My first introduction to EFT was from a magazine ad that was so vague I could not make heads or tails out of what it was saying, and quite honestly, I was skeptical. I understood a thought field from the ad and the rest was not making sense at all. As I look back at all of this, I realize that I was led to EFT. Unfortunately, because of the way it was originally presented, I had to get hit up side the head with the proverbial 2X4 to get my attention. Things have changed immensely since then.
Let’s rewind to 1992. The Gulf War was being waged, and much of my repressed fear and experiences of Vietnam were flying in my face. I was not in combat, and none-the-less, it was a terrifying trip for me. I was doing the usual talk therapy with some experiential group work mixed in, and while I made progress, something inside of me said there had to be a better way. Little did I realize that inner voice had put me on a quest to find the better way.
Now we fast forward to August 1997, and my first Transactional Analysis (TA) Conference. A man from Colorado offered to do a “mini-presentation” on this “tapping technique.” He spent no more than 15 minutes on it, told us how to formulate the phrase, and the points to tap on and that was it. No demonstration, no real teaching. I took some notes, played with it a bit that night and unconsciously dismissed it.
Six months later, I find myself on the Island of Jamaica at the winter TA gathering, and Jon is there. He does the same mini-presentation and later in the conference, we all go snorkeling, and yours truly arranged the event.
Now, in order to really appreciate what I am about to tell you, one must understand that I am not a good swimmer, even with a life jacket on. We were not in calm water, and I would not consider the water dangerous either. There were gently rolling waves. I experienced a little fear, and not scared enough to abort the adventure. Unfortunately, the water was at the temperature where your body starts to breath strangely, and fighting the waves wore me out. Eventually, I rolled over and signaled that I needed help. The young boat captain swam out to me and got me back on the boat.
As I settled on the boat, I started sobbing in terror and as I sobbed, two voices asked if they could tap on me. I readily agreed, and Jon and his wife start tapping on me and saying phrases. What happened next was very profound and amazing. I felt energy rushing “out of” my body, just like flushing the toilet, and the terror subsided, albeit momentarily. Two more rounds of tapping and the terror was not to be found.
Needless to say, the rest is history. Upon my return home, I located the web site, took the training, and transformed my practice from a purely traditional therapy model to one that incorporates all of the techniques I have learned to identify the issue, and then apply EFT, and I relish every moment of the transition.
EFT changed my life, and has changed the lives of all of my clients who have embraced this new technology. I invite you to give it a try. Find out for your self. Bring your skeptic. I welcome it!
