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Articles & Ideas

Core Issues

The "Audio Technique" for getting to core issues

Important Note: This article was written prior to 2010 and is now outdated. Please use my newest advancement, Optimal EFT. It is more efficient, more powerful and clearly explained in my free e-book, The Unseen Therapist™.  Best wishes, Gary

Hi Everyone,

Michel Guindon, EFT-CC, NLP, C.Ht. from Canada offers this highly useful technique for bringing up repressed emotions or core issues. In essence, he has the client listen to music that brings up these items. He says, "Although we rarely think about it, music has always had a powerful influence on our lives and most of our significant life experiences are linked to it in one form or another." He gives innovative and insightful details about how to put this into practice. This is an excellent idea and I see no reason why we couldn't do the same thing with movies, novels and speeches.

Hugs, Gary

By Michel Guindon, EFT-CC, NLP, C.Ht.

Hi Gary,

I am sending you some basic info and success stories I've had in my practice using a simple non-disclosure technique I've recently developed for using EFT - The Audio Technique.

Non-disclosure techniques imply that the clients don't talk about what the issues are, but instead work them through in the comfort of their own minds, guided by the practitioner or, in this case, musical soundtracks.

In addition to doing EFT workshops and seeing clients in private sessions, I also work in the field of Addictions. This population has its own unique set of problems and challenges - one of them being the reluctance to look at all the "things" they've done while under the influence - not to mention what caused their addiction in the first place. I am talking here of issues such as trauma, abuse, neglect, abandonment, etc... and the resulting toxic shame that ends up affecting almost every relationship they have - both on a professional and personal level. While this technique has proven highly successful with this population, anyone will benefit from using it mainly due to its uncanny ability to bring up repressed emotions related to events which are partially or totally out of our conscious awareness - the "fine print" on our walls. I simply call them "Blind Spots".

In a nutshell, it consists of using music (songs) as a way to "connect" with past or present negative experiences and then using the EFT tapping points to remove the charge. It is amazingly easy to learn and most people are eager to do some "work on themselves" afterwards.

Although we rarely think about it, music has always had a powerful influence on our lives and most of our significant life experiences are linked to it in one form or another. We hear couples referring to a certain song as "their song" while others remember "the good old times" when a tune is played on the radio. Those same songs also take on different meanings depending on our life events. Following the break-up of a relationship or other painful experience such as the loss of a loved one for example. Those very same songs often become painful reminders - re-stimulating us instantly. Most of us know of some people who have a tendency to isolate themselves and listen to music that matches their state of mind at the time. It seems to provide comfort to know that someone else (the artist, singer, etc...) has gone through something similar and makes them feel understood and validated in some way.

What follows is not "the way" but only "one way" of doing it. This is how I usually do it with someone who has had no prior experience with EFT, so feel free to personalize...

After asking about what the presenting issues are, I casually get a brief relationship history of the client (just the headlines), to get a sense of what the family dynamics were (it usually sets the stage for whatever comes next), then move on to friendships, work and romantic relationships etc... This is not really necessary but it helps the client to connect with his/her issues (and also helps to bring out any Psychological Reversals that may be present).

I select an appropriate compilation CD to play (abandonment, betrayal, or mix, etc...) and give them headphones to wear. I then ask them to get into the songs as much as they can, listen closely to the lyrics, and feel what they have to feel while I do the tapping. The more they feel - the better the results!

I then pay close attention to body language, particularly breathing and facial expression. Often, the first thing I notice are the eyebrows. This tells me that they are connected to an issue and they are feeling discomfort of some kind (fear, anger, etc...). This is usually short lived and they start feeling the pain almost immediately. Tears roll down their faces at times and they often display that classic staccato breathing pattern as the charge dissipates. At times, I will stop the CD after a track or two and ask for a guesstimate on the intensity they felt (0-10), but most of the time I just let them go on uninterupted. Afterwards, I give them a CD copy, a chart with the tapping points to use at home.

The results speak for themselves...

So far, all have reported significant reduction levels in stress, anxiety, and particularly, anger. Most have reported an increased level of peace of mind, self-confidence, and focus. Specifics include...

This is like moving through the 5 Stages of Grief at Warp Speed!

On a personal level, I've had a powerful issue come up (fear of being used) while listening to Heart's "All I Wanna Do". The story is about a married woman who picks up a man on the road, brings him to a motel and makes love to him. The real story is that she wants a child, something her husband cannot give her, so she goes to plan B - namely this man she picked up. While listening to it, I associated with the man in question and the charge went up to a "10+". I felt shocked, angry, worthless, used, sad - the works! And what amazes me is that I still cannot relate this experience to any particular event in my life. After playing it several times while tapping, the charge went down to "0". Now, when I listen to it, it is just another song - nothing more and I feel great.

There are no right or wrong soundtracks - they either bring up a charge or they don't. I always suggest to clients that they go through their collection. Just reading the titles will often point to tracks that have "some meaning" to them. There are also music charts on the net that can help us to remember tracks we used to listen to when we were younger, and these can often be downloaded with appropriate software.

A word of caution to readers, especially those new to EFT...

The Audio Technique was designed as a complement to Classic EFT and is NOT meant to replace it by any means. While this approach has proven highly effective, specific issues may come up that require being handled by EFT as outlined in Gary Craig's Course or by a qualified EFT Practitioner. Use it wisely.

Michel E. Guindon, EFT-CC, NLP, C.Ht.

FOR MORE EFT HELP ...

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