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Other Physical Issues

Insomnia & Sleep Issues

A 91 year old lady's sleeping disorder

Important Note: This article was written prior to 2010 and is now outdated. Please use my newest advancement, Optimal EFT. It is more efficient, more powerful and clearly explained in my free e-book, The Unseen Therapist™.  Best wishes, Gary

Hi Everyone,

Gloria Arenson is a seasoned practitioner in this field with decades of experience in the psychotherapy field. She takes us through a sleeping issue with a 91 year old lady and, along the way, demonstrates expert facility with EFT and finding a core issue.

Sleep disorders come in many forms. Some are EFT "one minute wonders" while others take detective work and persistence to get to the "real issue." Sleep disorders, like so many other ailments, are usually not the "real issues." They are but symptoms of other unresolved emotional challenges.

Hugs, Gary


by Gloria Arenson

Gary,

I got a call the other day from a 91 year old woman who saw me on a local cable TV show where I demonstrated EFT. She told me that she was desperate. She hadn't been able to fall asleep for 35 years! Thirty-five years ago she had a few sleepless nights. She tried a little wine to help herself. Since it seemed to help, she continued to use wine. After a year or so she needed more wine. After 3 years the wine wasn't helping so she tried vodka. As time went on she needed more of that.

Now, 35 years later she drinks 5 oz of vodka to fall asleep. Since she wakes a few times a night she needs an extra ounce to fall back to sleep. She totals 8 hrs but wakes up feeling pretty rotten. She has tried EVERYTHING you can think of to stop this habit, to no avail.

What a challenge! I saw her yesterday and was amazed at what a vigorous, healthy, intellectually curious person she is--at 91. I approached the problem from 2 angles: the actual sleep experience and what she was telling herself about the problem. We tapped about the problem globally for a while to get her used to tapping. Then we tapped "Even though I can't fall asleep without alcohol ... " She wasn't able to get in touch with or rate her SUD level [0-10 intensity] , but she reported that she felt relaxed. We addressed, "Even though I can't stay asleep without using alcohol ..." "Even though I don't feel refreshed in the morning," and, of course, "Even though nothing has been able to help me overcome this problem."

As she talked to me I recognized some important negative cognitions. One is that she "has to" have a good night's sleep. She recently lost her husband after taking care of him for a number of years. During that time she couldn't afford to not be rested because of her responsibility to be there for him. We tapped on these thoughts.

This lovely lady has been practicing Buddhist meditation for 40 yrs. I then pointed out that she had an "attachment" to having a good night's sleep and was also "attached" to the alcohol and the idea that it was necessary. When we tapped about the attachment, she felt fear SUD 10 about giving up the alcohol. We spent the rest of the session working on that. She got to #3 and said she would be willing to try to not use alcohol. I reassured her that the choice was hers, and she would know what night would be the right one to do this. (This is a bit of Ericksonian hypnotic intervention).

She called me this morning to report that when she went home she felt so relaxed that she lay on the couch and took a nap. Last night she fell asleep without the vodka. She had colon cancer surgery a few years ago and was awakened by sharp pain. She tried to tap but wasn't able to deal with the pain, so she did take some vodka. She slept through the rest of the night. She is ecstatic! I am sure that she will be able to go through the night without any help very soon. She wants me to share this with everyone.

I know she will spread the word at the retirement community where she lives. I would love to do a presentation for the people who live there. I recently did a class for a small group of women inmates at a local minimum security facility.

This work is so rewarding!!

Namaste, Gloria Arenson

FOR MORE EFT HELP ...

Explore our newest advancement, Optimal EFT™, by reading my free e-book, The Unseen Therapist™. More efficient. More powerful.