."

"Even though I'm blocking myself from earning what I deserve because I'm not one of them, I deeply and completely accept myself."

Then we tapped on the eight points as follows:
1. EB: I feel different
2. UE: I've never belonged
3. UN: My family doesn't fit in
4. CH: So I don't either
5. CB: I can't imagine myself as rich
6. UA: I don't deserve to make more
7. H: What if I never fit in?

Then we returned to the eyebrow point for the second round:
1. EB: Suppose I could fit in
2. SE: I do believe in myself
3. UE: I deserve to feel worthy
4. UN: I feel worthy now
5. CH: I do belong now
6. CB: I'm glad I resolved this issue
7. UA: I'm happy this issue is in my past
8. H: It's time to fit in

Part 2 of 4--Prosperity consciousness

In my introductory e-mail for Class #2, I usually ask the participants one or more of the following questions: Do you believe in prosperity or scarcity? Do you believe you will be provided for? Does the subject of money make you anxious and uptight? Do you believe there is enough to go around? Do you feel competitive about money?

Again, after combining my notes on several recent teleclass series, I chose participants' issues that I thought would be most helpful to a large audience. They are below.

When I asked "Mike" where his consciousness vibrated around the subject of prosperity, he told the group
"I never felt safe because we were always on the verge of running out of money. My parents fought about the bills constantly when I was a kid, and I continue to be afraid there won't be enough, no matter how high my salary is." We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though there wasn't enough,
I deeply and completely accept myself anyway..."

"Even though I'm convinced there won't be enough,
I choose to believe in prosperity now..."

"Even though money makes me feel anxious,
I choose to feel calm and peaceful when I pay my bills."

Then we tapped on the 8 points:
Round one:
1. Eyebrow: There was never enough
2. Side of Eye: I didn't feel safe
3. Under Eye: I still don't feel safe
4. Under Nose: What if there isn't enough?
5. Chin: I feel insecure about money
6. Collarbone: I can't handle this anxiety about money
7. Under Arm: I'm afraid to get my hopes up
8. Top of Head: I must be careful about money.

Then we tapped a second round on more positive suggestions:
1. EB: I enjoy knowing there is enough
2. SE: I love feeling safe and secure about money
3. UE: I choose to feel safe about money now
4. UN: I believe that there will always be more than enough
5. CH: I appreciate my prosperity consciousness
6. CB: I choose to expand my prosperity consciousness
7. UA: I am enough
8. H: I'm grateful for all the abundance in my life.

"Patti" stated she resorted to hoarding money just in case she would run out.
No matter how big her "pile" was, she never felt there was going to be enough. She also admitted to hoarding food, and incidentally, has a weight problem. We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I need to hold on to my money,
I deeply and completely accept myself and my feelings..."

"Even though I'm convinced there is prosperity for others but not for me,
I choose to release this doubt ..."

"Even though I refuse to believe there will be enough,
I accept who I am and intend to feel safe."

Then we tapped the points for two rounds:
1. EB: I don't deserve prosperity
2. SE: There's not enough anyway
3. UE: I need to be careful
4. UN: Money makes me anxious
5. CH: What if I run out
6. CB: I need to hold on
7. UA: Don't make me let go
8. H: I always need more

Then we tapped for more positive suggestions:
1. EB: I love believing in prosperity
2. SE: I love knowing there is enough to go around
3. UE: I love knowing I am valuable
4. UN: I choose to believe in abundance
5. CH: I feel safe about letting go
6. CB: There will be enough
7. UA: There is already enough
8. H: I accept prosperity into my life.

Another caller, "Lisa," told the group "I don't feel valued unless I am helping and taking care of others. So if I take care of myself and put my health or my business first, I'm convinced they will be angry or leave me."

As a result, Lisa felt compelled to minimize her talents and undermine herself on every level. We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I don't deserve prosperity because they never valued me,
I choose to value myself right now ..."

"Even though I remember when they told me I wasn't worth it,
I have decided that I am worth prosperity ..."

"Even though I'm afraid I'll be abandoned AGAIN,
I deeply and completely accept all of me."

Then we tapped two rounds on the sequence of points:
1. EB: What if they leave me?
2. SE: It's not safe to take care of myself
3. UE: There is only enough for them
4. UN: What if they resent me
5. CH: I don't deserve prosperity
6. CB: I don't want someone else to suffer
7. UA: There's only enough to get by anyway
8. H: I'm not worth it so why bother?

1. EB: What if I'm the one who wants to leave?
2. SE: What if there's enough for all of us?
3. UE: I believe in prosperity now
4. UN: I love believing there is plenty
5. CH: I feel secure knowing there is plenty
6. CB: I believe in more than enough
7. UA: I embrace plenty
8. H: I'm so happy I resolved this issue and I embrace prosperity.

Part 3 of 4--The Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction has been written about for decades, and many popular metaphysical teachers rave about its power. The theory states that whatever you focus on, you will automatically attract in to your life; there are no exceptions.

For Class #3 of my teleclass series, I ask participants
what they are most focused on regarding their financial situation.
And if they aren't sure of the answer, I invite them to look at the mixture of feedback in their lives in the form financial ease or struggle. Then we tap to clear whatever seems to be blocking the flow of financial freedom.

One caller, "John" told the class he felt he needed to be in control for anything to work out in his life. I asked him his theory about why he didn't get anywhere financially, and he admitted he was holding on too tightly to everything --- of his wife, of the checkbook, of his employees. No matter what he did, he kept getting in the same binds financially. He said he reminded himself of his father, a controlling alcoholic who worried about money all the time. John never seemed to make any progress and truly felt stuck. (When someone is stuck, they are actually just thinking the same equation of feelings about money, so it always evens out.) We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I feel stuck again, but I can't release the control,
I deeply and completely love and accept myself..."

"Even though I refuse to release the control,
I choose to release the fear..."

"Even though I'm too afraid to release control and let it flow,
I deeply and completely accept all of me anyway."

Then we tapped on the 8 points:
1. Eyebrow: I'm so stuck
2. Side of Eye: Don't make me let go
3. Under Eye: I don't feel safe unless I'm in control
4. Under Nose: I need to be in control
5. Chin: No I don't
6. Collarbone: Yes, I do!
7. Under Arm: I don't feel safe about money
8. Head: I can't release control.

Then we tapped a typical second round with more positive statements.
1. EB: I choose to feel safe as I release control
2. SE: I can be safe when I'm not in control
3. UE: I am in control now by feeling relaxed
4. UN: I love feeling free
5. CH: I deserve to attract financial abundance
6. CB: I am a magnet for profitable opportunities
7. UA: I love attracting abundance
8. H: I appreciate how easy it is to release the control

Another of the participants, "Cathy" informed the group that she must be "vibrating" at a level of poverty consciousness because she never had enough clients and the ones that call her always need drastically reduced fees anyway!

Her block in this area was glaring: she said she felt guilty being compensated for her work because she was a therapist, and "didn't feel right asking for money." We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I don't feel worthy of being compensated,
I deeply and completely accept myself..."

"Even though I shouldn't charge for the work I do ... I should give it away,
I accept my fears about what they'll think of me ..."

"Even though I don't do enough for others,
I deeply and completely accept who I am and how I feel."

1. EB: I shouldn't be paid for my work
2. SE: I'm not good enough at it anyway
3. UE: I don't deserve to be paid
4. UN: I shouldn't ask for money
5. CH: I feel guilty taking their money
6. CB: I'm not worthy of a good salary
7. UA: I'm not enough
8. H: There isn't enough anyway

Then we repeated the shortcut round as follows:
1. EB: There is enough
2. SE: I deserve to be paid
3. UE: I'm good at what I do
4. UN: I love a fair exchange
5. CH: I love attracting clients who pay for their sessions
6. CB: I appreciate all the financial abundance coming in
7. UA: I attract the right number of clients
8. H: I realize getting paid is a good thing!

The next caller on the Law of Attraction class was "Jen."
Jen's theory about why she was stuck in a place of financial lack was that
she never got any attention in her family unless she failed.

She was afraid to succeed in her business because she expected her family to then ignore her. They felt needed if they could help her out financially and emotionally. Jen was an entirely competent worker and emotionally stable woman, and was on the verge of breaking through this limiting behavior. She told the group she was afraid of the changes that would happen if she let herself attract (AND KEEP) money. She had even been resisting doing the tapping because she suspected it would work and create this conflict about attention! We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though they won't like me if I'm successful,
I deeply and completely accept my desires..."

"Even though they need me to need them,
I choose to accept that I have this conflict..."

"Even though I'm conflicted about being financially successful,
I choose to release this conflict now."

1. EB: I'm conflicted about making money
2. SE: They need me to be poor
3. UE: They won't pay attention unless I'm weak
4. UN: I'm afraid of their envy
5. CH: They'll be mean to me if I'm successful
6. CB: I have a huge conflict and don't want to let go
7. UA: Don't make me let go
8. H: I can't let go of this conflict

Then for a more positive round:
1. EB: I can make money and feel safe
2. SE: It's none of my business what they think of me
3. UE: I choose to feel successful now
4. UN: I attract the right business opportunities
5. CH: I release the sabotage behavior
6. CB: I love feeling worthy of abundance
7. UA: I appreciate attracting what I want
8. H: I choose to love them anyway

As an assignment for the class, I recommend they write a brief Gratitude List at the end or beginning of every day. The list needs to be real (don't pretend you're grateful if you're not) and heartfelt. Focusing on the feeling of gratitude and appreciation attracts more of what you want into your life. Try it ... it has changed lives.

Part 4 of 4--Claiming Abundance

The final focus of the Success and Abundance Series is embracing and claiming abundance in your life. Many people clear the blocks to abundance and success and then reject the opportunities when they fall in their lap. If financial success, healthy relationships and wonderful opportunities come your direction and you push them away, what's the point? For each series, I instruct class participants to examine any remaining blocks they might have in their lives that continue to keep them stuck (in love, health, or money) or in financial hardship.

One of the callers during Class #4, "Fran," said every time she attracts more abundance and success into her life she becomes overwhelmed and then sabotages herself. She has a hard time asking for help, and tries to do it all. As a result, she ends up in the same place every time: exhausted, resentful, and baffled about why her income doesn't increase. We tapped two rounds of EFT:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I feel overwhelmed when my business increases,
I deeply and completely accept my efforts..."

"Even though I feel exhausted, and I sabotage my success,
I choose to accept all of me anyway..."

"Even though I sabotage because of my fear,
I have decided to feel calm and be organized."

1. EB: I'm afraid of success
2. SE: No wonder I keep sabotaging
3. UE: I don't really want success
4. UN: I can't stand the pressure
5. CH: I don't want the responsibility
6. UA: No I don't
7. H: I choose to accept my success

Then we tapped for another round:
1. EB: I choose to embrace my success now
2. SE: I accept all that comes with my success
3. UE: I feel inspired to accept my success
4. UN: I love attracting abundance
5. CH: I choose to attract successful opportunities
6. CB: I love handling all my success with ease
7. UA: I love knowing things are working out for me
8. H: I feel grateful for all my financial success

"Janice" had struggled financially all her life, but was more focused on her lack of success as far as her health was concerned. She knew these two areas were linked, but wasn't sure how to address both of them. She had been suffering from a "chronic" illness which made her so tired she couldn't work. This of course led to a spiral of frustrations and problems. We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I'm afraid to be successful,
I choose to feel more energy moving through my body..."

"Even though they'll expect too much of me if I recover,
I accept all of my body and what it needs..."

"Even though I'm afraid to get well, they might demand too much of me,
I choose to accept that I have this conflict."

1. EB: I have a conflict about recovering
2. SE: I'm afraid of their demands
3. UE: I don't want them to need something
4. UN: They're so needy
5. CH: It's the only way to fend them off
6. CB: I need the protection of my illness
7. UA: No I don't...Yes, I do
8. H: I choose to find new ways to protect myself

Then we tapped for a more positive outcome:
1. EB: I love my healthy body
2. SE: I love having so much energy
3. UE: I enjoy bringing more energy through me
4. UN: I appreciate how strong my body is
5. CH: I appreciate all my talents
6. CB: I feel grateful for what I learned
7. UA: I'm ready to leave the illness in my past
8. H: I love knowing I've started the healing process

We did a final round:
1. EB: I can feel safe and healthy
2. SE: I do feel safe and healthy
3. UE: I attract the right opportunities
4. UN: I can say "NO" to needy people now
5. CH: I love knowing I have my own power
6. CB: I appreciate all the abundance in my life
7. UA: I feel inspired to heal now
8. H: I feel grateful for internal guidance and I claim abundance now

"Joseph" told the class he was taught that to want anything is bad and selfish.

He could see that this belief ruined his attempts at "dreaming big" and getting to the place he wanted professionally. He had all the right skills, he just kept sabotaging himself and blocked his progress. He remembered his father saying
"You're lucky you have anything at all!
You shouldn't be focused on wanting anything else ... that's selfish."

While Joseph had made some progress and slowly expanded his financial comfort zone, he still heard these words ringing in his ears, and felt as if he had
"one foot on the gas and one foot on the brakes."

We tapped as follows:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I feel selfish for wanting more,
I deeply and completely accept my desires ..."

"Even though I'm afraid of his disapproval,
I choose to approve of myself ..."

"Even though I expect him to scold me,
I accept all of me and all my desires."

1. EB: I'm convinced I'm selfish
2. SE: He said I was selfish
3. UE: I need his approval
4. UN: No, I don't
5. CH: Yes, I do
6. CB: I'm afraid of his disapproval
7. H: I have this belief that desires are bad

1. EB: Desires are bad
2. SE: No, they're not
3. UE: Yes, they are
4. UN: No, they're not
5. CH: I'm afraid to admit I have so many desires
6. CB: Doesn't that mean I'm selfish?
7. UA: I feel ashamed of having desires
8. H: I accept that I want more

Then we tapped to resolve this conflict:

Karate Chop Point:

"Even though I have this conflict about succeeding,
I deeply and completely accept all parts of me..."

"Even though I'm afraid I'll lose him if I want more,
I choose to feel safe now..."

"Even though I feel ashamed of this conflict,
I realize it's time to release it now."

1. EB: I'm ashamed of this conflict
2. SE: This conflict is so strong
3. UE: I don't think I can win
4. UN: What if I can't change?
5. CH: What if I DO change?
6. CB: I'm afraid to resolve this conflict
7. UA: I want him to be proud of me
8. H: I want to be happy with myself

Then we tapped a second round:
1. EB: I deserve to succeed
2. SE: I deserve to be myself
3. UE: I am allowed to want and have abundance
4. UN: We are all entitled to abundance
5. CH: I love feeling free to express myself
6. CB: I love knowing abundance is coming to me
7. UA: I appreciate all that I have
8. H: I feel safe claiming success now

1. EB: I am enough
2. SE: I have enough
3. UE: There is enough
4. UN: I love feeling grateful
5. CH: I am happy I resolved this conflict
6. CB: I feel grateful that this is in my past
7. UA: I feel inspired to continue to succeed
8. H: I love attracting abundance in all areas of my life.

My own levels of success with my health, personal and professional relationships, and financial abundance continue to improve as I teach these classes! I have no doubt that EFT has broken through my financial comfort zones and limiting beliefs. I am surrounded daily with evidence and proof in my life that EFT is the most powerful tool to neutralize emotional blocks to abundance and success in any area of your life. Many thanks to Gary for the opportunity to share this series through his e-mail list.

2008-10-05
A concept for successfully applying EFT to Tinnitus
(Past Noise Events.)
http://www.emofree.com/Articles/tinnitus-concept.htm
By Stephen Frost. Dip.Hyp. SQHP. EFT-ADV., United Kingdom

As a hypnotherapist since 1991, treating PTSD intermittently, with varying degrees of success, I came upon and have been using EFT, since about 2001. What an awesome tool it is in the armoury of the therapist.

In both hypnotherapy and EFT, I have noted with some regularity working with PTSD clients, as the PTSD diminishes, so the tinnitus seems to become more bearable, in some cases it's the first I have been told that they have the condition.

My conjecture could be that it is a residual traumatic (to the ears) memory of loud noise, e.g. music, (rock concerts are common) car engines, (motor or drag racing) pneumatic drills, (which we still hear today) or even warfare and conflict. PTSD seems to affect the body globally i.e. auditory sensations, physical sensations, visual sensations, and even olfactory sensations, in extreme cases physically living the event in the present.

What I am concerned with is 'auditory sensations' not the actual noise but the effects on the memory.

If you stand next to a drummer when he hits the cymbal your ears will ring. For how long, I don't know? The physical memory may fade, but the subconscious memory lasts forever. We might say sustained exposure or shock to the ears could bring that subconscious memory into play resulting in what we know as tinnitus. Also it may not even be a physical sound but a perceived sound, i.e. when receiving shocking news people will say it's like being hit around the head with a lump of 2 x 4 wood, a numbness goes through their body, which could possibly be blood pressure rising due to shock thus affecting the ears.

Case history 1.

One man stands out in my mind (name withheld), he was about 60 yrs old he had never been in a conflict zone, but was a lorry (truck) driver for years transporting livestock.

So after the prelims, (explanation and demonstration) with a 0-10 intensity of 7ish, we tapped for
'even though I have this whooshing in my ears'
(his words), got to a 5ish.

Then it became tightness across the head, down to a 4, again
'even though I have this tightness';
back up to a 7 (aspects coming into play).

At this point he was thinking about the engine noise, so we tapped for
'even though I have that dammed engine noise drumming in my ears'
(his words), down it came again, about 5ish.

Then came the thing I never thought of, he mentioned matter-of-factly being involved in a big lorry rally and all the lorries blowing their air horns in unison, so another round on
'even though those air horns made such a bloody racket'
(his words), and down it came again about 2ish.

More rounds different aspects one in particular a cow he was transporting kicked out while inside the lorry and kicked the side just as he was walking past. Well you can imagine the ringing in the ears that gave him, so we tapped on
'even though I was deafened the day that cow kicked the side of the lorry'
(his words), and he was down to a 0-1ish.

I left then (home visit about 1= hrs) for my next appointment, after getting him to promise to tap on more aspects as and when they came to mind, also to let me know how he was doing in a week or two. He did phone about a week later to say he is only just aware of it in the dead of night.

In all we found about 15-20 different aspects to this mans tinnitus all to do with noise some loud, some sharp, etc, but to him and his ears all traumatic. Some of them seemed so insignificant as to be meaningless to me, but highly significant to my client, so we tapped for these issues using his words.

So please listen to your client.
Don't write off tinnitus suffers, as un-helpable.
Handled correctly, life can be made as bearable for them, as it should be for you.

The way I work with clients', is to give a them set-up statement, then let them word it their own way, (they know the significance of the words and feel comfortable with them) while I tap surrogately using intuition, and get them to follow my tapping points tapping on themselves.

That is the gist of how I work with tinnitus sufferers, and getting to the residual traumatic (to the ears) memory of loud noise.

Note: This man had little or no faith in 'EFT' (maybe he still doesn't, I don't know, does it matter?) but was desperate to try anything. He was bought up on a farm in Cornwall. U.K. and is very down to earth with an even more earthy approach to life.

Case history 2:
Dave McLamont.
(Name given at the insistence of client. Dave will tell you himself, he wants this form of healing (EFT) out there, to help others who are suffering.)

Dave, a healer friend of mine mentioned he had residual PTSD and tinnitus (in therapy for 15 or so years after the 'Falklands' conflict). There and then (we were in a stable at the time) I explained the concept behind EFT, and showed him the tapping sequence, within 5 minutes his 0-10 intensity for tinnitus had dropped from 6-7 to 1-2, as he walked away I could hear him muttering,
"Marvellous that's bloody marvellous."

Residual PTSD had abated later when he went to bed and realised he had slept properly with no interruptions. Since then he keeps sending me his friends (mostly Falkland veterans) or anyone who will listen to him. (About 10 so far).

Dave has since phoned me to report; one night when he was under canvas during a rainstorm, with the sound of rain on canvas he became aware of a slight tinnitus returning. He reported the next morning it had abated during the night. (He travels around the country on his pony, he's an animal healer). Another time he will be aware of the tinnitus, if he wakes suddenly or is startled. It could be a sudden rise in blood pressure causing this to happen, but only seem to lasts for a few minutes.

At present we are talking through the possibility of some residual memory of being under canvas with loud noise, whether a marquee for a disco or such like, or while in the armed forces. The reason we are talking this through is because he is as intrigued, as I am to understand more about tinnitus, thereby getting to grips with it better, and offering a better service to sufferers in the future.

Note: Of the 18 clients I have worked on specifically with tinnitus, 14 reported a reduction down to a very bearable (1 - 2ish) one client reported "No difference" and three clients I have lost contact with.

This research is on going, unfortunately with the mindset given to tinnitus suffers by the medics i.e. incurable, un-helpable, lost cause or 'you will just have to live with it', gives suffers little or no hope and they seem to fight shy of any assistance that may be out there.

2008-10-06
the Double Bubble technique: .. dealing with chronic issues!
http://www.emofree.com/Articles/double-bubble-technique.htm
By Colette Streicher

The double bubble technique is one I have developed out of what I have learned over the years in different spiritual workshops on how to create one's reality and change chronic states of affairs.

Knowing this simple technique has helped me solve numerous mysteries and get people out of the rut, where nothing else seemed to help. It works especially well with clients in psychological reversal and not benefiting from therapy.

First, let me define chronic issues.
I am not only talking about chronic illnesses here, but also chronic behaviors, "chronic" identities/definition of self, and addictions.

The key of the chronic state is that there is a secret tug of war happening between a desire and a resistance on the same issue.

There are two types of beliefs; one such type contain simple, one "bubble" beliefs.
They are usually easy to take care of with a few rounds of EFT.
They are of the descriptive type: "he hurt my feelings" .
It is a fact, you can tap on the emotions around it and change your opinion on it, you can change your point of view and realize that he didn't mean to ... etc.
But there is no resistance or desire about the fact.

The other type of belief often begin with
"I want to' or I don't want to ..." are charged with resistance or desire and those are often much more difficult to eliminate.

For example:
You would like to eliminate the thought: "I want (desire) to smoke" or "I want to bite my nails" (desire) or "I am not this kind of person" (resistance), "I don't like rich people" (resistance). Often times, even if you use EFT to eliminate them, they come back, sneak back on you, nothing seems to clear them forever. You can spend all the time you want tapping, a few days/minutes later they are back.

Why is it that those beliefs, issues, behaviors, definitions of self (identities) are so strong that they can spur back again out of nowhere ... or so it seems. The answer is very simple: In fact, they are not single headed beasts, they have two opposite heads, pulling them in both directions at the same time. To go back to the bubble metaphor, the secret is that there is and has always been another connected bubble that is secretly nourishing the one you want to eliminate. Destroying the first bubble (the desire to smoke, for example) will not be enough.

In fact, the whole thing is a special type of bubble: a double bubble!!!
(imagine a balloon squeezed in the middle, creating two smaller balloons connected together)

In other words, if you don't recognize the hidden side, you will not succeed.

Only cut one half of the bubble and it still has enough energy to grow back again.

So when you see no progress, and things are coming back, it means that you have simply not addressed the issue fully. You have left enough energy for it to grow back.

So what is a double bubble?
In one part of the bubble there is the desire and in the other part there is the resistance to the SAME thought. For example: I desire to smoke and I resist to smoke. I hate these people and I love/accept/have been like them; I want to survive cancer, and I don't ....

To use the metaphor, you can imagine that in between the two bubbles there is a passage where energy is exchanged. The more powerful one bubble is (the higher the desire), the more powerful is the other bubble (tug of war phenomena). There is a conflict in the person: there is both desire and resistance for the same thing.

Now when you feel that you really really want something ... you will tend to deny that there is also the opposite belief in you. So, beware of falling into that trap. Go on questioning and you will finally get to it. You will be able to reconnect with the part of you that does or did desire what you are resisting today (or inversely).

The secret is to destroy the two sides of the double bubble at the same time by focusing on the entire bubble: the desire, the conflict and the resistance. NOT one bubble and then the other one!!!

Other therapists have used a similar idea but at best they alternate the positive and negative or they attend to the two opposite thoughts separately , the clue here is to dissolve the conflicting feeling , the tension between the two bubbles, and to destroy both the desire and resistance simultaneously!

Let me tell you about a client of mine.
Traumatized and abused as a child she left her home at 14 and had been wandering almost homeless since then. When I first saw her she had been both an anorexic and an insomniac since her teens, living in an unwelcoming environment. She came to me to help her find a safe home and a place where she could sleep. Of course, my role is not to go around the neighborhood and look for free property. I began working with her using EFT to help her feel empowered and able to create her life and a safe place to live and stay.

Almost all we did was find those double bubbles and destroy them one at a time.
The most powerful ones are those that you can not even dare think that there is another bubble behind.

For example:
this woman really wanted a safe and stable home to live in.
Who would even dare tell her that this was not the case ...
So when I asked her if there could be any reason why she didn't want a home ... she looked at me as if I was crazy .. I knew, however, following the double bubble theory, that there must have been a resistance somewhere for her not to have succeeded yet, 15 years after having left her parent's house.

So I used the back door technique I have developed.
I approached it from the perspective of someone else in the world that could not be interested in finding a stable place to live. I thought of the wandering monks in India...who pledge non-attachment and who wander all their lives. So there were in the world people who didn't want a home. We used the procedure below with someone else's desire to stay free, to live a life without a stable home, with detachment.

This relaxed her and made her at least conceive that this idea could be possible.

Then she suddenly got it ... when she left her home she really desired at the time to be free and had absolutely no trust in any "stable home' for she had only known (even at her grand parents' home) abuse and danger. So she had associated home with danger, abuse, unhappiness ... No wonder why she had this unconscious conflict that made her sabotage any chance she had to be and stay in a stable home.

We used the technique described below to dissolve the conflict (not only the desire or resistance to have a home but also the tension between both). After working on other issues, she now lives with a wonderful boyfriend in a home and feels safe for the first time in her life!

THE PROTOCOL:

After talking to the client, I find out one of the persistent issues in her life, the patterns of behavior or patterns of identity to focus on during the session. Then I ask the client to fill in the blanks:

I really want to ...... (what they say they want) because .................. (as many answers as possible)

And I also am very afraid to (same thing) .................. because ..................... and it is in the last part of the question, following 'because" that we are going to discover all the hidden conflicts. At first, sometimes nothing will come...they will think it is stupid. So I give some examples to relax them. Then often ... it is flowing ... several issues come up.

Find out the core tension.
Chose the one most charged.
Often they are surprised by what they find, this is a sign that we have found a core, unconscious issue to treat.

Then we begin the tapping:

Set Up: even though I really, really want to be successful because I would be happier and...I also do not want to be successful because ...

- I don't want to leave my nice quiet life, ...
- I am not supposed to be successful because as a child I was the "loser" of the family ...
- my mother never worked outside and this is the definition of a mother

(whoa.. I didn't expect that one). This is the core issue.

And now THE KEY is to use the conflict, the tension and release the tension!

So as Reminder use
"I want to be successful ... and I am afraid to be" or "this conflict"

It is powerful moment to witness the dissolution of the tension.

After a few rounds, it is the perfect time to introduce a Choice:
CREATE A CHOICE

Homework:
I ask the client to tap 3 times a day with the conflict and then tap the choice.

Other examples of the double bubble technique I used with the same client:

'I want to be happy because I deserve it, I am also very afraid to be happy because ... I could lose it and it is a risk I don't want to take, I prefer to stay numb and unhappy this at least I know well, there is no surprise (some provocative therapy in there can help too).

Later on the client remembered having been punished as a child for something that made her happy.

The choice was:
"Even Though I have never been happy up to now,
I choose to allow myself to experience happiness in life"

Repeat the conflict as well as the choice 3 times a day.

Example #2

I desire to control my life because I am so frightened of everything, and I also want to trust the process of life because I cannot control anything and, to shut down and protect myself constantly, is robbing all the joy and pleasure in my life.

Another client, older man frustrated about life.
He said to me "I have never been able to be all I could be despite great gifts from God"

So even though I really want to succeed, I also am VERY (I exaggerate) afraid to succeed because ... and let him fill in the blank with numerous thoughts ...

I would not know how to handle it, people would expect more from me, and I couldn't live up to their expectations, they would be disappointed and I would disappoint myself, so I prefer not to take the risk to disappoint myself.

I then chose the most charged and unexpected answer. :
I may disappoint myself!

This is my favorite technique when clients come with depression, no energy to work on things, deeply in PR. The client often leaves with a deep sense of having uncover an unconscious block. It is a great way to discover their specific core issue.

Expert handling of a hidden traumatic memory
http://www.emofree.com/trauma/hidden-traumatic-memory.htm
by Horst Benesch EFT-ADV, psychotherapist, Germany
Borrowing Benefits.

This case happened when I recently conducted a Level 2 EFT workshop.
A woman, 35, burst suddenly into tears and felt strong emotional distress while I was tapping with another group participant on a more general child issue (this is a classic form of Borrowing Benefits). A strong aspect of a hidden incident seemingly had popped up.

I took this chance to demonstrate to the group how soft EFT can work even in cases with strong emotional background. The woman had no idea of the reason for those strong emotions, just something tuned into the childhood topic.

I mainly followed the route of the Tearless Trauma Technique.
As she was not able to tap and to speak, I did the both the tapping on and the wording for her. I started with

Even though my system feels so upset ... and then
Even though I have this heavy and painful issue, ... and
Even though I have all these tears and this emotional pain within myself because of something in my childhood, ...

With the above, I was attempting to "take the edge off".
Then, after some calming down, I used the other statements to check whether a general associative phrasing made her feel worse again, which it did not. After some rounds of tapping she got visibly calm and the rating went down to a 1. She still did not know why this turmoil came up, however.

Q: If there would be a general headline for all of this, maybe just a word, what could it be.

A: "Animal" ... and she felt again a raise of uneasiness (rating at 6), without knowing anything consciously about the incident. She was tapping by herself with:
"Even though this animal issue in my childhood gives me uneasiness, ..."
After two rounds she got to a 2.

Q: Do you now have closer contact to what happened?
A: Yes.

Q: Do you have a new headline?
A: Axe.

Again she felt uneasy, still not knowing what really had happened (rated at 7). We tapped some rounds on
"Even though there is something with an axe in my childhood, ..."
She came down to a zero and reported the incident was starting to appear, but was still not clear.

Q: If you think you should remember what happened, is there any change in uneasiness?
A: No.

I asked for a headline again.
A: Father with an axe
(the picture becomes more complete! But she was still unable to have precise recall about the incident).

Again a raise to a 4.

We tapped
"Even though I have this memory on father with an axe, which makes me feeling upset, ...".
She calmed down to a rating of 1.

I challenged this result asking again, what would happen if you should remember this event. She stayed calm and reported, that she knows now what had happened.

Q: Is there any change in the rating when I ask you to think on telling me the story?
No change.

I now used The Movie Technique (she was already introduced to it).

Q: Do you have a title of the movie?
A: Father is hitting my cat with an axe
(all the pieces she put together in one headline).

In telling the title she went up to a 6.
This we tapped until the rating went down to zero.

Now she was ready to tell the story:
Aged 7 and living on a farm she was looking out of the window to the field, when she saw that her father was killing her cat with an axe. (In mowing the field all legs of the cat were cut off, thus her father had to kill the cat.)

One "crescendo" (rating at 8) at the moment when she described how the axe struck the cat. By tapping it went down to a zero. She also reported hearing the screams of the cat. This aspect caused just a slight uneasiness which was tapped down to zero by one round of tapping.

I asked her to tell the whole story again, no uneasiness left.

I tested this result by using statements like this:
I guess the blood was tripping from the axe.
There must be a lot of blood around.
It must look strange to see a beheaded body.
None of these statements caused any distress.

Q: Did you say good-bye to your beloved cat?
Calmly she reported that she did not say good bye, because she did not want to see the dead cat so closely.

Q. Is there any need to say good-bye now?
A: No, it is fine now.

She felt much relief and said that somehow a burden in her was gone. The whole process took about half an hour.

Rapid Relief for Herpes.
(Setups to find areas of frustration)
http://www.emofree.com/articles/herpes-relief.htm
By Angela Treat Lyon

.. "Linda," the woman who runs the gym, was visibly upset. I went up to her and asked if I could help. ..

She was so upset she could hardly speak.
As we sat, I noticed she sat down as if she was about to land on a chair full of needles. She told me she was experiencing a horrific outbreak of herpes. She told me she usually kept away from chocolate, nuts and coffee as a rule because she knows they exacerbate the condition, but at a party over the weekend she had had all three, and after a couple days of an increasing bone ache in her groin - a classic outbreak precursor - she awoke that day to an outbreak in full bloom and could hardly walk.

Having had success with other clients who experience herpes outbreaks and cold sores, I just had her tap as she was speaking - no setup, no phrases, just tapping as she related what was going on. She was calm by the time we started "real" tapping. Here are some of the setups we used:

• Even though I'm really upset and in so much pain I can hardly walk
• Even though my bones ached and I didn't pay attention
• Even though I feel stupid that I indulged in foods I know I react to
• Even though I wish I could eat chocolate!
• Even though I'm so embarrassed and ashamed to have herpes
• Even though I get so upset at John (her husband)....

  Bingo!

  We tapped through all the reasons she was upset with John, not the least of which was rage at having to work the gym all by herself while he was out surfing.

• Even though I'm so p***** at John for not sharing the work like we agreed
• Even though he's just a surf rat
• Even though I feel overwhelmed and resentful
• Even though I'm so tired
• Even though I don't take care of myself
• Even though I've been afraid to say anything to John for fear of upsetting him....

  and we laughed at that one - she was upset for fear of upsetting John!

• Even though I haven't had the courage to say anything
• Even though I'm afraid to ask for what I want because I'll be criticized
• Even though I have to be perfect to get approval
• Even though I have to have a perfect body, and look at me I don't!
• Even though I'm so hard on myself just like my dad was,
  ..... I can forgive myself and love myself for the perfect me that I am
• I can and will take better care of me
• I choose health and well-being

At this point, she was relaxed, her cheeks were rosy and she looked about 14 years old. Beautiful. Her outbreak no longer hurt at all. A week later she told me it had completely disappeared by that night, and she had sat down with John and reworked their schedules so they both had R&R time - alone and together!

Using EFT for Trigeminal Neuralgia
(Eye Pain - stabbing face pain)
http://www.emofree.com/articles/trigeminal-neuralgia.htm
By Florence Gans

I have a client with lots of physical problems (and a sordid history of severe emotional traumas that she is starting to mention to me). She hired me for pain relief from a compression fracture in her back. She also has Trigeminal Neuralgia (face pain along cranial nerves). We started working together 3 months ago, and her Trigeminal Neuralgia had not really had a bad period since we started. She is on meds for it.

After 2 months went by she started having face pain.
Her cycle of Trigeminal Neuralgia is as follows:

1. She will have a few spells per day at a 2-3 pain level
------ (scale of 0 no pain/10 maximum agony)

2. With time that increases to more and more frequent spells per day at a higher pain level

3. This progresses to pain jabs every second at a pain level 10.
(She says it is a nightmare and she wants to die when she gets one of these spells.)

2 weeks ago she was having 3 Trigeminal Neuralgia spells per day at a pain level 3-4. Prior to this she had said things that made me think she was suppressing trauma from a rape. So, we did an EFT session to release her trauma over the rape. We did one EFT session for about 75 minutes. We did 10 complete rounds of Basic EFT steps 1 through 4 on:

This memory of being raped in June.
The insolent look on his face in the hospital (the rape happened in the hospital).
The doctor seemed angry that I could not come back from the drugs.

I just talked to this client and she has not had a single pang of pain in her face from the Trigeminal Neuralgia ever since our EFT session 2 weeks ago!!! She says this is highly unusual, because usually her trigeminal neuralgia progresses unchecked until she is having the nightmare pain at level 10's every second.

Creating positive affirmations
with EFT and your senses

By Ruth Stern, MA, EFT-ADV
Ruth Stern is skilled in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and blends it with EFT
E-mail: rspanstern@yahoo.com

... some of the principles of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic-Programming) – a psychology of how we understand and perceive information. One principle involves the use of sensory modalities which includes visual, auditory and kinesthetic. All of us learn and filter information with our senses. When I began using this with clients, I noticed that the more I utilized statements that included all their senses I observed a significant difference in how they were feeling.

Certain clients would close their eyes as I said the words with pictures and images – this would be the visual modality;

or they would nod in agreement with a very deep calm smile; as if it were really sinking in – this would be an auditory modality;

Or some clients would state how wonderful it felt to hear positive reframes- this would be a kinesthetic modality. Their physical appearance literally changed as if they were in a blissful meditative state.

The following article describes how to apply your senses into the practice of EFT and create positive affirmations/reframes. With the following example;

we always start out with the presenting problem and tap on the negative feelings associated with the problem.

After releasing; we can make room to invite the positive reframe.
In this example:
Assume you have a fear to make presentations to large groups.
First rate your fear on a scale of 0-10.

Even though I’m afraid to speak in front of large groups …
Even though I have never been confident to speak …
Even though I’m so scared to speak …

Eyebrow – This fear of speaking.
Side of the Eye – This fear to speak.
Under the Eye - I don’t think I can do it.
Under the Nose – This strong fear.
Chin - It’s overwhelming for me.
Collarbone - This fear of what they’ll think.
Under the arm – This fear.
Top of the Head – This fear.

Take a breath and rate your fear.
Proceed with a few more rounds of EFT on this fear.
When you’ve dropped a few points or feel some relief; you can begin to introduce the positive statements.

Start by asking yourself:

What do I want instead of this fear?
Your response might be:
I want to feel confident … I want to be over this fear.

Next use the sensory modalities to create more positive responses:

Here is an example:
I want to feel empowered … I want to see or visualize myself looking smart and proud … I want to say to myself … I really can do this … I choose calm … I release this burden … I deserve to release this now.

You have now created your positive round of tapping!
Starting with the eyebrow point.

EB – I want to feel confident.
SE – I want to be free of this fear.
UE – I want to feel empowered.
UN – I want to see myself looking smart and proud.
CH – I can do this
CB – I choose calm
UA – I am releasing this burden.
TH – I deserve to release this fear now

* Note: There certainly can be tail-enders here.
Tail-enders are doubts or our negative voices that come up.
An example might be:
“But I can’t picture myself looking confident”

This is a response that you would tap on – all tail enders need to be addressed otherwise your progress will be sabotaged.

I use this simple and easy approach to teach clients how to create positive affirmations on their own. Using the sensory modalities also deepens the positive reframes in a very powerful way.