EFT Questions
[ 3 October 2007 ]
I’ve had quite a few questions about EFT recently, so I thought I’d give you all an opportunity to ask me whatever you like in the comments. I’ll then put together an article answering them in as much detail as I can! Let me know if you’d like to see another video, or if you’d like an EFT podcast, or whatever!
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala 
Tags: life,
productivity,
question Share this! + Email This + Del.icio.us
+ Facebook
+ Stumbleupon
+ Technorati
Comment
Read more tagged question...
Buying Designer Goods On Ebay Things I Love Thursday Winter Style 2007 Things I Love Thursday Gift-Giving My Birthday Wishlist! International Dress Up Day -- Your Help Please! Party Preparation
Read more tagged life...
Sexual Abuse Things I Love Thursday Sealed With A Kiss Camping In Style Winter Essentials 2007 How Can I Make My Travelling Dreams A Reality? Size Vanity Summer Essentials 2007
Read more tagged productivity...
Wardrobe Taming -- Day Eight Wardrobe Taming -- Day Seven Wardrobe Taming -- Day Six Wardrobe Taming -- Day Five Wardrobe Taming -- Day Four Wardrobe Taming -- Day Three Wardrobe Taming -- Day Two Wardrobe Taming -- Day One
EFT Podcast!
EFT Podcast!
Yeah yeah yeah!
I think that would be really great, because sometimes, when you’re trying it out for the first (or fourth) time, and you’re still unsure, it’s helpful to actually have the directions read out to you.
Because I think that’s when my friends draw the line. ;) Reading self-help lessons out to me!
I would LOVE an eft podcast.
I actually listened to an eft podcast this morning but it left a lot to be desired, and it very heavy on shameless plugs and pretty light on helpfulness.
I don’t know if I have any specific questions…
I’m sure I do though… I’ll think about it and post them if they come to mind.
I’d like to see another video, please!
I’m wondering if it works just as well if I don’t say what I’m tapping on out loud. I tried it silently yesterday…
This isn’t really a question, but the EFT doesn’t seem to be working for me. Sometimes I feel energy vibrating in my hands, and I always feel really thirsty afterwards, so I know it’s having an effect on my body, but it doesn’t seem to make any of my problems remotely better. Any suggestions?
could you do both podcast and a video? because i’d love to have more info but i can’t use podcasts at work.
i am wondering whether i’m doing it right because i can’t feel anything changing, and i don’t get any vibes or anything like Kori said. how often should one do this sort of thing?
x tasj
Helloo!
I definitely don’t get where I’m supposed to be tapping.
I tried looking on the websites and such, but I couldn’t find it anywhere! :(
I agree-a video or a podcast (or both) would be lovely. and I second the question how often should one do it? and I still have problems think of what to say when tapping.How do you figure out what the right thing is to say to help your problem?
video, podcast, whatever! all is good! anyways, i was wondering when it is most effective to do a round of tapping. like, lets say you have a sore knee while running. would it be most effective to do a round the night before, right before running, or even during running? and is doing many rounds more effective on certain things?
I’ve tried EFT three times – tapping on several things in sequence the last time, and I still don’t feel anything working. I didn’t feel any change in energy while I was tapping, and I don’t notice any chance in the physical and emotional things I tapped on… I think I must be doing something wrong :/ perhaps I am phrasing the statements I’m using to tap incorrectly?
Can EFT even be used for health/physical things? (For example, the dermatitis on my hands??)
I would love another video!!!
EFT has definetly cured my insomnia and it is helping me overcome some problems that I’ve had recently.
Thank you!!
what i’d like is some kind of diagram or something that tells me where im supouse to tap a podcast sounds great also!
Yes, more EFT in any form please!
I would like to know how many times should I do each tap, do all the taps have to be for about the same length of time. Also is it helpful to repeat the cycle and if so how many times.
Thanks Gala
I have practice EFT but it didn’t work (at least that’s what I feel), but since you incourage it so much, I still have hopes that it can help me! :D
I would love an EFT podcast; maybe some more specific directions…I don’t know, I wanna learn more ;)
I 2nd the diagram idea (what it looks like from the front and side). I work better with pictures. Also, how much pressure should I be using (light, near-pain hard, or just make-a-sound-tapping-on-bone hard)?
My experience with it is the same as Kori’s…any further advice would be good.
Well, I’d rather not see a podcast or video on EFT. I really enjoy your website Gala, but I think stuff on EFT departs from your usual inspiring content. It’s nice that it made you feel better, but it worries me that your readers are tapping on themselves trying to heal physical problems.
To all those commenters who aren’t feeling any effects – sceptics believe EFT just utilises the placebo effect (http://www.skepdic.com/eft.html). So if it’s not working for you, try going to the doctor (especially for that commenter with dermatitis).
I think an EFT podcast would be a great idea, I’m very interested in it. But I see where Cee and others are coming from – I know that EFT has changed your life, but I think you might foucs on it a little too much.
I’d love to know what iCiNG readers have found to have worked for them when they’ve had serious issues. It’d be nice to have more than one strategy to use when I need help with a problem, because I usually have none. :D
I am also concerned with the perpetuation of this pseudoscience. I will preface the following by saying that I always give anything a chance, but am skeptical about holistic healing techniques that claim to be based on science and are supposedly able to heal everything under the sun (“and only for the cheap price of $500!”).
I am a big believer in the powerful effects of positive thinking. We all know that if you are emotionally negative, you feel bad and vice versa. I do, however, draw the line when it is suggested that physical ailments and diseases can be cured by tapping on a “meridian” (????) point. Some websites even claim that EFT can alter gene expression!
I suspect a lot of people find this technique makes them feel better emotionally due to a placebo/positive thinking effect, and I think that’s awesome. If tapping on your body allows you to believe you are physically healing yourself and releasing toxins then that may work for you – great!
I’d just like to caution people about using this technique (and paying ridiculous fees to learn it) to heal physical problems that should be addressed by a medical practitioner.
Cee — Sceptics also believe we didn’t put a man on the moon ;> The fabulous thing about free will is that we are allowed to believe whatever we want. The key word in the article above is ‘if’. IF you want to know more about EFT, I’m happy to help. If not, that’s fine too. I’ve written, literally, hundreds of articles, so read one of those instead!
Gemma — EFT is free to learn & use. I have been using EFT multiple times a day, every day, for over a year. I don’t believe in anything unless I see the results for myself. I wouldn’t be advocating it unless I had seen it work for me hundreds of times over.
Scepticism is healthy but you also need to be sceptical of the sceptics. Don’t just believe what other people have to say, gather your own information.
I’m curious to know whether there are different patterns or ways of going about it to treat the ‘emotional’ vs. the ‘physical. —-if that makes sense…
I’m really glad you posted about EFT. I had never heard of it before your post, and since then I’ve read a bit of information about it. I’ve incorporated EFT into my meditation and feel a lot better because of it.
I don’t have any physical ailments I’m trying to cure or anything like that, but emotionally, I feel much lighter and less stressed since starting EFT.
Placebo or not, I’m a fan. I think it’s silly that people are getting puffy about your posts; you’re not trying to sell anything and no one is getting hurt by trying EFT.
Hi Gala, hi people! I know it’s kind of a dicey subject, but I wanted to weigh-in on the whole “results/placebo effect” thing. I’m currently pursuing my B.A. in psychology, and last year I took a class in health psychology. In that class, we discussed the placebo effect, and I was somewhat surprised to learn that the placebo effect is a very real physiological effect. That is to say, it’s not just “all in your head,” which I think is the common perception of the placebo effect… people think that the person experiencing it just perceives a change, as opposed to actually experiencing a change. From what I learned, it’s actually possible for real, measurable changes to take place in your body, regardless of whether those changes are due directly to the stimulus you’re administering (i.e. EFT), or to your belief that the administration of said stimulus will have an effect. So, whether it’s the EFT itself, or just the belief in EFT that’s causing it to help… who cares? It’s great to see people thinking critically, because we shouldn’t always believe what we hear (I think we shouldn’t believe what we hear in most cases, to tell the truth!), but you can believe 100% in what you experience. Hope I’m not stepping on any toes with this message… Icing should be a happy place!
I would definitely love to hear a podcast on this. Personally, I have never really found the need to use EFT, and I feel very lucky for that, however maybe I don’t really understand the full potential?
Also, I always love to soak up knowledge of any kind .
I know it sounds crazy and there are naysayers and sceptics, but EFT has been very freeing for me. I’ve used it to “clear” psychological blocks (like procrastinating on writing my very last university paper ever—I think I was afraid of moving on from being a student!) and to help me with minor physical things like backaches. My friends think I am insane. My boyfriend thinks it’s silly as well, but he recognises that it helps me and even reminds me to use it when I’m frustrated or upset.
It was easy for me to learn…but I think the most important aspect of it is being open to realizing there are some things we do not understand that are very real.
I’d like to note I’m not exactly new-agey or anything close to that! And of course, if you’re unwell you should visit a doctor…but I don’t have health insurance and if EFT works for free…then why not!
Good timing as ever Gala… I have been considering emailing you! I have tried the 1st round as you showed in the video, but I am stuck in how to word my own resolutions. For example, I would love to focus on eating healthy and exercising, but I have no idea what to say… Any hints or advice?
Thanks, Kx
Could you short version it? Like, EFT for the urban professional?
Becca – good point. I agree, the placebo effect does result in actual changes occurring, whether physically or mentally. As to “who cares” – I do think people should think critically about cure-alls. If it’s a placebo, it’s not going to work for everyone. I think it must be disappointing to try EFT and think, “it works for Gala – why isn’t it working for me? What am I doing wrong?” rather than considering that it may be a placebo effect.
Gala, and others – I’m not trying to thump my chest and say, “EFT’s evil! You’re not allowed to post about it!” By no means. What I love about iCiNG are the articles that aren’t about EFT, and as Gala said, I’m perfectly free to go off and read those, and I’ll continue to do so. But Gala did ask what readers wanted, and I thought I’d give my opinion.
Scepticism, or scientific scepticism at least, means gathering information. And hey, it’s conspiracy theorists that believe we didn’t land on the moon, not sceptics ;-) I didn’t mean to put anyone out with my comment – in fact, after reading through the other comments, I’ll be interested to see Gala’s answers to the questions here :-)
Hi, Gala! I too had never before heard of this and when I read the article for the first time I tried EFT out on something that has been the biggest problem for me – saying NO. Placebo effect or not, it has helped! Every time I encounter a situation where I normally would have swamped myself with extra projects for other people who hardly ever even thanked me for whatever done, I remember the ‘promise’ given to myself and find it FAR easier to find the right words to spare myself. It might, of course, easily be that I just tapped the knowledge of not being able to help everyone who asks into my brain and now remember it more clearly.
What I would like to know is the wording for the positive changes in one’s life – exercising, stopping snacking, stopping gossiping!, quitting smoking, getting inspired. I kind of think that saying ‘even though I smoke, I still love and accept myself’ would have the opposite effect. ;)
Have a great day!!! ;)
I’m glad there are some skeptics who have voiced their opinions here. I have a psychology degree and adopted my ‘curious yet skeptical scientist’ stance about EFT after Gala started posting about it. I hadn’t heard of it before that, so I did some research, and even though I couldn’t find anything that convinced me of the science of ‘meridian point’ tapping, I do have a wee theory (untested).
Saying things out loud, and even the stories we tell ourselves subconsciously, are very powerful. So if I keep telling other people or myself “I’m shy”, “I can’t do that, I’m too shy”, or similar, I’ll keep feeling shy and keep letting myself be inhibited by it. When we tell ourselves things with negative connotations, over and over again, we are setting up a pattern of behaviour that we keep following out of habit.
What EFT does, I suspect, is make yourself tell yourself a different story. Or the same story, followed by the words “I completely and totally love and forgive myself”. I think the power of EFT is in these words, in learning to talk to yourself differently, and eventually, to believe the story that you love and accept yourself. Saying those words out loud is a big deal.
As for the tapping, I think it creates a ritual and a ‘key’. It’s quite a common technique in hypnotherapy and meditation, certain finger positions/pressure and such. It’s a physical trigger to start thinking a certain way. And the repetition probably adds to the feeling of ceremony and ritual, so gives it more importance — creates a small ‘context shift’ that can help snap you out of a rut.
That’s my theory and well over two cents worth. I’ve tried EFT only a couple of times and haven’t experienced a dramatic shift, but twice isn’t really enough to judge. Gala, keep writing about whatever you want here! My only hope is that EFT doesn’t become catch-all advice for everything! It reminds me a bit of how for years whenever I went to my mother with a problem, she would tell me to “Do The Forum”. I really really didn’t want to “Do The Forum”, and I (still) resent being served it up as the solution to all my problems. There isn’t one thing that can solve all anyone’s problems! But I’m sure you know that, and you are certainly not my mother ;-)
xxx
Yeah a diagram would be great. Just so if i forget something, i could have a print out pic of it or something like that.
Thank you for your questions, cuties! An article answering as much of it as I can will go up soon… xxx
I have one (also from a half psych student but I prefer the commerce side of my degree!) if it’s not too late.
Is there a quick type you can do? Because I’d love to be able to do it when frustrated but, don’t want to look like a weirdo if I happen to be in a social situation.
Also I second the video and diagrams.
A VIDEO! um…about anything…I’m done!**
I have a healthy dose of skepticism towards EFT too, but like Becca says, I don’t much care if it’s not grounded in absolute truth. I think you have to find what works for you, as an individual. I love and agree with what Annabel said about saying these things aloud and them providing a “key.”
I guess I’ll probably be echoing questions of othersd li, but I’ke too hear what you suggest, Gala, as far as what to say.
I’m assuming it’d be important to frame it in positive terms – like
“I’m releasing my desire to smoke” or something like that. Or do you use your actual negative thought or do you reframe it into positive terms? What’s worked for you?
Also, say I have an issue I’d like to address, and it’s complicated and layered. Like addressing an unhealthy, obsessive thought pattern towards a person or food or whatnot. It’s hard to distill that down to one sentence. How would you suggest we go about addressing that without diluting the effort? Does that make sense?
I love your zest and your positivity, Gala – thanks for your wonderful site!
I just want to say a big thank you, EFT has helped me a lot ^^ and a video or a podcast about EFT is a fantastic idea!
Maybe you can do some subtitles or a transcription of the podcast, when english isn’t your first language sometimes is really hard to understand a podcast xD
Thank you very much in advance!