By Mary Taylor

Hi Gary,

I'd like to share with you how I used EFT to release patterns of physical limitation created when I had polio over fifty-five years ago. I use crutches to assist my walking, having been partially paralyzed. Over the course of the years, my life has become quite sedentary. My one goal, in terms of the disability I live with, is to remain mobile, and to sustain my range of motion. I needed to find a means of exercise where the program was as simple as possible; easy to get to, and no change of clothing required.

I recently joined Curves, an exercise gym. There is a variety of equipment set up in a circle. A routine consists of doing two rounds of the circle. Each session is designed to take only thirty minutes, as each exercise lasts just thirty seconds. When I visited Curves, Pat, the owner (and a former orthopedic nurse ;-) ) assured me that there would always be someone to assist me in any way I needed. I was also free to pick and choose what equipment to use. I knew I had found just what I was seeking.

My last (but greatest) concern, was whether or not my muscles, over time, would become too fatigued from the exercise, and I would have to stop the program. This is a common situation for people who have had polio. Many of us over worked our muscles in our youth, and are now experiencing a rapid aging of muscles. Nerve cells, for some people as well, do not reproduce at the same healthy rate. Hence, repetitive use of a muscle can result in a depletion in the strength of the muscle. An overall fatigue is an additional consequence.

With all of this in mind, I made the decision to dedicate three days a week to my exercise program. I would plan nothing else for those days so I would not be tempted to overdo it physically. During my first week, I required assistance getting on and off of the equipment. The (typically) thirty minute routine took me anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour. And, each afternoon, I needed a nap to completely recover from exercising. By the fourth workout, I was able to work independently, getting on and off the equipment without assistance, other than someone holding my crutches while I worked out. I also significantly decreased my routine to twenty-five minutes! My body, overall, was very happy with the exercise, but I was beginning to feel that familiar fatigue start to creep in.

I knew I did not want to have to stop this exercise program. It met all of my requirements of simplicity, and I was seeing and feeling such positive results in such a short amount of time. However, I could not argue with the fatigue.

I have used EFT for a myriad of physical, mental and emotional blocks, and have consistently had wonderful results. I decided to use EFT to release the energy block that was creating this post-polio fatigue. I tapped first for my muscles: "Even though my muscles are weak from having experienced polio, I love my body just the way it is." The next round was for my spinal column and nervous system. I also tapped for my heart, reminding it that my heart rate did not need to go any higher than what the chart on the wall said was normal. With each round of tapping, when I said, "I love my body just the way it is," I found myself smiling at first, then giggling with delight at how good I felt exercising, and how positively my body had responded to the exercise. When I spoke those words, I felt the love in every cell of my body. Before I left for Curves this morning, I thought to tap that I would not need a nap later in the afternoon.

I began my routine keeping in mind what I had tapped. After doing one particular exercise, I realized my left hip was beginning to ache. Without breaking my routine, I visualized tapping to ease the stiffness in my hip joint. Two exercises later, the stiffness was gone. (Remember now, each exercise lasts just thirty seconds.) When it came time to check my heart rate, I again visualized tapping that the rate would fall within the normal range. My heart rate was two beats lower than the high end of a normal heart rate. I was delighted with my workout, but the real test would come later in the afternoon when "nap time" approached. Well, I found myself watching the clock, and as the afternoon came and went, I celebrated a major EFT success.

I experienced true freedom today. Many, many thanks for this most wonderful tool.

Mary Taylor