Using a photograph to obtain greater tapping results

EFT is, of course, most powerful when used on a specific issue.  There are also times when the specific issue is clouded by so very many intertwined events, traumas, fears, old beliefs about oneself and the world, that you can’t separate them enough to find something specific.

An EFT practitioner friend of mine opened my eyes to working with a photograph while doing EFT and I am extremely grateful because it can make it easy to do EFT when there is a lot of confusion or conflict. Results can lead to the discovery of those illusive specific core issues and make all the difference in the world.

An Example – “Husband’s Death”

My friend was working with a woman whose husband had died. The woman was elderly, both in age and in her beliefs. She had never had a chequebook, she did not know anything about her finances, didn’t know if the family home of several decades was in her name or even if it had a mortgage. She didn’t even know if there was a will. She was lost and swung back and forth between feelings of great loss and strong anger at not knowing what to do at this very vulnerable and difficult time.

Her daughter knew about EFT and insisted her mother have a session with my friend. There were so very many issues – the care and resentments of a lifetime of marriage. All the words never spoken, the actions never taken, the many things left unsaid that can ferment in the internal reaches of the mind and body. Because my friend knew she had only one chance to help this woman, she searched her mind for a way to make EFT accessible in one session.

This is what she came up with. She asked the woman to bring a few pictures of her husband at various points in his life.  She insisted that the daughter be present. She stated that it was also important that the picture used had only the one person in it – her husband who had died. She had the mother simply look at the picture and, while tapping through the points, verbalize out loud all the things that came up. One moment of crying, a few moments of anger, one moment of a kind remembrance, a rant regarding something from long ago but not forgotten. It went back and forth and up and down. The daughter monitored her mother and helped her through the tapping points.

Round after round of EFT with allowing whatever came up in the stream of consciousness said out loud. At the end neither mother nor daughter could believe all that had come up. And they were both absolutely exhausted.

Continual Tapping

This technique uses Continual Tapping which is also used extensively when working with Post Traumatic Stress. Gary Craig taught it in 2005 at one of his EFT and Serious Dis-ease workshops. People often tell their story while continuing to do round after round of tapping. Using all the tapping points, you simply start at the karate chop point and keep doing round after round of tapping until the process is finished.

You do not need to use the traditional “Even though” phrases with Continual Tapping, but merely start with whatever you want to say and continue that moving from point to point, making sure you tap at least 7-10 times at each point.

Results of this Session

The result of this mega tapping session was to take the top off many conflicting and confusing issues. Once the confusing and conflicting feelings were brought into the light of day by saying them out loud while doing EFT, mother and daughter were once again taken on that deeper journey that EFT seems to always make available to us.

Some of the feelings just went away. Others were identified as specific issues that needed a separate EFT session. EFT is brilliant at letting us know what we need to give specific attention to and that is exactly what happened. This one tapping session helped this woman receive clarity by allowing old messages to come out. It helped her to take the first steps in forgiving her husband for not making sure she had the information she needed at his death (amongst other things?!?).

Next Step Please

This woman, who had to almost be dragged to her first EFT session, now wanted to continue the tapping with a younger picture of her husband. Pictures of him at every age came out. She and others were cut out of the pictures so that she could concentrate just on him. She had anger at him for many things over the years and was able to do what she called “come to terms with some” and “be in a place of peace with others,” because of this process.

How To Use This Process

The following items are important to this process:

  • Do this only if you do NOT have something specific to work on yet.
  • Do this only if there is a great deal of conflicting emotions and confusion around this person or thing.
  • Use a picture that only has the ONE person or thing in it. No group photos. Not even with just the two of you in it.
  • Allow a Stream of Consciousness to come forth from the mind.
  • Make sure you say it OUT LOUD. Important to engage the sense of hearing, as well as doing the tapping for maximum benefit.
  • Make a list of specific events that show themselves in this process and that might require their own tapping session.

When to Use This Technique

I have had clients use this technique if a loved one leaves or dies. Whether a parent, sibling, child, partner, friend, work associate – you can do this on anyone who has disappointed, betrayed, or left you in any way.

The session often starts off with something like, “How could you do this?” and goes on from there. It is a time to release it all – while doing Continual Tapping of course. Doing this technique can let out all the things you wished you said (both positive and negative) and never did. It can create peace and calm where there was only turmoil before.

If you use this EFT technique, I’d love to hear your comments.

Compliments of
Maggie Adkins, EFT Founding Master

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Maggie Adkins – EFT Founding Master
PO Box 2305, Port Macquarie NSW 2444
Phone 0420 314 837     Email earthwomandreaming@bigpond.com