- Article Archive
- Cases
- "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"
- Headaches, substance sensitivities, phone work, dental fears and grief
- How to become "unstuck"
- 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
- A how-to guide for using EFT with couples.
- Henry's phrase points to core issues
- Using EFT for severe mental retardation
- 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
- Creative reframing: Satan to God
- Hip replacement, magic and miracles
- EFT with a mentally retarded patient
- 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...
- ...And he cried on my shoulder
- Hospice care and EFT
- How do I know the right words to say when I'm tapping?
- 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...
- Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
- 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 negative side effects or abreactions?
- Can EFT cause a client to "feel worse?"
- How do I introduce EFT to skeptics?
- Are there any problems using EFT for pregnancy?
- 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?
- Can we do EFT surrogately or through intention? If so do we need permission?
- 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?
- When it doesn't work....???
- 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?
- 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?
- How do I apply EFT for performance issues?
- Fear
- Humor
- 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
- How to Give the Cat a Pill
- Humor From the Church
- Understanding Engineers
- Hasty Headlines
- 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
- Cheap Therapy
- Husband 101
- 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?
- Marriage Names
- 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
- Quick Jokes
- Detective Mom
- A Novel Approach to Saving Money
- 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!
- Dalmation Duties
- Airline Food
- Painting the Porch
- Aging Gracefully
- Animal Super Bowl
- WHY GOD MADE MOMS
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Baseball in Heaven
- HMO
- Thirty Lines to Make You Smile
- Hasty Headlines
- MEMO
- Ancient Artifact?
- A Moral Lesson
- And that
- 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
- Beer, Fishing, Golf and Sex
- How To Lie To The Bathroom Scale
- Twelve Step Recovery Plan
- Hasty Headlines
- Estate Planning Basics
- Astrological Light Bulbs
- Inspiration
- The Balloon Man
- Ugly
- Great Opportunity
- Positive Thinking
- The Best Medicine
- GOSSIP
- Miss Isabel
- 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
- Mom - Job Description
- There is beauty in everything
- A Group of Frogs
- The Race
- Does it Still Serve a Purpose?
- THE MEANING OF LIFE
- Time to Learn
- 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?
- The Joy of Gratitude
- 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
- 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
- That's all I remember!
- WHAT IS LOVE? (Part 3)
- ANGELS IN THE POST OFFICE
- Sioux Indian Story
- The best day of my life
- Happiness
- The Reflection
- Don't Go To Bed
- Good People
- And This Too Shall Pass
- 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
- The Archer and the Arrow
- The Firth of Forth Bridge
- On Failure
- No Matter What Happens
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 1
- Keep Your Dream
- The best time of my life
- Healing Garden
- Rich or Poor?
- The Elderly Caretaker
- The Wise Sage
- Miguel's Poem
- 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
- Are Your Potatoes Heavy
- Mean old Moms
- Flying
- Others at their best
- Are you God
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 2
- Roses of Life
- Better Far to Risk A Fall
- Here I Grow Again
- Shake It Off and Step Up
- Look Mommy
- Start With Yourself
- 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
- Attitude determines everything
- Real Heroes
- Follow the Leader
- Point of View
- Unforgiveness
- AN ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE - Part 3
- If You Were
- The Boy and the Worm
- House of 1000 Mirrors
- The Star Polisher
- Magic Mommy Kisses
- A Determined Spirit
- The Magical Tablecloth
- 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
- A lesson in attitude
- A Sioux Indian Story
- Good Corn
- Positive Side of Life
- Before It's Too Late
- EXPLANATION OF GOD
- The Mustard Seed
- 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
- Research
- 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
- 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
- Studies Accepted in Peer Reviewed Journals
- The Effect of Progressive Muscular Relaxation and Emotional Freedom Techniques on Test Anxiety in High School Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
- Veterans: Finding their way home with EFT--an observational study
- The Neurochemistry of Counterconditioning: Acupressure Desensitization in Psychotherapy
- Clinical Story of a 6-Year-Old Boy's Eating Phobia; An Integrated Approach
- 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
- Thought Field Therapy and its derivatives: rapid relief of mental health problems through tapping on the body
- The Effect of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) on Athletic Performance: A Randomized Controlled Blind Trial
- Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Research on Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and Other Meridian Based Therapies
- Rapid Treatment of PTSD: Why Psychological Exposure with Acupoint Tapping May Be Effective
- Six Trauma Imprints Treated with Combination Intervention: Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Thought Field Therapy (TFT) or Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
- Psychological Symptom Change in Veterans After Six Sessions of Emotional freedom Techniques (EFT); An Observational Study
- Pilot Study of EFT, WHEE and CBT for Treatment of Test Anxiety in University Students
- Studies Presented at Professional Conferences
- 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
- 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
- Other Studies and Experiments
- 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
- 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
- Cases
Table of Contents Help
The tabs on the right are shortcuts to where you have been:
- Previous Screen
- Previous Articles
- Previous Categories
- Start Page
- Hide Entire Menu
Swiping to the left will take you to the previous screen.
The folder icon indicates that more content is available. Click on the icon or the associated text, or swipe to the right to see the additional content.
Article Archive
Frequently Asked Questions
When it doesn't work....???
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
When it doesn't work.....???
Introduction to this extensive answer: When progress with EFT seems stopped--or it seems like "it doesn't work"--EFT is usually not the problem. Rather, the reason for the lack of progress can most often be traced to the inexperience of the user. Why do I say this? Because those who master EFT don't miss very often. They not only get their share of "one minute wonders" but, compared to conventional techniques, impressive progress is also made for just about any problem with an emotional cause--including many physical ailments. In those cases where the masters are stumped, however, they don't point the finger at EFT for "not working."
Rather, the masters ask themselves questions like....
"What's in the way here?"
"What have I not seen yet?"
"What core issue have I been unable to find?"
I'm not saying here that EFT is a panacea for everything. It won't paint your toenails, for example, nor will it allow you to drink gasoline. But just about anything that has an emotional cause--including many physical ailments--is a clear candidate for EFT. It often works beautifully, even in the hands of a beginner. But that doesn't mean we have perfection here. We are still learning and should give thanks for those "tough cases" that challenge us to perfect our skills.
Those who want to achieve mastery of EFT will be interested in the following reasons why it sometimes appears that EFT "doesn't work."
Menu for reasons why "it doesn't work"
The EFT Course was not completed properly.
The problem is being approached too globally.
The Setup was not performed completely enough.
The client is switching aspects.
A core issue is interfering.
Sometimes all that's missing is the human touch.
Some other procedure (e.g. 9 Gamut, Collarbone Breathing) is called for or some other points need to be tapped.
Although relatively infrequent, there may be an "energy toxin" involved which is thwarting the process.
The EFT course was not completed properly. I know it is tempting to skip through all those video tapes and audio tapes to get to "your topics." Many people do this despite the instructions given on the first page of the EFT Manual. This often results in taking the EFT Course out of order or, even worse, ignoring parts of the course altogether. When this happens, the importance of certain topics (e.g. aspects, psychological reversal, being specific, persistence, etc.) go unappreciated and are ineffectively used.
You can learn The Basic Recipe from reading the manual and watching the first EFT videotape. From there, many people go out into the world and apply it to clients, friends & family--often with superb results (including some "one minute wonders"). However, if they don't study the rest of the EFT Course (in proper order), these practitioners are certain to scratch their heads in some instances and say "it doesn't work."
Maybe Psychological Reversal needs to be done more emphatically. Maybe the client is actually making progress but is shifting aspects behind the scenes. Maybe the core issue hasn't been discovered yet. Maybe the problem is being approached too globally. Maybe, maybe, maybe. These topics, as well as many of the other topics in this Question and Answer section, are covered in the EFT Course.
The EFT Course not only teaches The Basic Recipe in great detail but it also goes on to display the "art of delivery" with over 80 people in live sessions. You see and hear how people respond. You are taught ways to get at core issues and how to deal with aspects, Psychological Reversal etc. And because it's all on videotape you can watch it repeatedly to pick up more fine points. The more fine points you pick up the more masterful you will be and the less you will say, "it doesn't work."
I can't emphasize this "take-the-EFT-Course-properly" suggestion too strongly. Therein lies the foundational problem beneath almost every "it doesn't work" claim I've ever heard. In the hands of an artist, EFT can restore clients' lives into the living masterpieces they were meant to be. For a practitioner to fall short of that is to miss the real "juice" in this procedure.
Back to top
Back to Menu for reasons why "it doesn't work"
The problem is being approached too globally. The EFT Course stresses the value of being specific where you can. Some people tap on generalized anxiety (a VERY global problem) and wonder why their results are either temporary or non-existent. The reason is because global items such as generalized anxiety, self image problems, persistent anger, childhood abuse, etc. are comprised of numerous specific past events. The sum total of ALL of one's specific fears, rejections, traumas, guilt, etc. evolve into such global problems as generalized anxiety and self image problems. Approaching the problem too globally is a fairly common error by newcomers. To illustrate, here's a letter I just received along these lines...
"...... I cannot successfully treat my own Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I have used EFT while focusing on "my anxiety problem" or the binge eating, or generalized mental paralysis that sometimes ensues, and I feel slightly better following, but there is no lasting effect."
Usually we need to break a global issue down into its specific parts and neutralize each of them independently. This is clearly illustrated on "6 Days at the VA," a videotape in our EFT Course wherein EFT is applied to our Vietnam Veterans. Rich, the first vet on the tape, had "over 100 war memories that were 10's." These contributed to his more general ailment known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We used EFT with a couple of specific events on film and Rich worked with 3 or 4 other specific events on his own. As a result, all 100 of the memories faded and ceased to bother him.
You can tap on a global issue, of course, and still make headway. However, the progress will usually seem gradual as the process will tend to chip away at the various aspects of the larger problem. One advantage of working with specific events is that we can usually provide relief for them rather rapidly, thereby allowing the client to recognize the result immediately. Another advantage is that, after knocking down a few of those negative trees in that negative forest, the whole forest tends to fall. It's as though each of the individual specific trees have items in common with all the rest of the trees. A generalization effect tends to occur and the whole problem becomes cleared. I have seen this many, many times.
Back to top
Back to Menu for reasons why "it doesn't work"
The Setup was not performed completely enough. The Setup is that procedure within The Basic Recipe that corrects for Psychological Reversal (PR). When PR is present it blocks the whole process from working. So, if you aren't getting anywhere, you would be well advised to "start from the top" and perform The Setup more thoroughly.
By this I mean to tap the Karate Chop point harder or rub the Sore Spot more vigorously while emphatically saying (even yelling) the affirmation. On many occasions I have been stuck and, after having the client rub that sore spot with great vigor and literally YELLING the affirmation, we broke through the PR barrier and proceeded to get our normal results. One example of this is on our Steps toward becoming The Ultimate Therapist tapes where one participant, Richard, was having difficulty getting EFT to "hold" on a stomach distress that he had suffered from for years. A few moments of an emphatic Setup (including yelling) and the problem lifted. Richard wrote me months later that his stomach ailment went away and stayed away except for rare occasions when he had unusual emotional stresses. All previous efforts with tapping (of any form) produced only temporary results at best.
Also, let me extend a thank you to Dr. Fred Gallo for introducing what he calls Criteria Related Reversals. In his experience, people who are stuck in reversal may find it useful to focus the affirmation more specifically. Examples might be...
"Even though I don't deserve to get over this _________"
"Even though it isn't safe for me to get over this _________"
I have used this myself with good success and recommend it as a useful tool.
Another way to approach PR is as evidence of a major secondary gain or loss--that is, a much larger issue hiding beneath the presenting problem. This is the presumption I make when I am making no progress. I start looking for core issues. Once found, the reversal problem seems to fade and the client reports relief. We are still learning here and I'm not sure if this theory is correct. It works well in practice, however.
Back to top
Back to Menu for reasons why "it doesn't work"
The client is switching aspects. Often, the client makes good progress but doesn't report it because s/he keeps switching to new aspects of the problem. The original aspects are actually relieved but the remaining aspects still cause distress. The client is not at fault here because s/he is often unable to distinguish between the relief already obtained and the stress still remaining. This happens frequently and serves to fool both the client and the EFT practitioner into thinking "it doesn't work."
Here's an example. Suppose a client still exhibits trauma symptoms from an auto accident of 20 years ago. When asked what bothers them about the accident the client says, "The headlights!! The headlights!! I can still see them coming at me." EFT is then applied to the headlight emotion and the client is then asked if the accident still bothers them. The client says, "Yes."
Unless one investigates further here, it would appear that the client is making no progress and that EFT "didn't work." If, instead, the client is asked, "Do the headlights still bother you?", the typical response will be something like, "No, but I can still hear the screams in the car." Do you hear another aspect? Sure. Now it is the screams in the car. Once that is relieved you may run into other aspects such as guilt for going too fast, anger at the other driver, etc.
Many emotional issues are single-aspected and it only takes one or two rounds of EFT to give them relief. They are among our "one minute wonders." Others, of course, have many aspects and require more diligence.
How do you find these aspects? The process is usually simple. Just ask the client to describe the problem after each round of EFT and notice how their language changes. They may start out, for example, talking about the problem in terms of fear and, after one round of EFT, discuss the problem in terms of guilt. Also, the events they focus on may change (e.g. from headlights to screams). Further, the physical sensations in their body may change from, perhaps, a "tightness in the stomach" to a "constriction in the throat."
The alert student might notice here that this "aspect switching" problem, while appearing to give evidence that EFT "doesn't work," actually gives resounding evidence of the opposite. The reason the client switches aspects is because the original aspect was given relief. The headlights are no longer a problem (EFT success) so now the client focuses on the screams (the next aspect in line).
Back to top
Back to Menu for reasons why "it doesn't work"
A core issue is interfering. This was covered above under the section on The Setup but bears elaboration here. When an important core issue is "hiding" behind a lesser presenting issue, the whole process seems to falter. This is because the real issue is not being addressed. Finding the core issue is what therapists are trained to do, of course. It is the centerpiece of the therapeutic art.
One way to find the core issue is to listen to how the client describes the problem. The keen ear will pick up the clues leading to "the bottom line." Another way is to develop the intuitional ability to hone right in on the real issue. This is demonstrated in great detail in our Steps toward becoming The Ultimate Therapist tapes.
Before I began to develop (trust) my intuitional skills, I would just simply ask the client questions like, "If there was a larger emotional issue here, what might it be?" I know that question seems elementary but I found it to be quite successful. I would ask them the question and often they would say, "I don't know." Then I would gently prod them to give me an answer. I might just ask them to guess or I might use my favorite NLP question and say, "If you did know, what would it be?" Eventually, they give an answer and it almost always takes us in a useful direction.
Back to top
Back to Menu for reasons why "it doesn't work"
Sometimes all that's missing is the human touch. There is something about the "connection" between two people that sometimes allows the process to work more efficiently. I know this is an intangible item that doesn't lend itself well to scientific scrutiny. Nonetheless, I have seen plenty of anecdotal evidence for it. Sometimes, I find, the process will appear not to work UNTIL the practitioner physically taps on the client. Then, almost magically, the problem fades away. This is fairly rare but it DOES happen.
Back to top
Back to Menu for reasons why "it doesn't work"
Some other procedure (e.g. 9 Gamut, Collarbone Breathing) is called for or some other points need to be tapped. As you recall, a short cut to The Basic Recipe was introduced in the EFT Course wherein (1) only half of the points needed to be tapped and (2) it was suggested that the 9 Gamut and Collarbone Breathing procedures could be put "on the shelf" until needed. So, if you aren't progressing, these previously omitted points and procedures could be reinstated. The need for this is infrequent, however. I would pursue the above avenues first.
Back to top
Back to Menu for reasons why "it doesn't work"
Although relatively infrequent, there may be an "energy toxin" involved which is thwarting the process. I have seen clear evidence of this phenomenon, especially in cases of depression and hyper kinetic children (Ritalin users). In fact, it appears to me that often these latter maladies are CAUSED by the offending food or substance and that the only thing necessary to give relief is the removal of the item(s) from the person's environment. Once that is done, tapping may not be necessary.
Generally, I find the interference of "energy toxins" much less pervasive than do those who practice Dr. Callahan's TFT. To me, persistence in looking for the core issue (the boil beneath the surface) is more likely to be effective than trying to search for an energy toxin.
Energy toxins (if they REALLY are the problem) can be discovered by muscle testing. However, to do the job thoroughly, one would have to painstakingly test an imposing list of things people eat, drink, breathe, wear or otherwise come in contact with. Another way to go about this is to have the client eat ONLY the following ORGANIC foods for one week: Fruits, vegetables (except corn), rice, nuts, seeds and filtered water. NOTHING ELSE!!!. No sugar, bread, pasta, coffee, tea, ice cream, salad dressing, tobacco, alcohol, etc. This allows the system to "clean house" as the items included in the above diet are rarely toxic. In the vast majority of cases, if toxins are indeed a problem, you will be able to proceed much more easily with the tapping after several days to a week of this diet. If this doesn't work, proceed to eliminating perfume, deodorants, soap residues and other items that are in one's environment.
FOR MORE EFT HELP ...
Explore our newest advancement, Optimal EFT™, by reading my free e-book, The Unseen Therapist™. More efficient. More powerful.