Mothers Have Needs Too!

A Cool Self-Help & Therapy Tool

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to lessen the impact of traumatic situations?  The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) work especially well with simple issues.  All that’s needed is time to focus on your pain while lightly tapping on specific points on your face and upper body. 

The tapping points come from the ancient science of Chinese medicine.  For example, an Acupuncturist uses needles on these points to balance and heal your body.  In EFT, we tap on these points while focusing the mind on a bothersome situation, difficult feeling, or old trauma.  It’s as if we’re doing “emotional acupressure”.   

I became interested in this technique when I learned it works well to eliminate headaches and migraines.  When I started working with it though, I realized how useful it can be for simple emotional upsets like embarrassing situations, arguments, or fears. 

What’s great about this technique is that most of the time, it can be used like any self-help tool – by yourself, for yourself.  At other times, though, it’s a good idea to get assistance from someone who has expertise in using EFT.  Especially if your issues are very deep and complex, it’s nice to have an expert to support you.    

How EFT Works

Did you know that the body holds memories?  One way we protect ourselves from difficult experiences is by storing them in an unconscious place in the body.  Have you ever noticed how your neck and shoulders tighten when you’re stressed?  Or maybe your tummy starts doing summersaults when you’re scared?  It could be that the body holds onto unresolved issues for us until we have solutions to them.    

The person who developed EFT, Gary Craig, theorized that the negative feelings we experience come from blockages in the meridian energy pathways that are associated with Chinese medicine.  When we experience a difficult situation in our lives, it’s like a shock goes through the body and these pathways get blocked.  To help us understand this blockage, Lindsay Kinney, Life Coach and EFT Master says the blocks in these meridians are like a kink in a hose.  Tapping gently on the beginnings of these meridians while focusing on our feelings, unblocks the kink.

New Energy, New Solutions

When the energy that’s been blocked starts to flow again, new ideas and solutions can come to you. At the beginning of the tapping process, you allow yourself to simply vent.  Then once that’s out of the way (or the kink is unblocked), you may find yourself open to new possibilities that automatically come to mind.  Stay aware of what’s going on inside of you.  Then, as you entertain these new possibilities while tapping, it’s like you’re downloading into your very being, new ways of approaching your issues.  So not only does EFT allow the negative feelings to be validated and expressed, but it allows you to reinforce any positive affirmations that come to you as you tap.

 
It’s Free

The best part about EFT is that you can practice it in the comfort of your own home with a manual that can be downloaded for free.  As long as you familiarize yourself with the basic steps, you can innovate and you’re never doing it wrong.  Gary Craig’s site contains tons of articles where people share their own innovations with the technique along with experiences, methods and examples of just about any issue, topic or physical malady you could imagine.  Many of the practitioners have articles posted on their websites too where you can get even more help. 

Good luck tapping!

View the 7-minute EFT Introduction Video

Tapping Points Lindsay's "Power" tapping points  

EFT Basic Instructions - Step by Step tapping instructions

Gary Craig’s original Free Manual: http://www.emofree.com/downloadeftmanual.asp

Coaching for your tapping:

Allison Gilbert, LMFT is trained in using EFT. She has studied with EFT Master, Lindsay Kinney. Allison incorporates EFT in her therapy practice along with other modalities like "The Work" by Byron Katie and Guided Imagery/Hypnotherapy for Inner Child work.  Sessions can be done in person or over the phone and she is a provider for many different insurance companies. To get more information or to schedule an appointment for a session with Allison, call (831) 425-4475 or send an email to: 

        aworkofheart@att.net

For more info about Allison Gilbert, LMFT, go to http://AllisonGilbert.net

If you are interested in taking a class or learning more about EFT,
Allison Gilbert recommends Lindsay Kinney's website:

Allison Gilbert also recommends another EFT practitioner in Santa Cruz, Dr. Suzanne Lerner.  She is a psychologist who specializes in EFT and has written many articles that have been published by Gary Craig.  Her website is www.MakeYourLifeShine.com