That's just brilliant, Bloke - keep at it, as much as you can, following your thoughts and tapping away - don't forget to rate the problem before you start each new topic so you know when you have dealt with it. Also you can tap along with the videos and often things change for no apparent reason while doing it. things just dont seem to be such a problem any more!!
well done - and keep on doing it!!
tried eft, from that pdf, it seems to do something. this is incredible!
That's great to hear Bloke, keep tapping, it should make a difference! If you get stuck with anything, there are a few EFT experts round here on HP who, I am sure, would be happy to advise on how to make it more effective.
Masha
I felt better yesterday, but come the evening i became very tired. Didn't sleep much last night. I felt intense explosion of colour as a nightmare (felt like one). What's that all about? I wonder if the eft process is temporary. I don't know.
Releasing emotional energy will make you tired, healing can be a tiring process.
That's just brilliant, Bloke - keep at it, as much as you can, following your thoughts and tapping away - don't forget to rate the problem before you start each new topic so you know when you have dealt with it. Also you can tap along with the videos and often things change for no apparent reason while doing it. things just dont seem to be such a problem any more!!
well done - and keep on doing it!!
what do you mean by rating the problem? where do i find videos, i just downloaded the pdf manual.
what do you mean by rating the problem? where do i find videos, i just downloaded the pdf manual.
Rating the problem means - on the scale from 0 to 10, how intensely do you feel the emotion (or pain, physical sensation etc) in that moment? 0 is none, 10 is the most intense. If you are not sure of the rating - just guess, see what number comes to mind. It is a subjective rating so you don't need to try to be precise with this.
Tiredness/fatigue is really common after EFT so give youself some rest. The results last once the core issues have been cleared - these may take some time to identify and work on, so I suggest you persevere and use it every day.
In terms of videos - there are some great ones you can buy on Gary Craig's website, but there are some free introductory videos on YouTube - of various quality, but should give you some ideas. Gary Craig allows people to copy his DVDs 100 times and give away for free, so perhaps someone may be able to do that for you - I'll see if I can dig mine out.
Masha
i fear the benefit has gone. now i just feel utterly tired.
Give yourself a break, there is no quick fix with healing. You can't expect to heal from your childhood in a day; utterly unrealistic. It takes time to heal from trauma.
If you are tired, sleep.
Be gentle with yourself.
Give yourself a break, there is no quick fix with healing. You can't expect to heal from your childhood in a day; utterly unrealistic. It takes time to heal from trauma.
If you are tired, sleep.
Be gentle with yourself.
I don't know what I expect really. I feel punch drunk, though it might seem reasonable to say it takes time that seems contradictory to the ethos of eft which seems to suggest that it, well, doesn't. The process of tapping is not long at all. Also is there any method to the choice of areas you tap? It would seem to suggest acupressure or acupuncture but i am no student of meridians or such methods.
I don't know what I expect really. I feel punch drunk, though it might seem reasonable to say it takes time that seems contradictory to the ethos of eft which seems to suggest that it, well, doesn't. The process of tapping is not long at all. Also is there any method to the choice of areas you tap? It would seem to suggest acupressure or acupuncture but i am no student of meridians or such methods.
It can appear with many systems of healing that it is a quick fix; when the reality is somewhat different.
Now, of course it depends on what you are trying to heal, but some childhood trauma is deeper than a few sessions tapping away and hey presto you are healed.
Imagine an onion, with many layers - that is more like the reality with deep levels of trauma and abuse (not implying there was abuse with yourself).
Also, I have learnt with healing that when you take something out, you have to put something back in. For example, you can take out the emotional energy or charge of feeling unloved, but what do you replace it with?
Again, it depends on the level of healing.
then we are back to square one and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to replace it with or how?
Bloke, EFT is not a quick fix even though sometimes it may be presented as such - in my opinion, after studing and using many different therapies and self-help approaches over the years, there isn't such a thing as a quick fix - that is, something that is a quick fix for everyone at all times for any issue. What EFT does tend to be is a quicker, gentler and more accessible approach than many other therapies (and for some people, some issues, and at certain times, it can work astonishingly rapidly - but that will not apply in all cases - much of the time, the complete resolution will require patience and regular application over time).
So I would suggest you persevere with EFT. Yes you will be tired after using it. You may feel emotion intensifying. But compared to the suffering that people endure (and I am guessing, you have endured more than your fare share) over years of struggling with unresolved emotional issues, the temporary discomfort and fatigue are relatively insignificant, considering the benefit we can get from gradually releasing the blocked emotions.
Masha
then we are back to square one and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to replace it with or how?
Hi again
I'm sure you are not back to square one. What has happened is that you have dealt with some superficial issues and deeper ones are welling up. These are 'new' issues that need dealing with. You will feel tired and sleepy - that's not unexpected - but think carefully, are the feelings you have now exactly the same as the ones you had before you started doing EFT? If they are, then that issue has not been dealt with, and more work is needed on it - remember you need to work on specific details. If you have different issues then these are the next ones to work on.
I find it imperative to write it all down as you go along - this means that the thoughts that you had initially can be revisited and you can reassess how you feel about them from your 'new' perspective. Often that specific problem is no longer an issue/problem. It is also helpful to finish a session with the fact that ... is now 'no longer an issue, and I am comfortable with that' or words to that effect.
Please read reports from therapists on the www.emofree.com site - use the search engine on the left hand side to find them and see what other ways have used in many different circumstances - like here - 207 reports on dealing with childhood abuse - you can use your own words in the search engine for more specific choices for you.
Well done for starting to deal with these problems - it is vital to get them sorted to avoid them causing further damage to your life. It won't be a smooth path, but as the 'bricks' that make up your 'walls' are gradually demolished, then your perspective will expand - there will be times when the topmost bricks are dealt with individually, but occasionally one of the bottom ones will go toppling a whole heap above it - and that feels great!
So rest well, read about it from others, and keep at it!! :):):)
Hi Bloke,
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is evidence based. It is part of a "third wave" of behaviourist therapies in clinincal psychology. It's use is being developed for PTSD. The evidence base for depression is strong and this evidence base is building for the benefits of mindfulness in other psychological conditions including PTSD .
Probably the best place to start would be to get the bestselling book, "The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness" by Williams, Teasedale, Segal and Kabat-Zinn. It aslo has a cd of guided mindfulness practices. This book is a best seller which makes MBCT for depression widely accessible and is an excellent mindfulness meditation guide for anyone. There isn't anything out there yet that is specifically on MBCT for PTSD outside of academic or clinical publications but I don't think it will be long (There is a chapter on in the "Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness" edited by Didonna, but this is an expensive book and it is not really a users' guide unlike "The Mindful Way through Depression").
If this interests you I'm very happy to answer more questions.
Norbu
I'm beginning to wonder if this stuff, the actual technique aside, shouldn't be done without proper supervision, in that someone who knows what they are doing can help direct the effort properly. Also does anyone here use affirmations? I've been reading You Can Heal Your Life (by Louise L Hay) and have wondered how to deal with feelings of insecurity and self doubt regarding affirmations and change. I start to question myself by thinking the opposite to what I'm affirming while working on these things and worry that I'm only going to sabotage my efforts. As you can probably imagine, this then starts a vicious cycle.