Philip Davis

The “Send It Away” Technique

20th November 2018 by Philip Davis

Phoenix Notes 6:

"Send it away" by Philip Davis - Phoenix EFT

This is a NLP method of taking away the worst part of an event or trauma.

The technique reduces the SUDS level of a high intensity event before moving on to use the Movie Technique, or Matrix Re-imprinting etc.

When the situation arises that a client has a memory of an event in their life and you, as the therapist, think this would be a good time to use the Movie Technique, or Matrix Re-imprinting you often need to reduce the emotional sting of the event before going into the detail of the event.

This is because clients will often express great fear to even think of thinking about the event. Sometimes what might appear to be a simple, very small trauma can develop into something life-threatening as more memories are recovered.

For these reasons it is often better to start very gently and slowly work closer and closer to the event.

This technique has several advantages:

It is easy to use
It seems to be long lasting
It is dissociative
It is very gentle.
It doesn't require the client to divulge anything about the event other than perhaps to give it a title.

NOTE: At the time of writing, I have not tried this technique with BIG traumas. By that I mean, traumas that are life threatening - for example those who have been in a war zone or those who have been diagnosed with PTSD. I have no reason to suppose that this technique will not work equally well, but the usual cautions apply when working with clients who are deeply traumatised.

Starting off.

When a client recalls a memory, the first thing to do is to ask the client the following question...

"If you were to tell me what happened in that event, on a scale of 0 to 10, how much emotion do you think you would have?" (This is the "Tearless Trauma Technique")

If the client says anything above 5, then it is wise to use the "Send it away" technique before moving on to the Movie/Matrix way of working.

Sometimes, also, when there is not enough time to use the full blown Movie/Matrix technique then the Send it Away technique can be very useful as it is quick, gentle and doesn't require the client to divulge anything about the event.

The Process:

Part 1 - Getting a picture

Ask your client to get a frozen picture - a frozen moment in time from that event. Say something like..

"When you have thought about that event in the past, what is the picture or frozen moment in time that immediately comes to mind?"

Note that it is important to use the words "picture" and "frozen" because you don't want the client to start re-living the event.

If the client comes up with 2 pictures or moments, then ask the client to choose one and say that you can look at the other one later.

To check that its a real image and not part of a movie, ask them something like...

"In this picture, where are you standing/sitting/lying?"

The clients answer will tell you if they really have a picture or several pictures, movie etc. If they do have several pictures or a movie you should ask them again to get just one frozen moment.

Part 2 - Get a title for the picture.

Ask your client to give the picture a title by saying something like...

"If that picture had a title, what would it be?"

Use the title in the text below where I have said <title>

If the client says something like "It doesn't have a title" or "There is no title" Then use their exact words in the script below.

Part 3 - Sending it away.

In the following text the three dots "..." mean pause for about a second and "... ..." means pause for 2 seconds.

Ask your client to tap on their Gamut Point or Karate Chop point.

Say to your client...

"Can you close your eyes, and I want you to imagine that <title> picture in front of you ... ... can you see it?" (wait for confirmation)

"Now I would like you send that <title> picture away ... imagine moving it away from you so that it gets smaller and smaller ... ... "

"Further and further away ... smaller and smaller ... ... until its hard to make out the details ..."

"Further and further away ... smaller and smaller ... ... until its like a dot in the distance ... until you can hardly see it ..."

"Further and further away ... until its gone ... ..."

"Take as long as you need and open your eyes when its gone."

When the client has opened their eyes, tell them that you are going to do this THREE times.

And repeat the process above two more times.

If the client sits there with their eyes closed for TOO long after you have finished speaking... say something like - if you are having difficulty then open your eyes. See "Troubleshooting" below.

For the FOURTH time, say to the client "Can you bring the picture up in front of you now?"

Often they will report that the picture is 'hazy' or they can only see a part of the picture - That often happens and is perfectly normal. Sometimes it's in Black and White, or they can just see the outlines.

Whilst the client can see any part of the picture, keep on sending it away.

Sometimes you have to send it away 7, 8, or 9 times. sometimes it only takes 2 or 3 times - it all depends on the issue and the client.

Part 4 - Testing:

Test at the end by: Getting a SUDS level - "If you were to tell me now what happened in that event, on a scale of 0 to 10, how much emotion do you think you would have?"

Often the SUDS level is zero. Sometimes the client can't even remember ANY of the event, much to their surprise.

Always, the SUDS is reduced significantly in my experience, often to zero or very close to zero.

Discuss with the client what they thought of the process or whether any new thoughts arose.

If time allows, you can now do the full Movie/Matrix technique on the event. When I have done this in the past, clients can't remember parts of the movie and find it difficult to raise any SUDS levels above 1 or 2 when telling the story of the event.

Troubleshooting

Problem: Sometimes the client will report that they cannot get the picture to move any further away than a certain point.

Solution: Tap on that. "Even though I cant get it to move any further away than <whatever they said> ... etc.

Problem: Sometimes, in the middle of the process, a new picture will come up - perhaps of a related event or at a different time in the same event.

Solution: Tell the client that you will get to that second image as soon as you are done with this one, and then continue with this picture until it is gone.

Problem: Sometimes some beliefs will arise that prevent the client from letting go of the picture. EG: I don't deserve to let this go - or - If I let this go part of me will die.

Solutions: Tap on that belief.

Ask what is needed to help that part of you let go? Tap on that.

Ask what is needed to fill that void when this has gone? Tap on that.

Summing it all up:

Practice this technique on your own events to see how this works. The more often you practice the easier it becomes.

Good luck and happy tapping!

Philip Davis
AAMET EFT Master Trainer
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Clinical Hypnotherapist
NLP Practitioner
Developer of the Picture Tapping Technique

www.phoenixeft.co.uk
0121 246 9448

Stress-related hormone cortisol lowers significantly after just 45 minutes of art creation

1st March 2018 by Philip Davis

This is an interesting article – taken from Psypost.org

“Whether you’re Van Gogh or a stick-figure sketcher, a new Drexel University study found that making art can significantly reduce stress-related hormones in your body.

Although the researchers from Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions believed that past experience in creating art might amplify the activity’s stress-reducing effects, their study found that everyone seems to benefit equally.”….

See the full article.

How was your EFT Session Today?

6th February 2018 by Philip Davis

It is interesting that in a typical working week, working with several clients, old and new, an EFT practitioner will see a range of reactions.

Some clients may be delighted with the session they experience and feel refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to take action on their issues. This is great, everyone feels good!

Some clients may feel fairly neutral about their session – “it was ok, but nothing spectacular”. Not quite so good on either side!

Some clients may feel disappointed by the session and doubtful whether they are on the right path. Definitely not a great feeling for anyone!

You, the therapist, are hopefully the same, delivering work with the same skill set to the same standard in all cases. So where does the difference in effect come from?

Is it my fault?

If the session has not gone well it might be easy to blame yourself, as the facilitator, and assume that you did something wrong. This might then affect your performance with other clients if you are doubting and second guessing yourself.

If you recognise this feeling in yourself then remember to do your own work and clear those feelings. “Get yourself out of the Way” and “Be unattached to the outcome” may be clichés but they also happen to be true.

Is it their fault?

It might also be easy to blame the client and say “they were having a bad day” or “they just were not in the right headspace today” or even “they are sabotaging themselves”.
This then might affect your perception of that client and how you work with them again.

The assumption, if you are allocating blame to anyone, is that something was “wrong” with the session. What if nothing was wrong with the session?
If you have done your best to meet the client where they are on that day and have worked with whatever they brought to the session in good faith and using good technique then maybe whatever happened was perfect on that occasion?

The healing pathway is never a straight line upwards. In any therapeutic process there are likely to be times when progress is rapid and also sticking points where apparent progress slows or even stalls for a while, often as deeper levels of an issue begin to emerge.

As old patterns or events are re-membered (i.e. brought back into mind and physical reality) their attached belief systems, resistances and associated Writing from the Walls are also activated. Your client has entered a “Wobble”. This is typically an uncomfortable state in which emotions and physical symptoms tend to be in flux and may be volatile, but they are also very workable at this time.

In the “Wobble” state it might be easy to think that things are going backwards and there is no point continuing with the sessions. However, if a client understands that a wobble is a temporary state, just part of the healing process, and is supported and willing to work through it then resolution usually follows. Whatever has come up for attention has been released and a new, stable plateau is attained.

The stability will last a while, time variable, but eventually the next “wobble” will be experienced and hopefully worked through, leading to the next plateau and so on. I have found that long term clients respond very well to this concept and are able to relax into the EFT process better once they understand what is happening. It can also be reassuring for EFT practitioners to understand the stepwise progression their clients will experience and manage expectations accordingly.

Overall progress with long term, committed clients is upwards but that may not be obvious until the client is able to look back from a calm and stable plateau and evaluate and acknowledge what has changed.

Within a single session you and the client together may have done more than either of you can actually know!

So, how was your EFT session today?

Christine Sutton

Phoenix EFT Therapies and Training

06/12/17

Pain Management Article

30th December 2017 by Philip Davis

A Solid Approach to Pain Management

Article published on Gary Craig Website.

Hi Gary,

I am an EFT practitioner who has been practicing for some years here in England. I would like to tell your readers about a case where I removed someone's shoulder pain with EFT. This is not an outstanding case in the EFT greater scheme of things as I am sure that many of your readers achieve such results with great regularity.

However, it once again underlines the fact that you can get to all kind of dis-eases by attacking the emotional roots and also it shows that when you are using EFT on a physical issue such as pain, seeing how fast the 0-10 intensity drops when using EFT on the pain issue alone, gives you a clue as to the way to proceed.

The lady in question was attending one of our seminars and complained of a pain on her right shoulder blade. She had had the pain for 18 months, and said the 0-10 intensity for the pain was about an 8 or 9.

So we did the straight-forward "Basic Recipe" type setup tapping on the KC point and saying "Even though I have this pain in my right shoulder blade... etc." and then tapped saying "Shoulder pain" (Note: The shortcut tapping sequence was used throughout)

Pain went to a 7.

I asked her to give the pain a colour. She said it was a black pain. I also asked her to be more specific about where the pain was. She described it as being under her shoulder blade and towards the bottom.

So we tapped on "Even though I have this black pain underneath the bottom of my right shoulder blade... etc." and then tapped on "This black pain underneath the bottom of my right shoulder blade"

GC COMMENT: Note how Philip gets very specific with the wording. This is usually helpful, especially when the pain doesn't resolve very quickly with EFT.

PHILIP CONTINUES: Pain went to a 6 or maybe 6 and a half.

GC COMMENT: Even the "more specific try" didn't work in this case. This is a clue that there may be emotional drivers involved.

PHILIP CONTINUES: At this point, I saw that we were not going to remove this pain quickly. I was sure that with persistence, we could have done it, but I wanted to be more elegant than that. The fact that the pain was only reducing by one point on each round told me that this issue had to be tackled in a different way. In my experience, it is also a strong indicator that the emotional problems causing the pain were most likely near the surface.

So, I said to her "IF there was an emotional cause for this pain, what would it be?" She replied "I have no idea" So I said "I know you have no idea what the emotional cause might be for this pain, but if you DID know, what would it be?" (I love this way of turning things around, sometimes it can pay big dividends) But this time, she looked blank again and said "No idea"

GC COMMENT: As you will see below, Philip asks her to bring ANY event to mind. As you will see, this was quite effective. Another way to go about is to ask the client to make up a SPECIFIC EVENT. I have found this very effective. Incidentally, the made up memory is not altogether made up. It comes from within the person and thus typically has many useful elements within it. Sometimes the made up issue is better than a real one.

PHILIP CONTINUES: So I asked her to think of ANY emotional event in her life. (I find that when the client is tuned into a problem, the chances are that they will guess at the right one) She said "Sending my mother into a home"

At this point I saw that there were tears in her eyes. I guessed she was at a 9 or 10 on that issue. So I tapped her without saying anything FOR 3 or 4 rounds of the shortcut sequence, to reduce the distress. This worked well and she was ready to continue. So I did one of Gary's Long rambling setups. Space or my memory doesn't permit me to say everything here that I included but I introduced the idea that the guilt she was feeling had manifested as pain in her shoulder blade.

We then tapped on...

"Guilt over sending my mother in to a home"
"Guilt"
"Guilt in my shoulder blade"
"Mother guilt in my shoulder blade"

Her intensity level over the guilt went straight down to a zero. She said "Actually, she does quite enjoy it there." Which made everyone laugh.

Her pain in the shoulder blade also went down to a zero at the same time, and she has been pain free ever since - 6 weeks now!

As I say, its not an outstanding case in EFT terms, but it shows how with a little ingenuity and by allowing the client to direct you, you can achieve some wonderful results by attacking the emotional roots of physical problems.

Philip Davis

Nail Biting Article

30th December 2017 by Philip Davis

Nail Biting Article: A one minute wonder!

A published article by Philip Davis.

I thought I would like to share with you something that happened on a Level 1 course we were giving here in the UK recently.

We were coming up to the first break of the morning and had 10 minutes before the coffee was ready. So I asked if anyone had an issue they wanted working on, and a lady in her mid-30’s said that she bit her nails and wanted to stop. Questioning her, she said that she had bitten them all her life.

So, as an experiment, I did one round of EFT on her. Even though I bite my nails… I did the complete Basic Recipe exactly as described in the EFT Manual.

She didn’t bite her nails at all for the remainder of the day.

Some 2 months later, she came back to do the Level 2 course with us. On the first morning she came up to me and said… “Look!!! (as she drummed her nails on the desk) I haven’t bitten my nails from that day to this. I have had to learn how to file my nails now!!” The big grin on her face was priceless.

I love EFT.

Philip Davis

Restless Leg Article

30th December 2017 by Philip Davis

Restless Leg Syndrome and EFT.

Article written by Philip Davis.

I was at a conference recently and at the end of the first day, a number of the delegates were at a local bar eating a meal, etc. One of the delegates, “C”, suddenly started rubbing her legs, and walking around stamping her feet, rather like she had cramp in her legs.

I asked what was wrong, and was surprised to hear that it was something called “Restless Leg Syndrome” (or RLS). I had never heard of this, so I asked her about it and she said it was a neurological thing that happens to people and there was no known cure for it. She (like many other sufferers of the problem) contracted it soon after giving birth to her son, 20 years ago.

Subsequently, I researched this on the Internet and found it was called Ekboms Syndrome. The symptoms of which are:

· A strong urge to move your legs which you may not be able to resist. The need to move is often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations. Some words used to describe these sensations include: creeping, itching, pulling, creepy-crawly, tugging or gnawing.
· Symptoms start or become worse when you are resting. The longer you are resting, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be.
· Symptoms get better when you move your legs. The relief can be complete or only partial but generally starts very soon after starting an activity. Relief persists as long as the motor activity continues.
· Symptoms are worse in the evening especially when you are lying down. Activities that bother you at night do not bother you during the day.

“C” said that she was often kept awake by this problem, she couldn’t settle because all her leg muscles are going in and out of mild spasms. " It's horrible” she said. Sometimes she has to walk around her bedroom for hours. If she was tired, or if she had drunk any alcohol, it tended to make it a lot worse. But, she said “there is nothing that can be done, I just have to put up with it.”

The EFT practitioner inside me immediately rose to this “nothing can be done” challenge and so I suggested we might try some EFT on this. After some discussion about EFT, she was agreeable, and so we started tapping.

She estimated that the 0-10 intensity level was about an 8. So we tapped on…

“Even though I have these restless legs....” Then we tapped the shortcut sequence, including the Top of Head point saying “Restless Legs”

After, she said that maybe it had improved slightly, but they were still jittery. So, we tapped on “Even though I have jittery legs I deeply and completely love and accept myself and I choose to let my legs stay calm and relaxed.” Again she said that it was improved, but not gone.

I asked her about the causes of the problem, and she said that she had read it was a probably a bad connection in the brain, a short-circuit or something like that. Ok, I thought…. If it’s a problem in the brain, maybe a bit of Brain Balancing in the form of the 9 Gamut sequence will help? So we did the 9 Gamut sequence just once through.

The problem immediately disappeared. The intensity went to ZERO. “C” was amazed. She kept on looking at her legs, fully expecting it to return. But it never did that whole evening much to her delight.

There was also no recurrence that night or over the next few days, even though there were times when she would have expected it to happen (when she was tired late at night, for example).

I don’t use the 9 Gamut sequence a lot in my work as a practitioner, usually. It is rare that it makes a major difference like this when I do add it back in. So it just goes to show that my neglected friend the 9 Gamut does have its uses now and then!

I followed up two weeks later to discover that the RLS had returned. Albeit at a much reduced level. Over the 2 weeks, ‘C’ said that she would normally expect to have around 10 full blown attacks of RLS, but she had only experienced it only 3 times, and at a much reduced intensity. She said “it was a very mild version of it, a kind of warning, not the full blown thing”

So, we arranged to meet again and I started chasing the emotional drivers behind the problem. These were rapidly identified as being her home situation with her husband and children. So, we tapped on all the issues surrounding that.

“Even though my husband takes me for granted…”

“Even though my kids don’t appreciate me… “

And so on.

What seemed to really hit the mark was tapping on “Even though my legs want me to run away from home…” so we tapped on some variations of that “Even though I would like to leave this situation, I know its not possible and I accept the messages my legs are telling me but now I choose to allow my legs to be at peace… “ and so on with a whole long rambling set-up.

During the session, I also taught her the basic recipe and the shortcut version.

Over the next 2 weeks, she reported that she rarely gets the problem now, but when it does start, it is always when she feels that she should be doing something, but cant for some reason. For example, when she has lots of computer work to do, but cannot because one of her children are using the computer, or, when she thinks about all the things that need doing, but duty demands she has to go out for the day.

Whenever this happens, she simply taps the RLS symptoms away herself using a couple of shortcut rounds.

All in all, she is delighted that the symptoms she has been suffering for the last 20 years have all but vanished, and I am honoured that I (and EFT) have helped her remove the symptoms of this “incurable” problem.

Philip Davis.