originally published in the Rising Sun EFT Group newsletter, 5-31-09
I’m a big fan of using creative language with EFT. My colleague and good friend Jade Barbee has put together a free e-book called EFT-3, and I think it is inspired. He presents EFT as a three-part process of 1) Acknowledge (Set-Up part one) 2) Accept (Set-Up part two) and 3) Allow (Sequence – tapping for “this ___feeling”). What I love about the EFT-3 e-book is that each of these has a full page of suggested tapping phrases — as you fill in the blanks for your issue, the language becomes very powerful.
A PERSONAL STORY – USING EFT 3 FOR MY SLEEP ISSUE
I’ve had problems with sleep all my life. And, yes, I’ve done tons of EFT on this, but that has been a frustrating experience. It is the one thing that, in the past, EFT wouldn’t touch for me. Even working with other practitioners, I never got any permanent improvement with this issue.
Because I often wake up around 4-5 am, around my birth time, I’ve wondered if the sleep disturbances are connected with my birth and possibly my first 8 months of life, during which I had a lot of colic and did not sleep well as a baby (poor parents). I happened to talk with my father recently about this and he told me about rocking and bouncing this little “baby in pain.” As he said, the colic must have been severely painful, like the worst gas pains. It’s so sad to think about, a little baby in pain and nothing that seemed to help (hmmm, sounds like me and sleep!)
So this was on my mind when I started experimenting with Jade Barbee’s EFT-3. I decided to go through the process before bed, tapping for “can’t sleep” and “this baby in pain.” Here are some of the sequences based on Jade’s e-book:
1) Acknowledge
Even though this feeling of “can’t sleep” makes me see “this baby in pain” and reminds me of “those difficult beginnings” and makes me feel “sad”…
Even though I carry this feeling of “can’t sleep” in “my belly”…
2) Accept
I want to make peace with where I am and who I am right now. This is how a part of me feels and I honor this part of me.
I want to transform this “baby in pain feeling” into deep trust and confidence and inner peace.
3) Allow – This ___ Feeling (tapping the points)
This “can’t sleep” feeling….
This “baby in pain” scene in front of me…
I want to fully express this and release this; it’s been exhausting.
All this old feeling of “can’t sleep” which reminds me of “the baby in pain”… that was then and this is now! I can release that old strategy!
There’s a wise part of me that knows… “I survived… I can sleep now, free of pain.”
The phrases above are just a sample, there is much more. I tapped through each page, adapting all of Jade’s language to my issue. One time through the three pages of EFT-3 before bed. And I had an amazingly good night! I did wake up, but I easily went back to sleep.
In the past week, the nights I’ve used EFT-3 before bed have all been nights of good sleep — amazing. One night I slept through, unheard of for me. Several nights, I didn’t do the process and they weren’t as good. So I’m going to make this my routine. What a godsend.
I’m wondering why this process is serving me better than directly working on the issue, which of course I have done (including sessions on the baby core issue.) It’s possible that this wonderful and comprehensive language is reaching the subconscious in a way that is deeply soothing. Tapping through all these phrases may be snagging some things on deep levels and bringing in those reassuring messages in ways that nothing else has. It’s been a fascinating experiment and truly gratifying to get results on such a tough and persistent problem.
I recommend that you pick up a copy of EFT-3 and print out the 8 pages. Especially keep the 3-page process nearby. There’s some great language to glean here for working with clients or yourself. And try the whole thing as a process on some issue. In ways the conscious mind doesn’t have to understand, this may reach deep aspects and roots and bring in healing and shift things powerfully .
Jade is offering this great resource for free. You’ll find the free EFT-3 e-book here:
Thank you, Jade, for this great contribution to the tapping world.