EFT For Dummies

Question 0

How do negative memories effect you?

Answer 0

Negative memories are easier to remember and recall than good or positive memories.

Each time something triggers a negative memory, these bad memories send an alert message to your brain.

Our brain creates a negative emotion, such as fear, anger, or hurt and at the same time, causing a blockage or an imbalance.

It’s this disruption that causes emotional and physical problems.

They can remain locked in your body’s energy system for years or even a lifetime and are only evident when you start suffering from symptoms such as anger, fear, low self-esteem, addiction, anxiety…

This endless re-triggering reinforces the belief that you can’t remove the problem (‘it’s the way I am’).

Question 1

What are the roots of EFT?

Answer 1

EFT’s roots are in Thought Field Therapy (TFT), which was discovered by Dr Roger Callahan, a cognitive psychologist and hypnotherapist who specialised in phobias.

In the 1980s, Dr Callahan had been studying the Chinese meridians and their effect on emotions when you tap on certain meridians.

Gary Craig, a Stanford engineer and ordained minister, trained with Dr Callahan in TFT and applied this method to his clients.

Over the years, he simplified the method and found that it wasn’t necessary to tap in sequence or on so many meridians.

Emotional Freedom Technique was born in the early 1990s.

Question 2

What are the meridians?

Answer 2

The energy that flows through your body is a whole network of invisible pathways interconnecting with each other, acting like electrical circuits.

These electrical circuits are known as meridians and they connect to the tissues, organs, and every atom, cell, bone, and tendon in your body.

The meridians interact with each other and transmit information faster than the speed of light, sending signals to alter body temperature or to regulate emotion, and also to signal you when you need to release water, for instance.

Chinese medicine refers to this as a life-force called ‘chi’.

As long as you’re in pretty good emotional health, these meridians maintain a constant balance and flow.

Question 3

What are emotions?

Answer 3

Emotions are a series of electrical and chemical signals that your brain interprets to produce a particular feeling.

This emotion then drives a series of decisions about what to do next.

Emotions are split between psychological (what you think) and biological (what you feel).

Negative or positive emotions can affect your behaviours and beliefs.

You create emotional states based on how you view the world.

Question 4

Why do you get in a state of arousal?

Answer 4

Your brain responds to your thoughts and memories by releasing hormones and chemicals that send you into a state of arousal, causing you to feel an emotion.

Arousal happens due to a ‘trigger’ and you may respond either positively and form an attachment, or negatively where you develop an aversion that you express as anger or hatred.

Question 5

What does the word Alexithymia mean?

Answer 5

Alexithymia means literally ‘no words for feelings’.

Question 6

What do negative emotions do to you?

Answer 6

Negative emotions stop you from thinking and behaving.

When negative emotions take you over, you tend to see only what you want to see and remember only what you want to remember.

This situation only prolongs the anger or grief and prevents you from enjoying life.

The longer this situation goes on, the more entrenched the problem becomes.

Question 7

Give some examples for emotional health.

Answer 7

Emotional health means possessing:

� A sense of wellbeing and contentment in mind, body, and spirit.

� Self-realisation – taking part in life to the fullest, through meaningful activities and positive relationships.

� The ability to deal with stress in life and bounce back from misfortune.

� The ability to change, grow, and experience a range of feelings as life’s circumstances change.

� The ability to enjoy life and have fun.

� A sense of balance in one’s life – between solitude and sociability, work and play, sleep and wakefulness, rest and exercise, and so on.

� The ability to care for oneself and for others.

� Self-confidence and self-esteem.

Question 8

Which are some physical symptoms for poor emotional health?

Answer 8

Physical symptoms can include:

� Back pain

� Bowel problems

� Chest pain

� Diabetes

� Insomnia

� High blood pressure

� Headaches

� Migraines

� Sexual problems

� Shortness of breath

� Skin disorders

Question 9

Which are some psychological symptoms for poor emotional health?

Answer 9

Psychological symptoms may manifest themselves in:

� Addictions

� Avoidance behaviours

� Irritability

� Lack of confidence

� Low self-esteem

� Mood swings

� Relationship issues

� Unrealistic fears

� Weight problems

Question 10

Name the 3 brains.

Answer 10

1. Reptilian brain
2. Limbic brain
3. Cerebral cortex

Question 11

Which are the most important parts of the brain?

Answer 11

� Amygdala: Involved in signalling the cortex of motivationally significant stimuli such as those that are reward and fear related.

� Hypocampus: Required for the formation of long-term memories.

� Hypothalamus: Affects and regulates blood pressure, heart rate, hunger, thirst, sexual arousal, and the sleep/wake cycle.

� Mammillary body: Important for the formation of memory.

� Nucleus accumbens: Involved in reward, pleasure, and addiction.

� Orbitofrontal cortex: Required for decision making.

� Parahippocampal gyrus: Plays a role in the formation of spatial memory and is part of the hippocampus.

� Thalamus: The ‘relay station’ to the cerebral cortex.

Question 12

What & where is the Sore Spot?

Answer 12

The Sore Spot is an acupuncture meridian that relates to the lymphatic system.

The spot feels tender (sore) when you rub it because lymphatic congestion tends to occur here.

This meridian initially stores and controls all chi (energy).

You can find the Sore Spot halfway between your nipple and your collarbone (where you’d place your hand when giving a pledge).

It’s a soft area that feels a little tender if you press into it.

Question 13

Where is the Karate Chop?

Answer 13

The Karate Chop is in the middle of the fleshy part on the side of your hand.

When tapping here you can either use the fingers of one hand to tap firmly on the fleshy part of the other hand or tap both fleshy parts together.

Question 14

What is the Gamut Point?

Answer 14

Gamut Point (GP) is in the crease on the back of the hand between the little finger and ring finger and it’s approximately 1 centimetre up.

Question 15

Explain the nine gamut procedure.

Answer 15

The Nine Gamut Procedure is a very useful brain balancing exercise that works by rolling your eyes, which stimulates certain parts of the brain such as memory, internal dialogue, and imagination. Likewise, humming engages the right-brain activity and counting activates the left brain. These exercises help fine tune the brain to the right frequency for the problem.

While continually tapping on the Gamut Point, carry out all the following nine steps:

1. Close your eyes.
2. Open your eyes.
3. Look hard down to your right (without moving your head).
4. Look hard down to your left (without moving your head).
5. Roll your eyes in a full circle clockwise.
6. Roll your eyes in a full circle anti-clockwise.
7. Hum approximately 5 seconds of any song (‘Happy Birthday’ or anything you know).
8. Count out loud and fast, ‘one, two, three, four, five.’
9. Hum another 5 seconds of the song.

Question 16

Explain the Four Basic Steps.

Answer 16

Step 1: Performing the Set-Up:

1. Identifying the problem and focusing on it to disrupt your energy system.
2. Rating the level of intensity using the Subjective Units of Distress Scale in Figure 3-6.
3. Formulating a phrase for the problem.
4. Either rubbing the Sore Spot (Figure 3-1) or tapping on the Karate Chop (Figures 3-2 and 3-3) while repeating the formulated phrase three times. This helps to remove blockages to the functioning of EFT.

Step 2: Applying the sequence:
EB Eyebrow
SE Side of eye
UE Under eye
UN Under nose
CH Between lip and chin
CB Collarbone
UA Under arm
TH Outside edge of thumb
IF Outside edge of index finger
MF Outside edge of middle finger
LF Outside edge of little finger

Step 3: The nine gamut procedure

Step 4: Repeating the sequence

NOTE: Sometimes one round of EFT is all you need to obtain complete relief. Other times you may only get partial relief, and in this instance you need to do one or more rounds of Steps 1 and 2 again to bring the intensity down, which is where persistence is the key. The difference this time is that you need to change the Set-Up Phrase slightly in Step 1 and Step 2 to a Remaining Phrase.

Question 17

What is the name for the different parts of a problem?

Answer 17

Every problem usually has more than one part to it, and EFT practitioners call these different parts ‘aspects’. Often you must treat each aspect with EFT in order to obtain complete relief.
Sometimes you need to remove only one aspect with EFT for the rest to collapse.

Question 18

Ask some questions to identify the core issue or the repressed memory?

Answer 18

� What does this (problem or issue) remind you of?

� How long have you had it?

� What was going on in your life at the time?

� When was the first or last time that you remember having this feeling?

� Name one person or event that has had a negative effect on you.

� What’s your biggest regret?

� When did you last cry, and why?

� Is there a positive side to having this problem?

� Is there a remembered sound, voice, smell, or vision that may bring this feeling back?

Question 19

Name some useful guidelines when creating your Set-up Phrase:

Answer 19

� Where possible, use strong positive words such as ‘will’ and ‘want’, and avoid weak words such as ‘try’, ‘if’, ‘don’t’, ‘can’t’, and ‘but’.

� State what you want and not what you don’t want.

� Your goal must be realistically possible.

� Your goal must be a ‘stretch’. It must be big enough to be exciting.

� As long as you tune into what causes the upset about the memory, EFT works effectively.

� Try augmenting your goal with daydreams. Present tense daydreams can be the most powerful tool for establishing new consistent thoughts.

� To eliminate boredom, adjust your daydreams from time to time. Aim them at different aspects of your goal.

� Don’t affirm the actions of other people. For example, say ‘I attract others because I am a warm, loving person’, rather than ‘David loves me’.

� Don’t hold back with your words and don’t clean them up. If necessary, use expletives if you want.

Question 20

What do you do when you experience an abreaction?

Answer 20

� Keep calm.

� With the client’s permission, tap continually on all the hand points then (again with permission) continually tap on all the body points – with both hands if necessary.

� Tap for the physical sensations (shaking or sweating, for example).

� Ask the client to breathe slowly and deeply.

� All the time, reassure the client that these reactions are there to protect her and that she’s perfectly safe.

� When she’s calmed down, ask the client to tap for ‘Even though I had a huge reaction just then . . .’.

Question 21

What is the Apex effect?

Answer 21

Many people find that EFT relieves them of their problems so quickly and effectively that their logical, conscious mind can’t accept it as being the reason for their relief. This denial and disbelief syndrome is known as the Apex effect. This effect occurs especially when someone’s had the problem for many years and suddenly it disappears.

Question 22

What is cognition, a cognitive shift and a cognitive process?

Answer 22

Reasoning, problem solving, and perception are words that spring to mind when describing cognition. In traditional psychology, a cognitive shift occurs when a person experiences a change in how their conscious and unconscious minds communicate with each other and the result can create a wide range of feelings.

Recent research has recognised that emotion is a cognitive process. When you work with EFT, you engage your everyday knowing, thinking, and understanding, and at the same time you access deeper levels of consciousness, usually expressed through the body, as you physically tap into your energy system.

Question 23

Describe some testing procedures.

Answer 23

� SUDs: You can be sure that the problem has gone when your Subjective Units of Distress have gone to zero and you can vividly imagine or actually confront your problem without any anxiety.

� Sizing up: If you find using the Subjective Units of Distress Scale to measure how intense your emotions are difficult, then you can use your hands to visualise the size of the problem. Start with your hands together in front of you and move them apart. This method of measuring feelings and emotions works best with children.

� Colour and shape: Another way of measuring feelings is to describe the feeling as a colour, shape, or object. You can describe a negative feeling as black, square, or a big rock. The measure of whether EFT is working or not is if this colour changes to grey or white, the big rock changes to a pebble, or the square to perhaps a soft round shape.

� Senses: Use all five senses, if necessary, to bring back the emotion, using a photo, image, or such like. I have a selection of toy rubber spiders, beetles, and snakes that can do the job; otherwise I bring up an image on the Internet (remember to do this gradually). Describe the problem or memory again and in more detail, noticing if any anxiety comes up.

� Future test: Try visualising yourself in the future, without the anxiety or distress of the problem or pain. You shouldn’t feel any anxiety or discomfort. While you’re focusing on your future, if you run into any difficulty, imagine that you have EFT there to help you.

� Make it bolder: Just to make sure that you have no intensity left, imagine the scene again in bold technicolour – with digital surround-sound if you like.

� Live test: If you truly want to find out if the problem has gone, test it out in a real-life situation – if this is possible, of course.

Question 24

What is a RATT?

Answer 24

My own acronym for the shortcut version of EFT is RATT:
Rate, Affirm, Tap, Test.

It is a way of shortening the tapping sequence:

1. Rate the intensity.
2. Affirm the problem in the Set-up Phrase (negative and positive) while rubbing the Sore Spot or tapping on the Karate Chop; repeat three times.
3. Tap on the following points while saying the shortened phrase on each point:

Eyebrow - Side of eye - Under eye - Under nose - Between chin and lip - Collarbone - Under arm

4. Take a deep breath and relax.
5. Test if the levels have gone down.
6. If the emotion hasn’t gone down to zero, do another round on the remaining feeling.

Question 25

Which are some more additional tapping points?

Answer 25

Some EFT practitioners use these additional points because they believe that they quicken the reduction in emotional intensity and are good for difficult issues such as addictions.

You can introduce them at any point you feel comfortable with.

� Liver point: Under breast (on the rib cage approximately 10 centimetres below the nipple). Practitioners often leave this point out because of its proximity to a woman’s breasts. This point addresses sadness, cravings, depression, and anger.

� Crown of head: Tap with the palm of your hand or tips of your fingers towards the back of the head. Some people use all their fingers in a claw-like position; others just use three or four fingers. This point is very powerful because it’s the main contact point for every meridian.

� Inside of wrists: This is where your watch band goes – use two fingers or more to tap on the entire area. Alternatively, tap together by crossing one wrist over the other with the insides facing. This point has three major meridians that are great for stress, grief, and sadness – some very common emotions.

Question 26

What is the idea of the Movie Technique?

Answer 26

The Movie Technique utilises specific words, actions, and feelings and has a beginning and an end. The idea is to narrate the unpleasant memory as a movie but stop and apply EFT on the parts of the movie that bring up any emotional intensity or anxiety. After you neutralise the intensity with EFT, you re-wind the movie a little and narrate it again until you can run through the whole movie without any intensity at all.

Question 27

What to ask for describing a Movie.

Answer 27

1. Ask the client to identify the unpleasant memory and also ask, ‘If this memory was a movie, how long would it last?’
2. Ask the client, ‘What would the title be?’ Be specific.
3. Now have the client run the movie in his mind and ask him to evaluate his anxiety now (as imagined) on a scale of zero to 10.
4. Have the client verbally narrate the movie, starting with an easy-to-discuss segment. Stop as soon as he feels any emotional intensity or anxiety so that you can apply EFT. Rate it from zero to 10, and then tap on the emotional intensity until it reduces to a zero.
5. Using the EFT routine reduce the intensity of emotion or anxiety for that particular part of the movie.
6. Have the client ‘rewind’ a little and describe the segment of the movie that caused the emotion again, to test whether he has any leftover intensity.

If intensity still exists, repeat step 5. If there’s none, ask the client to continue narrating the movie and repeat step 5 at any point where some emotion surfaces.

7. When the client reaches the end of the movie, ask him to go through steps 3 and 4 again.

This technique is complete and successful if the client can narrate the whole unpleasant memory without any emotional intensity. To thoroughly test the result you can ask the client to exaggerate the sounds, colours, or details while narrating.

Question 28

What is the Tearless Trauma Technique?

Answer 28

The Tearless Trauma Technique encourages the sufferer not to think too much about the experience as he goes through EFT, but to disassociate the experience from his memory until his intensity level comes down.

To use this technique, ask your client or group to do the following:

1. Identify a specific traumatic incident from the past.
   Ideally, the incident took place be at least three years ago, to minimise any complications from the dynamics of a current event.
2. Without actually visualising the incident, guess what your emotional intensity would be if you were to vividly imagine the incident.
3. Develop a Set-up Phrase as Step 1 describes and then proceed with either the full or shortcut version of EFT.
4. After you complete the EFT routine, guess again what the emotional intensity would be and rate it. Generally, the numbers go down.
5. Keep using EFT, using the Remaining Phrase until the guessed number goes down to 3 or below.
6. When down to a 3 or below, repeat step 5 again.
7. Try, for the first time, to vividly imagine the incident and give it an actual rating and not an imagined rating.
8. At this point you can now safely use EFT on the specifics of the incident.

Question 29

What is the Disassociated Technique?

Answer 29

The Disassociated Technique is based on a neurolinguistic programming (NLP) technique that’s suitable for use whenever fear exists that the sufferer may be re-traumatised. With this technique, you can recreate a past experience from the perspective of an observer or onlooker without the need for the client to relive the original emotion. You can use this as an alternative to the Tearless Trauma Technique.

Question 30

What is the Sneaking Up on the Problem techique?

Answer 30

Another gentle way of dealing with difficult or highly emotional memories is to ‘sneak up’ on them. This method is similar to the Tearless Trauma Technique. Sneaking Up on the Problem is a good way of gradually introducing the memory. With this technique, though, you don’t have to be specific – indeed, leave specifics out as much as possible to begin with.

Question 31

What is Telling the Story technique?

Answer 31

You’ll find no better time to apply EFT than when you or your client are actually ‘tuned into’ the problem. A perfect opportunity may arise during a session when the client is narrating a memory or remembers an associated unpleasant memory or negative feeling. While talking about the memory or feeling, start using EFT by tapping all around the meridian points at the same time. This can reduce some of the anxiety.

Stop at any point when the emotional intensity starts to cause any anxiety or distress, and apply EFT on the intense emotion until it reduces to below a 3 on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale.

Continue telling the story from a point where it’s safe to do so, or earlier in the story if preferred. This method not only minimises the distress but can often uncover deeper issues that may otherwise have gone unnoticed. The client needs to talk through the whole story from beginning to end without showing or feeling any intense emotion.

If the client finds it difficult to even beginning to talk about the memory because it creates some negative emotion, you can use a global approach with EFT as follows:

‘Even though I’m afraid to tell the story . . .’

Question 32

When do you use Codes and Keywords?

Answer 32

It’s not unusual to come across problems that are too embarrassing or personal to reveal, or that aren’t easy to describe. When this situation arises, and it often does, you can overcome the problem by using a keyword, a colour, or a sound. Whatever you use, or even if it’s relevant or not, doesn’t matter as long as it helps you ‘tune into’ the problem or issue. You insert the keyword or code into the Set-up Phrase and also the Reminder Phrase. As different parts of the problem crop up, you can use another keyword or code.

Another option is to not say anything at all but silently say the words in your head or hum the problem if unable to vocalise it. If this technique isn’t enough to produce a reduction in intensity, you may need to reveal a little more information to get to the deeper issue.

Question 33

How do you experiment with Props?

Answer 33

An excellent way to help bring up an emotional reaction is to use an item or object that you associate with the person or situation. Items or objects such as a certain perfume, photograph, video, music, or an item of jewellery are just a few suggestions. If you can’t locate these items, just use your imagination instead.

While focusing on the item or object, ask yourself, ‘What does this remind me of?’ or, ‘What was happening at the time?’ Your question should elicit a response, and when it does you may feel a sensation in your body. Notice where you feel this sensation or emotion and at the same time start to apply EFT.

Question 34

How do you anchor a State of Mind?

Answer 34

Think back to a moment in time when you were happy and carefree. What is it that helps you relive that moment?

As you revisit that happy memory try to identify what sensations it evokes – a sight, a sound, a smell, touch, or taste. In NLP terms, these external stimuli are known as anchors. When you’ve connected with this good feeling, close your eyes and rub your index finger and thumb together at the same time. Repeat this many times and each time make the feeling stronger – the sounds louder, the sight sharper and brighter, and the smell stronger. Now focus on something unpleasant and then try rubbing your finger and thumb together and see whether you can bring back that positive feeling instead. What you’ve created is a triggered response.

Question 35

Can you use EFT for improving your memory?

Answer 35

Yes you can use EFT to help unearth why you’ve established a pattern of behaviour or a particular emotion, or why you’re reluctant to remember a specific event.

Sometimes the memory comes back instantly, but at other times it may be delayed or come in flashes. Using EFT on memories can also trigger related memories that connect to the main one. Use EFT as soon as any emotional feelings appear, whether or not you’ve recovered the full memory, to prevent you feeling the full impact all at once.

Question 36

Which are the two psychological reversals that exist?

Answer 36

Psychological reversals are present in approximately 20 per cent of cases in which EFT is used. Two types of psychological reversal exist, both of which can have a significant effect on the efficient use of EFT if you don’t dealt with them at the time.

1. General Polarity Reversal
2. Secondary Benefit Syndrome

Question 37

Explain the General Polarity Reversal.

Answer 37

General Polarity Reversal (GPR) is when negative thinking interferes with EFT and causes your body’s energy to run the wrong way. Some days you may feel down, lack energy, or feel that nothing is going right and you can explain these feelings as your body’s energy system running the wrong way. In other words, the body’s polarity is reversed. A good indication of GPR being present is when no movement occurs in the level of intensity on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale.

Question 38

Explain the Secondary Benefit Syndrome.

Answer 38

Secondary Benefit Syndrome is another type of psychological reversal. Although many people at a conscious level have a desire to heal themselves or to make positive changes, some people’s subconscious has other ideas. Because this process is happening at a subconscious level, you or your client may not even be aware that it’s going on and it will only display itself when EFT doesn’t work.

Question 39

Which conditions can cause GPR?

Answer 39

� Negativity: Constant, chronic negative thoughts or behaviours – usually found in people with depression.

� Dehydration: Because water conducts the body’s electrical system, the energy system slows down or represses if not hydrated.

� Addictions: Addictive substances in the body or having an addictive personality.

� Toxins: For instance, from food, metals, mobile phones, watches, electrical devices, and so on. EFT can’t work if there’s a strong toxin, or sensitivity to some substances, in, on, or around you. Energy toxins and substance sensitivities are extremely rare, but be aware of them, just in case.

Question 40

How do you correct the reversal?

Answer 40

Taking action on the cause of the reversal is one way, but more often than not, you can correct this polarity reversal by simply rubbing the Sore Spot or tapping the Karate Chop point while saying the Set-up Phrase of ‘Even though I have this (problem), I deeply and completely love and accept myself’. (Refer to Chapters 3 and 4 for more on Set-up Phrases.)

If, however, the problem still doesn’t improve, then you need to do additional work to remedy the situation by checking out any secondary benefits.

In most cases, you still need to deal with the addiction or other interferences in the body and eliminate them in order for EFT to work.

Polarity reversals aren’t the same as energy disruptions, which cause your negative emotions.

You may need to do the EFT tapping routine daily to overcome some problems. Doing the EFT tapping routine daily may be necessary to reverse your subconscious.

The easy way to fix this reversal is to tap on the Karate Chop for whatever reason comes up or, alternatively, just tap on all of them anyway and see which one hits home! Another way is to incorporate the Choice Phrase as a way of encouraging acceptance and change.

Question 41

Which two questions can sometimes tease out the hidden secondary benefits of the Secondary Benefit Syndrome.

Answer 41

� What’s the downside of letting go of the problem?

� What’s the upside of keeping the problem?

Question 42

What does “reframing” mean?

Answer 42

Reframing is about viewing behaviours or situations from a different perspective to the one you’re used to. Refrain by changing the frame in which a person perceives events in order to change the meaning. When the meaning changes, the person’s responses and behaviours also change.

With EFT you can use reframing during the Set-Up Phrase to help shift a perspective from negative to positive.

Question 43

How do you clear your own issues?

Answer 43

The clearing process is one you need to continue doing for some time. The idea is to systematically clear out your own issues and get rid of anything you don’t want in your life. The procedure is very simple and easy to follow:

1. Write down the specific event.
   Ideally, start off with about 10 or so events and build them up until you have approximately 100 to 150. I appreciate that creating this list may take some time.
2. Looking at the list, go through each one and, as you do, give each one an intensity number from zero to 10.
3. Select those with the highest intensity ratings.
4. Select one to work on.
5. Using either the full tapping technique or the shortened version, and try tapping and using the event in your Set-Up Phrase.

Continue using EFT until the level drops to zero.

Create your own ‘issues diary’. After a couple of months, by treating one to three entries per day, as well as restoring your emotional health, you may notice that you’re free from some physical ailments.

Question 44

How do you use the constricted breathing?

Answer 44

Constricted breathing is advantageous to use at times when the emotional feelings literally take your breath away. You can also use it on a sceptic to demonstrate how EFT works.

This is how you do it:

1. Inhale two or three maximum deep breaths.

Take your time and don’t hyperventilate. This step stretches out your lungs so that you can’t attribute any EFT improvement in your breathing to a normal ‘stretching effect’ of your lungs.

2. After you’ve stretched your lungs as far as they’ll go, take another deep breath and assess the deepness of your breath on a zero to 10 scale where 10 is your estimate of your maximum capacity.

Numbers typically vary from 3 to 9 on this. The occasional person who rates their breath at a 10 (they’re usually wrong) may find that, after EFT, they go to a 12 or 15.

3. Now do one round of EFT with Set-Up Phrases such as ‘Even though I have constricted breathing . . .’, ‘Even though I can only fill my lungs to an 8 . . .’, and so on.
4. Ask probing questions.
   Examples include ‘What does your constricted breathing remind you of?’, ‘When in your past did you feel constricted or smothered?’, and ‘If there’s an emotional reason for your constricted breathing, what may it be?’ Often, you give a big clue as to an important emotional issue.
5. Take another deep breath and assess the zero to 10 deepness.
   In the vast majority of cases, the deep breathing keeps improving.
6. Repeat Steps 3 through 5 as many times as necessary.

Question 45

What are some signs of Low Self-Esteem?

Answer 45

� Taking on the victim role and blaming others for your problems.

� Not taking responsibility for your own life: turning power over to another to make decisions for you, and then feeling victimised if the results aren’t to your liking.

� Excessively over- or underachieving with food, play, work, and so on.

� Blaming or criticising self, or constantly putting others down through guilt, finding fault, blame, or shame.

� Fearing change and reluctance to take risks, or too much change; taking dangerous, unwise risks.

� Being constantly negative, or so optimistic that you deny reality.

� Reacting to others with extreme emotion or no emotion.

� Behaving in a boastful, bossy, or bullying manner.

� Needing to be right or perfect; alternatively, acquiescing to the demands or opinions of others.

� Feeling inferior.

� Thinking rigidly.

� Having pervasive, deep-seated feelings of fear, terror, or panic.

� Behaving in an apologetic or aggressively defensive manner.

� Interpreting the hurtful words or actions of others as proof of your unworthiness.

Question 46

Which are the higher and lower version of esteem that Maslow observed?

Answer 46

� The lower one is the need for the respect of others, the need for fame, admiration, status, recognition, attention, dignity, appreciation, and even dominance.

� The higher form involves the need for self-respect, including such feelings as confidence, competence, achievement, mastery, independence, and freedom.

Question 47

What are core believe?

Answer 47

Core beliefs are so called because they’re at the very centre of your belief system. Negative core beliefs are the labels you give yourself based on your low self-esteem, which is measured against how you perceive yourself. Experiences in your life, whether early or late, influence how you perceive yourself and your self-worth.

Also ask the following questions:

� Where does this belief come from?
� What evidence exists that supports this belief?

When you criticise yourself, you contribute to negative changes. When you approve of yourself, you facilitate positive changes.

Question 48

EFT for fears of abandonment?

Answer 48

1. For fears of abandonment, try using these suggested Set-up Phrases:

‘Even though I have this fear of being rejected, I accept myself with this fear.’

‘Even though I believe I’m not good enough to be loved, I can accept myself and that’s good enough for me.’

‘Even though I have to please people in order to be loved, I accept that my past is causing me to behave this way.’

2. Tap on the remaining points while saying:

Eyebrow: ‘I feel rejected.’

Side of eye: ‘I feel unwanted.’

Under eye: ‘They always leave me.’

Under nose: ‘I’m not good enough.’

Chin: ‘I’m frightened of being alone.’

Collarbone: ‘I feel this deep sadness.’

Under arm: ‘I feel so abandoned.’

Inside of wrist: ‘I feel this deep sadness.’

3. Continuing with the EFT introduce some negative and positive phrases when you begin to feel more positive.
4. Finally, end with a round of all positive phrases, tapping on the rest of the points while saying:

Eyebrow: ‘I’m a good person.’

Side of eye: ‘I’m worthy of love.’

Under eye: ‘I know I am loved.’

Under nose: ‘I choose to feel good enough.’

Chin: ‘I have so much love to give.’

Collarbone: ‘Deep down I know I’ll find love’

Under arm: ‘Inside I am kind and lovable.’

Inside of wrist: ‘I feel completely safe and secure.’

If some negative emotion remains, use the Reminder Phrase.

Persistent use of EFT on these negative feelings eventually brings about positive changes.

Question 50

Explain the reptilian brain

Answer 50

Your oldest brain is called the reptilian brain. This brain keeps your circulation, respiration, and digestion going even when you’re asleep. Its primary focus is on self-preservation and survival, but it’s also where aggression stems from. Your very first experiences as a child are strongly imprinted in the reptilian brain because it’s the only part of the brain that’s really active at the time.

Question 51

Explain the limbic brain

Answer 51

Wrapped around the reptilian brain is the limbic brain, where you process emotions – both positive and negative – and reactions to certain words. This brain is where your nurturing, loving, and caring feelings come from, and it also regulates emotions and transmits them along neural pathways to the cortex. The reptilian and limbic brains then influence the hypo-thalamus, which transmits a message that triggers appropriate physical responses. Pleasure may link to chemical signals producedo by the release of noradrenalin, and pain is associated with many neurotransmitters. Mood appears to link to serotonin and dopamine.

Question 52

Explain the cerebral cortex.

Answer 52

Humans have not only a reptilian and limbic brain, but also a third brain called the cerebral cortex, which wraps around the outside of the other two. This third brain makes humans more sophisticated than reptiles or animals. As a result, humans can react to words, handle and show emotion, think logically and rationally, communicate verbally, tell the time, drive a car, and do a host of other things that reptiles or animals can’t.