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Trauma

General

Fear of dentists and oral rape

Important Note: This article was written prior to 2010 and is now outdated.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,

Val Theroux generously gives permission for me to share her experience using EFT on several issues, not the least of which was her intense fear of dentists. This fear was tied to a previous oral rape which was triggered, of course, when a dentist would poke around inside her mouth.

Hugs, Gary


by Val Theroux, RN BSN

Hi Gary,

I took my first EFT workshop with Karen Ledger in Victoria before Christmas, brought her here to Kamloops to do another workshop in February and I am now teaching EFT to small groups of people here now.

I am using it on myself daily and it has changed my life. I have a long list of personal successes including a dramatic one around dental visits. I had tried many other ways to overcome my extreme trauma (tied to an oral rape) every time I went to the dentist (I hadn't been to one for three years until my tooth abscesses in December).

Since tapping I have had five appointments with my dentist. No fear or anxiety, no body memories. In fact I now ENJOY going to the dentist!!?? Its the same kind of experience as going to the hairdressers now. I plan my appointments at the end of my work day to relax, instead of at the beginning of a day off so I could recuperate. I no longer gag, shake for three hours following a dental visit or need a blanket, gas, headphones and meditation tapes etc. (I do still accept freezing!)

My low level depression of several years duration has lifted.

I feel healthier right now than I have in years and this is usually the worst time of year for me.

My fibromyalgia is considerably improved.

I am losing weight (I need to) and my blood pressure is coming down. My side effect from the medication has left.

I am exercising 5-6 days a week instead of twice a month.

I am sleeping better and my irritable bladder has improved.

I have become a morning person. When I take work home now, it never makes it out of my bag!!??!! I feel I can be successful at last. I am starting a Masters program in five weeks.

I work with a lot of grief and loss clients and I have just begun using this with them with some incredible results. This program certainly does defy a lot of the "rules" from other traditional therapies. I also find it works well with other energy work I do, such as Healing Touch and Reiki.

I know you are very busy so I won't go on any further. Just know that I am so very grateful to have been led to this work and I hope to continue to share it with others in my daily work. Please feel free to use any part of this that may be helpful.

Love and prayers and a big hug,

Val Theroux RN BSN
Health and Grief Counsellor


Followup from Val Theroux

Hi Gary,

I have been asked by some members of the list for more detail around my freedom from dental fear, so I have explained my situation in more detail. If you would like to post it, please do so. thanks.....love and prayers..........Val Theroux RN BSN

Mine was really very simple. (I can't believe I just said that after a lifetime of trauma in the dentist's chair). I had done a lot of work using traditional therapies around my sexual abuse but obviously, although I thought I had dealt with it, my body still remembered, because every time I had an appointment, I shook for hours after and spent the rest of the day wrapped up in a blanket. When I addressed it with EFT I think I only addressed my anxiety around having people in my mouth. (I forget precisely how I addressed the anxiety!!) I do know my anxiety went from 10 - 0 and has remained there. (I had also changed to a female dentist which I believe also helped--perhaps accounting for about 10% of the relief).

I had requested 3 yrs ago to talk to the local dental hygienists meeting about what it was like to be a dental patient. Coincidentally (I don't believe in coincidences) I was invited to their meeting immediately after my first "anxiety free" appointment. I told them my story and what had helped me in the past: meditation, music, headphones, self hypnosis, blanket, gas, self Reiki treatment. I also told them about EFT and to demonstrate, I did a complete recipe, with emphasis, as I stood before them.

At my next dental visit, I "forgot" my walkman, and declined theirs. At the next appointment I wasn't feeling cold and declined the blanket. I haven't had either since. In total, I have had one appointment to "look" in my mouth and take Xrays, one appointment to pull a tooth (this was when I first used EFT and tapped in the chair) and then four appointments to clean each quarter of my mouth.

I then had a filling done at my last appointment. Before they started the filling, I said to the dentist and her assistant that I may need to stop at some point during the procedure to tap on parts of my body, as I didn't know if there would be some aspect that I had not eliminated previously. (I was curious about how I would do with a rubber dam in my mouth, which always used to panic me and make me fight gagging). When they put the dam in I had no anxiety, no gagging, but I did begin to experience something. I then realised I was angry and hated not being able to talk, so I signaled the dentist, did the set up and tapped one sequence, and then we proceeded.

As I said before. I now look forward to my appointments in much the same way that I do a hair appointment! I also no longer gag when I am brushing my back teeth and it no longer bothers me to floss. I hope this more detailed description is of value to somebody.

Val

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