Christine Sutton

A Clean Channel for Reiki Practice

8th June 2018 by Christine Sutton

Phoenix Notes 1

The aim of giving Reiki to self or to other people is to act as a channel for the Universal Energy (the Rei-Ki).

To give Reiki effectively that channel has to be “clean”– the practitioner`s thoughts, emotions and ego-based intentions need to be kept out of the experience as far as possible so that energy can flow freely from the higher levels of being (Higher Self level), like water flowing freely through a hosepipe.

If the practitioner`s channel is cluttered by a jumble of mental and emotional clutter it is as if a “kink” has been put into the hosepipe. It is no accident that the initials of “Mental” and “Emotional” are “ME”, i.e. all ego based concerns.

If the channel is “kinked” by the presence of mental-emotional clutter then the energy channelled will be restricted in both frequency and strength. The practitioner will not receive as much energy as it flows through them to the client. The quality of their experience will be reduced and they will not receive the normal “recharge” of self that happens when channelling for other people.

The person receiving the Reiki may be aware of the reduced flow and quality of the energy received, but they will still take what they need – it is not a conscious choice. With the practitioner no longer connecting with unlimited energy it is as if they have been unplugged from mains electric. However they still transmit whatever is required by the recipient so there is potential for the practitioner to begin to transmit their own essential reserve of energy. It is as if they are now running on batteries. If this continues the result will be an energy drain for the practitioner – they will feel tired and depleted by the end of the session rather than energised and peaceful.

The solution is clear – take time to identify and clear whatever mental-emotional clutter is impeding the energetic flow. This can be done immediately before beginning a Reiki session as part of the normal preparation for channelling (Hatsurei-Ho) as well as ongoing longer term self-work with Reiki to clear any issues that may be present.

That is why the key to good Reiki practice is continuing self-work. At Level 1 of training it is the major focus so that the Reiki can come cleanly through the practitioner and not be drawn from them. This sets a really good foundation for the higher levels of practice which come later….

Reiki and the Seeker`s Journey

29th May 2018 by Christine Sutton

Phoenix EFT Reiki It seems to be a fact that people are drawn to Reiki as and when the time and circumstances are right for them. As a Reiki student I saw this fact written in many texts and articles about Reiki and I took it at face value. It was certainly true in my own life but I did not fully understand it until I began to teach students myself and went searching for more information.

One of the first questions that I ask every new group of students is:

“Why are you here?”

On the surface the answers that they give may be different but the underlying theme is always the same: “I am looking for something. There has to be more to life than I am experiencing.”

As I have learned more about Reiki from my own experiences and those of the students that I have been privileged to meet it has become very apparent that this underlying quest for “more” is universal-everyone feels the pull of it at some time in their life. We all become Seekers of some sort of destination. How far that quest may be fulfilled in a lifetime is variable but it is the same quest and more and more people are being drawn to it.

Of course this is nothing new-humans have been aware of the quest for many centuries and it has been written into the scriptures of every religion we have ever embraced and into the archetypal stories and folklore of every civilisation we have ever formed. For example, Tarot cards which date from at least the 15^th century embody the quest as the “Seekers Journey” through the pictures and symbolism of the Major Arcana.

The “Quest” to navigate and complete the journey is also found in simple board games (e.g. Snakes and Ladders and Ludo). In more complex game structures the object of the game may appear to be anything from defeating a dark lord to rescuing the princess to simple survival. It is also at the heart of all the great stories ever told. Whenever we play one of these games, become enthralled in a great story or are beginning to embark on the Quest for real we become Seekers of something.

That something beckons us on. We may not have a clear idea of the destination we are seeking, but there is often an eerie but exciting knowledge that it is there, hidden just out of view. We may pause for a while many times on the journey but rarely, if ever, does anyone want to go back to the start point and completely abandon the Quest.

It is an interesting fact that there are more people currently alive who are aware of this pull and who are actively doing something about it than at any point in human history before. This is why there has been such a huge worldwide interest in spiritual development literature and practices such as Mindfulness, Yoga, Meditation and Reiki over the last few decades. The Reiki journey is just one way of fulfilling the quest. It gives a very accessible and easy route into personal and spiritual development.

On an individual scale being somewhere on the Seeker`s pathway really does seem to make a difference. People who are already moving along this pathway using Reiki or other disciplines can often answer “yes” to at least some of these questions:

Are you happier than you were?
Are you more fulfilled?
Is your mind quieter, at least some of the time?
Are you less inclined to judge others quickly and harshly?
Has your work changed for the better?
Have your relationships changed for the better?
Have you let go of old, stuck situations, thoughts and behaviour patterns?
Are you more forgiving of yourself and others?
Are you experiencing more abundance in your life?
Has your physical health improved?
Are you seeing beauty everywhere you go?
Are people responding more positively to you?
Is there “magic” happening in your life?
(i.e. things that cannot be explained by any normal, rational or scientific route)

If the answer to one or more of these questions is “Yes” then you have definitely moved along your personal and spiritual pathway and are now experiencing life at a higher level of vibration.

On a grander scale the journey of each individual contributes to the greater journey of human society. As more people become awake and aware of our unfulfilled potential the level of conscious awareness is (hopefully) rising steadily in the worldwide population. Old, long accepted patterns of thought and behaviour, old institutions and power bases are being challenged in many areas. The result may seem like chaos while the shifts are happening.

How it all works out (the final destination) we don’t yet know – we are still only partway through the journey and cannot yet see the end. En-Joy the Journey!

We are indeed living in “interesting times”!

Christine Sutton
Reiki Master Teacher
Phoenix EFT Therapies and Training

May 2018

Use of EFT during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

9th May 2018 by Christine Sutton

Introduction

Becoming pregnant, carrying a baby to term, giving birth and then becoming a parent with responsibility for the life of an infant is one of the bravest, most exciting, most adventurous and deeply exhilarating things that a human being can ever do.

However, even if the conception, pregnancy and birth are relatively “normal” they can also be scary and uncomfortable in many ways. When things go “wrong” the effects on the well-being of parents and baby can be significant and will extend into the future.

Common Sources of stress and trauma during pregnancy and the post-partum period:

Difficulty in conceiving, with or without the physical and emotional effects of various IVF procedures
Various forms of physical stress during pregnancy – ranging from illness, to accidents, to medical problems with the developing foetus, placenta or mother
Emotional stress during pregnancy – mood swings due to hormonal changes plus whatever else is going on in the emotional life of the mother including concerns about impending motherhood.
Remember that the developing foetus is intimately connected to the mother`s energy fields, emotions and biochemistry. If the mother is stressed the baby experiences that stress at all levels of being. He/she has no way of filtering the experience, no way of knowing “this feeling is not mine” and so takes everything in.
Changes to stability of pre-existing mental health conditions. This may include the development or exacerbation of eating disorders, OCDs (Obsessive-Compulsive patterns) or other challenges to mental health. Some of these may become acute and require mental health support or interventions.
Tocophobia – fear of giving birth. A degree of anxiety is fairly normal, particularly for first time mums but Tocophobia is more than normal anxiety. It is a strong phobic response which may be due to a previous traumatic experience of giving birth or a result of hearing too many “horror” stories about birth from other people. There may also be deeper factors at work if the prospective mother has been traumatised in other ways at earlier times of her life.
Traumatic birth process. Even if a birth proceeds normally it is often the most intense experience a woman has ever had in her life and is not easily forgotten. Add in a few hitches, a medical intervention or two, overstretched staff who may not have the time to nurture and support the mother as much as they might like to and the stage can be set for a very traumatic experience.The effect of this trauma on the mother can be overlooked in the process of bringing the child safely into the world and then the business of coping with an infant`s needs. Often unresolved trauma remains with the woman. It may affect the parent-child bond, develop into a pattern of peri-natal OCD or even full blown PTSD and may contribute towards the development of post-natal depression.
Separation of baby and mother. Sometimes either the mother or baby needs medical care so one or both are placed in intensive care units at the time when the vital mother-child bond should be forming. This can have huge implications for the subsequent attachment patterns and emotional status of the child as he/she develops.
Pregnancy bereavement –all types e.g. termination, in utero death, still birth, neonatal death.
Development or continuance of complex family or social situations which act as stressors. g. financial problems, various forms of abuse, relationship difficulties, addictive behaviours.

All forms of unresolved trauma and stress tend to accumulate in the body-mind system of both parent and child as disruptions to normal energy flow patterns.

These disruptions always surface at some later point in life and create turbulence in emotions and then effects upon mental and/or physical health, developmental patterns, behavioural patterns, coping strategies and the general sense of well-being of the individual. Patterns of stress that are set up very early in life are highly significant and tend to echo through the rest of that life unless resolution can be found.

Wouldn`t it be great if there was a method for helping parents affected by these and similar stressors to work through them effectively and safely?

Wouldn`t it be wonderful if it was simple enough for parents to be able to use regularly as a self-help method for themselves?

Wouldn`t it be amazing if the same method could be applied to help babies and children of all ages to overcome the effects of early stress and trauma before their well-being and development become adversely affected?

There is! Welcome to the amazing world of EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique or Tapping!

EFT is an energy therapy. It does not replace normal medical or psychological treatments but works beautifully alongside them to complement and amplify their healing effects by dealing with sources of underlying stress and trauma. It is now in worldwide use for handling many forms of emotional and physical upset and is slowly moving towards mainstream acceptance as a valid therapy modality.

There are still many sceptics out there but anyone who has used or received EFT that has been done correctly knows that it works. There are also now some scientifically based studies which are backing up the very common observation that
“It may seem a bit weird but hey, it really works!”

EFT is a combination of rhythmic tapping on acupressure points coupled with targeted affirmations. The words are tailored to target the problem while the tapping smoothes out energy flow through the meridian network of the body. The results can be rapid, surprisingly good and cumulative. Each issue addressed helps to reduce overall stress levels. Life becomes easier and freer with every EFT session as old fears, losses, anxieties and traumas are worked through and resolved. Results can include improvements in general well-being, in emotional and mental stability, loss of limiting patterns of belief and behaviour, improvements in relationships and sometimes improvement in physical symptoms.

Complex issues are best handled by EFT professionals but the most basic form of EFT can be easily learned and used as a self-help tool to handle issues in a simple but effective way. A free introductory EFT self-help manual is available as a download here: www.aamet.org

Summary of the Basic EFT process:

1. What are you feeling? Identify a problem: e.g. “I am worried I won`t be a good parent”

2. Where are you feeling it? Notice where you are registering that feeling: e.g. “In my belly”

3. What does it feel like? Find some descriptive words: e.g. “Like a hot twisting ache

4. How strong is that feeling right now, 0-10? e.g. “6”

5. Set Up – Create your affirmation, write it down, and then tap on the side of hand (Karate Chop) point while you say the affirmation 3 times:
e.g. “Even though I have this hot twisting achy worry in my belly I deeply and completely accept myself”

Note: EFT affirmations are always stated in the negative sense and present tense – you are describing your problem NOW and setting it up to be dealt with. Trying to tap in “happy-clappy” wishful thoughts just does not work.

6. Tap through all of the tapping points in sequence, a few light taps on each one while you repeat words drawn from your affirmation e.g.Top of head: “I am worried I won`t be a good parent”
Eyebrow point: “Hot twisty ache in my belly”
Side of Eye Point: “Worry about being a good parent”
Under Eye Point: “Twisty achy worry”
Under Nose Point: “All this worry”
Chin Point: “Hot ache in my belly”
Collar Bone Point: “Worry in my belly”
Underarm Point: “All this worry”
Side of hand Point: “Worried I won`t be a good parent”

Check in with yourself: How strong is that feeling NOW, 0-10? e.g. “4”

If the numbers are dropping you are making progress.
If the location of the sensation has changed you are making progress.
If the qualities of the sensation have changed you are making progress.

If nothing has changed you probably need words that are more specific. Find some new words!

8. Create your next affirmation with the new score, location and qualities and go again
Summary

EFT has been used very successfully through all stages of pregnancy, labour, delivery and the neo-natal period. Some typical Set Up affirmations that have been used as start points by my clients have been:

“Even though……
..I am angry that I can`t get pregnant yet…
..I am jealous that my sister got pregnant so easily..
..I can`t bear to be around my pregnant friend..
..I feel so sick right now…
..I am so tired of being pregnant..
..I am angry at what the hospital said..
..I dread going for appointments..
..I feel so sad that my twin was lost..
..I feel guilty about losing control..
..I am afraid of going into labour on my own..
..I`m upset the baby wont sleep..
..I have nightmares about the birth……….. I deeply and completely accept myself.

Every one of these clients gained benefit from the EFT work and went on to clear related issues as they gained confidence in tapping for themselves. You can as well. There are no side effects and, provided the basic process is followed, you cannot get it wrong.

Maybe try it out on something simple, see how well it works and notice how your life becomes lighter and brighter.
Maybe learn how to use EFT with infants, toddlers and children and see them begin to feel better as well.

What have you got to lose except your unhappiness?

Remember to contact a professional EFT practitioner if you know or suspect that you need to work with issues that might carry a strong emotional charge. Even very intense memories and emotional upsets can be handled gently and gradually until they resolve into a calm acceptance.

Please get in touch if you would like to know more!

Christine Sutton

Bio. Christine Sutton

Christine is a complementary therapist and therapy trainer based in Solihull, UK. She has 15 years experience working with EFT, Reiki and Reflexology to help deal with emotional issues and increase well-being for her clients. Her client base is very wide but she has particular interest in supporting people who are dealing with cancer and also, more recently, those who are struggling to either become pregnant or who are having problems during pregnancy or the peri-natal period.

Christine and her husband Philip Davis teach EFT and Reiki for self-help purposes and they also train therapists to professional standards. Working together they have developed a pictorial version of EFT called Picture Tapping Technique. https://phoenixeft.co.uk

References and Resources:

EFT therapy and training in the West Midlands, UK: https://phoenixeft.co.uk

Free Basic EFT Manual download and an international directory of professional EFT Practitioners and trainers: www.aametinternational.org

The Science behind EFT:
https://eftinternational.org/discover-eft-tapping/eft-science-research/

www.thetappingsolution.com/science-and-research/

www.efttappingtraining.com/eft-research/

EFT and Pregnancy:

https://aametinternational.org/eft-for-pregnancy/
Google to see many relevant articles

Fertility Issues and Complementary Therapies

6th February 2018 by Christine Sutton

Christine Sutton. December 2017

Many couples who are trying to conceive become pregnant quite easily with a little practice and persistence. However problems with fertility are now more common than most people know. Natural fertility seems to be steadily decreasing as our lives become more hectic and the effect of poor quality foods, environmental and lifestyle factors and emotional stress all take effect.

Statistics taken from various online resources including the NHS website suggest that as many as 1 in 6 couples who are trying to conceive find that they have an unexpected problem. This situation currently affects approximately 3.5 million people in the UK and it is very distressing for people who desperately want to start a family.

Infertility is typically diagnosed if a couple have not managed to conceive within 1 year. A GP`s advice should always be sought if this is the case so that the problem can be identified. Sometimes the cause is clear and a medical solution is required e.g. blocked Fallopian tubes, uterine deformity or damage. Frequently there is no obvious reason why conception cannot occur and one or more of these factors may be the cause:

1. Age
In both women and men fertility is thought to decline progressively after the age of 35-40. We cannot do much to slow the aging process but the factors given below usually contribute significantly to the decline and they can be addressed.

2. Lifestyle, Diet and Body Mass Index (BMI)
A healthy BMI is in the range 20-25.
In women a BMI which is significantly higher or lower can disrupt the normal female cycle and make it difficult to pinpoint fertile days in the month. In men the effect is seen in development and health of sperm.

Eating more healthily, coupled with more exercise and a reduction in alcohol intake or smoking can improve both BMI and also general health and wellbeing. All of these are easy to do at a practical level provided that any emotional blocks to change are addressed.

3. Stress
This stems from various factors e.g. work problems, family and relationship issues, financial problems, bereavement, ill health and chronic lack of sleep. It is a fact that most people are stressed to some degree most of the time.
When any potential threat is perceived the body only reacts in one way - the Sympathetic nervous system is activated to stimulate the body for the Fight, Flight or Freeze reaction. Once the danger has passed the “calm-down” process is mediated by the Parasympathetic nervous system and the body returns to normal. This is ancient programming which we share with all other animals and it has served us well for millennia.

The problem in modern life is that in most of us the Flight/Fight/Freeze reaction is triggered frequently by events which do not really pose a threat to life e.g. an argument or a social embarrassment. Many people live with the FFF reaction chronically activated. The body “forgets” how to turn it off and this state of constant stress becomes the new norm. This has serious consequences for all body systems including the reproductive system, the nervous system and the endocrine (Hormonal) system.

How can Complementary Therapies help?

Complementary therapies are intended to support and enhance the natural healing processes of body and mind and open new doorways to well-being and personal development.

Techniques for General Relaxation and rebalancing of energy– e.g. Mindfulness Meditation, Reiki, Reflexology, Acupuncture, Acupressure.
These can aid relaxation and restore ability to recognise what is and is not really a threat and then encourage a return to the normal, non-stressed state. They can work in a general way, using a whole body approach or the work can be more focused as in Reproductive Reflexology where specific protocols can be used to focus work onto the reproductive and endocrine systems.

Techniques for dealing with Emotional disturbances – e.g. Emotional Freedom Technique.
This works in a more focused way by identifying emotional issues related to a stressed lifestyle and dealing with them at source so that they no longer disrupt well-being. Eliminating emotional disruptions, including any resistance to making changes, automatically enhances ability to reconnect with the upper levels of the emotional scale where Love and Joy exist. When that connection is re-established the phenomenal healing mechanisms of the body can swing into action without interference and correct whatever imbalances are present in the physical systems.

Typical results of working with dietary, lifestyle and emotional factors are:

Establishment of a regular menstrual cycle in women.
An increase in sperm production and health in men.
Elimination of emotional conflicts and emotional blocks to conception
An increase in general well-being
An improvement in the health of relationships with partners
An increased ability to deal with stress factors effectively

For some couples adjusting diet and lifestyle and working with complementary therapies while trying to conceive has made the difference between failure and success.
It may work for you!

Height Phobia Article

30th December 2017 by Christine Sutton

A Height Phobia with an unusual cause.

A published Article by Christine Sutton.

Hi Gary,

This was an interesting case I dealt with recently where there was an unusual issue behind a height phobia. The use of freeform EFT with the rambling set-ups to identify the relevant issues and aspects made this fairly easy to collapse.

Kay (name changed) came to me for relief of a height phobia which was becoming very intrusive in her life as it was preventing her from flying, going into any high building or crossing bridges. She seemed very anxious and nervy about trying EFT and about life in general.

We did 2 preliminary rounds of basic EFT on feeling nervous about doing EFT which settled her and also introduced her to the procedure. Initial conversation showed that she had no conscious memory of a triggering event e.g. a fall or being stuck in a high place. This was not likely to be a simple phobia!

I asked how she felt if she thought about being in a high place such as the top of a tall building. She answered that she did not know, and when invited to guess at what her response might be she again said that she did not know i.e. did not want to go there at all. However, as she answered she shuddered and her hands started shaking so we did 2 or 3 rounds on "Even though I've got this jittery, shaky feeling just by talking about high places........" The 0-10 intensity moved down from 9-7.

This was some improvement but not much so I focused in and asked her for a specific time when she had felt like this before. She went straight to a memory of driving in Italy up a mountain road with a rock face on one side of the car and a sheer drop on the other. She had to keep going as she was the only driver present but was sweating and shivering as she drove and could only look straight ahead at the road. By the time she reached the hotel at the top she was so distressed that she fell over and could not get up without help. As she told the story her real time reaction increased to 10 - she really was shivering and shaking.

We tapped 4 rounds on different aspects - "this shivery shaking", "this hot and sweaty feeling", "this panic", "fear of that road". When asked for her intensity on each she said that perhaps it had gone down from 10-9. I felt she was humouring me - a clue in itself as it gave insight into her personality. Then she added spontaneously "I feel so ashamed of myself, acting like a silly child!" Another clue! We tapped for the shame aspect and reduced it to 0 in 2 rounds.

I asked her to tell me the story of the drive again and she went to an intensity of 8. Not much improvement, so I used a rambling type set-up, throwing in several phrases which were relevant. The one which caught her attention was "I feel so unsupported" and we then reduced this from 8-4 in 2 rounds. At last we were making progress!

I asked when else she had felt unsupported and she went straight to an incident when she had got into trouble at school and her mother had said that she must deal with it herself as she was a big girl now (she was 8). 10+ on this. We tapped on "My mother wouldn't help me..." then reframed to "perhaps she was busy that day, perhaps she wasn't very well but she still loved me" and reduced the intensity to 5.

I asked "Did she love you?" Kay answered "Oh yes! She put me on a pedestal!" The penny dropped for me then, and we tapped a long rambler including "Mom loved me so much she put me on a pedestal...it was very high and I was afraid of letting her down and falling off it....( Kay's eyes went very round and she said "Oh!" as the penny dropped for her too)...I accept and love myself and I forgive myself for trying to live up to impossible expectations all my life from Mom and everyone else including myself".

The intensity dropped to 0 within 3 rounds. As a test I asked her to recreate the drive up the mountain road in great detail in imagination - no reaction. I asked her to imagine stopping the car and getting out - no reaction. Then I asked her to imagine walking to the edge of the road to look over the drop. This pushed her back up to 5 which we tapped down until she could look and comment what a beautiful view it was.

I gave her a visualisation of an eagle flying in the clear air in front of her and asked "Do you want to be free like the eagle? " "Oh yes!" she said with some tears. So we did another rambler including the phrases "....clear air around me, no one expecting anything I can't give, I can breathe here, I choose to release all expectations and just be myself because I do so many things so well...I choose to forgive my mother for putting me up on that impossible pedestal....I choose to forgive myself for anything I have done to contribute to this....Now I choose to let all of this go forever...I choose to be free of fear... I choose to fly free like the eagle....." She has some tears and released some huge sighs as we processed different parts of all of this.

I tested her in imagination on as many aspects as possible and got no reaction except feelings of peace and joy.

As I write this Kay is on holiday in France and will be testing out her reactions on a real mountain road. I think she will be fine unless other new aspects arise.

Chris Sutton

Followup: Apparently, no new aspects arose because she drove up that real mountain road and was free of her previous problems. However, she has not tested air travel or being in high buildings. Perhaps other aspects will show up for EFT to handle.

Tidings Magazine Article

30th December 2017 by Christine Sutton

Article written for the magazine “Tidings”

The following article was written and published in “Tidings” magazine. A specialist magazine for patients
who have had a Colostomy or an Ileostomy.

Emotional Freedom Technique – Could It Help You Cope?

By Christine Sutton MIPTI MAAMET, EFT-ADV
and Philip Davis MIPTI MAAMET EFT-ADV

As we read the last edition of Tidings, we became interested in the emotional and psychological effects of having a Colostomy or Ileostomy. There is some fantastic work being done by people for the physical, down to earth aspects of coping with one of these operations, but not much emotional help and support except from the volunteer counsellors such as Joan West who have gone through the whole experience and have eventually come out still smiling.

The sad truth is, if people have a very strong emotional problem such as fear, resentment or depression there is very little help that friends or even doctors can give. All too often someone suffering with these kinds of emotions would (at best) be told to cheer up or maybe they would be given a bottle of pills or even perhaps (in the worst cases) they would be sent they see a psychologist or psychiatrist.

None of these methods, in our experience, are very helpful. Being told to “pull yourself together” is alright if you are a pair of curtains, but is of little use to the sufferer.

Bottles of pills sometimes will work in the long term. However, pills can have dangerous side effects and mostly they just dope you up, masking the problem, not removing it.

When someone has an operation like a colostomy, typically, it will trigger a number of strong emotions in them: Anger, Denial, Resentment, Injustice, Bitterness, Apathy, Depression, Alienation, Disgust, Anxiety, Loss of Confidence, Embarrassment, Hatred, Guilt… to name but a few. Typically people will suffer from a combination of most of these emotions, at some time.

Left unchecked, these emotions can lead to deep depressions, physical ill health or even thoughts of suicide. These emotions will tend to alienate the sufferer from their friends and family at the very time they need these people the most.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a way of helping people with all this emotional turmoil going on inside them that was simple, practical, fast and cheap!!

Well, the good news is that there is a way, and it’s called “Emotional Freedom Technique” or EFT for short.

We can hear you thinking “Yes, yes, we have all heard it before. It’s the latest and greatest miracle cure that is the best thing since sliced bread and will solve all your problems and make a cup of tea while its doing it.” Well, that’s what we thought too, until we started using this technique on ourselves and our friends. The results were astonishing to say the least.

Long held emotional problems such as guilt, anger, resentments and phobias just seemed to evaporate in minutes, never to return. For example, one of the first people Philip tried EFT on was a friend that had not slept for nearly a month because she had been (sadly) beaten and raped in her own home. He applied EFT to her feelings of fear and insecurity and anger etc. The whole session took about 30 minutes.

Two days later, he rang her as he had not heard from her and was worried about her. She told him that after applying the EFT she slept right through the night and through the alarm and had to be woken by her children to take them to school. When she got home, she went to bed again and slept again until late in the afternoon. To date, several years on, she is still sleeping normally.

This kind of astonishing result is typical with EFT and we have seen it many times in our practices.

Where did EFT come from and what is it?

EFT was developed in the 1980’s by Dr Roger Callaghan in the USA, then refined by Gary Craig during the mid 1990’s.

EFT is a blend of ancient and modern medicine. It is based on acupressure: This is like acupuncture but, instead of needles, you tap on the acupuncture points with your fingers, and kinesiology: The study of the anatomy, physiology, and mechanics of body movement. EFT is sometimes called “The Tapping Technique” because its basis is tapping on 12 places on the face, hands and chest.

What EFT can do:

The proper application of EFT by an experienced practitioner can remove most, if not all of the emotional angst people suffer from traumatic events such as those associated with Colostomies, Ileostomies, Cancer, etc.

If a person with a Colostomy or Ileostomy is suffering with any of the emotions listed above (or typically a combination of these) EFT can remove the excess emotions without impairing the memory or the personality in any way. Having said that, people who use EFT regularly tend to develop a brighter, more cheerful outlook on life. They seem to have a greater level of personal peace, too.

What EFT won’t do:

EFT will not remove the need for an operation. It will not remove the need for a stoma or anything associated with it. It will not remove the memory of any event that has happened in your past. It doesn’t make cups of tea, either.

How does EFT work?
The basic theory is that the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system. EFT restores the body’s natural balance, removes the energy disruption and thereby removes the problem.

With remarkable consistency, EFT relieves symptoms by an unusual (but scientific) routine of tapping with the fingertips on specific points on the acupuncture energy meridians. This process has been likened to someone sticking a screwdriver into the back of a television set. Naturally, you will get a “Zzzt..” short-circuit and the television will malfunction. EFT removes the screwdriver, and restores the television’s correct operation.

Interestingly along with emotional healing there is often noticeable improvement in the physical symptoms which arise from the emotional disturbance such as headaches, migraines, IBS etc.

Do you have to believe in EFT for it to work?
Absolutely not. EFT works whether you believe in it or not. It doesn’t matter if the practitioner believes in it or not. It doesn’t rely on any set of beliefs, religion or voodoo magic. It is a scientifically based routine that works equally well on everyone.

Are there any side-effects?
EFT is very gentle and rarely has any side effects. It is often combined with or used instead of other psychological procedures, because of its gentle nature. In our experience, people often feel energised after an EFT session. The only other side effects are good ones, where treating one problem will cause another problem to heal, spontaneously.

How long do the results last?
EFT is almost always long lasting. Physical healings are often impressive and enduring as well but are more likely to re-emerge than emotional issues.

How long does it take me to heal?
Unfortunately there are no hard and fast rules that may be applied here, because every problem is different, and every person is different.

Deeply rooted behaviours or beliefs will necessarily take longer to eliminate than some more simple problems but usually a person with even the most deeply seated problems will start seeing real benefits within (at worst) a few weeks, and some people (at best) within a few minutes.

Ultimately this technique can rid us of the excess emotional baggage we all carry so that we are free to get on with our lives and realise the full range of our potential and freedom. This will give us plenty of time to make our own cups of tea!

Would you like to be free? EFT really can help you cope.

EFT can be applied by qualified therapist in a one to one session or by phone and can easily be learned for self-help purposes. If you would like more information on this powerful technique please feel free to call or email either of us. We also run training workshops to teach people how to use EFT for themselves and for friends and family.