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Deepak Chopra, MD
"EFT offers great healing benefits."
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques®) Where emotional relief brings physical health
Self help method often works where nothing else will No Drugs Involved ~ High Success Rate
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Note: This article assumes you have a working knowledge of EFT. Newcomers can still learn from it but are advised to get our Free EFT Get Started Package or our Affordable DVDs for a more complete understanding. For more, read our EFT Info and Disclaimer Document
Successful Public Speaking Case – Digging Deep Finds Core Issue
Hi Everyone,
Anne Presuel-Moreno had a difficult-to-budge client who had a gripping fear of public speaking. She made no progress with EFT until she asked some simple questions and discovered the core issue. You will want to read this case for a quality core issue approach.
Hugs, Gary
Recently, I taught an "Introduction to EFT" class through the Albemarle County, VA, Continuing Education Program. During our first class, one of the students admitted to having a gripping fear of public speaking. Susan (not her real name) told the class that she didn’t recall anything causing her to become afraid to speak in public, and recalled only having the fear for about 5 years.
Although a bit reluctant, she was willing to work with me in front of the class. As Susan stood in front of a room full of total strangers, she said she her level of fear was quite intense – registering at a 7 on a scale from 1 –10. She reported that her heart felt "like it's beating out of my chest," her hands were clammy, and her breathing quick and shallow.
We began tapping. I guided her to repeat after me: "Even though I'm afraid of being up here in front of all these people, I deeply and completely accept myself." We went through a round of tapping. Her intense anxiety had not abated. We did another round of tapping. She felt only the slightest bit of relief. Her eyes were closed, and we tapped several more rounds, focusing on her fear of being in front of the class. The intensity did not lower.
I then asked her what she was thinking. "All these people are looking at me," she responded. I looked around the room. "No they're not, their eyes are closed, too, and they're tapping along with you. Look," I said. She peeked at the room, laughed a little and relaxed some more. We continued to tap. Still no significant results.
When you’re not getting results, it’s time to go deeper. You can continue to tap focused on the physical sensations (clammy hands, heart throbbing), or you can begin to gently attempt to discover what’s underneath the presenting issue. I asked Susan to imagine herself in front of a large group of people (most of the students had left, as the class was over). “What do you see?” I asked, “Trust what comes up.” “I see an audience,” Susan answered. “Look into the audience. What do you see?” I asked her.
She gasped, and a tear rolled down her cheek. The story then came out. Approximately five years before, she had had to talk in front of a group of people – she was very accustomed to doing so, and had never had a fear reaction prior. Two of the people in the audience however, who were sitting in the front, had maliciously attacked Susan behind her back for several weeks over an issue they refused to discuss or attempt to resolve openly. Those two sat in the front behaving very badly, and even going so far as to glare at Susan. She recalled that she begun to tremble, her heart had begun to pound, and that a co-worker had to finish her presentation because she lost her ability to speak altogether.
She was shocked to recall this, as it was not consciously connected to her present fear.
I continued to tap while she shared this story. Then I asked her how she felt. “Relieved,” she answered, “and really surprised! I hadn’t thought of that in years!” The intensity of her anxiety had dissipated to a 1 – it was nearly extinguished. Unfortunately, since the class had left, there was no way to test that Susan had truly shed her fear. Still, we had class again the following week, so I asked her if she would be comfortable sharing her story with the class when we reconvened. “Sure,” she answered.
The next week, our class reconvened. I asked Susan to come to the front of the room to share her story. She walked to the front of the room. Before she began, I asked her what level intensity she was at. “About a 3,” she responded, noting that she was a tad shaky. So we tapped on her intensity. It reduced very quickly, with just a round or two.
She shared with the class what had happened the week before. She added that the day after class, she had awakened disgruntled and annoyed, and didn't know why. She began to tap, and while doing so, realized that she was angry with the two people who had been so difficult. She said she tapped her anger away. I watched in awe as she comfortably shared her story with the class; she was obviously at ease. I checked in with her a couple of times to be sure she was still feeling comfortable, and she was.
We spent about 1/2 hour total time together working on this issue. The first week we spent approximately 15-20 minutes, and the second week approximately 10-15 minutes. It collapsed nicely, once she became aware of the underlying cause of her distress. As always, it was delightful to see the proof of EFT in action!
Anne Presuel-Moreno
