By Dr. Patricia Carrington
If EFT is important in your life, as it is in mine, you must surely have imagined what it would be like if EFT were made readily available to people facing emergency medical conditions. For many years, I have pictured desirable scenes which include the availability of EFT for patients in an Emergency Room, or for their distraught families in the waiting room; or have envisioned medics using EFT for patients in ambulances before they arrive at the hospital.
I have also thought about how it could be used pre-surgically and post-surgically and in connection with many different diagnostic procedures. There is no limit to the ideas one can come up with on this subject because this is such an obvious application of EFT, and will be so extremely practical when it occurs –– and it will occur, this is simply a matter of time and diligent work by those who recognize its value.
In my report to you today I have the satisfying experience of telling you about a recent EFT application within a hospital. The important thing about this story is that it is true. In order to protect the confidentiality of patients and the staff of that hospital I will disguise the name of the hospital and the very able EFT-practitioner nurse who has reported some exciting results.
“Chris” is a respected member of the staff in a community-based, nonprofit hospital that is more open to new ideas than most hospitals, although scarcely radical in its outlook. She directs an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program at that facility.
What is particularly important about what I am going to tell you is the manner in which Chris has introduced EFT into this hospital. The way she has done it can serve as a model to anyone attempting to bring EFT to medical settings. I think you will be interested in how she has gone about this.
The first important thing that Chris did was make sure that she learned EFT thoroughly herself and had used it on herself with excellent results, before trying it with others. She bought all of Gary Craig’s tapes, subscribed to and carefully studied every issue of Gary’s e-newsletter and of my own. She passed the Basic and Advanced examinations and earned both EFT Certificates of Completion –– proof that she has thoroughly studied and understood what Gary Craig is teaching in his fundamental courses.
She began using EFT on herself about two years ago but only ten months ago did she start using it with staff and patients in the hospital where she works. What she did in this respect teaches us a great deal. She did not rush to the hospital administrators enthusiastically recommending a new program that she wanted to institute there. Instead, she helpfully began to meet the needs of various staff members for assistance with some of their own personal issues or problems, when these arose.
When Chris heard of a staff member facing a problem causing them special stress she would often volunteer to help them with EFT. She used EFT initially for one staff member who had claustrophobia with some remarkable results and a friend of EFT was created then and there. She used it with another staff member who was experiencing dizziness and nausea because of her reaction to the death of her son’s close friend. After the woman tapped on that issue for a few rounds it entirely cleared up ––another friend of EFT had been born.
Chris then used it for flashbacks experienced by a staff member who had witnessed a woman killed in the street in front of her own home. This trauma was cleared up by the use of EFT and another friend of EFT was created within the hospital. Chris also used it on a nursing supervisor in the hospital who initially expressed total disbelief about EFT. This woman’s shoulder was frozen and she could not lift her arm. To start with she had a distress level of 8 (on a 10 point scale). Her immobility went down to a 5, then to a 2 on the second round, and this woman could now raise her arm above her head. Chris left the woman still skeptical, however, and when she returned the next day she told Chris that the pain was still there, but that she didn’t want to try EFT on it (some people’s prejudices die hard!.) Chris simply said, “Well, if you want to try it again let me know.” A few days later Chris received an email saying, “I believe in this… I think?” Chris worked with her again and she was able to make still more progress with her shoulder.
These are only a few of the instances where Chris has been able to help staff members and thereby gain support for EFT within the hospital. Gradually the word has been spreading about EFT. It has become known in different parts of the hospital because of firsthand experience, and now it is beginning to be used with patients.
Here is an example of how this “get to know EFT personally” policy has been working within the hospital. Recently a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit contacted Chris with regard to a problem she and other staff members were having with a particular patient. A woman in the ICU was experiencing severe nerve pain in her legs whenever her legs were touched, even with a feather touch. This presented a serious problem because the woman refused to get out of bed or do any physical therapy.
When Chris arrived at her room, the patient’s husband was present, trying to persuade her to get out of bed, but neither he nor the nurses were getting anywhere with this. Chris kept things simple. She said to the woman, “I know a technique that might help.” and the woman agreed to try it. She adopted the set-up phrase, “Even though I have this excruciating pain in my legs…” Initially her pain was a 10 on a 0-10 but it had gone to a “0” at the end of one round. She did not feel any pain whatsoever in her legs now –– one of those amazing occurrences that Gary Craig refers to as “one minute wonders.” The patient was incredulous, as was her husband and the nursing staff.
The patient’s pain returned a couple of days later when she was scheduled to have an ultrasound procedure on her legs. The nurse asked her if she would like some pain medication to help her undergo the procedure, but she said, “No, I want to do that tapping.” Chris had instructed a nurse on the unit in EFT and the latter was able to run the patient through EFT again. Once more it worked – the pain subsided to “0” and the patient was able to go through the ultrasound procedure without any difficulty.
This is only one of the instances where, right on the spot, in a hospital setting where it is so badly needed, EFT is now beginning to be used. I will have more to report about what Chris has been able to do in her hospital, in a future post.
In the meantime, I thank Chris in the name of all of us who respect EFT for what she is doing for the many future patients who will benefit from just such pioneering efforts.
EFT Master, Dr. Patricia Carrington
