By Tim Watts

Hi Gary,

Emma (not real name) contacted me through the acupuncturist from whom I rent a treatment room.  She had been suffering panic and anxiety attacks in various social situations.  Upon arrival at her first session Emma came across as shy and not able to relax and be in the moment at all. Her attention seemed to wander many times, and she was unable to maintain any eye contact.

During the initial consultation, I explained the process of EFT and how it may work for her to reduce her anxiety by removing blocks within her energy system.  Emma is aware of how the meridian system carries energy through the body.

She told me how she had closed herself off from her friends, was nervous in public situations, suffered constant anxiety (tension in her stomach) and was especially anxious first thing in the morning, with her stomach pain almost unbearable.  Her current level of intensity for this feeling in her stomach was an 8 out of 10.

She explained that she had been in an abusive relationship for 4 years that is now over.  It was clear to me that there were a lot of disturbances in her energy system from her drifting attention, and the red flushes across her face throughout the session.

Starting with the Tearless Trauma Technique I asked Emma to think of an incident that if she were to relive it, would cause her intense emotional discomfort.  I tried to impress upon her that she needn't think deeply about the incident, but to place the memory or thought in a box on the chair which was at the other end of the room, and then to give the memory a name, as though it was a movie.

She named the movie "John and me" and when asked how intense the memory, if she were to relive it, would be 10 out of 10.  We did 3 rounds of Even though I have this John and Me feeling…, with the reminder phrase This John and Me feeling.  I even threw in a 9-Gamut too.

By the third round she seemed more relaxed and actually smiled at the end.  I then asked her to take the memory from the box and go right back to the start of the movie, and whilst tapping thumb and forefinger together, begin to run through the movie in her head, stopping at any point where she felt the intensity of the memory increase, no matter how low.

I feel it is important to mention that she did not want to tell me what happened in the movie, during the session, and still we got relief from the traumatic memories.  Each time Emma stopped, I asked her to attach a feeling to the particular aspect of the movie such as sadness, anger, frustration.

The first feeling was confused, then shocked, then angry.  I left out using PR and the KC point, and still found that 3 rounds of "This confused John and me feeling" on each point lowered her level of intensity back to a 1 or less ... low enough to carry on through the movie.  We continued this process all the way through to the end of the movie.  Pausing, tapping on the aspect, deep breathing before moving forward, collapsing as we went.

After a brief pause I asked Emma to go right back to the start and repeat the process, this time vividly imagining the whole incident in full, whilst tapping thumb and forefinger.  One aspect brought a little intensity, which was collapsed.  I asked her to do the same again, running through the whole movie without tapping – and she reached a level of intensity of zero out of 10!

She reported feeling a sense of calm surrounding the movie.  Fantastic!  This was without even telling me the details of the memory.  We did this for two Major incidents with exactly the same method (Tearless Trauma Technique, and The Movie Technique), with equal results, collapsing the intensity and replaying the memory as we went along.

We then moved onto general levels of anxiety surrounding friends, work and social events.  She had told me that she couldn't stop worrying what other people thought of her.  It was getting near the end of the session, so we set up with a general round of:

Even though I can't stop thinking about what others think of me…

Followed up with tapping on each of the points:

Eyebrow:  Worried about what they think of me

Side of Eye:  What ARE they thinking?

Under Eye:  I hate these thoughts

Under Nose:  It's a wonder I get anything done with all this time worrying about what they think of me (smile)

Chin: This paranoid feeling

Collarbone:  This I feel SO stupid feeling (volunteered by Emma)

Under Arm:  What DO they think of me?

Top of Head:  This anxiety

We finished with positive statements such as:

I choose to feel relaxed … I love feeling happy and relaxed … I choose to feel calm … I appreciate feeling calm...

By this point we were both laughing, a wonderful indicator that progress was being made.  I then asked her to access the same mental movies we worked on in the beginning of the session and after trying for a moment she said - "I can't", meaning she tried but just couldn’t bring them back up again. 

We then moved on to an upcoming party that Emma was feeling anxious about, as she only knew one person (out of 8) there.  We tapped the thumb and forefinger together as I asked her to tell me how she thought the party would go.  We talked and tapped about her walking through the front door, sitting down to eat, meeting the others individually, speaking in front of them, making conversation - all the usual things one does at a party.  Any time her anxiety increased, we simply tapped it using phrases such as "this making conversation and anxious feeling" until her level of intensity was down to a 1 or less.

By the end of this round, she reported feeling good about attending the party and we finished using positive statements much like those stated above for 5 rounds.

Emma then reported feeling tired, but calm so we finished the session with a few of Donna Eden's energy building exercises, the 3 thumps, the zip up and the adrenal flush.  She left feeling happy and relaxed and we have booked a follow up session in two weeks. 

We covered a lot of ground in this first session, despite her not wanting to tell me the details of what had happened in the two emotionally intense memories - we still got relief, even when asked to try and get those memories back again.  To any newcomer, I urge you to continue to learn and practice, practice, practice!  (Then show others)

In the words of Winston Churchill in a tribute to determination and the human spirit, "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing, great or small, large or petty never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense."

I gave Emma tapping homework to perform first thing in the morning, before lunch and before bed until we next meet.  I also suggest she tap her thumb and forefinger together under the table at the dinner party she had planned.  I'm not saying that we've completely resolved the traumas mentioned above, but I do feel we made enough head way to allow healing to occur, so that more work can be done in the next session.

Thanks Gary,

Tim Watts