Will Illness Respond to EFT?

EFT for Rare or Specific Illnesses

 

In this article, I address one of the most frequent questions asked of me by the many people.  They want to know whether EFT can be used for one or another specific medical condition that they suffer from or that someone close to them does.

Very often people write to ask me whether EFT can be helpful for a specific physical condition, often it is a serious one.  Many of the conditions they mention are so rare that, not being a medical doctor, I may not have even heard of them, however, their questions are legitimate ones.  The only trouble is that they are futile.

This is because we simply don’t know whether EFT is useful for most medical conditions, and if the condition is rare, the answer is almost certain to be unanswerable.  While we do have clinical evidence that EFT has been effective, sometimes remarkably so, in helping some of the more common ailments, even in such instances we have no statistics to tell us how OFTEN it is likely to be effective.  When people ask me about the use of EFT for familiar physical conditions, I direct them to do a search using their condition as a keyword with “EFT.”

When people are inquiring about EFT’s use for specific conditions that are NOT reported, however, I offer them an analogy.  It would be futile, for instance, to write to the Bayer Aspirin company inquiring whether aspirin is effective for reducing the pain of a specific type of fracture or a tumor that was pressing on some organs creating pain, or ANY OTHER SPECIFIC CONDITION.  This is because aspirin, like any other painkilling substance whether it be chemical or organic, is NONSPECIFIC in its action — it’s action is not directed to any particular illness or medical condition.

Similarly, provided EFT should not be used for a given person, and there are almost no conditions that we know of where that may be the case (one type where the use of EFT may be contraindicated are some forms of  epilepsy, although EFT can be extremely effective for these same conditions if the proper precautions are used)  — then I advise the person to view EFT as a generalized healing intervention that can’t be pegged to a specific illness.  It is likely that an imbalance in the energy system may be “righted” by EFT and that it can therefore be useful for an almost unlimited number of conditions.  The only answer to whether EFT can be applied under any specific condition is to TRY IT and see what happens, (provided, as I have said, that there is no medical reason why this should not be done).

Identify Underlying Emotional Issues

 

We can also attempt to identify any emotional issue underlying the physical condition and tap on THAT.  This is often an excellent strategy.  However, it is not always easy to accomplish because when emotional distress has been converted by the organism into physical manifestations such as illnesses, pain etc. this is usually either because the emotional distress is not accessible to the person’s conscious mind, due to stemming from a time so early in life that it is not recognized, or because the emotion is so painful that awareness of it must be avoided and can only be dealt with in the form of bodily symptoms.

When handling physical conditions with EFT, therefore, one of the first things I advise is to attempt address any awareness at all of an emotional cause that may underlie it.  Take a GUESS at what the emotional issue underlying the physical condition would be, if, off the top of your head, you DID know it.  This is a very clever strategy that frequently works and should always be tried.  Nevertheless, it doesn’t ALWAYS work, and so I advise the following type of set-up phrase this strategy fails. Here are some examples of such phrases:

“Even though I have no idea what feelings might be causing this, I choose to bring comfort and healing to those feelings.” Or, “Even though I have no idea what feelings might be causing this, I choose to let myself know where I need attention and give myself love and support there.”

Another useful strategy can be to place the emotional issue “into” the affected body part, and tapping on that. For example, if a person who has severe pain in his knees, were distressed by a memory of a time when his mother made fun of them in front of his friends, a useful set-up phrase for him might be:

“Even though my mother made fun of me in front of my friends, I choose to let go of ‘mother in my knees”  That person would then repeat, “Mother in my knees“… at each tapping point. This strategy can be particularly effective because it takes the person off guard and really speaks to the problem.

Addressing Attitudes about an Illness with EFT

 

A major area that responds to EFT is the person’s attitude toward an illness. No matter how serious or life threatening a physical condition may be, the person’s ATTITUDE towards it is an enormous contributing factor which, if it becomes positive, can lead to recovery or at least, to a much more satisfactory way of handling the illness.

Here are some of the issues that can be usefully addressed by EFT in illness or injury:

Discouragement

 

If the condition has been long-standing, and the person has consulted many physicians or others, he or she may well have become discouraged, depressed or feel hopeless about ever finding a solution to the problem. If it is present, this hopelessness should be the first thing one tackles because it can seriously undermine any subsequent EFT work.

Some of the set-up phrases that can be useful for this purpose are:

• “Even though I don’t think anything is going to help me, I choose to be surprised by a new possibility for healing”.
• “Even though I don’t think anything is going to work for me, I choose to be open to some important new solutions.”
• “Even though I don’t think anything is going to work for me, I choose to feel surprising optimism and a deep sense of hope.”

 

Anger at the Illness

 

A frequent result of illness or injury is a sense of outrage at the situation. Some of the set-up phrases that can be used for this are:

• “Even though I’m furious at this pain (distress, etc) I choose to accept my anger as entirely normal and forgive myself”.
• “Even though I’m enraged at having this condition, I choose to honor my anger and go on from there.”
• “Even though I’m at the end of my rope with this, I choose to be patient and understanding with myself and do something wonderfully constructive for myself TODAY.”
• “Even though I feel I can’t stand it another moment, I choose to be aware of my own strength and stamina and contact the inner peaceful core of myself.”
• “Even though I’m outraged at what is happening to my body, I choose to be continuously in contact with my Higher (spirit, etc.) Self and derive great beauty from it.”

 

Anger at Physicians or Care Givers

 

Rage at people who seem to have let the person down, such as doctors who failed to diagnose correctly or prescribed incorrect treatment, can be a contaminating factor that hampers the recovery of any ill person. Some useful set-up phrases for this can be:

• “Even though I’m furious at (doctor, nurse etc.) for making that mistake, I choose to accept it, and go on, and become strong and healthy.”
• “Even though I’m furious at (doctor, nurse etc.), I choose to let it go, and allow healing to occur throughout my whole being.”

Enforced Dependency

 

A negative aspect of many illnesses is the unwelcome dependence upon others it causes. Some EFT setup phrases for this are:
 

•  “Even though I hate to have to depend on others this way, I choose to find an increasing number of small things that I can do for myself VERY SATISFACTORILY.”
• “Even though I hate to have to depend on others this way, I choose to use this situation to learn how to receive from others, and from life (the universe, etc.).”
• “Even though I hate to have to depend on others, I choose to learn something absolutely essential for my life from this.”
• “Even though I hate to have to depend on others this way, I choose to accept this situation as having a meaning which I don’t understand at the moment.”

The Importance of Regular Tapping

 

If, after doing some EFT tapping, you find some temporary relief from discomfort or pain, and it seems to come back, remember to do EFT tapping regularly.  Be vigilant in tapping, and vigilant in exploring any and all possible underlying emotional issues that might be related to the condition, which you can tap on. 

These are just some of the ways that EFT can be of help in conditions of illness or injury. There are many others. (This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician, or another qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or emotional condition of yourself or a young person in your care.)

 

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