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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
Professionally stepping through an intense phobia case
Alyson Raworth from Scotland walks us through the details of a very intense mask phobia case. There are many useful concepts here and I interject my own comments along the way. Note that the ideas within this article can be used for almost ANY phobia as well as for trauma, grief and depression.
Dear Gary,
I found the following case to be an exciting challenge for EFT, which (of course!) sailed through with flying colours.
MASK PHOBIA
Client:-Miss L. H aged 32
0-10 Intensity level = 10+++
L.H. had a MASK PHOBIA which was so high that she could not even say the word. When I told her about EFT she was very interested and we started straight away.
I told her that she didn't need to say the word but to replace it with "this problem" until her panic lessened.
GC COMMENT: This is important to do when you know the issue is very intense. It has a way of "taking the edge off", thus allowing you to approach the problem more gently. Another way to do this is to use the Tearless Trauma Technique
ALYSON CONTINUES: We started with the "movie technique" (this was funny as her problem started as a movie.)
GC COMMENT: The movie technique is a standard procedure within EFT that provides even the newcomer with an easy path to results. Note how Alyson patiently keeps going through the movie, picking up aspects along the way and stopping to address them. Excellent!
ALYSON CONTINUES: I asked her to go back as far as she could to the origin of "this problem". It started with her dreaming that she is in a film that begins with a voice saying "5,4,3,2,1 ACTION". she can see the clapperboard and she is lying on the floor rigid -(intensity level rises).
At this point I went through the tapping process using the basic recipe saying "although I can't even move, I deeply and completely accept myself".
After 2 more rounds of tapping she was able to continue and we went back to the start of HER MOVIE, she could see inside a room and there was a small box there...more panic was starting, so we did 2 more rounds of tapping using "even though I don't know what's in the box I deeply and completely accept myself".
When her level was down to 2 we started from the beginning again. This time we got past the box, and she is aware that there is someone behind her. The suds level is going up so I stopped to do more tapping. This process went on until we got through the whole movie (her movie) and her level was down to zero.
We had to do something about her mask phobia, which was related to someone being behind her and not being seen - hidden - as behind a mask. We started with "even though I can't even say the word, I deeply and completely accept myself". Two rounds of the basic recipe including 9 gamut and she was smiling and saying "This is amazing".
Now new aspects - she remembered being left alone in a flat and hearing someone in the house. We had to stop here as I could see her intensity level increasing. More tapping using "even though I know there is someone there I can get out of this situation and I love and accept myself", and "even though I am so scared, I can run - and I love and accept myself totally" and finally "I can bloody well jump these stairs and run, and I love and accept myself".
When this scare first happened she ran out of the flat and jumped six stairs to get to the bottom! We made a lot of that! She visualised her jumping and running and being safe when she reached the bottom. In reality her brother was in the flat and she didn't know it. We finished the session with homework for her to do until next session.
GC COMMENT: Now note how Alyson continues to test the result, finding more pieces to this complicated and intense issue. Very important. Doing this is what separates the EFT seasoned practitioners from those who merely do the mechanics.
ALYSON CONTINUES: On her next appointment we went through Her Movie as a movie and she did very well. When her intensity level went up we tapped on "although I still can't say the M word, I deeply and completely accept myself". Another aspect came up as an incident in a shop where she gets chased by someone (she can't see his face) and her level went up to 10. More tapping and going through that incident as a movie, tapping all the time now as she related her story, using side of eye and collarbone points.
We stuck with the continual tapping as it seemed to speed things up and eventually she was able to say the word MASK without a panic attack. She was elated as this problem had been affecting her most of her life. Her boyfriend would even check out places before she went in them to make sure there were no masks on the wall.
The big test came when she was walking through a concourse and there were people in fancy dress and someone dressed as a dog with a mask on. She went past them without any problem or panic. She even went back to do it again and to analyse her feelings. The intensity was a complete zero!
It has changed her life in a positive way and she is so grateful for this technique, as we all are.
ALYSON
Follow-up
Last year I successfully treated Linda for a mask phobia! This is a
follow-up email from her to confirm that EFT worked and made someone's life
worthwhile again. Hugs, Alyson
Hi Alyson,
Hope you're doing just fine and business is racing ahead. I
Thought I'd email you with news of my major breakthrough last night.
For many years I've wanted to learn fencing but couldn't because of my mask
phobia. I felt it was time to give it a go and have been 'tapping' for it
for a wee while.
Went along to the Bellahouston Club last night and knew it was make or break
time. When my instructor picked up the mask to show me how to fit it I
remained at a 'zero'. Then I realised the whole class had theirs on ready to
fence - around 15 people. That's the first time I've been faced with a
situation like that and I remained at a 'zero'. I am so delighted.
The class was great and now, eventually after all those years, I can learn
to fence !
A million thanks to you Alyson.
Linda
