The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – created by Gary Craig

http://www.emofree.com

 “It’s In Here!”

Some Thoughts About An Important Aspect of EFT

In America, for decades, we have been conditioned to think that other people are responsible for how we feel.  The literature, the television shows, the movies, all tell us stories about how one person offends another, hurts another, makes another angry, sad or frustrated.  Our song lyrics, even the “good ones” say things like, “You light up my life.”, and “You make me so very happy!”, and “You broke my heart when you walked away.”

There are many people who work in the field of psychology and philosophy who study the actual process of thoughts and their relationship to emotions, who have for many decades known that this is not the way the system works.  In reality each of us creates our individual, internal reality.  Each of us makes choices, on a regular basis, about what to focus on, and how we will interpret what we see, hear and feel. 

In actuality thoughts lead to feelings and feelings are the shadows of thought.  If you are to feel an emotion of sadness, you need to focus on thoughts that you interpret as sad, or thoughts about a time in the past when you experienced sadness.  If you wish to feel joy you need to think about things that have happened which you interpret as being good and joyful.  There is nothing inherent about the thing you think of, which makes it a joyful thought.  It is how you think about it and interpret it that makes it joyful for you. 

For example, when asked to let themselves feel joy, some people focus on the first time the held a baby kitten.  For others the thought of holding a baby kitten brings up thoughts of responsibility, expense, and cleaning the carpets and furniture which will be soiled by the kitten. 

One of my favorite quotes from the book The Mirror Theory by Betsy Otter-Thompson is; “The moment you think that someone else has to change for you to be happy, the key to happiness is lost.”.  This is just one of many wonderful quotes which highlight the actuality that, “I cause my own pain, joy, sadness, contentment, frustration, elation, anger, guilt, and shame and joy.”.  I do this by choosing to focus on something and then interpreting it in a way which leads to one of those emotions.  Dr. Michael Ryce writes “If I am in pain, I am in error!” and he has created self-help worksheets which step people through the process of identifying exactly which thoughts are connected to which emotions and how that is causing pain and discomfort in their lives. www.whyagain.com 

Each time I say to someone, “You make me so angry.”  I am choosing to focus on them and their behavior as the cause of my anger and discomfort.  In doing this I prevent my self from seeing the true cause of my anger, which is always inside of me.  It is my thoughts which cause my emotions, not the actions or reactions of anyone else.  Each time I tell someone that they have offended me, I block myself from seeing the actual process of how I have chosen to take offense and then feel offended by what they have said or done.

Gary Craig, in his EFT DVD’s, repeatedly talks about how the source of all the discomfort a person feels is “a disruption in the body’s energy system.”  He teaches people the process of The Emotional Freedom Technique, (EFT), to help them remove the disruption in their body’s energy system.  This is a powerful process which I describe as; “Giving yourself an acupressure treatment for any physical, mental, or emotional discomfort”.

I have discovered an added benefit of the EFT process.  When you are tapping or rubbing on the acupressure points on your body, and repeating an affirmation which pairs the  problem with acceptance, love and forgiveness of self, you are physically pointing to the source of your discomfort!  You are continually tapping on YOUR body. You are not tapping on the body of the person who did something you chose to get angry about.  You are tapping on your body, as if to say, “It’s In Here!”, “The source, and therefore the solution to my pain, Is In Here!”

I have found that adding, “It’s In Here!” to my affirmations has helped reinforce the knowledge that I am creating, and therefore can eliminate, most of my pain and discomfort, whether it is physical, mental or emotional.  I alternate using this affirmation in addition to, and instead of, the standard affirmation format recommended in the EFT manual.  When I focus on the anger I am feeling, about something someone said or did, I begin tapping and say The Setup Phrase, “Even though I am angry about what they said, I deeply and completely love, accept and forgive myself, and I know, “It’s In Here!”  Then my reminder phrase is something like, “This anger, that’s In Here”.

Remember that whenever you are using the Emotional Freedom Technique, you are physically pointing to the source of your pain and discomfort.  It may help to verbally remind yourself that, “It’s In Here!”

Thanks for reading, and Happy Tapping!

We come from Love, we are made of Love, we are Love.  Everything else is false.