| Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) work | | | | freely and easily", or "I enjoy a balance of |
| beautifully at healing the debilitating memories | | | | socialising and working". |
| which could have contributed to a chronic illness, | | | | The third step is to describe how you will feel |
| as well as clearing limiting self-beliefs around | | | | when you have achieved your goal. Examples |
| recovering. However, sometimes, residual fears | | | | may be "connected to others", "energised", " |
| remain, which can hold us back from moving into | | | | engaged with life", "higher self esteem", "proud of |
| good health safely and freely. | | | | myself", and "free". |
| In this article, I will introduce you to an advanced | | | | Then read the full statement, including each step, |
| emotional freedom technique that quite literally | | | | aloud and decide how believable the statement is. |
| clears any remaining negative memories and | | | | Use a score of zero to 10: zero is completely |
| beliefs which are preventing you from overcoming | | | | unbelievable and 10 is 100% confidence in the |
| chronic illness. | | | | believability of the statement. The ideal is 10, so |
| I ended my recent 8-week chronic illness teleclass | | | | it's unlikely that anyone would believe the |
| series, "Tap Into Your Healthy Self!" by using this | | | | statement 100% at the outset. |
| technique with one of the participants while | | | | It is then important to identify the cause of this |
| everyone else in the class tapped along, and the | | | | disparity between where you are, and your goal, |
| clarity, release and joy that was experienced was | | | | which is a 10. The volunteer I was working with |
| very humbling. | | | | during the teleclass told me she felt her |
| I started by asking the participants what their | | | | believability was a '6', because she still didn't trust |
| remaining anxieties were around being unwell or in | | | | herself to recover. She worried that if she |
| chronic pain. The responses were varied: | | | | achieved her goal and experienced a different life, |
| - I feel as though my mind and body have let me | | | | she wouldn't have an opportunity to look after |
| down | | | | herself anymore. She believed it was better to |
| - I feel guilty because being ill takes so much | | | | stay where she was (namely, chronically unwell) |
| away from family life | | | | than risk the "gains" she had made since being ill, |
| - I wear myself out over-compensating because | | | | such as a fuller understanding of her mind-body |
| of what my family misses out on | | | | connection, and allowing herself time out to do the |
| - I feel helpless | | | | things she loved. |
| - I believe other people can recover, but I can't. | | | | This is a very common belief held by many of |
| Do you recognise any of these feelings or beliefs? | | | | the clients I work with whereby recovery and full |
| I experienced many of them while I was | | | | health can often equal sacrifice. Logically, who |
| chronically ill. The challenge is, when the | | | | would want to give up everything they had |
| subconscious hears these beliefs, it takes them on | | | | positively gained as a result of being unwell? With |
| as truths, and they become all consuming and | | | | EFT, we can release that fear and enable a |
| powerful. Likewise, the subconscious assumes it is | | | | different perspective so that nothing needs to be |
| keeping us safe and protected by keeping us | | | | forfeited. |
| where we are: change (in this case, recovery | | | | After determining the reasons behind the disparity |
| from illness) is not an option because that would | | | | in believability, you can use EFT to clear those |
| mean uncertainty and loss of identity. Therefore, | | | | obstacles. Assign the obstacle an intensity rating, |
| it may be safer to stay where we are, even if it | | | | as usual (this is different from the rating you |
| entails living with these 'truths'. | | | | assigned the believability earlier). In my volunteer's |
| What I enjoy so much about this particular | | | | case, the fear she felt was an '8' when she |
| technique is that it focuses on a positive outcome | | | | considered "I won't be able to achieve these goals |
| or goal, rather than dwelling negatively on how life | | | | and look after myself". Then tap away all that |
| is and how it's been. It is all about where we want | | | | resistance using regular EFT. |
| to be and not where we are now. | | | | Once you have cleared the blocks to achieving |
| First of all, create a sentence that represents | | | | your goal, go back to your statement, re-read it |
| what you want. Try to structure the sentence | | | | and determine if it is more believable now. If it's |
| positively, for example, instead of saying "I don't | | | | still not a '10', then take a moment to see if any |
| want to feel so limited and sick all the time", | | | | other beliefs or feelings have come up which |
| make the sentence positive: "I want to feel free | | | | could be preventing you from believing that this |
| enough to experience those things which bring me | | | | goal is achievable. Then tap away anything new |
| pleasure and feel healthy and well", "I want to fully | | | | that comes up. |
| recover and be energised and motivated", or "I | | | | It is advisable to work with an experienced |
| want to return to work part-time". | | | | practitioner when delving deeply into long-term |
| Next, identify why you want to achieve that goal. | | | | debilitating beliefs, since they can offer objective |
| How will your life be different once you have | | | | suggestions and guide you through the process |
| achieved it? Again, rather than stating what you | | | | easily and painlessly. However this technique is |
| won't be doing, for example, "I won't be in bed | | | | excellent for illustrating the ongoing blocks which |
| for most of the day", or "I won't be frightened of | | | | could be preventing us from reaching full health |
| planning days out", state the positive. For | | | | and with the foregoing in mind, I encourage you |
| example, "I can participate with the outside world | | | | to explore its use. |
| even more", "I can plan days out with the family | | | | |