New EFT Level 1 Manual

EMOTIONAL FREEDOM
TECHNIQUES
EFT Level 1+ Manual

To the syllabus of the AAMET
(Revision 1.1)
September 2011
Andy Hunt
Practical Wellbeing
www.practicalwellbeing.co.uk
Dedicated to Karen
Partner, friend and proofreader extraordinaire.
Finder (and forgiver) of my many mistakes
and author of much happiness.
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................... 5
The Origins Of EFT......................................................................................... 6
THE DISCOVERY STATEMENT....................................................................................8
The Basic Recipe............................................................................................ 9
THE SETUP.............................................................................................................9
THE SEQUENCE.....................................................................................................12
THE 9 GAMUT PROCEDURE....................................................................................13
THE SEQUENCE (AGAIN)........................................................................................14
THE REMINDER PHRASE.........................................................................................15
SUBSEQUENT ROUND ADJUSTMENTS.......................................................................15
SUDS MEASURING YOUR PROGRESS....................................................................17
PSYCHOLOGICAL REVERSAL.....................................................................................17
Short Cut EFT............................................................................................... 19
1. AWARENESS.......................................................................................................19
2. BALANCING.......................................................................................................19
3. CLEARING.........................................................................................................21
How To Clear Negative Memories................................................................26
THE MOVIE TECHNIQUE........................................................................................29
The Personal Peace Procedure.................................................................... 34
EFT For Physical Issues................................................................................ 37
Improving Your Results............................................................................... 39
How To Tackle Problems............................................................................. 44
DIVIDE AND CONQUER..........................................................................................44
THE FIVE STEP PROGRAM.......................................................................................45
THE TAPPING WORKSHEET.....................................................................................46
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THE ABOUT, TO, AS IF PROCESS.......................................................................53

Variations On A Theme................................................................................ 55
FINGERTIP EFT.....................................................................................................55
SIMPLE ANXIETY RELIEVER......................................................................................56
Frequently Asked Questions........................................................................ 57
Troubleshooting........................................................................................... 61
Developing Your EFT Skills......................................................................... 62
EFT Level 2 Training.................................................................................... 63
And Finally .................................................................................................. 64
Introduction
This manual is designed to give you an introduction to Emotional
Freedom Techniques (EFT) according to the EFT Level 1 Syllabus
promoted by the Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy
Techniques (AAMET).
EFT is a simple and effective self help and therapeutic tool. An EFT Level 1
Training is designed to let you use EFT for yourself, family and friends for
a wide variety of everyday difficulties including resolving difficult
memories, working with physical issues and cravings.
EFT is a technique that can be used in a therapeutic setting however it is
not a therapy in and of itself. If you want to develop your use of EFT in a
professional or therapeutic setting you will need to take an EFT Level 2
training to expand your skills and practice.
AAMET
The Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Techniques
AAMET was founded in 1999, and is recognised as the largest professional
Association worldwide supporting all Meridian Energy Therapies,
including Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). AAMET is set up
to promote ethical practice, to support its members and forge links with
professional organisations.
Disclaimer
Please note that while EFT can help a multitude of problems, it is not to
be used as replacement to medical treatment, but can usually be used in
conjunction with it. Discuss these issues with your therapist or doctor.
When you use these techniques on yourself, please take full responsibility
for your physical and emotional well being. Exercise common sense on
the issues you choose to work with. Contact an EFT practitioner if you
need advice or assistance.
5
The Origins Of EFT

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a member of the Meridian
Energy Therapies including Thought Field Therapy (TFT), Tapas
Acupressure Techniques (TAT) which have been developed over the last
couple of decades. These psychological therapies derived from medical
energy techniques such as acupuncture and shiatsu.
In shiatsu and acupuncture, pressure (or needles) are applied to specific
points on the body aligned with a 'subtle energy' system. In the Chinese
and Japanese systems these pressure points are aligned along meridians.
By stimulating the energy system, acupressure / acupuncture / shiatsu and
other techniques influence the health of the body.
Meridian Energy Therapies use this meridian system to stimulate the
'energy' system to resolve negative emotional responses by balancing
disturbances in the energy system which is at the root of our experience of
negative emotions.
EFT has been described as emotional acupuncture without the needles.
A psychologist, Dr Roger Callahan, was exploring different ways using the
meridian system to help people for whom conventional talking therapy
was not very helpful. In the 1980s he used this new therapy on a patient
called Mary, who was suffering from an intense water phobia and who had
been receiving conventional therapy without results for some years.
By tapping on the meridian point just below her eye, Callahan successfully
and unexpectedly resolved her phobia. He spent the next 10 years
developing his approach calling it Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Gary
Craig learned TFT, refining and simplifying it into Emotional Freedom
Techniques (EFT). In stark contrast to the proprietary versions of these
therapies requiring extensive and expensive trainings he gave EFT away
freely to all.
Even though EFT violates just about every conventional

belief out there, the results remain remarkable. EFT isn't
perfect, of course. We don't get 100%. But it usually works
well and the results are sometimes spectacular. It often
works where nothing else will.
We are still learning why EFT works so well. It centers
around the profound effects of the body's subtle energies
using the theory that "the cause of all negative emotions is
a disruption in the body's energy system." Accordingly, EFT
is an emotional form of acupuncture except that we don't
use needles. Instead, we tap with the fingertips to stimulate
certain meridian energy points while the client is "tuned
in" to the problem.
Compared to other techniques, EFT is usually quite gentle
and substantial relief is often achieved with little or no
pain.
Gary Craig, Developer of EFT
The Discovery Statement

The Discovery Statement is the fundamental presupposition or operating
belief of EFT (and other energy psychology techniques)
The cause of all negative

emotions is a disruption in the
body's energy system.
If you are conventionally trained in the mental health field, this may
appear to be a ridiculously simple and naive statement. However working
from this perspective allows the EFT Practitioner to work on a wide variety
of problems using a single technique.
Rather than look for specific causes for different problems, EFT
practitioners assume that the disruption in the energy system is the
primary factor, resolving that disruption clears the presenting problem
whatever that might be.
The Basic Recipe

The Basic Recipe is the original version of EFT. It is included here as it is
the foundation of all the later short cut versions that have been derived
since. Although it looks a little complicated at first glance, with practice,
each round can be performed in about one minute.
The Basic Recipe is broken into four parts:
1. The Setup
2. The Sequence
3. The 9 Gamut Procedure
4. The Sequence (repeated)
The Setup
The Setup is designed to prepare your system for the tapping. It is
designed to take care of something EFT Practitioners call Psychological
Reversal (PR) which are hidden blocks to the tapping process. These
reversals are unconscious blocks to recovery, they are not present all the
time or in all situations but they are dealt with at the start of a tapping
routine as a matter of course.
EFT works on the assumption that Psychological Reversal is present,
whether it is or not, and treats it accordingly, the process takes only a few
moments and no harm is done if there is no reversal.
The Setup has two parts an affirmation and rubbing a 'sore spot' or tapping on
the side of the hand.
The Affirmation
As PR is caused by unconscious negative thinking, the correction for it
includes an affirmation which helps address those blocking thoughts.
Even though I have this _____________, I deeply and
completely accept myself.
The blank is filled in with a brief description of the problem you want to
address.
For example.
Even though I have this fear of public speaking, I deeply and
Even though I have this headache, I deeply and completely
accept myself.
Even though I have this anger towards my father, I deeply and
Even though I have this stiffness in my neck, I deeply and
You can also use:
I accept myself even though I have this_________.
Even though I have this ___________, I deeply and profoundly
accept myself.
I love and accept
this_______________.
myself
even
though
have
All these affirmations have a similar pattern, they acknowledge the

problem and affirm self acceptance in spite of the problem.
Some things to remember about the affirmation:
It doesn't matter whether you believe the affirmation or not just

say it.
It is better to say it with feeling and emphasis but saying it

normally will usually work well enough.
It works best to say it out loud. If you are in a social situation you
can say it quietly, or silently - though that might be a little less
effective.
While you are saying the affirmation you are simultaneously rubbing the
"Sore Spot", or tapping on the "Karate Chop" point.
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The Sore Spot

There are two sore spots located in the
upper quadrants of the chest. Go about
three inches down and to the left or right
of the top of your breastbone.
Press around with a couple of fingertips in
that general area and you will find a spot
that is tender to the touch.
It shouldn't be painful, though it may be a
little uncomfortable. Adjust the pressure of
your touch accordingly.
If you have had any surgery in that area or
there is some other reason for not applying
pressure in that area tap on the Karate
Chop Point instead
The Karate Chop Point

The Karate Chop point (KC) is on the
fleshy part of the outside of either hand
between the top of the wrist and the
base of the little finger.
Rather than rub the Karate Chop Point
you vigorously tap it with the fingers of
the other hand. Use your writing hand
to do the tapping on the KC point of the non-writing hand.
In the original Basic Recipe the Sore Spot was the point of choice. As time
has passed the Karate Chop Point has become the favoured method in the
Setup because it is much more convenient, especially in group work. The
various short cut methods use the Karate Chop point exclusively.
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The Sequence
The Sequence is the tapping part of the process. Using your fingertips to
tap on the end points of the major energy meridians in the body. This is
the method by which the negative emotions are softened and released.
Tapping Tips
You can tap with either hand but it is easier to use your writing
hand.
Tap with the fingertips of your index and middle finger.
Tap solidly. You should feel a little 'bump' against the underlying
bone when you tap. Don't tap so hard that you hurt yourself.
Tap about seven times on each of the tapping points.
Most of the tapping points are on either side of the body. It

doesn't matter which side you use or if you switch sides during
The Sequence.
The Points
In acupuncture each energy meridian has two end points. For the the
Basic Recipe, we only tap on one end of the meridian to get the soothing
effect.
The end points of those meridians that we use (in the order in which they
are tapped) in the The Sequence.
Face and body points
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At the beginning of the

eyebrow, just above and to one
side of the nose.
On the bone bordering the

outside corner of the eye.
On the bone under an eye

about 1 inch below your pupil.
On the small area between the

bottom of your nose and the
top of your upper lip.
Midway between the point of your chin and the bottom of your
lower lip.
The junction where the breastbone, collarbone and the first rib
meet.
On the side of the body, at a point even with the nipple (for men)
or in the middle of the bra strap (for women). It is about 4 inches
below the armpit.
Hand points
On the outside edge of your

thumb at a point even with the
base of the thumbnail.
On the side of your index

finger (the side facing your
thumb) at a point even with
the base of the fingernail.
On the side of your middle

finger (the side closest to your
thumb) at a point even with
the base of the fingernail.
On the inside of your little

finger (the side closest to your thumb) at a point even with the
base of the fingernail.
The last point is the gamut point which is used in the 9 Gamut Procedure.
Each of these points is tapped about seven times through the sequence.
The 9 Gamut Procedure

The 9 Gamut Procedure is the most bizarre looking process within EFT. It
is designed to get as much of your brain to participate in the healing
process as possible and does this using a variety of eye movement and
humming and counting.
Moving your eyes in different directions engages different parts of your
brain, accessing visual, auditory and other systems. When humming or
counting we are also accessing different mental systems. Combining these
13
with tapping provides a deeper stimulation of the nervous system by the

tapping.
The 9 Gamut Procedure lasts about ten seconds but allows nine of these
brain accessing functions to be performed while continuously tapping on
the Gamut point.
The Gamut point, is on the back of either hand in the groove just behind
the knuckles of the ring and little finger.
This routine is sandwiched between two rounds of The Sequence.
Looking straight ahead, holding your head steady do the following 9
actions while tapping continuously on the Gamut point.
1. Eyes closed.
2. Eyes open.
3. Eyes looking hard down right.
4. Eyes looking hard down left.
5. Roll eyes in a circle as though your nose was at the centre of a
clock and you were trying to see all the numbers in order.
6. Roll your eyes in a circle in the opposite direction..
7. Hum two seconds of a song (perhaps Happy Birthday).
8. Count rapidly from one to five.
9. Hum two seconds of a song again.
Following those steps while tapping on the gamut spot completes the 9
Gamut process.
The Sequence (again)

Finally tap through the tapping points of the sequence again to complete
'the sandwich' of the basic recipe.
Once memorized the Basic Recipe can be applied to an almost endless list
of emotional and physical problems and provides relief from most of
them.
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The Reminder Phrase

Not surprisingly the Setup, Sequence, 9 Gamut and Sequence again can
be quite distracting. In order for the tapping to work the issue being
tapped on needs to be in awareness to be available to the tapping. To
keep awareness focussed on the issue we use The Reminder Phrase.
Remember the Discovery Statement states that "The cause of all negative
emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system." When we tune into
certain thoughts, memories or circumstances the disruption in our system
is caused and we feel the negative emotion associated with it.
If we are not tuned into the issue, we do not get the disruption in our
system so the tapping will not work. To tune into an issue all you have to
do is think about it, or remember it, or attend to the sensations that go
with it.
This might be difficult to do while tapping, humming etc. so to keep the
issue in mind we use a Reminder Phrase to keep the issue within our
mental view finder. The Reminder Phrase is a word or short phrase that
describes the problem and you repeat this word out loud as you are
tapping on each of the meridian points. This reminds your system what
you are tapping for.
The best Reminder Phrase to use is the name for the problem you choose
for the affirmation you use in The Setup.
For example, if you are resolving a fear of public speaking, The Setup
would be:
Even though I have this fear of public speaking, I deeply and
The words fear of public speaking make a good Reminder Phrase. If
possible it is best to use the words you used in The Setup. The Reminder
Phrase will help your unconscious mind keep the disruption pattern going
so that it can be neutralised by the tapping.
Subsequent Round Adjustments

It is possible, though unlikely, that one round of EFT will completely
resolve some issue. In most cases more rounds are required. After one
round there will usually be at least some relief from the issue being
15
tapped on. To get the best results for subsequent rounds we need to
make adjustments to some of the wording of The Setup and The
Reminder Phrase.
One reason that the first round might not completely clear the issue is
because a different aspect of Psychological Reversal appears and blocks
remaining progress. To acknowledge the progress made and address any
new blocks we change the form of The Setup Statement and the Reminder
Phrase.
The Setup Phrase now becomes:
Even though I still have some of this __________, I deeply and
Note the emphasised words (still & some) and how they change the thrust
of the affirmation toward the remainder of the problem.
Some examples:
Even though I still have some of this fear of public speaking, I
deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I still have some of this headache, I deeply and
Even though I still have some of this anger towards my father, I
Even though I still have some of this stiffness in my neck, I
To adjust the Reminder Phrase just add remaining in front of the original
reminder phrase.
For example:
remaining fear of public speaking
remaining headache
remaining anger towards my father
remaining stiffness in my neck
Continue to apply rounds of the Basic Recipe until the issue diminishes
completely.
16
SUDs Measuring Your Progress

In EFT you enquire of the client how intense some emotion or thought is
on a scale of 0 to 10. This is sometimes called the Subjective Units of
Discomfort or SUDs scale. I think discomfort is the right word, to have any
negative reaction there must be a level of discomfort in the body.
Remember an embarrassing situation you were in you probably know
you were embarrassed because you can feel it in your body, perhaps your
heart sank or your ears went pink.
Your thoughts change your biochemistry, which effects your body, those
sensations are then experienced as feelings. To be aware of an irritation
there has to be a little discharge of stress chemicals into your system,
which you are picking up in your awareness.
A SUDs scale is a subjective way of measuring how intense a memory,
feeling, symptom is on a 0-10 scale. It is completely subjective one peson's
4 may be another person's 8 the point of measuring in this way is to give
you or the person you are tapping with a way of measuring progress.
Psychological Reversal
Psychological Reversal (PR) is one of the concepts taken from Dr Roger
Callahan's Though Field Therapy (TFT). Understanding the concepts of PR
helps us make quicker progress in resolving difficulties.
Energetic explanation of PR
Originally PR was explained as a 'polarity reversal' within your energy
system as if the energy was trying to flow backwards. As an analogy think
of when you put the batteries into a camera or radio, if you don't line up
the batteries correctly the device wont work properly, even though there
is nothing wrong with the device or the batteries. It is suggested that if
this energy reversal is present then progress is blocked until that reversal
is cleared.
Since this explanation was suggested acupuncturists have disputed the
notion of energy going backwards which is not a concept that fits in with
the Chinese Traditional Medicine model on which acupuncture and EFT is
based.
17
Psychological explanation of PR
Later explanations are more psychologically oriented and the energetic
explanations are being superseded. In these explanations Psychological
Reversal is a manifestation of limiting beliefs, secondary gains or other
blocks getting in the way of progress.
Blocking beliefs may include:
I don't believe I can get over this problem.
I don't deserve to get over this problem.
It's not safe for me to get over this problem.
Other people need me to keep this problem.
I'd be a different person if I got over this problem.
Effects of PR
Whatever the explanation, we probably all know people who can't,
won't or don't want to get well. This is often put down to lack of will
power or some sort of character flaw but are more likely to be the result
of unconscious processes that are getting in the way of recovery.
Correcting PR
The Setup is designed to take care of any PR at the start of each round of
tapping whether it is present or not. Since the Setup is quite quick it is far
easier to include it whether it is needed or not than to discover if
someone is reversed on a particular issue.
You may notice that experienced EFT Practitioners don't always use the
Setup. This is because they are confident that PR is not an issue in this
case or has been cleared. It can always be re-introduced if necessary.
However, if progress is still blocked a practitioner may go on to explore
and resolve blocking beliefs in more detail.
18
Short Cut EFT

In the years since the Basic Recipe was invented EFT Practitioners have
been experimenting with shorter and simpler versions of the process so
called Short cut EFT.
One short cut version of EFT that is in common use is The AwarenessBalancing-Clearing or ABC model of EFT developed by EFT Master
Gwyneth Moss.
1. Awareness
To eliminate the disturbance in the energy system you first need to make
it available by bringing it into awareness. This is very simple, all you need
to do is think about it. Once you're aware of it, it's useful to measure the
strength of the problem so that you can track your progress as the energy
system is balanced. This is done using a simple 0-10 scale, where 0 is no
discomfort, and 10 is the maximum possible distress.
For example, if you wanted to work on a troublesome memory, bring it to
mind and ask yourself: On a scale of 0 to 10 , how bad is this memory
right now?. This isn't a rigorous scientific measure, a feeling or a guess
will do just fine.
After each round of EFT use this technique to measure the intensity of
your issue. When the intensity is down, or close, to zero you know you've
succeeded.
2. Balancing
Now you have the problem in mind you need to prepare your energy system.
This routine (sometimes called The Setup) makes sure your energy system is
prepared before you attempt to clear its disruptions.
In particular it removes Psychological Reversal (PR) a barrier to the effectiveness
of the tapping, which is caused by self-defeating, negative thinking, which often
occurs subconsciously and outside of your awareness. Some people have very
little of it (this is rare), others are beset by it (this also is rare), most people fall
somewhere in between these two extremes.
PR doesn't create any feelings within you, so you won't know if it is present, or
not, and even the most positive people are subject to it. When PR is present it
19
will stop any attempt at healing, including EFT, dead in its tracks, so it must be
corrected. Fortunately balancing the system is easy, all you have to do is:
1. Repeat an affirmation, or Setup Statement, three times.
2. Simultaneously tap the "Karate Chop" point.
The Setup Statement

Since the cause of Psychological Reversal involves negative thinking, the
correction for it includes a neutralising affirmation.
Even though I have this __________, I accept myself and how I feel
The blank is filled in with a brief description of the problem you want to address;
for example:
Even though I have this fear of public speaking, I accept myself and
how I feel.
Even though I have this headache, I accept myself and how I feel.
Even though I have this anger towards my father, I accept myself
and how I feel.
Even though I have this traumatic memory I accept myself and how I
feel.
Even though I have this fear of spiders, I accept myself and how I
feel.
The Karate Chop Point

The Karate Chop point (abbreviated KC) is
located at the centre of the fleshy part of
the outside of your hand between the top
of the wrist and the base of the little finger,
the part of your hand you would use to
deliver a karate chop. Vigorously tap the
Karate Chop point with the fingertips of
the index and middle finger of the other
hand.
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The Reminder Phrase

To work properly you need to keep the problem issue in mind while you
run through the clearing process (see below). To make that easy EFT uses
a 'Reminder Phrase' to keep the mind tuned in to the issue. It is simply a
word, or short phrase, that describes the problem and that you repeat out
loud each time you tap one of the meridian points. In this way you
continually "remind" your system about the problem you are working on.
The best Reminder Phrase to use is the one you choose for the affirmation
in The Setup. For example, if you are working on a fear of public
speaking, The Setup affirmation would go like this:
Even though I have this fear of public speaking, I accept
myself and how I feel.
Within this affirmation, the words - fear of public speaking - are
ideal for use as the Reminder Phrase. Here are a few more
samples taken from the selection of Setup Statements:
headache
anger towards my father
traumatic memory
fear of spiders
Once you've completed the balancing routine, and you have your
remainder phrase, you can continue to the next stage of the
process.
3. Clearing
Now you are ready to clear the imbalance in the energy system using the
clearing process. Clearing is very simple, it involves tapping on the end
points of the major energy meridians to balance the energy system whilst
repeating the reminder phrase. The points are described here and can be
seen on the diagram.
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Points on the face and body:
Eyebrow, end of brow where it

meets the top of the nose.
Side of the eye, bone at the

outer edge of the eye.
Under the eye, directly below

the centre of the eye on the
bone of the eye socket.
Under the nose, the crease

below the nose and upper lip.
Chin, under the lower lip and

above chin.
Collar bone, where the collar bone meets the sternum.
Under the arm, side of the body in line with the nipple on a man
or on the bra strap on a woman.
Top of head, at the crown of the head.
Tap with the fingertips of your index finger and middle finger, to allow
you to cover the tapping points more easily. Tap solidly (but never so
hard as to hurt or bruise yourself) about 7 times on each of the tapping
points; either side of the body, so it doesn't matter which side you use nor
does it matter if you switch sides during the sequence.
That's the end of one round of EFT.
If you need more than one round of tapping.
Let's say you are using the EFT process for some problem (fear, headache,
anger, etc.), sometimes the problem will vanish after just one round, at
other times, one round provides only partial relief, so you will need to do
one, or more, additional rounds.
Those subsequent rounds need to be adjusted slightly for best results.
One of the main reasons why the first round doesn't always completely
eliminate the problem is because Psychological Reversal blocks any
remaining progress.
You have already made some headway but Psychological Reversal
keeps you from getting any better. Subsequent rounds need to address
22
the fact that you are working on the remaining problem. So adjust the
affirmation contained in the balancing section as follows.
Even though I still have some of this _________, I accept
Please note the emphasized words (still & some) and how they change
the emphasis of the affirmation toward the remainder of the problem.
Even though I still have some of this fear of public speaking, I
accept myself and how I feel.
Even though I still have some of this headache, I accept myself
and how I feel.
Even though I still have some of this anger towards my father,
I accept myself and how I feel.
Even though I still have some of this traumatic memory, I
accept myself and how I feel.
Even though I still have some of this fear of spiders, I accept
The Reminder Phrases are also easily adjusted
remaining headache
remaining anger towards my father
remaining traumatic memory
remaining fear of spiders
Now when you proceed with the next round of tapping you will
be working on the remainder of the problem. If that still isn't
enough you might need to do even more rounds of tapping.
Sometimes relief is quick and sometimes it takes persistence.
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Quick Summary
1. Select your issue, bring it into awareness and make it specific. Become
aware of it's intensity
2. Tap the Karate Chop spot whilst repeating the Setup Phrase: Even
though I have this .... etc.
3. Tap the meridian points whilst repeating the Reminder Phrase.
4. Check the intensity of the issue now.
5. If necessary, adjust the setup and reminder phrase and repeat.
24
Macbeth:
How does your patient, doctor?
Doctor:
Not so sick, my lord,
As she is troubled with thick coming fancies,
That keep her from her rest.
Macbeth:
Cure her of that.
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased,
Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,
Raze out the written troubles of the brain
And with some sweet oblivious antidote
Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart?
William Shakespeare
25
How To Clear Negative Memories

We have all had stressful experiences in the past, sometimes remembering them
brings back the unpleasant emotions that went with the original experience. We
can use EFT to clear the negative emotions that are 'stuck' to that memory, so
that it can become just a memory.
Why are some memories troubling?

Some memories have more impact than others. When we look back at happy
events we can bathe in the warm glow of the memory. When we look back at
more troubling memories they can sometimes hold us in very difficult emotions.
Even many years after a traumatic event the memories of those times can conjure
up all the unpleasant emotions that went with the original experience.
Traumatic memories are particularly vivid. You can probably remember what you
were doing when you heard about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Centre or the death of Princess Diana. There's a good reason for this. We have
evolved to take particular note of dangerous situations. In our pre-history if we
were made wary of danger then we stood a better chance of steering clear of
trouble later. A strong memory for the dangerous is very good for our survival.
When we experience a trauma, it could be a trauma with a capital T or a trauma
with a little t, our nervous systems produce adrenaline to prime us for flight or
fight. One of the side effects of adrenaline is that it fixes vivid memories in our
brain.
Taking the sting out of these memories has been difficult up to now. The
memory storage mechanism is in the emotional part of the brain, quite separate
from our thinking brain. Which is why talking about our traumas has little effect
because we are talking to the wrong part of the brain.
Fortunately EFT sidesteps the thinking mind and directly addresses the
neurology of those stuck memories. When the memory is activated all the
negative emotions that are attached to it can be neutralised. After a careful
application of EFT the memory is once again just a memory.
Why bother neutralising a memory?

Why not let sleeping dogs lie? If the memories did lie sleeping that might be a
solution, it is the solution that many people try to adopt.
Fortunately for us there is a part of our brain that is ever on the lookout for
problems we may have had before, ready to alert us to impending danger. It has
26
kept a faithful record of all signs of the things that were threatening to us before.
Unfortunately for us, it's a response to perceived danger is to recall the original
feelings that went with the experience. If we get triggered often that can make
life very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, we are not in control of the triggers, our
environment may be full of reminders that trigger our memories.
For example: If you were badly scared by a dog when you were a child, the
memory of the dog will be imprinted on your mind by the adrenaline. After some
years the specific memory of the dog fades into the background. However, part
of your mind rings alarm bells every time a dog is near. Maybe the sound of a
dog barking, the sight of a dog or even somebody mentioning the word dog, sets
your mental alarm bells ringing. You might feel anxious or even terrified and not
know why. The trigger sets off the memory which releases the stress hormones.
Perhaps that's an extreme example, but we all have incidents that leave an
impression on our minds. Arguments with a spouse or boss, near misses in a car,
accidents and shocks, the not-so-nice parts of everyday life. Every time we
remember those occasions, whether deliberately or because we've been
reminded of them we get a little (or large) pulse of stress hormones into our
system. Stress hormones take their toll on our mental and physical well being.
What if we could take the emotional charge off a memory. No more emotional
reaction. No more stress hormones. Just a neutral memory. We would be much
more comfortable mentally and physically. EFT allows us to do that. You won't
lose the memory, EFT doesn't give you amnesia but it will remove the charge.
As if having a negative charge on a memory wasn't bad enough there is another
problem with big 'T' or little 't' traumas. When we are having that experience we
are very suggestible and jump to conclusions about what is going on. Especially
childhood experiences, we take on a child's understanding of the traumatic
situation and hold on to that understanding whether it is right or wrong.
Returning to our example of a child being scared by a dog. Let's imagine for a
moment that one of the adults around at the time thought that you had
provoked the dog and yelled at you, perhaps out of fright, "HOW COULD YOU
BE SO STUPID?". In your suggestible state you would have taken on the belief
that you were stupid without question. Now you have a very limiting belief glued
in place by a powerful and traumatic experience.
As a different example: Imagine that you had to speak in front of your classmates
at school and you were humiliated by the teacher in front of the class. (Some of
you wont have to imagine that!). As a result of that you may have come away with
the belief that to speak in public will mean you will be humiliated.
27
It's not surprising that many people are very afraid of public speaking. Once
those memories are neutralised the limiting beliefs that were formed by them can
be softened and eventually removed.
If you consider that all of your reactions (apart from instinctive behaviour) has
been conditioned by memories, and all your beliefs, for good and ill, about
yourself and the world are the result of your memories, then it makes sense that
neutralising the memories and undoing those beliefs would be a worthwhile
activity.
You don't have to be a slave to the past.
What's the best way of doing this?

If you are just learning EFT start with simple low scale memories first. The
process described in this booklet is good for small scale traumas and for some
more difficult ones.
However, if you suffered deep or prolonged trauma, you may need the
assistance of an EFT Practitioner who can help you undo all those events.
It can be difficult to deal with your own traumatic experiences if they
threaten to overwhelm you.
28
The Movie Technique

The movie technique is the principle memory resolution process in EFT. It
encourages the client to be specific which is what is required for the best
effect. It is useful for traumas in the mild to mid-range. For more extreme
traumas the 'Tell The Story Technique' and 'Tearless Trauma Technique
are recommended, processes that are covered in the EFT Level 2 training.
1. First, ask the client, "If that event was a movie, how long would it
last?" Typically, they give me an answer that can be measured in
minutes. This reflects, of course, a specific movie. If they say,
"several days," then you can usually assume they are still being
too global.
2. Next, ask the client, "What would the title be?" This also tends to
force specificity. In most cases, they will give you a specific title
such as, "Fight in the Kitchen" or "My accident in Mum's car." If
they give you a more general title, be sure to check out how
specific they are being.
3. Next, ask them to run the movie in their mind and evaluate the
intensity they are having now (as they imagine it) on a scale of 010. Alternatively, you can ask them to guess what their intensity
would be if they vividly imagined it. I usually find their guesses to
be reasonably accurate and guessing tends to save the clients
some emotional pain.
4. Next, do several rounds of EFT on "this ____________ movie"
to take the edge off any intensity.
5. Either, ask them to verbally narrate the movie to you, starting
with an easy-to-discuss segment, but stop whenever they feel
any intensity. You will usually need to emphasize the
importance of stopping because most clients are conditioned to
believe that, in order to be rid of their problem, they must be
brave and feel the pain while going through it. With EFT, these
stopping points provide opportunities for tapping.
Or, if the incident is embarrassing or personal, ask the client to
run through it silently in their mind's eye and stop whenever they
feel intensity then tap out the negative emotions as they arise
29
6. Next, use EFT on each stopping point until there is no more

intensity on that segment (aspect) of the movie.
7. Next, ask the client to run the movie in their mind in vivid detail
and report on any intensity that comes up.
8. Next, repeat EFT on any leftover intensity and re-run the movie.
Keep doing this EFT/movie cycle until the movie no longer has a
charge on it.
Tips
If the client gets upset even thinking about the questions about
the event start tapping and continue until the distress subsides.
If the client gets intense feelings during the process keep

tapping until the distress subsides.
Aspects Jigsaws and Russian Dolls

From an EFT point of view problems are made up of pieces or aspects.
Occasionally when working on an issue with only a few aspects, a few
rounds of EFT will be sufficient to neutralise it, more often you may need
to work through a number of aspects. There are two broad categories of
aspects: situations and emotions, which you might think of 'Jigsaws' and
'Russian dolls'.
Jigsaws: Imagine for a moment you are afraid of flying, there are often
many separate things that make up this fear, including: fear of being
locked in, fear of crashing, anxieties about bumps and clunks in the
aircraft, being out of control, etc, etc. Each of these small fears are like
pieces in a jigsaw, when we use EFT we need to neutralise each of the
pieces of the jigsaw to neutralise the 'fear of flying' problem.
Russian dolls: Sometimes we have many emotional reactions to events,
the main emotional reaction is at the surface, when that emotion is
neutralised by EFT an underlying emotion will come to the surface, much
like the new face of the Russian doll contained in the first. For example, a
feeling of anger, may be covering up fear, which may in turn be hiding
sadness and so forth. We use EFT to reduce each of these aspects in turn.
Switching Aspects
30
Sometimes it is possible that while tapping on specific events you or the

person you are working with reports the problem is no better. One of the
most common causes for this is that people will unconsciously switch to
different aspects while they are tapping. They may start on one painful
part of the experience, reduce the distress on that part and then switch
internally onto another painful piece of the experience and experience
another jolt of distress.
Sometimes, however, even after you have made professional efforts to tap
on specific events, the client still reports the problem as "no better." One
of the most common causes is that the client is "shifting to different
aspects."
Returning to the car accident example: You can apply EFT to "this
accident" and you may make good progress. If you don't you can ask for
more specific aspects with a question like...
"What about the accident bothers you the most?"
Let's suppose the person says, "Oh, the headlights, the headlights, I can
still see them coming at me!" You can then tap on "the headlights" or "my
fear of the headlights" etc. After their reaction to the headlights has been
tapped to zero, you could then ask...
"What else about the accident bothers you?"
They may bring up other aspects such as, "The screams in the car" or "My
anger at the other driver" or "My anger at the doctors," etc. Keep tapping
on these other aspects until they can no longer find anything bothersome
about the accident.
As a test, ask them to "run the movie" of the accident in their mind in vivid
detail. This will bring up any trailing aspects for tapping. Eventually, they
should have no charge on the accident. It will just be an unfortunate event
in their life, and that's all.
The Generalisation Effect
It may seem that if you need to address each individual aspect of a
multi-aspect problem that it may take a long time. Fortunately after
you have addressed a few related problems with EFT, the process
starts to generalize over all those problems and releases the whole
problem long before you've tapped each aspect individually. For
31
example, someone who has 100 traumatic memories of being

abused usually finds that after using EFT they all vanish after
neutralizing only 5 or 10 of them. This is startling to some people
because they have so many traumas in their life they think they are
in for unending sessions with these techniques. EFT often clears
out a whole forest after cutting down just a few trees.
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Last night, as I was sleeping,

I dreamt -- marvellous error! -- that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
where making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures
Antonio Machado
Most of our emotional and physical problems are caused

(or contributed to) by our unresolved specific events, the
vast majority of which can be easily handled by EFT.
Gary Craig
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The Personal Peace Procedure

The Personal Peace Procedure involves making a list of every bothersome
specific event in one's life and systematically tapping out their impact.
By diligently doing this we can pull out every negative tree from our
emotional forests and thus eliminate major causes of our emotional and
physical ailments. Taking each individual toward personal peace.
You can use the Personal Peace Procedure:
As a daily practice to clear out a lifetime of accumulated

emotional debris. This will enhance self-image, reduce self-doubt
and provide a profound sense of freedom.
As a means to eliminate contributing factors to many physical

conditions. By resolving old emotional hurts we allow the body's
healing system to get back into balance.
As a means for consistent relaxation.
As you eliminate the emotional baggage from your specific events you will
have less and less internal conflict for your system to deal with, which
translates into a higher level of personal peace and less emotional and
physical suffering. For many, this procedure may result in the complete
resolution of lifelong issues that other methods have not touched.
It is becoming more widely accepted that our physical
maladies are caused (or contributed to) by unresolved
angers, traumas, guilt, grief and the like. I have had many
discussions with physicians in recent years and more and
more of them echo emotional strife as a major cause of
serious diseases. Until now, however, there hasn't been an
effective way to eliminate these health bandits. We can
mask them with drugs, of course, but true cures have been
hard to find. Fortunately, EFT and its many cousins now
provide easy and elegant tools that will aid the serious
health practitioner in killing the root causes of
disease...instead of the patient.
Gary Craig
34
Note: This technique is not a substitute for getting help from an

experienced EFT practitioner when needed. Rather, it is a tool that,
properly applied, is capable of wide ranging relief
Steps of the Personal Peace Procedure
1. Make a list of every bothersome specific event you can remember.
If you don't find at least 50 you are either going at this halfheartedly or you have been living on some other planet. Many
people will find hundreds.
2. While making your list you may find that some events don't seem
to cause you any current discomfort. That's OK. List them anyway.
The mere fact that you remember them suggests a need for
resolution.
3. Give each specific event a title, as though it was a mini-movie.
Examples: Dad hit me in the kitchen, I stole Suzie's sandwich, I
almost slipped and fell into the river, Mum locked me in a closet
for 2 days, Mrs. Adams told me I was stupid.
4. When the list is complete, pick out the biggest trees in your
negative forest and apply EFT to each of them until you either
laugh about it or "can't think about it any more." Be sure to
notice any aspects that may come up and consider them separate
trees in your negative forest. Apply EFT to them accordingly. Be
sure to work on each event until it is resolved.
5. If you cannot get a 0-10 intensity level on a particular movie then
assume you are repressing it and apply 10 full rounds of EFT on it
from every angle you can think of. This gives you a high
possibility for resolving it.
6. After the biggest trees have been removed, go to the next biggest
trees.
7. Do at least one movie (specific event) per day...preferably
three...for 3 months. It only takes minutes per day. At this rate
you will have resolved 90 to 270 specific events in 3 months.
Then notice how your body feels better. Note, too, how your
"threshold for getting upset" is much lower. Note how your
relationships are better and how many of your therapy type issues
just don't seem to be there any more. Revisit some of those
35
specific events and notice how those previously intense

incidences have faded into nothingness. Note any improvements
in your blood pressure, pulse and breathing ability.
8. Consciously notice these things because, unless you do, the
quality healing you will have had will seem so subtle that you may
not notice it. You may even dismiss it saying, "Oh well, it was
never much of a problem anyway."
36
EFT For Physical Issues

EFT can very usefully be applied to physical difficulties, either symptoms
or conditions. It's worth trying it on anything, there's no way of knowing
in advance whether EFT will work. For simple physical conditions the
following suggestions may help. More difficult physical issues may require
techniques taught in a Level 2 training.
Step 1. Sensations
Use EFT on the sensations of the symptom and feelings about the
symptom Describe how you would experience it in simple sensory specific
terms. Use descriptive words for pain such as burning, itching, throbbing,
dull, etc. Ask: How does that make you feel?. Often people will feel sad,
angry, anxious or even guilty about their symptoms. Use several rounds of
EFT on the sensations and feelings about the symptoms.
Step 2. Trauma
Treat any traumas that may have occurred around the time of the onset of
symptoms. For example after a car crash, redundancy or similar shock.
Reduce the 'intensity' of the trauma to zero. Ask what was happening in
your life in the months before that symptom started.
Step 3. Triggers
Look for triggers or allergic responses. Are there any circumstances where
the symptom is aggravated? Are there times or places where it clears up?
What brings it back? Use EFT on the problem circumstances or emotions.
Step 4. Implicit Emotion
What is the emotion implicit in the symptom. Is it angry or sad? If your
pain/bad back/etc could speak what would it say. Tap on whatever
emerges.
Step 5. Persistence
Physical symptoms often require persistence and a lot of it. Tapping can
be made into three 20 minute sessions a day habit.
Stress can often make its presence felt in the body as stiff and aching muscles,
headaches, churning stomach and other physical sensations. Because these
symptoms can be very obvious it's a convenient way to approach stress and
allows us to be very specific.
37
To work with physical issues it helps if you can be specific with the sensation and
the location of the sensations.
What is the physical sensation? Is it a pain, an ache, stiffness, dizziness, churning
stomach, etc. What words best describe up the sensation? For example pain can
be burning, stabbing, throbbing, dull, cold, etc.
Where is the sensation located? Where do you feel this sensation in your body.
Shoulders, knee, left big toe?
With this information we can construct some tapping sequences to reduce these
sensations
1. Identify the sensation and its location
2. Evaluate its intensity on a scale of 0 (none) to 10 (as intense as it could
be).
3. Do a round of EFT using the setup phrase:
Even though I have this [sensation] in my [location], I accept myself
and how I feel.
Reminder phrase: [sensation] in my [location].
For example: Even though I've got this pain in my knee, I'm alright,
I'm OK! Reminder phrase: pain in my knee.
Or, Even though I've got a stiff shoulder I accept myself and how I
feel! Reminder phrase: stiff shoulder
4. Pause and check the sensation. Sometimes there is a quick reduction,
other times it takes persistence.
5. Sometimes the quality or location of the sensation changes. Maybe it
goes from a pain to an ache. Maybe it moves from your shoulder to
your neck. If that's the case repeat the process reflecting the change in
location and/or sensation. For example, Even though I have a stiff
shoulder ... could change to Even though I've got an aching neck ..
This is called Chasing the Pain
6. Keep doing rounds of EFT reducing the intensity of each sensation as it
arises.
38
Improving Your Results

There is an old story of a boilermaker who was hired to fix
a huge steamship boiler system that was not working well.
After listening to the engineers description of the problems
and asking a few questions, he went to the boiler room.
He looked at the maze of twisting pipes, listened to the
thump of the boiler and the hiss of escaping steam for a few
minutes, and felt some pipes with his hands. Then he
hummed softly to himself, reached into his overalls and
took out a small hammer, and tapped a bright red valve,
once.
Immediately, the entire system began working perfectly,
and the boilermaker went home. When the steamship
owner received a bill for $1,000 he complained that the
boilermaker had only been in the engine room for fifteen
minutes, and requested an itemized bill. This is what the
boilermaker sent him:
For tapping with hammer:
.50
For knowing where to tap: $ 999.50
Be Specific
In general, it's better to be specific!
It is essential to be specific, most newcomers often fail because they
address the issue too globally.
For example, tapping on "My abusive mother...." rather than "the time my
mother did X"
Most people see their difficulties in global terms, using broad labels
which, to them, seem very specific.
For example:
"I just don't feel very good about myself."
"My father always abused me."
39
"My mother never gave me the love I should have had."

"I don't do very well with relationships."
"I'm easily rejected."
Each of these issues are composed of a large number of events and
experiences which have been distilled into this 'problem'. They are like
emotional forests made up of lots of specific trees (negative events). Using
EFT on a globally stated problem is like trying to chop down a forest with
a single swipe of an axe.
You may make some progress, but it will be slow work and it will be easy
to get discouraged.
Rather than using EFT directly on an issue like: Even though I am easily
rejected ... break this global problem into the specific events that gave
rise to it.
"Even though my teacher embarrassed me in front of the
class ..."
"Even though I felt so left out when my father didn't attend the
school play ..."
"Even though my first girlfriend said, 'I've grown tired of you' ...
"
"Even though I was sent to my room for the whole of Christmas
day at age 8 ..."
"Even though Mum told me 'you'll never get married unless you
are thin like your sister' ... "
These events and ones like them are the causes of the issue that is
summed up in: "I'm easily rejected". The feeling of rejection is the result
of these underlying specific causes. If we didn't have these specific causes,
how could we possibly feel rejection?
So we need to neutralize these causes by using EFT on the components of
the issues. When we do we get several benefits:
1. You can easily recognize whenever EFT has eliminated a negative
tree from the forest. You may start with an intensity of 7-10 for a
given event and end with a 0. The change is obvious and gives
you confidence.
40
2. Each tree that is removed thins out the forest. The sting of
rejection (or whatever this issue is) becomes less and less.
3. A generalisation effect occurs. The various "rejection trees" tend
to have some common themes among them so that removing one
tree has an effect on the remaining ones. Often, we can remove 5
or 10 trees and then watch the whole forest fall.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of being specific. It often
spells the difference between dramatic success and apparent
failure.
Gary Craig
Handling Excessive Intensity
Sometimes strong emotions can come to the surface when you are
tapping. If that happens KEEP TAPPING! It may not feel like a good thing
at the time, but it's very useful to be able to neutralise these emotional
charges when they surface. You may need to do many rounds of tapping,
just keep going, you'll feel a lot better for it when you've finished.
'Your point'
During the course of the tapping you might notice that one particular
meridian point gives particular relief. This is known as 'your point' and it
can be a useful shortcut when you need to tap for quick and discrete
relief.
Persistence
When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter
hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times
without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the
hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it
was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.
Jacob A. Riis
Some problems are very straightforward and easily yield to a few rounds
of EFT, some problems may take a lot of persistent tapping.
41
You need persistence because of a problem's complexity. Complexity, to

EFT, means the existence of several aspects to a problem each of which
must be relieved before total relief is felt. In these cases be very persistent,
go searching for each and every aspect.
Sometimes a few rounds of tapping is all that is required to significantly
reduce a negative emotion. At other times progress may appear slow.
Sometimes you've just got to keep tapping. If after a lot of persistence, the
difficulty doesn't seem to be resolving visit the Troubleshooting section of
the manual.
Try it on (almost) everything
This means to be creative and expansive in one's thinking about what EFT
can address. If you have some kind of issue try EFT, you may get some
relief or complete relief. The worst thing that can happen is nothing at all.
Caveats
'Try it on everything' assumes common sense. It would be

inappropriate, for example, to drink a gallon of petrol to see if
you can "tap it away" the results.
'Try it on everything' does NOT mean for newcomers to go where

they don't belong and try to address psychotic or otherwise
seriously ill people. Use common sense and abide by the laws and
regulations in your country
Testing
Testing is always important because it provides feedback
on how well we are doing. In my experience, most
conventional emotional healing methods do NOT contain
an adequate provision for testing. Often, the process is
performed and the "test" is a question like, "how do you
feel now?" Frankly, that's a little wimpy. I've never
understood why many in the healing professions prefer to
tip toe around the issue rather than challenge their work
with a head on test.
Gary Craig
42
It is essential to test so that we know how we're doing with the client.
Did we eliminate the problem completely?
Are there more aspects to deal with?
Did the client switch issues?
Client issues vary, of course, and thus testing is not the same for everyone.
Here are some possible ways of testing.
1. Have them say a pointed statement that hits the heart of the issue.
Their reaction will tell you whether or not you have more work to
do. These examples are graphic so they truly test the effectiveness
of the work. [If you react strongly to them, it is because you have
a negative charge associated with them. A client who has
undergone successful EFT'ing on these issues will react matter-offactly to them].
a. "My sister died in my arms covered with blood."
b. "My father kicked me in the face"
c. "My brother laughed when he set me on fire."
Usually these tests are reached after 'sneaking up' on the problem
with milder statements so that can minimize any pain (and do
more tapping, if necessary) on the way to the final statement.
Although these statements appear brutal they provide a high
quality test. The subject may still not be your client's favourite
subject, but there's no reason to have an unnecessary negative
reaction to it.
2. Have them imagine the event as vividly as possible. Ask them to
close their eyes and exaggerate the sights, sounds and feelings
and literally try to get themselves upset. This will often bring up
aspects that had previously gone unnoticed. When they go
through the whole exaggerated event without emotional
reactions, then you have strong evidence of success.
3. If possible, recreate the problem in real time. For example, take
the height phobic to the top of a high building and look down.
This is one of the best tests you can perform. Any left over aspects
will likely show up in these real life situations.
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How To Tackle Problems

There's an old saying: How do you eat an elephant? - One bite at a time!
Often people don't know where to start with a big issue. There are several
different ways of dividing issues into simpler pieces that can be tackled
more easily.
Divide and Conquer

One way is to split the issue into associated memories, feelings and selftalk (the things we say to ourselves) then tap on each of these aspects of
the problem until we reach resolution on the larger issues.
Think of a current issue or difficulty give it a name and an overall intensity
score between 0 and 10 .
Name: ........................................................................... Score: ...
What memories come to mind that are related to this difficulty? Give them
a name and an intensity score from 0-10
Memory: ........................................................................ Score: .....
Memory:..............................................................................Score: ...
Memory: ........................................................................ Score: .....
Memory: ........................................................................ Score: ...
What feelings or emotions come to mind when you think of this problem?
Give them a name and a score from 0-10
Feeling: ........................................................................ Score: .....
Feeling: ........................................................................ Score: ...
Feeling: ........................................................................ Score: .....
Feeling: ........................................................................ Score: ...
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What kind of things do you say to yourself? What kind of self-talk goes on
when you think about this issue?
Self-talk: ........................................................................ Score: .....
Self-talk: ........................................................................ Score: .....
Self-talk: ........................................................................ Score: .....
Self-talk: ........................................................................ Score: .....
Now pick on of the items from the list and tap it down to zero. Move on
to the next item and take care of that. Check on the overall score for the
issue from time to time as you continue to eliminate its components.
You may find that other ideas, memories and thoughts occur to you. Make
a note of each of them and resolve them as appropriate.
The Five Step Program

This is a simple method to address an issue in a less structured way.1
1. Think of the problem

2. Ask yourself: "How do I feel about this problem?" and then do a
quick round of EFT tapping on that.
3. Ask yourself: "What am I thinking about this problem?" and then
tap on that.
4. Ask yourself: "What am I sensing in my body about this problem""
and then tap on that.
5. If you don't feel "done" go back to step 2 and repeat the process
Continue this process until you feel relief.
1 This process is courtesy of Charlie Curtis of The Art of NLP
45
The Tapping Worksheet

Always meditate on whatever causes resentment
- Tibetan Buddhist training guideline
We have a small dog called Sally, a Patterdale Terrier, she is agreeable,
affectionate, determined and at times incredibly annoying. Dealing with
her has been the inspiration for this simple technique that allows you to
use EFT to soothe your reactions to disagreeable situations, people and
dogs!
Sally is a good dog in the house, fond of lying in whatever sun comes
through the window and cuddling up to you on the sofa, but when it is
time for her to go for a walk a Jekyll and Hyde transformation takes place.
She gets very excited and impatient, almost hysterical.
When I leave the house with her there is almost always a chorus of
barking, yelping and squawking as she does an excellent, loud, impression
of a squealing pig!
Passers by look at me as if I am torturing her, and not taking her for a
walk. I shrug apologetically and follow the apparently deranged dog the
100 yards to the point at which she can read and respond to her peemails then she calms down.
Im usually pretty calm with people and animals but after a while even my
patience was wearing a little thin. One morning while preparing to leave,
and Sally was revving up for her performance, I decided that I needed to
do a little bit of tapping for myself to calm down. I stood in the porch, a
very tall man looking down at very short dog, and did some tapping. All
the while she looked at me with a What is the crazy human doing now
look on her face.
After a few minutes of tapping I opened the door and we stepped out. It
hadnt made any difference she was still yapping away like a demon.
On the quiet part of the walk I had an idea. What if I make a list of all the
things that aggravated me about her behaviour and tapped on those
issues?
When we got home and Sally had been fed I sat down with a piece of
paper, wrote on the top of the page Sally is then made a list of all
the ways I could finish that sentence. It was an extensive list. When I had
finished I went through the list reading each statement aloud giving it a
46
score between 0-10 for how intense my reaction to the statement was. The
higher the score the greater the level of aggravation.
This is what I wrote:
Sally is
hysterical (9)
annoying (8)
anxious (7)
scared (8)
noisy (8)
greedy (6)
underfoot (8)
clingy (8)
jealous (8)
insecure (7)
Having written the list I tapped out each statement using the following
kind of set-up and reminder phrases:
Set-up phrase: Even though Sally is hysterical I accept myself and how I
feel Reminder phrase Sally is hysterical
I tapped until there was no score on each phrase in turn. I found myself
feeling much less ill will to Sally as a result.
The next day I made ready for the walk wondering whether the tapping
had made any difference in Sallys behaviour.
It made some difference in her behaviour but it made a huge difference to
my response to what she was doing. I just accepted the situation and got
on with it. She was going to do what she was going to do and I wasnt
nearly so bothered about it.
Sally must have picked up on my new mood because she was a little less
noisy than usual. Since dogs are good barometers of their owners moods
I think she had picked up on my relaxation and was relaxing accordingly
herself.
Ive since tried this process out as a way of working with our reactions to
difficult people or situations. Its quite a simple way to unpack a complex
47
set of reactions into tappable issues. All you need is a piece of paper and a
pen.
Write down the situation at the top of the page in the following format:
is .
E.g.. My boss is , my husband is , the meeting is , my job is ,
Alice is , George is , whatever word best sums up the difficulty
Complete the sentence as many times as you can, working down the page
as you go. E.g..
My boss is angry
My boss blames me
My boss gives me a hard time
My boss is power crazy
When you have completed your list read each statement out loud and give
it a score between 0-10 of intensity.
Start with the most intense statement and begin to tap using Even though
X I accept myself and how I feel and X as the reminder phrase. Where X
is the item on the list. E.g.. Sally is greedy, My boss blames me
Keep tapping until the statement is neutralised.
Work your way through the rest of the list.
When you have finished think about the person or situation and estimate
your reaction to it.
If anything else arises take care of that also.
Important: When I say Sally is annoying it looks like I am making a
statement about her behaviour, but in reality I am describing my reaction
to what she does. The statement should read Sally does something and I
am annoyed and it is that annoyance that we are tapping on. In each case
we are tapping on our reaction to the situation, the other person, or
whatever is provoking that reaction. When I tapped out Even though
Sally is annoying, I accept myself and how I feel it is the feeling response
that Sallys behaviour elicits in me that is being reduced.
48
Just in case you think this is a light weight technique for dealing with
difficult dogs. It can be extremely effective for a whole range of human
experiences.
I was using this a few days ago at a Cancer Support Group Meeting when
we were working with challenging situations for cancer patients (there are
a lot to choose from).
One lady was worried about her next chemotherapy session. I asked her
to complete the sentence Chemotherapy is , she came up with
Chemotherapy is
saving my life
unpleasant some of the time
taking control of my life
Then we went through each item on the list. When she said
Chemotherapy is taking control of my life she started to get visibly
upset. It was obviously a very charged statement for her. We spent some
time tapping using chemotherapy is taking control of my life as the
tapping phrase, until the feeling subsided.
At the end of several rounds of tapping she was settled and saying the
words had no effect, they were just a bunch of words. Of course her
situation is the same, she still has to face the next chemotherapy session
but she can do it without having the thoughts and feelings of
chemotherapy is taking over my life rattling around inside her causing
extra unnecessary distress.
The next time you find yourself being upset by a situation, person or small
dog you might like to get a piece of paper, make a list, do some tapping
and enjoy some emotional freedom.
Over time I have extended this simple process to create The Tapping
Worksheet2, a simple way to break down a troublesome situation into its
parts, which you can work on one at a time.
2 Available for download from http://www.practicalwellbeing.co.uk/resources
49
The Tapping Worksheet

Describe the situation in a few words
It (he/she/they) is ...
I see ...
I hear ...
50
Score (0 - 10)
I tell myself or I imagine ...
I feel ...
This reminds me of ...
51
Steps
1. Think of the issue or situation that you want to work on.
2. Give that issue an overall intensity score from 0-10.
3. Complete the statements with whatever enters your mind.
4. Go through each statement, reading it aloud, give it an intensity score
from 0-10
5. Start by tapping out the statement with the strongest intensity.
6. Work through each of the 'charged' statements in turn.
7. Recheck the original situation charge.
52
The About, To, As if Process

95% of our problems talk back
- Anon
This is a very simple three step process designed to help you manage
difficult relationships with others whoever they are. They may be family
members, friends, acquaintances or people you barely know.
This can be a quick and simple process taking only a few minutes or it can
take some time to run through the process fully. Even if you cannot
complete the process in one tapping session, any tapping done in this way
can yield benefits.
Important: If the person you are working on has been responsible for
any severe traumas or abuse in your life then you need to take care of
those memories first using the Movie Technique, or by getting the
assistance of an experienced EFT Practitioner.
Before you start, imagine the other person is in the room with you and
gauge your reaction. We will return to this reaction later to test the work.
Step 1. Talking About
For the first part of this process, start tapping on all the points
continuously as you describe the situation as you understand it. He does
this ... and I do this ...., she says this ... and I say that, they ... etc.
Describing all the things both parties say and do and your reactions and
feelings to it. Eg When he said ... I felt , or when she did ... I felt ... etc.
Keep tapping until the charge in your description has been reduced. Be as
free and frank as you need to be. If you feel judgemental or angry then
express that, even if you wouldn't dream of doing that in person.
If a particular part of that description causes you distress dwell on that
part of the description tapping until the charge on that part goes down.
Step 2. Talking To
In the second step your focus of attention moves away from the 'facts' of
the situation and onto what you would want to say if you could. In a safe
way, imagine that you can say what you want to say to this person (or
53
these people) and imagine having them hear it. While you are tapping, say
what you need to say as if they were present.
The purpose of this tapping is to free you from the emotional charge
surrounding this issue (you need never say these things in person).
Say everything you would want to say both positive and negative 'to' that
other person while tapping.
Keep tapping and talking until the emotional charge drops.
Step 3. Talking As If
The third step is to tap for the person's point of view as you understand it.
Pretend that you are the other person. Imagine that you can mind read
the other person and describe the situation from their point of view. This
doesn't have to be accurate just what you think is going on in their minds.
You are not agreeing or condoning their point of view or justifying their
choices. You are just pretending to be them and tapping for whatever is
going on in their mind. Just talk as if you were them.
Keep tapping until the charges around these issues subside.
Imagine again that you are with the other person. What are your reactions
now?
Repeat the process as necessary.
As we grow up we learn our behaviours, feelings, and beliefs about
ourselves and the world and how to respond to various situations.
Every adult relationship we have is a co-creation conditioned by those
earlier experiences. All the parties bring these learned actions and
reactions to the relationship which in turn trigger the reactions and
actions of the other parties in a mutual dance of responses.
Even though we are not tapping directly on the other person's feelings
and responses, the fact that we can change our own will lead to a change
in the dynamics of the relationship.
Note: The About, To, As If method was originally developed by Gwyneth
Moss and reworked for relationship issues by Gene Monterastelli. (see
Developing Your Skills)
54
Variations On A Theme
Fingertip EFT
EFT works by tapping on various points on the
face, body and hand. You can use this cut down
version of EFT to stimulate your meridian system
by tapping on the points on the fingers. This is an
effective and discrete way to get relief from
stressful feelings. With practice this can be done
discretely with one hand.
Two Handed Method
1. Become aware of the feeling you want to
relieve. For the tapping to work, your
awareness has to be on what it is you want to relieve.
2. Using the index and middle fingers of your dominant hand, tap
the outside edge of the nail beds of the thumb, fore, middle, ring
and little fingers.
3. Continue tapping on each of the points in turn, until the negative
feeling diminishes in strength. You may need to do several
rounds.
Single Handed Method
This takes a little more practice and dexterity, but it's a more discrete way
using this technique in public situations.
1. With the thumb of your writing hand, tap about six times, the
outer edge of the nail beds of each of your fingers.
2. Use the index finger of the same hand to tap, six times, the outer
edge of the thumb nail bed.
3. Repeat until negative feelings are reduced.
This is a rather unfamiliar process, and most people need a little practice
to become comfortable with it. Perseverance will pay off because you can
use it in a variety of everyday situations where a full round of EFT would
look a little bit strange.
55
Simple Anxiety Reliever3

This technique is derived from EFT and looks far too simple to have any
effect. Try it out a couple of times and find out for yourself.
1. Place several fingers of one hand on the point
just behind the knuckles of the ring and little
fingers. Apply pressure and rub gently in an
almost imperceptible circular motion. This
just looks like youre scratching your hand
and draws no attention from onlookers. Or
alternatively, you can pretend to be nervous
or bored and slowly tap the flat of these
fingers on this point, and that will work too.
2. Doing this while a negative emotion is active will cause it to
quickly reduce in intensity and then disappear, usually in about a
minutes time. The speed with which this can work is truly
stunning, as a seemingly-locked-in-place feeling of upset,
depression, fear, or whatever can just melt away just like that
and be completely gone in a minutes time.
3. This can be used for compulsive urges, such as a smoking or food
urge, for negative feelings like a feeling of annoyance, depression,
or anticipatory anxiety. Its a quick and easy way to handle preevent jitters. It fits right in and is very natural when youre sitting
in a waiting room where other nervous people are unconsciously
rubbing and tapping on their hands as they try to relax.
3 This very simple technique comes courtesy of Charlie Curtis of The Art of NLP.
56
Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know I'm doing it right?
If the levels of intensity of your problem are coming down then you are
probably doing it right. Check that you are tapping the points as shown
on the diagrams.
What should I if it doesn't seem to be working?
If you don't seem to be making much progress check that you haven't
switched aspects that is that you haven't switched your attention from
what you started on to something else. Humans are excellent at making
associations and connections, it's very easy for our attention to shift from
one 'aspect' of the situation to another related aspect. Make sure that you
are focusing on one aspect while you go through the tapping routine.
You may need to increase the strength of your setup statement, have
another round this time saying with some force EVEN THOUGH I HAVE
THIS ANNOYANCE I accept myself and how I feel. A little emphasis is
needed to get the point across.
If at first you don't succeed tap, tap, tap again. Sometimes emotional
intensity diminishes rapidly after just one or two rounds of tapping, at
other times you may need to persist doing many rounds of tapping to get
the desired result. Do more rounds and check the results.
There may be underlying core issues that are blocking your progress. If
you are not making good progress then it might be time to visit an EFT
practitioner who can help you isolate and resolve these blocks.
What is an aspect?
Most problems and negative emotions are a combination of different parts
or aspects. Like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle these pieces are arranged to
give us our experience of the problem.
For example the traumatic memory of a car accident may consist of
'separate' memory fragments: the oncoming lights, the squeal of breaks,
sound of breaking glass, the sight of injured people, the pain of injury.
57
Together these pieces fit together to form the memory of the accident.
Each of these pieces may need to be resolved individually.
A different set of aspects might be the layers of emotions around a
problem. Sometimes lesser emotions are hidden behind the original
problem feeling, when that is reduced then these feelings come to the
fore (and can be neutralised by EFT).
For example a feeling of anger can be reduced, allowing a feeling of fear
to arise, which can be reduced, leading to resentment which can be
reduced leading to sadness which can be reduced leaving a feeling of
relief and freedom from the original problem.
Where do I start?
The best place to start is by tuning into the problem and using the
description of the feelings to begin. Try out Eating The Elephant, The
Five Step Process or The Tapping Worksheet as starting points if the
problem seems quite large.
What do I say?
In its simplest form the formula is very simple :Setup phrase: Even though I have this [problem], I accept myself and how
I feel
Reminder phrase: this [problem]
You don't have to make things complicated just use the words that
naturally describe the problem. The words are only there to help you tune
into the problem, if you can do that you don't need to worry about the
words.
How long does this take?
Unfortunately that's a 'How long is a piece of string?' question. Some
issues can be resolved with just a few rounds of EFT. More complex issues
can take a lot of persistence and some guidance from a professional
before there is a resolution. In general it's worth persisting with issues.
Later on we'll cover some of the things you can do if the process seems to
be stalling.
58
Does it matter which side I tap on?

No you can tap on either side, alternate sides or even tap on both sides
simultaneously.
Do you have to believe in it for it to work?
No, it seems to work just as well whether you believe in it or not. This
process is working directly on your nervous system it doesn't require
belief one way or the other.
What do I do if I get upset?
Sometimes what seems like a simple issue can trigger an intense response
as you tune into a painful memory or a deeper issue. If that happens:
KEEP TAPPING! Getting upset probably doesn't seem like a very helpful
state to be in, but with EFT it is good news. Remember that EFT works by
neutralising negative emotions that you are tuned into. If you are upset
you are tuned in, you don't need to use the words, just tap until the
negative feelings subside.
What happens if other feelings come up?
Sometimes as you are tapping on one issue a new emotion or memory
comes into awareness. This is a very common occurrence. If you are
working with a practitioner it is their job to keep track of all the issues
that come up in a session. If you are working on your own it's very helpful
to have a pen and paper close at hand so that you can jot down other
issues as they arise to attend to later.
How much tapping do I need to do?
For a specific emotion, memory or sensation, you need to do as many
rounds of tapping as you need to get relief. That may be one round or
many. For a global problem you will probably identify lots of aspects and
memories that need to be worked on. In that case you will need to do a
lot of tapping. It's probably fair to assume that there will always be
something else you can tap on. However with each issue resolved you will
feel just that bit lighter and more at ease.
59
When do I need to stop?

It's probably not a good idea to tap continuously for 10 hours at a time.
Like most things a little and often is a good policy. Decide how many
things you are going to work on in a day and stick to that number.
Sometimes big shifts in your understanding and nervous system need
some time to integrate.
Can I do too much tapping?
It's possible if you are doing hour after hour of tapping that you will either
get tired or bruise yourself on your tapping points. Remember a little and
often is better than an infrequent blitz.
How can I work on my own?
EFT is unusual in that it can be used on your own. There are many
stressors that can be worked on by following the guidance in this book
and your own experience. If the issues you are working with are very
intense or spring from a period of serious abuse then it may be advisable
to get the help of a qualified practitioner. Although you can do a lot of
work for yourself it is very hard to be therapist and client for yourself at
the same time.
This looks really stupid, how can I do this in a
meeting?
EFT does look very silly. You might be thinking to yourself "This is all very
well but how on earth am I going to use this at work or in company?" You
can either adjourn to the bathroom, or use one of the fingertip tapping
techniques to do discrete EFT.
60
Troubleshooting
Sometimes it can seem like you're making slow progress. Here are some
possible explanations and remedies.
The problem is being approached too globally
In general it's better to be specific, if you are not getting a lot of progress
try to tune in more exactly on the problem. Rather than 'I feel stressed' try
'I feel stress pain in my shoulders'. Or break the problem into smaller
pieces. Identify the different components memories, feelings, thoughts
and sensations that make up the problem all of these can be tapped on
individually.
The Setup was not performed completely enough.
It's possible that psychological reversal is getting in the way, repeat the
Setup statements, tapping more vigorously on the Karate Chop spot and
saying or even shouting the Setup phrase Even though I .....
Switching aspects.
Check that as you are tapping on one issue your mind is not wandering
onto other, related, difficulties. This is an occasion when a notebook can
be very useful to keep you tuned into one difficulty at a time. Work your
way systematically through each aspect.
A core issue is interfering.
Sometimes there are deep seated issues below the surface that get in the
way of progress. If you have relief on an issue one day and it resurfaces a
few days later it's possible that you have other processes at work. In these
circumstances it's useful to approach an EFT practitioner to work through
these issues.
61
Developing Your EFT Skills

In what ways can I progress with my EFT?
Above all: practice, practice, practice!
Visit my website www.practicalwellbeing.co.uk for more articles

and tips on how to use EFT. You can also sign up to the FREE
newsletter on that site.
Book one to one sessions to assist you to make the changes you
want and increase your own skill
Attend EFT Caf events
If you want to use EFT for work with clients consider taking an
EFT Level 2 Training.
A huge range of articles about EFT can be found on the

www.EFTUniverse.com website.
Recommended Sites
These sites contain informative and useful articles.
www.tappingqanda.com Gene Monterastelli's informative site
www.eftdownunder.com Steve Wells and Dr David Lake
www.emotional-health.co.uk Gwyneth Moss, Master
AAMET
The Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Techniques
which has a list of EFT therapists in the UK can be found at:
www.aamet.org
For one to one work, and information about seminars and workshops in
the North East of England contact:
Andy Hunt,
Tel: 0754 700 9116
Email: andy@practicalwellbeing.co.uk
Web: www.practicalwellbeing.co.uk
62
EFT Level 2 Training

If you have completed an EFT Level 1 training you may want to use EFT as
part of your therapeutic toolbox in a professional capacity.
To become an AAMET Certified Practitioner you will need to complete the
EFT Level 2 training which includes:
Techniques to make working with difficult issues more

comfortable for your clients.
Working with trauma
Finding the core issues behind the symptoms
Working with physical issues
Using EFT over the telephone and in group settings.
How to use EFT to encourage positive mental states
This training takes place over two days. At the end of the training you will
receive an EFT Level 2 Attendance Certificate. To attain full AAMET EFT
Practitioner status you must:
Pass a multiple choice exam during the training.
Satisfactorily complete 3 Case studies after the training.
Commit to ongoing mentoring / supervision and continuing

professional development.
Agree to abide by the AAMET Code of Conduct and Ethics.
Practical Wellbeing only offers this training to professionals who are

already working with people and want to add EFT to their
repertoire. It is not a substitute for therapy training and is not
appropriate as a self development training.
63
And Finally ...

Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a
muddy road. A heavy rain was still fallling.
Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk
kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.
Come on girl, said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his
arms, he carried her over the mud.
Ekido did not speak again until that night when they
reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain
himself. We monks dont go near females, he told Tanzan,
especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why
did you do that?
I left the girl there, said Tanzan. Are you still carrying
her?
from Zen Flesh, ZenBones, compiled by Paul Reps
What are you still carrying that you should have put down long ago?
64

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EMOTIONAL FREEDOM

EFT Level 1+ Manual

THE ABOUT, TO, AS IF PROCESS.......................................................................53

The Origins Of EFT

Even though EFT violates just about every conventional

The Discovery Statement

The cause of all negative

The Basic Recipe

All these affirmations have a similar pattern, they acknowledge the

It doesn't matter whether you believe the affirmation or not just

It is better to say it with feeling and emphasis but saying it

The Sore Spot

The Karate Chop Point

Tap with the fingertips of your index and middle finger.

Tap about seven times on each of the tapping points.

Most of the tapping points are on either side of the body. It

At the beginning of the

On the bone bordering the

On the bone under an eye

On the small area between the

On the outside edge of your

On the side of your index

On the side of your middle

On the inside of your little

The 9 Gamut Procedure

with tapping provides a deeper stimulation of the nervous system by the

The Sequence (again)

The Reminder Phrase

Subsequent Round Adjustments

SUDs Measuring Your Progress

I don't believe I can get over this problem.

I don't deserve to get over this problem.

It's not safe for me to get over this problem.

Other people need me to keep this problem.

I'd be a different person if I got over this problem.

Short Cut EFT

The Setup Statement

The Karate Chop Point

The Reminder Phrase

Points on the face and body:

Eyebrow, end of brow where it

Side of the eye, bone at the

Under the eye, directly below

Under the nose, the crease

Chin, under the lower lip and

Collar bone, where the collar bone meets the sternum.

Top of head, at the crown of the head.

How To Clear Negative Memories

Why are some memories troubling?

Why bother neutralising a memory?

What's the best way of doing this?

The Movie Technique

6. Next, use EFT on each stopping point until there is no more

If the client gets intense feelings during the process keep

Aspects Jigsaws and Russian Dolls

Sometimes it is possible that while tapping on specific events you or the

example, someone who has 100 traumatic memories of being

Last night, as I was sleeping,

Most of our emotional and physical problems are caused

The Personal Peace Procedure

As a daily practice to clear out a lifetime of accumulated

As a means to eliminate contributing factors to many physical

As a means for consistent relaxation.

Note: This technique is not a substitute for getting help from an