Tapping Q & A - Getting the most out of tapping and EFT

We all know the EFT mantra, "Try it on everything!" Deborah Miller took this completely to heart. Today she visits a cancer ward five days a week where she has the opportunity to work with children, parents, and even the hospital staff. In this interview she talks about her experience, what she has learned, and her hopes for the future. Even if you don't know someone with cancer and you don't think you will ever work in a hospital setting I encourage you to listen to this interview. There are many specific lessons you can apply to your own daily tapping practice and also in introducing tapping to others.

One of the biggest blocks for beginning tappers is using the setup phrase, "Even though...I love and accept myself." Sometimes we just don't believe it. Sometimes it is painful to think of how we don't love and accept ourselves, and because of this we don't spend time tapping. In this interview I chat with Steve Wells about the idea of self acceptance. During our conversation I quickly came to realize that Steve and I see acceptance and resistance in the same way. We talk about Steve's own (continuing) journey to self acceptance, how he made significant progress using a simple 30-day process, and how moving towards self acceptance heals many other issues in our lives.

"According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy." Jerry Seinfeld Fear of public speaking can affect not only large moments when we speak in front of a group of people, but also in the small moments like asking for help at a store. This is how I originally found my way to tapping. I could speak in front of 8,000 people but couldn't ask for help in a store. In this interview I talk with Janet Hilts about how we can use Tapping/EFT for many different aspects of public speaking. We explore how sometimes the issue isn't the speaking itself but aspects around it, and discuss a simple approach that you can use to start tapping for your public speaking fears right away.

In Pod #11: Tapping for Romantic Relationships I talked with Gina Parris about how we can tap to improve our romantic relationships. In this interview we take the next step and talk about how we can use tapping to improve our sexual relationship to reflect the emotional intimacy we share with our partners. It can put a real strain on a relationship when we don't feel truly connected to our partner and often we don't know how to talk about it, or even where to start. In this interview Gina shares practical tips for using tapping to rekindle the passion and fire in relationships.

Back in the fall I asked 10 practitioners that I admire and respect to answer 5 questions about the healing process, the healing journey, and their work with clients. The questions I asked them were: What lessons have you learned about healing from a client? What is something you have changed your mind about when it comes to healing, working with clients, or your own transformation process? If you were to start your own healing journey over again what would you do differently? What is one thing you wish your clients believed about themselves? What is one thing you wish your clients believed about healing process? You can check out their answers in the Round Up Archive Let me know your answers in the comment section below.

This is a slightly different type of podcast. Instead of a straightforward teaching or an interview it is much more a conversation. The topic of the conversation with my friend Jondi Whitis where we talk about using tapping protocols and how we find our ways to core issues. Techniques/Tools v Art of Delivery Simple v Complex Stories about how we chance and how that effects how we chance How we find our ways the right tapping phrases Resistance and the absence of resistance The eraser in my pocket How do we find the core issues better How to get clients to find more information about the issues The power of shutting up and listening (aka the comfortable silence) Choosing the issue to start with Worry v Fear How to talk about issues (esp. with kids)

Today's podcast is an interview with Jesse Jacobs and is little different. I first heard Jesse interviewed by Dan Benjamin on the business show "The Pipeline". Dan was interviewing Jesse about the tea house that he runs in San Francisco. What caught my attention was the last five minutes of the interview in which he started to talk about his use of the power of ritual in creating work that he loves and a life that nourishes him. In this interview we spend a little time talking about how he moved from being a techie to creating a space where people could relax, be at peace, and make real connections with others. The bulk of the interview is spent talking about this idea of ritual, its power, how it can ground us, and how we can add daily ritual to our lives. I find this interview helpful in two ways. First, it opened my eyes to the power of being in the moment (especially when it comes to all the senses). Second, we look at how we can create a daily ritual (like tapping) to create grounding for our day

This is a slightly different type of podcast. Instead of a straightforward teaching or an interview it is much more a conversation. The topic of the conversation with my friend Sue is cravings, eating, and weight release. Because of the nature of conversation we touch on many other things. We talk about: Reasons people have cravings Becoming the observer of our self How to be able to tap when something is happening, not just after the fact Why treat your inner voice like a 5 year old The difference between craving and savoring (lessons in conscious choice) What we can learn (and not learn) from "What Not To Wear" The balance between losing ourselves in our goals and total apathy Why it is good that we struggle with how we look Degrees of pain Trading one craving for another (changing habits v healing wounds) 3 steps to approach every problem

According to U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health Fibromyalgia is: a common syndrome in which people experience long-term, body-wide pain and tender points in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to fatigue, sleep problems, headaches, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms. The cause of this disorder is unknown. Although none have been well proven, possible causes or triggers of fibromyalgia include: Physical or emotional trauma An abnormal pain response. Areas in the brain that are responsible for pain may react differently in fibromyalgia patients. Sleep disturbances, which are common in fibromyalgia patients. An infectious microbe, such as a virus. At this point, no such virus or microbe has been identified. The following conditions may be seen with fibromyalgia or mimic its symptoms: Chronic neck or back pain Chronic fatigue syndrome Depression Hypothyroidism Lyme disease Sleep disorders More and more I am seeing clients with these symptoms. In this interview I spend time with EFT Rue Hass talking about her experience with clients who are experiencing symptoms of fibromyalgia. We talk about causes as well things she has seen in her practice that has been helpful for these symptoms

When I approached my friend and fellow practitioner Rod Sherwin about what topic he wanted to talk about in a podcast interview he recommended a conversation about self-compassion. At the time of the interview I was unfamiliar with the word. Self-compassion is in stark contrast to self-esteem. It is all about seeing yourself in the same way as you see others. Often we are supportive and understanding when others fail, but when we fail we are very hard on ourselves. Self-compassion is about being able to extend that same love and understanding towards ourselves. In this interview we explore self-compassion in depth and practical ways in which we can incorporate it into our daily lives and our daily tapping.

There are few things more emotionally charged than money. Often one of the reasons we talk in terms of abundance and success is because we don't even want to say "I want money" or "I want cash" out loud. In this pragmatic interview with Margaret Lynch shares the four areas of money that we can tune into and start clearing issues right away.

We spend a great number of our waking hours at work. Not only do our working hours consume our time but also our emotions and our energy. In this interview with Rick Wilkes we talk about how stress and trauma in our personal and professional lives can affect our ability to be healthy and successful in our work. We talk about ways of discovering how these past traumas are impacting us now and how we can use tapping to clear them, enabling us to be more present in the moment.

One of the biggest challenges of the modern world is being fully present in the moment. Our attention seems constantly to be pulled in a million directions between the media we consume (even if it is just constantly chattering in the background), our loved ones, all the tasks that need to be done during the day, and everything we would like to achieve for our own growth. Being present in this moment is very challenging. In this interview with Ted Robinson we talk about how being present in the moment can benefit us and how we can use tapping to help us to achieve this state.

Tapping is great for physical pain and physical issues. When most people are introduced to tapping they learn to deal with pain by tapping on "this pain in my knee...this pain in my knee...this pain in my knee". In this interview with Carol Look we examine more advanced ways to look at the emotions associated with physical pain and how in many cases when we deal with the emotional issues we find our way to physical relief.

One of the things I love about Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is how flexible the tool set is. Not only is it a great stand-alone tool, but it is something that can be used with lots of other tools. In this interview I talk with Betty Moore-Hafter about the lessons she has learned from other tool sets and how you can easily add them into your own tapping. This is easy stuff that anyone can do.

One of the biggest hang-ups my clients have when tapping on their own is knowing what tune into and how to find past memories or core issues. Tania A Prince has developed a very easy process that only requires the person who is doing Emotional Freedom Techniques to tune into how they know they have the issue. It is really that easy. In this interview Tania explains EFT Inner RePatterning and how to do it.

One of the questions I get the most often into the site is about surrogate tapping. In this interview Gwyneth explains how she came to understand the power of surrogate tapping and a very elegant three step approach that anyone can do any time. Over the course of the interview we talk about surrogate tapping for animals as well as people. We even spend a little time talking about if we need to get permission to tap surrogately for someone else.

Over the past few years I have been lucky enough to get to know Jessica Ortner through a number of projects. She just has a wonderful, joyful spirit. I asked Jessica if she would be willing to be interviewed for the podcast and she was initially a little bit hesitant as she is very good at doing interviews, but being interviewed isn't something she is used to. We talked about how to do interviews and how to do a good job as an interviewee. My favorite part of our talk was exploring some of the lessons and wisdom Jessica has learned from all the great people she has has the opportunity to interview.

Most of the time the problem isn't knowing what we want. Usually the problem is taking the steps that we know we should take to move forward. In these cases there are fears and limiting beliefs that are preventing us from moving forward. In this podcast I share with you a simple 10 step process that will help to uncover the fears and limiting beliefs that are preventing you from having what you want in your life. When you ask these 10 questions your limiting beliefs will quickly present themselves and give you the opportunity to tap them away. For more information on a comprehensive way to use these 10 questions check out 10 Steps To Getting Out Of Your Own Way

Carrying an emotional burden for someone else is a very high act of love, but it can have consequences for our own emotions and health. In this episode we look at how and why we carry burdens for others and past generations, and how we can use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)/tapping to release these burdens.

One of the most powerful tools in transformation is our ability to forgive ourselves and others. When we forgive we are not saying it is ok. We are not saying we want to have the same thing happen again. What we are saying is that we are choosing no longer to be emotionally entangled in the past. Forgiveness is one of the steps of moving from reliving to remembering. In this show we will explore the power of forgiveness and how we can use tapping to make forgiveness of others and ourselves an important part of our transformation.

Gene host's a radio program every other Tuesday @ Emotional Freedom Techniques Community Radio. In the most recent show Gene answered questions from beginners and practitioners alike from all over the world. On this show Gene tackles for bigger questions This week Gene answered: Should I be working with a practitioner and how do I choose one? I have seen some other tapping protocols that don't use the same points that are taught in the EFT manual. Is it okey if I use other tapping points or will this mess things up? I have heard you talk about in the past that you don't trust what a client says about their issue? What do you mean by this and with this in mind how do you work? I want to quit smoking. I tap on "Even though I am a smoke I love and accept myself" This makes me feel a little less stressed about quitting smoking, but I still smoke as much as ever. What can I do?

This week Gene answered: I would like to know is why I just get temporaries results with EFT and tapping ?? and Why I don´t get good results with, self esteem ,fear of rejection, people speaking, failure, procrastination and discipline? I want to tap everyday, but for some reason it doesn't happen. How can I make sure I tap every day? As I do more work I am becoming more and more aware of my inner thoughts. One level this is good because I can see the areas of my life that I want to change, but in other ways it feels bad because I am always noticing it. Is there a way that I can keep from feeling so over whlemed about the amount of work i need to do? Do I have to be seated while tapping or can I do it laying down? My husband and I are having trouble conceiving a child. Can tapping help? I am having a hard time coming up with phrases. Are there any tricks I can use?

One of the conversations I have most often around Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping is how it relates to religious traditions and spiritual practice. The questions range from, “Is it OK to tap based on my religion/belief system?” to “Can tapping help my spiritual practice?” I was interviewed by TapFest host Jondi Whitis and Co-Host Lillian Fimbres on EFT Radio and here is our complete conversation on the subject.

Trauma is one of the words that we throw around when talking about difficult times. In this interview I talk with EFT Master Gwyneth Moss about the true nature of trauma. She very succinctly explains how we experience trauma and how to deal with it. Trauma is not about something that happens, but the after effects, and when we understand its true nature we are much more likely to be able to heal. This is one of those interviews that is worth listening to a number of times.

This week Gene answered: Will tapping right before bed keep you up? Is it possible to tap for things that happen that our subconscious mind is perceiving, but our conscious mind is not? How do I tap for seasonal allergies? How do I tap for Male Pattern Baldness? How do I tap for weight loss?

Our ability to be successful with any task is not dependent just on our skill set, but also our mental frame of mind before, during, and after we take action. This frame of mind can impact not only our ability but also how we learn new tasks and improve our skill. In this podcast I talk to Jared Tendler. Jared works with golfers and poker players around their mindset and frame of mind. Both of these games are great for looking at how our mindset affects us because of the immediate feedback we get from each choice. In this interview Jared talks about many different ways we can look at our mental outlook and how it relates to choice. The experienced tapper will see right away how to combine these mindset approaches with our Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping. This interview is packed with information. There are times when I finish an interview and am just blown away by what I have learned, and this is one of those instances. I recommend listening to the podcast a few times and doing with a pen and paper to hand.

In a number of Gary Craig's original EFT DVDs he talked about how helpful knowing and understanding NLP concepts are. I can speak from my own experience at how valuable these principles, concepts, and techniques are when working with clients or doing self-work. In this pod I interview the National Foundation Of Neuro Linguistic Programming founder Dr. Wil Horton. In this interview we talk about the different logical levels of change. When we recognize all of the different levels in which change can happen at it can speed the healing process as well as identify the places we need to do extra work.

As time passes I am increasingly working with clients on building their own practices. There is a real feeling of "try it on everything" in the Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping community but as we move from helping our friends with headaches and cravings for chocolate to working with clients, we need more than just a willing spirit. In this interview EFT Master Carol Look speaks frankly about two key issues to keep in mind when you are starting a practice.

This week Gene answered: Have been tapping for an issue that has been with me for a while. I am making great progress, but when I tap all sorts of thoughts, memories, and emotions come to mind. All of this information is overwhelming. What do I do with it all? I am new to Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping. Should I be saying the phrases out loud or is it okey to say them in my head? To be honest I feel a little silly saying them out loud. I had a client come in for a issue that they were sure they knew the root cause of, but when they tuned in to the past memory that was causing this issue there is no emotional charge. What should I do? I have a client who has been diagnosed with clinical depression. Where should I start? How do you deal with naysayers? Do we need to tap every issue down to 0? I have been dealing with the emotions of a break-up for months now and feel like I have tried everything. As some one who deal with this a lot I am hoping you have a trick I haven't tried. What should I do? It hurts when I tap on some of the spots but I want relief. Should I keep tapping?

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a powerful tool and can help you to understand where you are standing and help you to make choices to transform your life. NLP and EFT/Tapping are a match made in heaven. More than likely you are already using NLP techniques and don’t even know it.

Most of us who have private practices or want private practices want to spend our time helping our clients. We don't want to spend time marketing. Not because we don't think marketing is important, but because we aren't very good at it or even worse it is scary. In this podcast I talk to Pamela Bruner and we discover that not only do you need to be marketing for your own sake, but for your clients’ sake. We talk about the unique challenges that transformational entrepreneurs face in marketing their products and services. This is a must listen to if you have or would like your own practice.

One of the most powerful insights I have had in my practice in the last 18 months was the recognition that every issue we have is trying to serve us in some way. This does not mean that issue is successful in doing so, in fact often the effect of the issue is to make our life worse rather than better. In podcast I explain an easy 9 step process you can use with Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping to transform your issues into powerful resources for growth.

I often receive questions about how to tap in order to change someone else’s behavior. There are some very specific implementations of surrogate Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping, such as in the work I do with autistic children and their parents. But it is not as simple as tapping to change other people’s choices. We can't tap to change someone else’s free will, but we can tap to create an environment where others have a chance to make new and better choices. In this podcast I explain three ways in which we can help others to make different choices: by working on our own emotions, making others feel loved and safe, and by not bringing our own issues to the table.

We spend up to one half of our waking hours at work. Not only is it important that we have an effective way of dealing with the stress of our jobs, but we also need to help manage the way this stress might affect the rest of our lives. In this interview with Pamela Bruner we talk about how we can use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)/tapping to deal with workplace stress, how to use tapping to improve our performance at work, and how to keep work stress from creeping into other parts of our lives.

[Note: This is part 3 of a 10 part series on using EFT/Tapping for weight release with a new article or podcast being added every 10 days. The complete series can be found @ weight release series.] The extra weight that we hold is often times associated with and symptoms of deeper emotional issues. In this interview Catherine Poole talks about what emotions are most often associated with the different problems areas of weight gain. Once we are able to understand the emotional roots of the weight we are carrying it becomes easier for us to release both the emotional wound as well at the physical weight.

One of the most often used terms and at the same time most misunderstood term used by people in the Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping community is "psychological reversal". In this interview, in easy to understand language, Gwenn Bonnell describes what PR is, what is symptoms are, and many techniques for clearing it. [Note: Out of all of the interview I have done in the last year this is the one I personally learned the most from.]

Writing a description of an interview with Rick Wilkes is always a difficult task. On the surface there is the topic at hand for the interview, but when we are chatting things move more much far afield into deep issues of healing and well-being than just the topic at hand. In this interview we talk about the spectrum from feeling completely and irrationally unsafe to complete and total inanition. Anytime there is resistance to change it is really important to ask "Do we feel safe making this change?" In the interview we talk about a number of ways of framing this question to make is more accessible for every issue. In addition to talk about extreme fears and uncomfortable situation we talk about finding space that is safe to heal and what true healing means. This is not just about eliminating fear, but being in a space of feeling alive in every way.

One of the most difficult parts of using Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping effectively is in trying to figure out the root cause of the emotions we are currently feeling. Although we can often guess that a past event might be relevant it is difficult to be certain. In this podcast Tania Prince explains part of the process she calls Deep State RePatterning which can safely give us access to information about a past event held in the subconscious mind, allowing us the opportunity to do transformational work with that information.

Each month the Tapping Insiders Club does an "Ask The Expert" interview where they pose questions from their members to a tapping practitioner. For the month of December I was asked to field these questions. In this interview Jessica Ortner asks me questions from total tapping beginners to questions from practitioners.

One of the most common uses of tapping is weight release and craving control. In this interview Pat talks about the basic steps we need to take to be success in weight release. After giving this overview Pat talks emotional eating and then talks in very specific term about the mindless eating we do and how we can use tapping to deal with the craving eating and the habitual eat (e.g. eating every time we watch tv).

Holidays are very busy emotional times. The last 10 weeks of the year are jam packed with holidays, each with their own special meaning and traditions. Each holiday also has its own color palette. From the oranges of Halloween to the reds and greens of Christmas, these color haven't happened by accident, but also carry the meaning of the holiday. In this podcast I talk to "The Queen of Color"™ Catherine Poole about what each color means emotionally and how by being aware of this we can keep our over eating and over spending in check while being open to the love and connection of the holiday. This is not one of our more traditional podcasts where we talk strictly tapping, but instead we are sharing tools that will help you to be more keenly aware of how the holidays affect you emotionally. By being aware of what is going on in your emotions you will be well equipped to tap your way through the holiday season.

We spend as much as half of our waking life at work, thinking about work, or commuting. In this podcast I talk to Lynne Shaner about why it is so important to deal with work related stress. We talk about a range of topics concerning work related stress and the easy ways in which we can use Emotional Freedom Techniques(EFT)/tapping to deal with it both at our workplace and at home after our working day.

In this podcast I share part of a client session around the issue of quitting smoking. Even if you are not a smoker you will find this helpful and informative. This session provides a number of clear examples of how we can make the connection from a physiological feeling, in this case the desire to smoke a cigarette, to thoughts and memories from the past. There are three main takeaways from this audio that are applicable to any tapping situation: how to move from physical to emotional issues how cleaning up one emotion related to a symptom can uncover more emotions tied to the same symptom how the symptoms can return as we tune into new emotions, showing us that there is still more work to be done

In this episode we discuss how tapping affects the brain and the biochemistry of the body, and how this in turn affects the way new cells are produced. It is one thing to know that it is possible for us to tap and find relief, but it something completely different to understand what is going on inside the body. This understanding allows us to do two things: first, it can help us to tailor our tapping effectively in order to get the most out of the tapping session. Second, it helps us to understand the way the body changes so we can more clearly track our progress and maintain realistic expectations of how the healing process will unfold.

I am asked all the time by parents about how they can surrogately tap for their children. There is a great deal of confusion around what to say and what to focus on. Like all things with tapping the key is not in the words you use but where you place your focus. In this podcast I share with you a real tapping session in which I worked with a parent who they wanted to tap for their child's struggle with and hatred of math. In this pod you will only hear my voice. I have edited out the parent’s voice. I was also given permission by the parent to share this audio with you.

In this day and age financial success seems to be on everyone's mind. For those of us who have been doing change work we know there is much more to this than just the money in our bank account. We need to understand our own issues around money and success as well as have a clear vision of what success looks like. In this podcast EFT practitioner AnaMaria Herrera shares a few of the common mistakes people make when tapping for financial success as well as giving a number of tips on how to get to the root cause of our limiting beliefs around money.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)/tapping is not only a powerful tool in transforming our own lives, but we can use it to care for our loved ones. This is not limited to just humans, but we can extend this love and care through tapping to our animals as well. In this episode I talk with Susanne Peach about how tapping for animals is similar and different to surrogately tapping for humans. Susan give a number of very practical tips in how you can start tapping right way for your animals.

One of the most common questions I get about tapping (EvEFT/EFT) is "What do I do when I don't know what memories from the past are effecting my behavior or emotions today?" In this interview I talk to Rod Sherwin about a very cool protocol call Solution Focused Brief Therapy. In this protocol you don't have to worry about why you are the way you are, but instead it focuses on how to move to what you want. Personally, I find this to be a great approach because even when I don't know why things are the way they are I am going to know where I want to be or who I want to be. In this interview Rod lays out the basic steps of SFBT that can easily be added to any tapping routine.