An EFT Formula For Specific Trauma - Part 2

In Part One of “An EFT Formula for Specific Trauma,” we looked at the basic methodology of how to examine traumas using EFT. After determining whether any previous traumas might relate to the current one, we looked at identifying the different aspects of a trauma, using the Intensity Meter to determine which aspects to work on first, and how to deal with overwhelm by tapping without words until the client could again address the issues directly.

This basic overview is now extended in Part Two to provide more details about using the formula for working on specific traumas. Here we will take an example of a car accident and go into how to be as specific as possible so that all traces of the trauma can be released.

List all the aspects you can think of

As discussed in Part One, the best way to make sure you’re getting all the aspects is to make a written list, as shown below.

• My husband told me not to go out on such a cold and wet night for the treat I promised our son. I went out anyway.
• I was driving a little too fast for the slippery road.
• A child ran onto the road and when I slammed on my brakes, my car slid into a ditch.
• When I awoke I smelled gasoline and couldn’t open the car door to get out.
• I was trapped – the car could have exploded with me in it.
• No one was around to help and I started to scream and beep the horn.
• When a man came to help, he took one look at me and said, “Oh no.”
• I could have died — what would my son have done without his mother?
• All for a stupid treat that I forgot.
• My husband is furious that I went out against his wishes.
• I feel foolish and ashamed that I had the accident for such stupid reasons.
• It’s just like all the other stupid things I’ve done — I’m just so dumb and worthless at so many things.

Ask which Aspect is the most intense on the Intensity Meter

Ask which of the listed aspects is the worst - which is the biggest on the Intensity Meter of 0-10? 10 is the worst, 0 means it isn’t there anymore.

For this demonstration, we’ll say that “I could have died - what would my son have done without his mother?” is the most intense and it is a solid 10.

Please note the tapping protocol:  Start by doing the Set Up on the Karate Chop point. Then continue with the reminder phrase at all the other tapping points: top of the head, eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, under the lip, collarbone, under the arm. I like to add the wrist point which covers the four meridians that end in your fingers. 

At the Karate Chop point say,

“Even though I could have died – what would my son have done without his mother? I deeply and profoundly accept myself.”

At the rest of the tapping points, say your reminder phrase,

Could have died – what would my son have done without his mother?

Do this for several rounds – until the intensity comes down to a 4 or less. This is merely a guideline – if you are stuck at 5 or 6, stop and go to the next most intense aspect or an emotion or body sensation.

I like to bring the intensity down to a zero; however, with so many aspects, we may have to do EFT on several of the aspects before it all collapses to a zero.

If an Emotion or Body Sensation has arisen, shift to that now

If no emotion or body sensation has arisen, go to the next highlighted paragraph in this article.

If an emotion has arisen, incorporate that with the aspect you were working on. For instance, if sadness has arisen, you would say something like,

“Even though I am so sad I could have died – what would my son have done without his mother, I deeply and profoundly accept myself.”

When you combine the emotion and the aspect you were working on when it arose, that combination can often create more release from both the emotion and the original trauma. Do rounds on this until the emotion subsides.

If a body sensation has arisen, incorporate that into the aspect you were working on when it arose. For instance, if shoulder tightness arose, you could use wording similar to:

“Even though I have this could have died tightness in my shoulders – what would my son have done without his mother, I deeply and profoundly accept myself.”

Do rounds on this until the body sensation subsides.

Which Aspect is NOW the most intense?

Choose the aspect that is now the most intense.

We’ll say that the fact that I was going a little too fast and I could have hit a child is the most intense now. That is a 10 on the Intensity Meter also, but it wasn’t as big as the first aspect we worked on.

Tap on the Karate Chop point with the following Set Up:

“Even though I was going too fast and could have hit that child - never would have forgiven myself, I deeply and profoundly accept myself.”

At the rest of the tapping points, use your reminder phrase:

“Was going too fast - really stupid - could have hit that child.”

Please note I have added “really stupid” in the reminder phrase as an example of how you can change the wording a bit and include another aspect. Feeling really stupid is another aspect and it may or may not need specific rounds of its own.

Do several rounds on this until the intensity comes down to a 4 or less. This is just a guideline - if it is a 5 or 6 and you feel stuck, go to the next aspect.

Has an emotion or body sensation arisen?

If either of these has arisen, proceed as described above for emotion or body sensation.

Which Aspect is NOW the most intense?

Choose the aspect that is now the most intense. Let’s say the next most intense aspect is, “My husband told me not to go out on such a cold and wet night.” Let’s say this aspect has an intensity of 7 — it may have already gone down because of the work we have done on other aspects that were stronger.

Do the Set Up at the Karate Chop point:

“Even though my husband told me not to go out, he’s still angry with me, & I’m angry at me too, I deeply and profoundly accept myself.”

At the rest of the tapping points, use your reminder phrase:

“He told me not to go out - I’m furious at myself that I was so bullheaded and he is too.”

I have again changed the reminder phrase a bit to encompass a bit more and show how flexible EFT is.

Continue the Dance

Continue to ask yourself if there is a most intense aspect left.

Has an emotion arisen?

Has a body sensation arisen?

Work with whichever of the above is present. When you have worked with three to five (I can’t tell you the exact number for your trauma) aspects, emotions or  body sensations, go back to the first aspect you worked on and see if the intensity has decreased. Check each aspect and see if any have gone to zero.

Continue with this process until the intensity has reached zero for all aspects, or you’re feeling enough relief to stop.

When you are satisfied with your results, you could do a round of positive affirmation tapping such as the following: “I am deeply grateful for these healings in my body, mind and spirit and I give thanks.” You can, of course, choose your own words.

Summary

The above formula is meant to be a guide. I can’t tell you exactly how you - and your client, if this is the case - will respond. I have witnessed the effectiveness of this formula many times.

If You Get Stuck

If you do not have success with this or if you are not comfortable working with a complex trauma on your own, be sure to choose a competent EFT practitioner and allow yourself the freedom that releasing a trauma can bring to your life.

Choose the EFT practitioner who is right for you rather than the one who might be closest geographically. A good way to find a practitioner is through short telephone interviews, where you can ask questions that relate to your situation. You will be able to tell from their responses who among them has a perspective that meshes well with yours. Trust and feeling safe with a practitioner  are far more important than where a practitioner is located.

For example, approximately 99% of my client work is now done via phone consultations. Choose your practitioner as carefully as you would choose a physician, a friend, or a teacher.