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Tapping Away Stuck Pain
Rosa was one of those people you love instantly. Kind, amiable and motherly with a ready smile, Rosa was in a lot deal of pain. Rosa is not her real name as I have changed the names and identities of the people in this piece. I shall call her Rosa for her rosy personality. Every time I saw her she was dressed in a very stylish outfit. Her swollen feet, though, betrayed her physical pain for she always wore the same well-worn, flat, very comfortable pair of black shoes. Fibromyalgia Rosa had fibromyalgia and was in a great deal of constant pain. As she shared her many maladies with me, I became increasingly aware of how much this kind, sensitive woman had been hurt and how stressed out she was. I saw how she smiled to the world and kept a good outward appearance, but inwardly she hurt. As I believe that physical symptoms can occur because of emotional stress, I delved into her past. Several years ago she had developed a serious lung infection soon after the death of her mother. From my study of shiatsu and acupuncture theory, I recalled that a blockage on the lung meridian is often related to grief or sadness. Several other people close to her had died over a relatively short period of time. This had caused more stress and the development of extreme fatigue. As we spoke I became more and more aware of how sensitive she was in her general nature. I began wondering whether her extreme physical sensitivity could be a mirror for her emotional sensitivity. I asked her when all of her pain had started. She started crying when she spoke of the difficult time surrounding her mother's death. It was apparent to me that there was an underlying emotional pain or stress that had at least been a contributing factor in her lung infection. At that time I decided to focus on the emotional issues using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Acupuncture without needles EFT could be called a form of acupuncture without the needles. In Chinese medicine each of the acupuncture meridians has an emotion related to it. Using EFT, the practitioner taps different acupuncture points located on the meridians, while the person thinks about the problem. We then spoke of issues that had hurt her in the past, as well as issues that were currently affecting her. She was particularly sensitive to criticism by her children. As we encountered each issue, we tapped, hummed and counted in accordance with the EFT techniques. Slowly the intensity of her pain diminished. What continued to amaze me was that as each emotional issue was addressed and cleared, the physical pain would go down. After awhile she did not want to delve any deeper into the emotional issues underlying her pain, so we stopped working on the emotional issues with the EFT and I proceeded with a regular healing. Relationship of Fibromyalgia and held-in emotional pain It was apparent to both of us that the pain of her fibromyalgia was directly related to her held-in emotional issues-that her physical pain was related to held-in emotional pain. As we cleared the emotional pain her physical pain abated by at least fifty per cent according to her. Wow, this was an amazing discovery on my behalf-emotions, that we still have a charge on and have not released, can be held or stored in the body and cause physical symptoms. I wondered how much of the pain of fibromyalgia may be caused by emotions or trauma stuck in the body. Over and over I am finding that as I clear the emotions with EFT first, that energy moves far more easily when I follow it with hands-on healing. Uncomfortable with sex and childhood molestation Another dramatic healing occurred with a blond-haired woman named Evelyn. In her late twenties and pregnant, Evelyn felt very ashamed as she had never felt comfortable having sex with her husband. I decided to use EFT with her. When we went back to the origin of the problem I discovered she had been molested at a very early age. It was the memories of this childhood experience, as well as her parents' closeness to the man's family that had contributed to her problem. Relief from traumatic memory With tears streaming down her face, we tapped on one aspect after another of her problem. As with any traumatic event, the person will always have the memory. What can be released is the charge on the memory, or on the traumatic negative emotions related to the memory. The memory itself can never be erased as the event did happen, but the resulting emotions can be dealt with and can sometimes be released with enough persistence. I've found that EFT works well in many cases, but as with any therapy it is never 100 percent effective. When Evelyn was able to describe the childhood molestation calmly with little or no emotion, I knew we were getting somewhere. In addition to the tapping I also muscle tested her to make sure she was clear on each issue, although this is not a part of EFT. After working together for an hour and a half, she seemed to be clear of the initial issue. As she hopped off the massage table, I asked her how she felt. She replied, "I can't wait to go home and see my husband!" I had a good feeling about the session. When I spoke with her several days later Evelyn exclaimed, "It worked! It was 100 per cent effective. Everything is fine between my husband and me." I, too, was elated. I was very happy for her. Origins of EFT and phobia cure EFT was created by Gary Craig and Adrienne Fowlie, who extrapolated EFT from the brilliant work of Roger Callahan, Ph.D., a California psychologist who discovered the efficacy of the tapping techniques, while he was working with people with phobias. The breakthrough occurred when he was working with a woman who had a water phobia. Within minutes of trying out some tapping, the woman lost her lifelong fear! Callahan was astounded by the results and sought to uncover the underlying theory. Callahan has been able to blend western psychology with eastern medical, or acupuncture, theory in a unique way. Callahan discovered that if one tapped on particular points (instead of using needles), and at the same time, "tuned in" to the problem, amazing results could occur. Craig and Fowlie are certified masters of the Callahan Techniques or Thought Field Therapy (TFT). They streamlined and simplified Callahan's techniques. These techniques could be revolutionary to the field of psychology, as well as to healing in general. Chronic back pain and molestation In my own practice, working as a minister and healer, I have been astounded by the results I have been witnessing. Another woman whom I shall call Nancy, has had chronic back pain for years. She has been in thirteen automobile accidents, and she, too, had been molested as a child. She also wanted to heal a deep feeling of being unwanted by her mother. Nancy, like others with deep set problems, had, what Dr. Callahan calls, Psychological Reversal. Psychological Reversal According to Dr. Callahan, Psychological Reversal occurs when the person does not want to get rid of their problem on a subconscious level . If one were to muscle test the person with a psychological reversal, he or she would test strong for "I want this problem" and weak for "I want to get rid of this problem." This is the reason people are not able to get rid of their problems or addictions or whatever, because a part of their subconscious mind will not allow them to get rid of the problem, or does not want to. So, for example, a person who very much wants to loose weight, may loose weight for a period of time, but after awhile will go back to eating what they want and sabotage themselves. Nancy's case was multifaceted and had many aspects and issues. We tapped away many traumatic events in her life, as well as many early childhood memories. After several sessions, according to Nancy, 95 percent of the back pain has left her. Thyroid problem and not speaking up Kathy was troubled by all sorts of "bizarre" symptoms. She was so depressed, she had to stop working as a teacher. Medical tests indicated a hypothyroid condition and depressed levels of her female hormones. Even though she was in her early forties, her doctor felt she was peri-menopausal. Thyroid supplements, hormone therapy and nutrition had helped her, however she still felt depressed. As she spoke I found out that her true love was writing. At home she and her husband had two computers. Hers was the smaller one in a separate room that was the catch-all room for all sorts of stuff. Something always came up when she thought about sitting down and writing. She was never able to get to it. "A ha," I reflected inwardly, "a possible case of psychological reversal. Perhaps something in her subconscious mind is keeping her from writing." Tears rolled down her face as we tapped on issues of "not being heard", or "not listened to". We tapped on such things as "people are critical of what I write." The next time I saw her she had enrolled in a writing course and converted the "storage" room into her very own computer/writing room with all sorts of meaningful knickknacks to inspire her to write. As with most people with complex problems, any treatment can only go so far at one time. We all grow and change in steps. Her depression is now mostly gone, however, different issues and aspects keep on coming up. It would appear that her thyroid problem is related to her difficulty in speaking up and expressing herself. Kathy is very happy in her writing class. She is still taking her medical prescriptions, which she is hoping to reduce over time. As with everything in life, we must learn to take one step at a time. So far I have been increasingly impressed with the effectiveness of this revolutionary new technique, and I have shared some of the extraordinary results I have witnessed with the use of EFT. Class in EFT Because of the important nature of this new tool, I have decided to teach a class in Basic EFT. The class will be held Saturday, April 8th at Lemurian Imports, 2850 East Grant Road. Please call for further details and to register for the class. Phyllis Winslow is the Director of the Institute for Health and Healing, certified by the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and a Licenced Massage Therapist (LMT). She can be reached for private appointments and information on classes at (520) 909-3455 or (520) 323-9325. |
