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CAT's Eye FR*E*E e-zine

Hi Everyone

Just to let you know that my FR*E*E monthly e-zine 'CAT's Eye' has just been relaunched.  And you can visit it by clicking this link (or cutting and pasting) on  http://www.emofree.biz/CATsEye/

My FR*E*E monthly e-zine has a closed subscriber listing - so you wouldn't even know if your bestest friend was receiving it - unless they told you!   By looking at it through the link above, you'll be able to see May 08's issue, and the Back Issues too - however to receive the new monthly issues you'll need to subscribe.

And just how DO you subscribe?  Simply send me an email either via the email link on May 08 issue's page 1 or simpler still, just send me an email at christina@emofree.biz saying 'subscribe'.  If you respond through my blog, then other people will see your email address and that would really not be keeping YOUR EMAIL address private - now would it?

Oh yes, just to let you know my CAT's Eye FR*E*E monthly e-zine's contents could be from any of the complementary therapies or coaching or self discovery/development areas - however it WILL contain a long article, a shorter article (both with links), a couple of short articles, Tips of the Month and some Funnies.  AND it's ONLY 2-pages long, just enough to read whilst you're having a cuppa coffee or tea or glass of water.

Go on - have  a click and a peek - you won't regret it :-)))

Hozho

Christina Elvin

EFT and a bad back - when to use EFT and when not to use EFT!

A little incident happened to me only 10 days ago, in fact it was whilst I was meeting up for lunch in a local pub with a group of female carers who had all been on my' Caring-4-Carers' training project several months earlier.  This 'Caring-4-Carers' project  taught them EFT, TAT and EmoTrance to deal with their stress.  They enjoyed the training so much and formed a group friendship so we know meet up monthly to see how things are going with each of us.

Well  the assistant manager behind the bar appeared very distressed, not concentrating, holding
one hand to the small of her back when she moved, she walked very stiffly and slowly too, her face was very white due to the severe lower back pain (which seemed to be at her coccyx area) she had which started as she was getting up that morning.  So after she finished taking orders at the till, I sought her out and asked if I could have a chat with her about her back problem and she agreed.  She had been crying - because of the intensity of the pain - and so looked very very uncomfortable indeed.

Well, I asked if I could try "this tapping technique on her that Paul McKenna was using on the tv"- I know he's using TFT yet all everyone sees him doing is tapping, so THAT is a good bridge to introduce it.  I told her that I'd been giving training in this particular technique, called EFT, since before Paul had been using it - which broke the ice with her. 

Well, we spent approximately 8 minutes together where she told me when it started, how it started and why she wouldn't go to the doctors - because they were so short-staffed because some fo the staff were on holiday and others were off ill, "Like you are" I quipped, and raised another small smile from her.

And so what we did (after gaining her permission to tap on her of course as I very very very seldomnly tap on the person themselves) was that I simply asked her to keep telling me how her back was feeling whilst I tapped on each of her tapping points, starting with her crown point - including her hands - and also including the Gamut Point Procedure too. 

No Set Up or Affirmations or 1-10 SUDs were used, just straight forward tapping.  Plus of course what was she saying about her back pain - and she was simply describing it in terms of colours and shapes,
and it went from a dark purple with shooting zigzags down her legs through to a beautiful pale pink and a very very small dot about the size of a pea in her lower back. 

Each time she stopped talking and describing it I prompted her to "tell me about it now, what's happening now" - thus keeping her focussed on the here and now.  She did ALL the describing whilst I just tapped her.  And after doing the rounds a full two times she smiled as the colour and shape and size of the pain had changed completely.

And at the end of the time she tested it by moving her knees (which were painful to bend previously),
twisting gently and walking on the spot - although by this time I could see her posture changing, her skin colour coming back and her voice changing too aswell the description of the pain gave me the SUDs level. 

By the time my lunch arrived (5minutes after stopping tapping) she was back at the till chatting and laughing with customers, using both hands to 'talk with' and was moving around and bending easily.  I did ask her to keep an eye on it and go to see her doctor if anything came back OR alternatively contact me as we could do 'this tapping' over the phone. 

Now my belief is that had we been working on that pain after it had happened and cleared up, she wouldn't have been able to contact it with anywhere near as much clarity because she wasn't actually immersed in the pain at that time, so the results wouldn't have been as rapid although I believe that we would have been able to release the emotions surrounding it in a slightly longer timeframe. 

So tapping on 'what is there NOW' certainly helps and shouldn't be shied away from whenever it is needed.

To contrast this situation with when I believe it's not wise to use EFT - I'd like to tell you about another recent experience I had - here I KNEW that I should not use EFT at that time, and didn't.   

I was recently offering an EFT Level 1 workshop to a group of wonderful volunteers who work for a local charity - and each of them all have their own area of expertise with which they work with clients.  One plucky lady acctually came in whilst she was on sick leave to find out about this 'wonderful technique she'd heard so much about'.

She had 6-weeks previously slipped a disc in her back and had great difficulty walking even with the aid of a walking stick.  However she managed to get up the 2 flights of stairs to the training room.  She hadn't taken her pain killers that morning, and sitting around in mainly one position had started one of her ankles swelling and so she took a painkiller to ease the pain. 

This very strong painkiller then had a very soporific effect on her, so that she was spacing out at times - something that happens with strong painkillers.  Now, IF the group had  been considerably smaller I would have considered working on her in front of the group however I realised that she felt as though she was taking the attention away from the group learning what it was there for, PLUS she had said that she was down to receive physiotherapy on her back and legs in the next few days so I made the decision that she really ought to be at home resting, and let the painkiller does its work as she really needed to rest.

So she went home in a taxi even though she lived locally - the effort of keeping herself alert was simply too much for her in her pained state, and I didn't want to use EFT to alleviate the swelling and discomfort in her ankles when she had a slipped disc - what might have happened was that the  'pain' she was having in her ankle might have gone and so she may easily have done even more damage to herself indirectly. 

In this situation I erred on the side of caution - which my intuition was telling me to do rather than blithely go in and 'work on her' and possibly cause more harm than good - almost like going for the kudos it might bring - in fact working from the ego-level.  Going in to 'save the client/patient' is something that I am all too aware that some inexperienced EFT-er may have done (in my place) without recognising the possible damage that they might be doing.

At least this lady knows she can contact me for help at any time she needs it, which is a whole different kettle of fish to her feeling that she's in the way and stopping others from learning, creating even more levels of discomfort.

Happy tapping

Christina

'emofree.biz Surgery' - Skype FR*EE conference calls

Hi Everyone

I have been asked to repeat my 'emofree.biz Surgery' conference calls using Skype - so I am.  They will be on Thursday 22nd May, Thursday 29th May and Thursday 5th June starting at 7pm (19.00 GMT + 1) until 7.30pm (19.30hours GMT + 1).  There's NO CHARGE or FEE to join these calls and you can ask about your practice, about helping your clients, about where you go when things don't work as you had expected them to, about your direction in life, in fact about almost anything provided it's connected with meridians and energies and EFT and EmoTrance and TAT and NLP and Affirmations.

What have you got to lose - except 30minutes :-)))

All you do is to contact me with your skype name and I can add it to the conference call.

Be talking with you

All the best

Christina

EFT in the hands of the inexperienced and 'not professionally trained'

Recently I had a very interesting experience which to me highlights the anomalies of allowing EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques - to be used by the inexperienced and (more dangerous in my opinion) the 'not professionally trained' practitioner.

I work from my home - a SoHo business - and have separate private and business telephone numbers - these telephone systems are superb nowadays. 

So let me set the scene, imagine a Sunday evening, having been out and had a relaxing time, pleasant company and conversation, also had a drink - coming back my business line showed 4 telephone messages had been left.  Nothing new in that, that's why businesses have answerphone machines!   However this was on a weekend evening and the first was left at 9.23pm and the last one (which I caught as I was retiring to bed) at 11.21pm.  Each message progressed with a little more information - so by the 4th message I knew her name, telephone contact number and that she wanted EFT. 

On the last call, as I mentioned, I picked it up.  The person was breathless and was rambling on '60 to the dozen' as we say.  I explained that "Yes I do offer EFT however I wouldn't be able to talk to her until the next morning after 9.00am as it was out of hours and it was very very late, so could she please ring back".  She accepted this - I was not going to begin a discussion over the telephone after going out, relaxing and also have had an alcoholic drink - this was not the time nor place - I have strict boundaries.  The reason I answered the phone was that I was passing it on my way to closing the door (I have an office and practice room at my home) and it happened to ring, so I automatically picked it up.

The person in question rang me at 8.29am the next morning (mmm - not very good at listening).  I was busy and not in the office until 9.00am - as I explained to her the previous night.  At 9.00am I sat down at my desk in my office, and at 9.03am she rang.

The conversation went something like this:

Caller: Hi I rang yesterday.  Do you do EFT?

Me:Yes as I mentioned last night when I spoke to you.

Caller: I want to come and see you today for some EFT

Me: I may be able to fit you in for a free initial consultation to talk about your problem however can you tell me a bit about yourself first?

Caller: Well I have personality issues, I get detached and distanced in certian situations, I was abused at 2yrs old, I was abused some time ago and don't remember it and I was told EFT can take you back into a trauma without you knowing what it is and release it - so I need some EFT.

Me: Well tell me more about yourself first.  Who you've seen about this problem?  You mention personality disorders and abuse, have you seen your doctor or a psychologist or psychiatrist about it?  Have you seen anyone else?

Caller: Yes, I see my psychologist monthly.  I went to see Xxxxx locally (someone I had never heard of before so presumably a new EFT practitioner on the block) about it and she uses EFT and she said EFT could release the trauma for me in one session but she couldn't help me because I need to see a psychologist who uses EFT and she's not a psychologist. 

Me: Well I'm not a psychologist like the one you'd see on the NHS, I am a psychotherapist and energy psychologist which is different. Does your NHS psychologist use EFT?

Caller: No.

Me: Ok - before I offer you any sessions, I offer an initial Free Consultation where we meet and discuss your problems.  You say are currently seeing an NHS psychologist so I would need a letter from them to say that they would agree to me helping you with EFT.  So I won't be able to start working with you using EFT or anything else UNTIL I have an ok, in writing, from your NHS psychologist.  That's the way I work, if anyone is undergoing treatment of any kind, or has been over the last 5years, from an NHS psychiatrist, psychologist or CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse) then I need their acknowledgement in writing.  I will not tread on anyone's toes or go against whatever treatment they are using with you.

Caller: So you need to speak with them?

Me: No that's not necessary. I don't need to talk to them, I need to have a letter from them AFTER we have had out free Initial Consultation.  That's the ethical and professional guidelines I work within.  Do you want to come and see me today to discuss your situation?

Caller: No - I want to get rid of this problem, these voices, these personalites, this abuse I just want to get rid of it and she said EFT could do it because it works in a minute.

Me: Well EFT may be able to help you get rid of it, I don't know until we try it.  However I do know that with personality disorders it takes more than one session and it may take many sessions.  Unfortunately if you have been told that EFT is a 'One Minute Wonder' then it doesn't work like that with complex issues, which is what it sounds as though you have.

Caller: Ok then you can't get rid of it for me today?

Me: You called my number several times last night, late in the evening, so can you tell me what had happened to make your contacting me so urgent?

Caller: I decided I wanted to deal with this problem.

Me: So you contacted me last night after deciding you wanted to get rid of this problem and you only want to use EFT for it?

Caller: Yes because I want it to go in a minute.

Me:  Well I can see you today but only for the free initial consultation, I can't give you any sessions until I receive a letter from your NHS psychologist.  I need to have the ok from your Psychologist BEFORE we have any sessions.

Caller: Ok then - bye.

What concerns me about this is that EFT is 'being promoted' as a wonder-technique that can work wonders in 'One Minute' - which may happen, on occasions with simple problems - but not VERY VERY often.  With more severe and complex problems such as dis-associative disorder, schizophrenia, multiple-personality disorder, long-term abuse, long-term anxiety problems, social phobias and depressions - then the numbers of sessions are many, with some people having as many as 10-20 sessions, yet all the client hears is 'One Minute Wonder EFT'.

Many people are attracted to EFT because of its simplicity, ease of use and lack of qualifications needed to practice it - so ALL they hear, see and experience are the words, image and feelings that SHOUT out at them "Wow! I can be free of xyz in a minute!"   

This is great and maybe it can help them, however let us remember when Prozac was released on the market several years ago as the 'Wonder-drug'.  For some it worked, for others it didn't do anything, for others it made them worse, andn it was being presecribed for almost everything.  EFT is in my opinion a good tool or technique that is good for some issues, problems or situations and not so good for others - where other tools or techniques may be of better use.

So in  my opinion what should be included in professional EFT trainings given to practitioners/therapists who intend to become EFT practitioners - or simply who wish to use EFT as a tool in their toolkit - is a recognition that 'One Minute Wonders' do happen yet very very seldom, AND they are NEVER EVER 'One Minute' ONLY but several or 10 or 15 or 30.  And if one IS therefore going to advertise (or tell potential clients about) this 'One Minute Wonder' , then there also ought to be an additional collar phrase included "EFT can be a ... in certain situations".

I consider it ethical and professional to point out to intending EFT practitioners on my trainings and also to clients that "whilst EFT CAN work very quickly with some issues, it doesn't always work in such a quick manner with everything."  I wonder why it is so difficult to include this in trainings instead of promoting EFT as a 'One Minute Wonder' - after all some problems have taken years to develop and they have supporting structures which keep them in place for whatever reason.  Can we simply withdraw that support without any consequences?  I think not - no matter HOW painful the problem might be.

Hozho

Christina Elvin