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Children

General

Kids, Chocolate, Humor and EFT

Important Note: This article was written prior to 2010 and is now outdated.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

Wanna know how to get first class rapport with youngsters ... and demonstrate EFT ... and collapse a big time chocolate craving? Just read this article by Jann Barry from Australia. Superb job ... and delightful reading

Hugs, Gary


By Jann Barry 

This week I have passed some kind of a milestone (for me) having introduced my two hundredth child at the Camp School to EFT.

Some time back when I started to work with kids I thought long and hard about how I could introduce them to EFT.  I was mindful that I had to pitch in such a way that (a) I was not talking down to them or (b) not going over their heads.  As most of the children were going to be in the 10-11 year old age bracket and I had not been near a 10 year old in something like a hundred years, this initially presented a challenge.

Somehow I made it through my first group of 25 but felt I had far to go and so back then seeking inspiration I tapped…”Even though I have absolutely no idea what to say to them that will connect, and even though I need some inspiration mighty fast or I'll bomb out and lose them, I know somewhere inside me I do know what to say…I deeply etc.”

Well nothing appeared to happen but being mindful of the 'time lag' side of EFT I let it go.  Two days later a light went on over my head and I was gifted with an inspiration in the form of an analogy.  “Ah yes,” I thought, excellent, Gary is right into analogies.”

Three days later I stand in front of what was then, my second group of 25 squiggling, shuffling 10 year olds.

“Good morning children” I said brightly “Good Morrrrnnnning Miss Barry,” They sing back to me with enthusiasm. 

“Well, as you know the name of this little course is ‘Dealing with Feelings’ and one of the awesome things we are going to be exploring today is the energy system within each and every one of us ... the only trouble is it's invisible!!”   I look around, so far they are still with me.

I proceed,  “I was thinking of how I could describe this energy system to you and I thought ... I know ... I think if we COULD see it might look at bit like when Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock in Star Trek want to beam down to another planet. They stand on a special spot and say ‘Beam me down Scotty’ (for a terrible moment I think I may have said Spotty!!) but I soldier on.   “….and then almost instantly their outside bodies disappear and we see this bright, shimmering, pulsating shape where their bodies used to be – I think THAT could be what our energy system might look like!!”   Hugely pleased with myself I smile broadly and look around only to be greeted with a sea of blank faces.  “Err” I stutter “you all DO watch Star Trek – err sometime, err don`t you?”   Not one of them it seemed had ever watched the show!!     “Yeeeha” I think to myself “now I know how a stand up comic feels on a bad night”    Of course Gary DOES say go out and stub your toe, but all ten of them at once??

Anyway that all seems like a lifetime ago and I think, finally, I`m hitting my stride.

Last week my group was older – 14 year olds from a Talented and Gifted class. And I`m sort of thanking God I'd got rid of my Star Trek analogy way back then.

Tonight I launch right in –“Stand up, spread out your arms, close your eyes…now, slowly start to bring your hands together, be aware of how they feel and when you feel a resistance stop and open your eyes but don't move.”  They comply…”now see how some hands are still far apart and see how some are much closer?? They see.  “This is energy, YOUR energy and it is your INTERNAL energy system that we are going to be dealing with tonight.”... they get the message.

Next we do Donna Eden`s Energy Zip Up a couple of times to wake them up (it`s 7:30pm and they have been canoeing and hiking for most of the day).

Out of nowhere – or so it seems – I produce a platter of chocolate – some in pieces, some candy bars in wrappers.   “Who” I ask “is a chocoholic??”  “Oh come on now” I say looking at a sea of waving hands “you can't ALL be chocoholics!”  “You wanna bet!”  I hear a small voice come back.  I turn to their teacher, “This is your call Miss Houghton, pick me a real chocoholic” she calls out Tod a 14 year old who just happens to be 6ft 3 (I`m 5`1).  As he is coming out I hear someone whisper…'yeah! he's a REAL one. He even ate a chocolate biscuit off the floor yesterday.'

I offer him the plate, what would he like? wrapped or unwrapped? He opts for a wrapped candy bar.  I turn to the children, “You know it`s a funny thing but, for a lot of people, the rustle of the candy wrapper is very important, they hear the rustle and know that, in just a second or two when they chomp into the candy bar their mouth will be full of yummy chocolate.”  I learnt this bit of information watching Gary in one of his workshop CD's where he is dealing with cravings and addictions.  One of the women he was working with, a chocoholic, said…'Oh no, don`t take the wrapper off it's all part of the pleasure.'  I should get my pleasures so easily I thought!

I turn back to Tod…

”Now, open the candy bar and tell me where, on a scale of zero to ten, ten being the highest, how much do you want that candy car?”  he`s a 10+. 

I take it from him and wave it under his nose, slowly, slowly back and forth so that he must move his head & his body to follow the candy, his eyes become glazed, the group chuckles….. ”Mmmm… Mmm… smells good eh?” I ask  “Mmmm” he responds in a very unfocused way ... ”now take a bite, taste it Tod, taste how absolutely yummy it tastes as the peanuts and chocolate mix up right there in your mouth.” He turns away and takes a rather large bite, so large in fact that when he turns back his cheeks are bulging and there is less than half the bar left ... more laughter.

“Now” I say taking his hand “just say what I say”  ... we start to tap his Karate Point ... ( I tapped only one round here mainly because I know I'll have a Seniors Moment and won't be able to remember what I am about to say long enough to repeat it.)

“Even though I crave that choky BIG TIME” – everyone hoots –  “and I know I could eat the contents of the whole plate without trying if you`d just give me a chance…..and even though I've been known to eat a chocolate biscuit off the floor (more laughter – even from Tod) ... I know I'm an awesome kid (great laughter) I know I'm truly awesome because of how much chocolate I COULD eat, and I don't care if I get zits, because everyone my age gets zits and I would have awesome zits, I would have truly awesome chocolate zits!!”   By now everyone is roaring with laughter. 

I stand on tippy toe to tap on him ... ”this craving ... this chocolate craving ... my awesome chocolate craving ... my 6ft 3 awesome craving ... this chocolate biscuit off floor craving ... my chocolate zits craving that everyone would be jealous of because I would be so successful at it.”  He comes down to a 5.  

We do another round – no movement – another – nothing.  Hmm I think, and then I remember how he had to turn away from the class to take the bite from the candy bar ... am I looking at embarrassment?  I think so, so off we go away back to the Karate point.

“And even though I don't want them to see me munching into the bar `cause I'm kind-sorta embarrassed about wanting to gobble the whole bar then and there ... I'm still an awesome kid ... I'm an embarrassingly awesome kid!!”    We tap.  “They can only look at my back ... because they probably want to gobble up the bar as much as I do... & I'm kinda-sorta embarrassed ... but I'm awesomely embarrassed ... awesomely embarrassed, awesomely embarrassed.   He goes to a 1. 

When asked how much he still wants the candy bar he replies ...”Well, no I don't really want it at all any more.”  “Yeah Tod we'll believe THAT when we see it”  someone calls out. “Aw buzz off” he replies  “I can't help it if I don't want any more – something’s happened!!”  He starts to walk off but turns back and asks me, ”Hey, Miss Barry, this won't last forever will it?”  I raise my eyebrows and smile enigmatically.  “Who knows, Tod, who knows??”  “Oh God” he mutters as he walks back to his desk “what have I done?”   We had an awesomely great EFT class.

Later standing talking to their teacher as they tucked in to a supper to be followed by yet another class on How to Juggle, I feel a tug on my sleeve.

I look down to see a rather slight little red haired girl with large round glasses.  “Hello” I say “are you a chocoholic too?”  “Yes” she replies softly “yes, but I'm one of those,”  “those?” I ask,  “yes, you see I HAVE to hear the rustle otherwise I don`t enjoy the chocolate half as much and I thought I was the only person in the whole world and I was worried, but now I'm not.”.

What HAVE I done?

Jann Barry

More articles on Children's Issues

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