- Article Archive
- Cases
- Headaches, substance sensitivities, phone work, dental fears and grief
- How to become "unstuck"
- "But it doesn't work for me...."
- Jet lag--tuning your time field
- Persistent tapping on several issues
- A question for digging deep
- Emotions, physical ailments and hidden issues
- More uses of EFT & a philosophical bent
- Tapping variations
- "Harry's" case and breathing suggestion
- Followup on EFT in the prison system
- Physical problems and persistence
- Using EFT on past life issues
- Core issues, sexual pleasure and "The Sins of Eve"
- A how-to guide for using EFT with couples.
- Henry's phrase points to core issues
- Using EFT for severe mental retardation
- Down Syndrome and EFT
- There's something lacking in my career
- Her sinuses opened like a floodgate
- Balance problem, corns & autism
- Using EFT to enhance education skills
- Mourning the mother she's slowly losing
- Tapping brought us closer and made me understand
- A bridge for "Dr. Fred's" beliefs
- Food repulsion, email phobia, golf & rejection
- Plugged up ears, suicide and delayed reactions
- Working together on vertigo
- Creative reframing: Satan to God
- Hip replacement, magic and miracles
- EFT with a mentally retarded patient
- Dying gently
- Lactose intolerance--including a 6 month follow-up--see below
- Thought for the day
- Bringing down the barriers to a better bedroom
- Enhancing performance as a metaphor for life issues
- Mr Persistence, EFT and a brain tumor
- A teeny(?) and delightful success
- Business owner moves his business to the next level.
- Food repulsion: Green furry things and yucky tomatoes!
- An EFT "Pre-Beginner" reports success
- Warts
- ...And he cried on my shoulder
- Hospice care and EFT
- How do I know the right words to say when I'm tapping?
- A builder with psoriasis & little things
- EFT clears eczema.
- Loneliness and many, many aspects
- An uncontrollably sobbing client--"my mother didn't love me"
- "Bedside EFT" for patient relief in a hospital setting
- Expensive Emotions
- Niki LaMont on depression, pain and a water phobia
- Guilt over terminating a marriage
- Calming down a suicidal client
- The freedom to sing
- When a prisoner won't disclose the issue
- When pets have to pee...
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
- Insight--"I'm terrified I'm going to be like my father"
- Sales performance
- Alan--a mentally retarded client
- EFT "homework" and other messages
- What would love do here?
- Emergency uses for EFT
- A problem with Happy Birthday
- Expert golfers, EFT and comfort zones
- Men only want one thing
- Tinkie said, "I don't fit in"
- Cholesterol and EFT
- Free to pee
- Programming dreams with EFT
- When you gotta go...
- Crohn's disease, gas, dental pain and a message from Albert Einstein
- Intentional EFT, enhancing romance and chewing cold things
- EFT on Schizophrenia
- Alzheimer's, "Absent tapping," & other experiences
- EFT and circumcision
- Low libido
- Suicidal client helped over the phone
- A blind man's erection problem
- Fasting??--try it on everything
- Using EFT on Paranoid Schizophrenia
- EFT helps trumpeter blow his own horn
- Clients with low energy--(Note: many suggestions from our members follow this message)
- Using "Setup Emphasis" for gout and other stubborn issues.
- Pulse rate improvement: From 130 to 90 in 1 minute
- Delayed reaction to EFT--back pain & rape trauma
- Intentionality on an airplane
- Inside a successful schizophrenia case
- Anaphylactic shock--"Before her eyes, the swelling began to go down."
- EFT, phone work and a business idea
- Migraines and a chocolate/cookies addiction
- Tapping with intention
- Breasts, body parts and self image concerns
- Feeling Responsible For Someone Else's Death
- Persistence, hemorrhoids & Uncle Bugs
- Two EFT success stories: pain & the opinions of others
- Contempt and the effects of projection
- Greg Nicosia on tapping with intention
- Puppy dog, wetting one's pants, stress & a "no results" case
- Dental gagging and accepting oneself
- Jason's motion sickness
- EFT and self image
- Apex problem--a response twist
- Emotional nose, burning house & golf questions
- A miscarriage and the recall of core issues.
- Tapping the finger points and the value of a hug
- EFT for growing larger breasts
- Using EFT for Fertility.
- Phantom limb pain
- Using EFT with frail people
- No more "conversations in my head"
- Pyrophobia, fear of medicines and working with groups over the phone.
- Rapport in the prison system--Part I of III
- Press Releases
- EFT in the News
- Stories
- Weight Loss
- Editorials
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Are there any problems using EFT for pregnancy?
- Are there any negative side effects or abreactions?
- Can EFT cause a client to "feel worse?"
- How do I introduce EFT to skeptics?
- Can we do EFT surrogately or through intention? If so do we need permission?
- Can I be effective with "just the basics?"
- How do I handle Hand-Me-Down EFT?
- How do I choose the language to use while doing EFT?
- When it doesn't work....???
- How do I handle the "Big One?"
- How do I find a client's "hidden issues?"
- What procedures might be taken if a client is undergoing a medical emergency?
- Why do you sell it so inexpensively?
- What do I do when the clients stop tapping even though they have had substantial success with EFT?
- How does EFT differ from Thought Field Therapy (TFT)?
- What's a good way for newcomers to apply EFT to themselves?
- What do I say while performing EFT?
- Can EFT be combined with other techniques?
- How do I find answers to my EFT questions?
- How do you help a "non-feeling" client?
- Does EFT work on______?
- How long do the results last?
- EFT is obvious! So why wasn't it discovered many decades ago?
- I'm used to affirmations being stated in the positive. Why does the EFT Setup language focus on the negative? What if I used positive statements instead?
- Does it matter whether or not the EFT practitioner is skeptical?
- How do I use EFT for___________?
- When EFT relieves pain, does it mask the pain and thus thwart the ability for pain to signal danger?
- How do I apply EFT for performance issues?
- Are EFT's results due to either placebo effects or distraction?
- Using EFT for Epilepsy and seizures
- Are there suggested guidelines for professionals regarding an Informed Consent Statement?
- Fear
- Humor
- How to Give the Cat a Pill
- Humor From the Church
- Understanding Engineers
- Hasty Headlines
- Dad Math
- At the Inn...
- A Christian Upbringing
- Have You Heard?
- Scared Straight...For Math
- Do you REALLY need email??
- Funny Sayings - Part 3
- Computers and Companies
- Microsoft vs. GM
- Strange Laws - Part 2
- THE GOOD HUSBAND
- THOSE WERE THE DAYS - Part 1
- Baseball Quote
- City Slicker
- Airline Travel: The Next Generation
- George Carlin's Views on Aging
- BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
- Funny Sayings
- Proper Diskette Usage and Care
- Only in Merry Old England
- Punctuation Is Everything
- TRIBUTE TO BOB HOPE - Part III
- Computer Haikus
- Camping Trip
- Consultant
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 2
- Why Indeed ...?
- In Memoriam
- Accident report
- The Fire Truck
- Signs That Technology Has Taken Over Your Life
- Signs & Notices
- Goofy Conversions
- Addicted to Coffee
- Professional Advice
- The Bottle of Wine
- Marriage Names
- PICABO
- Cheap Therapy
- Husband 101
- Having Fun in Wal Mart
- Hasty Headlines
- Time Out
- A Change of Vows
- Farmer
- How Banks Work
- Stern Sibling
- TALKIN
- Funny Sayings - Part 4
- Creation Retold
- Having Trouble with Microsoft Word
- Strange Laws - Part 3
- ITALIAN PASTA DIET
- THOSE WERE THE DAYS - Part 2
- Bathroom Sign
- Class Reunion
- THE LAWS OF INCONVENIENCE
- Calling God
- THE BLARNEY STONE
- Funny Sayings - Part 7
- If A Dog Were Your Teacher
- Politically Correct Holiday Greeting
- A Rope Went into a Bar...
- How Smart Is Your Right Foot?
- WORDS TO LIVE BY
- Canine Complex
- Cuff Links
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 3
- THE ARROGANT INSPECTOR
- The 'Middle Wife'
- Aging Perspective
- Flight Announcements
- The Sex of a Fly
- Honest Advertising
- Intermission Hijinks
- After-Thanksgiving Poem
- AN ODE TO ENGLISH PLURALS
- Getting Older
- Marriage Names
- A FROG STORY
- Marriage Names
- WHY GOD MADE MOMS
- Chuckles
- Are You An Internet Addict?
- Washing Your Cat
- Speeding Ticket
- The Concept of Marriage
- The 84-year-old Newlywed
- The Company Picnic
- Eternal Devotion
- 25 Signs You've Grown Up
- SAFARI SURVIVAL
- Funny Sayings - Part 5
- Dear Dad
- Miracle
- Swapping Professional Secrets
- THE FINAL WORD ON NUTRITION AND HEALTH
- YEP
- Cakes and Ale
- Classified Ads
- THE LAWS OF INCONVENIENCE
- A Bed Near The Window
- NAME THAT BOAT
- Funny Sayings - Part 8
- Dog Thoughts
- The Perfect Husband
- Product Labels
- Toys for Today
- What I've Learned by Having Boys
- The C.E.O.
- Cured
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 4
- DADDY, HOW WAS I BORN???
- My First Mammogram
- Are You Ready For Children?
- For Those Who Need a Chuckle
- The Helicopter
- Give a Man a Fish...
- Band Insect
- Afternoon Rounds
- AN ODE TO ENGLISH PLURALS - PART 2
- Write it Down?
- Quick Jokes
- Detective Mom
- A Novel Approach to Saving Money
- WHY GOD MADE MOMS
- How to Clean the Toilet
- Internet Police
- Why Learn English Part 1
- Where Is God ?
- Phrases from the 50's - Part 1
- New Year's Resolutions -- Over Time
- Car Warning
- I Think I Need a Computer
- DINNER INVITATION
- QUALITY ASSURANCE
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS (PART 1)
- Dear Bubba
- Missing
- Good Communication
- MAN
- YEP
- Call Center
- Classified Ads
- THE LAWS OF INCONVENIENCE
- Monastery Life
- BY THE BOOK
- Funny Sayings - Part 9
- Why Dogs Can't Use Computers
- Politically Correct About Men
- Product Labels
- Job Competition
- What I've Learned by Having Boys
- EYEGLASSES
- Cyclic Number
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 5
- COURTROOM BLOOPERS
- Monkey Business
- Bad Puns
- For Those Who Take Life Too Seriously
- The Human Race is Doomed
- Photogenic?
- RESTAURANT MATH
- RESERVATIONS OF AN AIRLINE AGENT
- Dalmation Duties
- Airline Food
- Painting the Porch
- Aging Gracefully
- Animal Super Bowl
- WHY GOD MADE MOMS
- The Clergyman
- A Kitten's Prayer
- Why Learn English Part 2
- DAILY THOUGHTS FROM DOGS AND CATS
- Phrases from the 50's - Part 2
- The Minister and the Funeral
- Case Closed
- Having a Bad Day
- Airline Maintenance
- A DRY TOWN
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS - PART 2
- Deep Observations on Life
- Out of the Mouths of Babes
- Wash. Biol. Surv.
- WOMEN OVER 40
- CHASING RABBITS
- Call Policy
- Classified Ads
- Fried Eggs
- Why Indeed ...?
- The Talking Dog
- The best road rage!
- Eating Oreos
- Signage
- Product Labels
- Skydiver
- Most ridiculous British laws:
- WHEN INSULTS HAD CLASS
- Creative Definitions - Part 1
- Mourning the Mayonnaise
- COURTROOM BLOOPERS
- Comments made in the year 1955!
- A Barbie we can relate to
- Fresh New Perspectives
- The Male Perspective
- Pull Over!
- The Man I Marry
- Hasty Headlines
- New Business Model
- Amish and Elevator
- A Pain in the Leg
- And that
- Three Dogs...and a Collie
- BIZARRE DRIVING LAWS - Part 1
- Coming Mergers
- Life Before the Computer
- The Wisdom of a Witch
- GOLF GAME
- Phrases from the 50's - Part 3
- Bad Day
- CEO Blunder
- Great Truths That Little Children Have Learned
- Airline Maintenance
- BEING COOL
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS - PART 3
- Deep Thoughts
- Near Death Experience
- Walk A Mile
- AN INTERESTING PHILOSOPHY
- THE HISTORY OF WIRELESS
- Calories That Don't Count
- Cold Cream
- The Mountain Man and the Army
- Why Indeed ...?
- University Safety Committee
- 80% Agreement
- The English Schoolteacher
- Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
- Two-Cow Philosophy
- Untold Riches
- Abbott and Costello meet Windows 95
- WHEN INSULTS HAD CLASS
- Creative Definitions - Part 2
- The Price of Good Health
- COURTROOM BLOOPERS
- Bargaining with God
- A Good Explanation
- Baseball in Heaven
- HMO
- Thirty Lines to Make You Smile
- Hasty Headlines
- MEMO
- Ancient Artifact?
- A Moral Lesson
- And that
- Is It Better To Be A Jock Or A Nerd?
- BIZARRE DRIVING LAWS - Part 2
- Funny Sayings - Part 1
- Computer Help Desk
- Life Support
- Women in Leather
- GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES FROM A LAW FIRM
- PRAYING FOR PEACE
- Bad Weather
- Chemistry Final Exam
- The Four Stages of Life
- Airline Maintenance
- BIKERS
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS
- Deep Voice
- Annual Neologism Contest
- Army Insurance
- TRIBUTE TO BOB HOPE- Part I
- Computer Haikus
- Calories That Don't Count
- Commuting Hazards
- Winning the Lottery
- Why Indeed ...?
- A Well-Planned Retirement
- A Little Mixed Up
- Fifty Fun Things to do in an Elevator
- The Spanish Computer
- The Bank Robber
- Colorful Shipwreck
- Accuracy!
- WHEN INSULTS HAD CLASS
- Creative Definitions - Part 3
- Now That
- COURTROOM BLOOPERS
- Beer, Fishing, Golf and Sex
- How To Lie To The Bathroom Scale
- Twelve Step Recovery Plan
- Hasty Headlines
- Estate Planning Basics
- Astrological Light Bulbs
- Kindergarten Wisdom
- And that
- The Old Golfer
- BIZARRE DRIVING LAWS - Part 3
- Funny Sayings - Part 2
- Computer Swallowed Grandma
- Martha Stewart Holiday Schedule
- Strange Laws - Part 1
- 24 SIGNS YOU MIGHT BE CANADIAN
- OLDER and WISER
- The Bartender
- Circulatory Exam
- Success
- Survivors
- BILL GATES BUYS A HOUSE
- HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - THE GOOD OLD DAYS - PART 5
- The Definition of Barbecuing
- Not My Job
- On the Phone with with Technical Support
- TRIBUTE TO BOB HOPE - Part II
- Computer Haikus
- Calories That Don't Count
- Congressional Mugging
- Kids and Proverbs - Part 1
- Why Indeed ...?
- Dear God
- A New Teacher
- Finally! Answers About Marriage
- Talking Dog
- Signs & Notices
- Beethoven's Grave
- Adoption
- Amazingly Simple Home Remedies
- The Perfect Man
- Marriage Names
- A TEST FOR PROFESSIONALS
- Inspiration
- House of 1000 Mirrors
- The Star Polisher
- Magic Mommy Kisses
- A Determined Spirit
- The Magical Tablecloth
- The Balloon Man
- Challenged
- Lesson
- Which one are you?
- Asking God
- The Pickle Jar
- Cookies
- Dig a Little Deeper
- May You Have...
- The Angel on Hwy 109
- Be Thankful
- Five Short Chapters on Change
- Follow the Leader
- Point of View
- Unforgiveness
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 3
- If You Were
- Ugly
- The Boy and the Worm
- Mom - Job Description
- The little boy with a bad temper
- How Do You Think?
- Stray Cat
- The Fisherman and The Investment Banker
- The Trouble Tree
- Whispers
- I Tried to Climb the Mountain Today
- Letter From a Farm Kid
- Whiners
- Crayola Bomb
- The Sneeze
- A Drunk Fell in a Hole
- Million Dollar Lesson
- SLOW DANCE
- The Loving Picture that will never leave your memory
- Secret of Success
- Good Corn
- Positive Side of Life
- Before It's Too Late
- EXPLANATION OF GOD
- The Mustard Seed
- The Joy of Gratitude
- Boy Wanted
- I Love You
- The Carpenter
- Customer Service From Heaven
- Paid In Full
- The 30 Second Quiz
- Count Your Blessings
- Lincoln and Failure
- Wisdom from Oscar
- Twenty Four Crowded Hours
- A Newborn's Conversation with God
- Eating the Cookie
- Nice Kids
- Explanation of God by an 8 year old boy
- AN EXERCISE IN GRATITUDE - Part 1
- Defining Success
- Great Opportunity
- Positive Thinking
- The Best Medicine
- GOSSIP
- Miss Isabel
- That's all I remember!
- A Builder or a Wrecker?
- The Impossible Dream
- The Horseman
- Optimism
- Heaven and Hell
- The Seven Wonders of the World
- True Story of Courage and Love
- The Lonely Road
- Wisdom
- This is What Love is All About
- The Value of Time
- Embassy of Hope
- No Matter What Happens
- WHAT IS LOVE? (Part 1)
- AN EXERCISE IN GRATITUDE - Part 2
- Forsaken?
- There is beauty in everything
- A Group of Frogs
- The Race
- Does it Still Serve a Purpose?
- THE MEANING OF LIFE
- Time to Learn
- The Archer and the Arrow
- A Butterfly Hovers
- The Jag
- The Ones Who Care
- To Have Succeeded
- Letter To My Grandchildren
- What do Angels Look Like?
- Covering All the Bases
- Love software
- World's Greatest Psychotherapist
- The Obstacle in Our Path
- The Weight of a Burden
- He Failed His Way To The Top
- Not The Critic
- WHAT IS LOVE? (Part 2)
- AN EXERCISE IN GRATITUDE - Part 3
- The Emperor's Seed
- Beauty tips
- Handwriting On The Wall
- Raised as a Chicken
- Distance Never Separates
- THREE DAYS TO SEE
- When You Thought I Wasn't Looking
- Are Your Potatoes Heavy
- By Changing...
- Jars of Clay
- To Build A Bridge
- The Dates that Matter
- The Precious Gift
- State Of The World Message
- Cross My Heart
- Love and the papers everyone kept
- The World's Most Communicative Disease
- Strongest Dad in the World
- Children Learn What They Live
- The Final Exam
- Now and Beyond
- WHAT IS LOVE? (Part 3)
- ANGELS IN THE POST OFFICE
- Sioux Indian Story
- Mean old Moms
- The best day of my life
- Happiness
- The Reflection
- Don't Go To Bed
- Good People
- And This Too Shall Pass
- Miguel's Poem
- Attitude determines everything
- Capt. Laurent Gourley...8-6-69
- Just Be
- To Risk
- Misfits
- My Resignation
- My Comfort Zone
- The Daffodil Principle
- Lucky's Greatest Treasure
- You are so beautiful to me
- The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget
- A Sweet Lesson in Humanity
- The Firth of Forth Bridge
- On Failure
- No Matter What Happens
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 1
- Keep Your Dream
- Real Heroes
- The best time of my life
- Healing Garden
- Rich or Poor?
- The Elderly Caretaker
- The Wise Sage
- Look Mommy
- Start With Yourself
- Attitude
- A lesson in attitude
- Cerebral Palsy and a flower inside a cocoanut shell
- Kitten From Heaven
- To Track Down My Dream
- Creating Destiny
- Making Sandcastles
- You Sure Are Lucky...
- Determination
- The Magic of Hope
- 57 CENTS
- Broken Wing
- Infecting the World
- Flying
- Others at their best
- Are you God
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 2
- Roses of Life
- A Sioux Indian Story
- Better Far to Risk A Fall
- Here I Grow Again
- Shake It Off and Step Up
- Research
- Evaluation of a Meridian-Based Intervention, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), for Reducing Specific Phobias of Small Animals
- Self-administered EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) in individuals with fibromyalgia: a randomized trial
- The Treatment of Combat Trauma in Veterans Using EFT
- Energy Psychology: a review of the preliminary evidence
- Energy psychology in disaster relief
- The effects of EFT on long-term psychological symptoms
- Neurophysiological Indicators of EFT Treatment Of Post-Traumatic Stress
- Assessment of the Emotional Freedom Technique: An Alternative Treatment for Fear - The Waite & Holder Study
- Studies Accepted in Peer Reviewed Journals
- Six Trauma Imprints Treated with Combination Intervention: Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Thought Field Therapy (TFT) or Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
- Pilot Study of EFT, WHEE and CBT for Treatment of Test Anxiety in University Students
- Psychological Symptom Change in Veterans After Six Sessions of Emotional freedom Techniques (EFT); An Observational Study
- Veterans: Finding their way home with EFT--an observational study
- The Effect of Progressive Muscular Relaxation and Emotional Freedom Techniques on Test Anxiety in High School Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Clinical Story of a 6-Year-Old Boy's Eating Phobia; An Integrated Approach
- The Neurochemistry of Counterconditioning: Acupressure Desensitization in Psychotherapy
- The Effect of a Brief EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Self-Intervention on Anxiety, Depression, Pain and Cravings in Healthcare Workers
- Change Is Possible: EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) with Life-Sentence and Veteran Prisoners at San Quentin State Prison
- Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) For Traumatic Brain Injury
- Energy Psychology in Rehabilitation: Origins, Clinical Applications, and Theory
- The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Athletic Performance: A Randomized Controlled Blind Trial
- Thought Field Therapy and its derivatives: rapid relief of mental health problems through tapping on the body
- Rapid Treatment of PTSD: Why Psychological Exposure with Acupoint Tapping May Be Effective
- Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Research on Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Other Meridian Based Therapies
- Studies Presented at Professional Conferences
- Measuring Physiological Markers of Emotional Trauma: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mind-Body Therapies
- The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Psychological Symptoms: A Limited Replication
- The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Psychological Symptoms in Addiction Treatment
- The effect of an energy psychology intervention (EFT) versus diaphragmatic breathing on specific
- World Trade Center Tower 2 Survivor: EP Treatment of Long-term PTSD:
- Psychological Trauma in Veterans using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques): A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Does Prolonged Exposure Need to Hurt in Order to Help? Exploring Two Alternatives
- Other Studies and Experiments
- Preliminary Report of the First Large-Scale Study of Energy Psychology
- Clear evidence that our emotions affect our body--in this case, dramatic changes in the blood
- The results of Carol Look's eyesight experiment
- Articles evidencing the existence of energy meridians
- EFT improves Minerals, Amino Acids & Vitamins
- Before and after photos of Rouleaux--"blood cell clumping"
- An Objective Experiment on the Use of EFT for Depression
- An EFT study: Reducing anxiety in dental patients with EFT
- EFT for Libido: Study Results Summarized -- 80% report an improvement of 50% or more
- Cases
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Article Archive
Cases
Rapport in the prison system--Part I of III
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,
Not much time to write this. I'm in a motel just outside a California State Prison where I'm bringing EFT to the inmates and training a young man (Brian) within those walls to help prisoners when I am gone. I'll be here three days altogether.
Last night I received a lesson in rapport. I had two hours to explain/demonstrate EFT to 20 "lifers." These men all need help...badly. Some are more receptive than others but all of them are too macho to say they accept themselves and hum a song. After a half hour of presenting the basics of EFT and showing short videos, it was time to start doing it. I started with pain because it is kinesthetic and easier for a newcomer to recognize the benefits. I asked them to locate some physical discomfort and 12 of them found such pains. I then asked them to follow me through the process which they did half-heartedly and only mumbled the affirmation. Their tapping was light and they were snickering at each other as they went through it.
I then checked to see if we had made progress. All 12 of them reported "no change." I had never seen this before. For the first time in 6 years of doing this, I was dying on stage and I had another hour and a half to go with this disbelieving, uncooperative audience. I knew two things: (1) they weren't doing the process correctly and (2) I didn't have rapport with them.
An essential ingredient to rapport is that the other party must somehow recognize that you are like them. This was nowhere in sight in this situation. I was a college boy. They weren't. I was free. They weren't. My vocabulary was polite and articulate. Theirs wasn't. I had to get rapport or I was "dead meat," at least far as EFT was concerned.
I'm a great one for intuition and followed my instincts as I began furiously yelling at them (anger is something they understand) and used all manners of guttural language to express my feelings. Pardon my language here but I used such phrases as:
"I drove 5 f-----g hours to get here to try to help out and what do I get but a bunch of pus---s who would rather pull my d--k than give this a try. If you can't follow some simple f-----g instructions then go back to your g-d d--n cells and stare at your f-----g toilets."
This was totally out of ethics in many settings but, as it turns out, it was ideal here. They nodded their heads. I was like them. I was real. I instantly had rapport. They did the whole process correctly as I walked them through it again and all 12 men had relief. Two headaches went away, a sinus problem cleared up, stiff necks vanished, numbness in one man's hand dramatically improved (lifelong problem), another could lift his arm which had been sore for months because of an accident and so on it went. We went on to emotional issues and more successes were registered.
People helping doesn't always fall into neat little procedures.
Love, Gary
Rapport in the prison system--Part II of III
Hi Everyone,
My rapport efforts with inmates at a California State Prison paid unexpected dividends today. After my gutter-like tirade last night my "reputation" began to spread among some of the prison inmates. Also, Brian (my trainee within the prison) spent a little time "talking me up" to some of the new fellows that I was to meet with early this morning for an EFT orientation. When I walked into the room, a dozen inmates were waiting for me and, to my surprise, they applauded me. This time the presentation went very smoothly and the men cooperated in a jovial, but serious, manner. 11 of the 12 men had physical discomforts and we got varying degrees of relief for ALL of them using only one round of EFT.
For the balance of the day Brian and I worked one-on-one with four different prisoners on a total of 12 different serious emotional issues. We got relief every time. The men were openly appreciative. They trusted and confided in us. This was a MAJOR shift for them. Some of them were near tears. That is real progress. We worked on death and grief and massive guilt. They let out their tender side (a real no-no in prison society--a sign of weakness). They needed help and knew it. Despite our efforts, they need much more. This was the first time for many of them that anyone seemed to care. They were grateful, truly grateful. What a feeling!
Brian did most of the one-on-one work and I looked on as a guide and teacher to him. He is picking it up quickly. After I leave, Brian will continue using EFT in behalf of the inmates. He is 30 years old, has a high school education and has no training in psychology/therapy whatsoever. But he knows the ropes. He is enthusiastic about EFT and knows how guys think in there. He is a master at rapport and knows when an inmate is hiding something and why. I will continue to train him via telephone and, perhaps, other visits to the prison. I am most interested in how this experiment unfolds.
On a philosophical note, these men need help, not warehousing. Imprisonment is the best way we know of to keep offenders out of society. However, until we find workable methods to unload the major emotional burdens that drive these men's behaviors, we will have to keep building new cages to put them in. So far, EFT has worked so well that I'm hoping it will get the attention of the powers that be. Wouldn't that be nice? Maybe someday every prison in the world will have a mandatory EFT program for prisoners.
Tomorrow is my last day here and we are scheduled for 6 more one-on-one sessions.
Peace, Gary
Rapport in the prison system--Part III of III
Hi Everyone,
My visit to the prison system is over, at least for now. It was a loving experience. Most of us haven't met prison inmates first hand and all we have to go by is the stereotyped portrayal of them in the movies where they are depicted as deranged and dangerous. Those stereotypes do exist behind those walls and there are some very "tough" exteriors walking around in there. But they are more the exception than the rule. All prison inmates must maintain some form of tough facade to get along in there but most of them are just scared and don't know how else to cope. Some have been badly beaten and abused as youngsters. Others lived through Vietnam. Most of them carry constant emotional pain.
They need love. To achieve it, they gather together in cliques and confide in one another about their guilt and pain. They let their soft side show but only to their close friends. It is their form of talk therapy. They feel good letting some of this out but the pain doesn't really go away. About 1/3 of them are on medication so they can behave reasonably in that society. They have only three professionals on staff to help with these men's emotional burdens. One psychiatrist, one psychologist and one social worker. That's it. Two of them attended one of my orientations and none of them had heard of the tapping therapies. There are 4,000 inmates that these three professionals must serve. Sigh!
Brian (my trainee within the prison) and I worked with 6 men yesterday. In most cases, we took their toughest issue and either eliminated it or substantially improved it. They had relief. They smiled. They knew something important had been done. Brian did most of it while I looked on and coached. I had to take over a couple of times because of the intensity these men were bringing up. It was an awesome experience for Brian because he could feel these men's pain so vividly. Most of them were his dear friends.
One man (call him Bob) was a Vietnam Veteran and kept having flashbacks of a dear friend being shot to death right before his eyes. It was this flashback that caused the intense emotions that motivated the crime that put this man in prison. I do not see this man as a "killer." I see him as a man with intense emotions that he doesn't know what to do with. He doesn't mean anyone any harm. At the core, he is a gentle, loving man that once made a big mistake. He doesn't come close to the stereotype. We worked with this flashback and reduced it substantially. There is more to do on it, of course, because there are many aspects involved. Nonetheless, he left the room with hugs for both of us and a teary eyed gratitude. It melted me for the fifth time during my three days there. It was an exhausting day for Brian and me but we made a lot of progress. We made noticeable headway with every single inmate that came to us.
Last night I was to give another orientation to 40 new (to EFT) inmates from 6 to 8 pm. When I arrived, all the men were there and Bob was talking to them. As I walked into the room he pointed to me and said,
"And this is Gary. Listen to him. I'm not sure how his thing works but peace is at the end of it."
He went on to talk about the Vietnam issue we worked on earlier. Still a little tug in his chest but nothing like it was. He was standing there in front of all these "toughs" being vulnerable on my (their) behalf. God bless him. I melted again.
The orientation went smoothly. We made good headway with these men in the group environment. Most of them were actively interested in trying it. Many smiles, handshakes and hugs at the end. I then left the prison, went to my car and sat there for a moment in the silence. It was over. I then realized how exhausted (and thrilled) I was. I let an overdue tear come down my face, started the car and drove back to my motel.
Love, Gary
P.S. I just read this to Adrienne and she asked me to tell you Brian's last name. It is Fowlie. Brian Fowlie is Adrienne's son.
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