Introducing the EFT Choices Method

The EFT Choices Method

Any truly effective method of treatment needs to expand its horizons as it goes along. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a remarkable stress management technique, and more so, it is a way of handling life-long emotional problems for people . It can often do so quickly and permanently. Many times I’ve spoken about how EFT revolutionized my practice as a clinical psychologist and continued to do so over the years.

However, a major technique such as EFT must move forward in its development and can only do so when we note its limitations and seek to correct them.

About a year after I began using the technique, I noticed that the EFT default phrase, “I deeply and completely accept myself” (the phrase repeated aloud while tapping on specific acupressure points) was excellent for many purposes, it simply does not work for everyone, or in all circumstances.

I discovered there was an eminent problem with the traditional style of affirmations. Because they are contrary to the fact, they deny a reality that some part of us knows to be true.

This is why, for many individuals, traditional affirmations often do not work well, or may not work at all.

When we attempt to make statements that are contrary to what we know is true, a persistent voice in the back of our minds inevitably whispers to us, “Oh yeah? What makes you think that?” This inner voice can negate the entire effect of the affirmation!

It is because of this conflict situation that “Choices” affirmations were developed, which have been effective for a much larger number of people.

Choices: More Productive Affirmations

The Choices method combines basic EFT with Choices affirmations, which has proven much more productive than just saying or thinking an affirmation without EFT.

This default phrase is a self-acceptance affirmation and as such can be very powerful. However, there are situations where it doesn’t apply and where using it can confuse a newcomer to EFT so much so that the person may abandon the practice of EFT at the outset.

In EFT, the tapping process is accompanied by the EFT Setup and Reminder Phrases, and “believable” phrases is essential.  The basic EFT Setup statement always begins with the words, “Even though….” and always ends with the affirmation, “I deeply and completely accept myself”.  This will often be meaningful to the person, but not always.

For example, when an EFT Statement is formulated as, “Even though my boss criticized me today, I deeply and completely accept myself.” it may make perfect sense to some and be very beneficial, but other people are so hard on themselves that the concept of accepting themselves seems impossible. For such people a different EFT phrase is obviously needed.

Also, there are a number of situations in which this self-acceptance phrase does not make sense to a person new to EFT. For example, EFT can be used to improve or eliminate certain pains or injuries, but when a person is asked to a repeat a phrase such as, “Even though my hand is throbbing, I deeply and completely accept myself,” it may not make sense to them and be resisted.

Given that this traditional EFT self-acceptance phrase is used universally for every single issue, it is remarkable that EFT brings the excellent results!

As a Clinical Psychologist using EFT with my clients in psychotherapy, I soon discovered better results when the person inserted their own positive affirmation into the EFT statement. This process became perfectly suited to the problem they were addressing.

For example, with the hand-throbbing incident, I would suggest an EFT statement such as, “Even though my hand is throbbing, I choose to have my hand feel comfortable and pain free.” This could make sense to the injured person; it would precisely express what they wanted to bring about – the cessation of pain and the healing of their hand.

It was through experimenting with my clients that the EFT Choices Method was born. In it, the person applying the method identifies the outcome that they would truly like to have for the problem at hand, and then puts this desired outcome into a sentence which commences with the words “I choose…”

Personal Positive Choices

It’s important to note that “I choose” is not used in traditional affirmations. The latter is a statement that is intentionally contrary to fact. For example, a person may be living in a dingy basement apartment and affirms, “I live in a beautiful sunny home.” That statement is intentionally contrary to fact. According to the rules of traditional affirmations, it should result in a subconscious self-programming to attract the “beautiful sunny” home of their dreams. All too often, however, the traditional affirmation can result in doubt and skepticism within the person who repeats it, particularly if it is in  sharp a contrast to their current state of affairs.

Since the person is telling themselves that they live in a beautiful sunny home, when in fact that is obviously not true, the traditional affirmation is apt to create what Gary Craig, the founder of EFT, refers to as a “Tail ender.” A little doubting self-statement in the back of one’s mind says, “Oh yeah?  I know that’s absurd!”, or “I’ll NEVER have that! ,“or “I feel like a fool for saying this.”

However, such self-doubts are stilled when you use the words “I choose…” at the beginning of the affirmation statement. For example, if that same person were to say, “Even though I live in a dingy basement apartment, I choose to live in a lovely sunny home.” This is immediately believable because it’s a rightful “choice” that doesn’t contradict the current situation.

In Closing

This method of injecting “Choices” into EFT soon developed into a definite protocol that was extremely effective, not only for my clients and workshop participants, but for many others as well. So, I formalized the Choices Method and began training other people to use it. It was quickly greeted with enthusiasm in the EFT community, and today many thousands of people use EFT Choices statements. In particular, psychotherapists, counselors, and personal performance coaches use the Choices Method because it so precisely targets their clients’ problems.

Gary Craig, founder of EFT, highly endorses this method.  It is clearly an important advance for EFT, and you can obtain authoritative instruction through my popular manual for the EFT Choices Method.

 

The EFT Choices Combination Package is the ideal way to learn the Choices Method and the perfect way to achieve mastery in your use of EFT.

This beautifully produced combination package includes the classic EFT Choices Training PDF Manual, the Choices Workshop Training Videos, and the EFT Choices in Action Audios. The widely acclaimed 115 page Choices Manual contains a wealth of highly usable information on “Choices.” Using the videos you participate in a “live” workshop on “The Choices Method.” The Choices in Action audios let you in on a “live” telephone session with me as I use the EFT Choices Method with one of my own clients. All for 39.95