Week 1: Reducing Pain

One of the most debilitating experiences for those suffering from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue is physical pain, which can range from a mild to severe deep ache or shooting, burning pain. The painful areas, called “tender points,” actually arise in soft tissue throughout the body, though the pain may feel as though it originates in the joints. This first week, let’s experiment with EFT together, by determining if you can use it successfully for your physical pain. This lesson and exercise will take you about 20 minutes, and will include your first experience with EFT. You’ll have the option of following the EFT instructions via video, or in written form.

What Is EFT?

EFT is a very simple procedure, yet it has been proven effective in many scientific studies, including research with pain and fibromyalgia patients. It usually works fast and reliably. It involves thinking about the problems that bother you, whether they’re physical problems like pain, or psychological problems characterized by anxiety or depression. EFT has you combine thinking about the problem with a statement of self-acceptance. This is called the “Setup Statement.” An example of a simple Setup Statement might be, “Even though I have this stabbing pain in my right shoulder, I deeply and completely accept myself.” While you’re focused on the problem, you then lightly stimulate 12 acupressure points with your fingertips. The reason EFT works so well is that the acupoint stimulation soothes you, and reduces the stress you feel about the problem.

This Week’s EFT Success Story

Each week, we’ll share with you a story from someone who’s learned to use EFT successfully. This week’s story comes from Moira McFayden. Her story is one of many you can find on the EFT story archive at EFTuniverse.com. Here’s how Moira applied EFT with her mother, who suffered from fibromyalgia:

I wanted to share with you the very rewarding experience I’m having treating my mum’s symptoms of fibromyalgia with EFT.

She was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and was initially reluctant to use EFT on her symptoms; although she knew it worked on emotions, she doubted it would help her physically. I started by getting her to tap on clearing a headache that she had had consistently for three days. As she said at the time, “It’s wearing me into the ground. The painkillers aren’t taking it away; they’re just easing it.” It took EFT 5 minutes to remove it totally! After that she agreed to a plan whereby we would tap on all her symptoms on a daily basis, night and morning. “She has not required any of her daily painkillers for 48 hours and counting” I gave her a tapping routine to do in the morning to bring her energy levels up and her temperature down, clear her headache, relieve her aches and pains (“Even though I’m feeling lousy and ache all over”), and lift her depression. I also gave her tapping routines to do at night to help her sleep, as insomnia is one of the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia. I had her tap on giving herself permission to switch off, rest and relax, and go into a deep sleep. As she had been having trouble sleeping for a number of weeks, I also had to incorporate a tapping routine for “I choose not to wake up at 3 am or 4 am; I choose to sleep straight through the night and wake refreshed in the morning.” We have been doing this routine for one week and the change in Mum is dramatic. As she is now stronger physically and emotionally, we have began to work on clearing the emotional issues that caused the fibromyalgia in the first place, namely the long-term illness and eventual death of my sister two years ago. After only two 1-hour sessions working on these deep emotional issues, Mum feels so much better she is now considering at some point in the future joining a gym for some gentle exercise. She has not required any of her daily painkillers for 48 hours and counting. This is a massive breakthrough, as prior to doing EFT her mindset was one of “I can’t cope without my Co-codamol” and “I’m never going to get over this.” Now she says, “I can see light at the end of the tunnel.” This is another triumph for EFT and one for which I’m extremely grateful. * * *

You might think that experiences like Moira’s are exceptional, and that they couldn’t possibly happen to you. Yet you’ll hear many stories in the coming 12 weeks of people who’ve recovered from fibromyalgia using EFT, and you might even wind up writing one yourself!

Your First EFT Experience

Let’s get started with our first EFT session right now! Below are written instructions. If you’d like to see a video version please scroll down a bit. 1 – First, pick a spot in your body where the pain is worst at this very moment. 2 – On a piece of paper, write down which part of your body has the worst pain. 3 – Now write down how bad your pain is. Use a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain, and 10 being the worst pain imaginable. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 or 10 4 – Now let’s create a Setup Statement: “Even though I have this pain in (the body location you wrote down), I deeply and completely accept myself.” Say this three times while tapping on the side of your hand.

(In EFT we call this the Karate Chop point, for obvious reasons) Now look at the diagram showing EFT’s 12 acupoints below, and tap lightly 7 to 10 times with two fingertips on each point. While tapping, focus on your pain.

A Second Helping of EFT

Now let’s do EFT again, but with a slightly different Setup Statement. Most people experience a reduction in pain, so we’ll modify the Setup Statement accordingly.

Even though I still have some pain in (the body location you wrote down), I deeply and completely accept myself.

Say this three times while tapping on the side of your hand.

Now tap lightly 7 to 10 times with two fingertips on each point. While tapping, focus on your remaining pain.

A Final Round of EFT

You might still have some remaining pain, so for good measure, let’s try EFT again.

Even though I still have some remaining pain in (the body location you wrote down), I deeply and completely accept myself.

Say this three times while tapping on the side of your hand.

Now tap lightly 7 to 10 times with two fingertips on each point. While tapping, focus on your remaining pain.

Measuring Your Results

In EFT, it’s important to measure your results frequently, to determine if you’re making progress. Take a moment to feel your (the body location you wrote down) again. Using the same scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain, and 10 being the worst pain imaginable, write down the number that represents your level of pain after tapping: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 or 10

Congratulations! You wrote down your first number only minutes ago. Your new number should be much less than your original number but if not please repeat the steps above a few more times and check your level of pain again for (the body location you wrote down). If you’re still having trouble please keep working with it!

Using EFT for Pain Regularly

Did you believe, half an hour ago, that you could reduce your pain that much in a short time all by yourself, using a simple tool like EFT? Probably not! Yet you’ve just proved to yourself how effective EFT can be.

You now have freedom at your fingertips! Your homework this week will be to use EFT on your pain each day. Spend just 10 minutes each night before you go to sleep, and a few minutes after you wake up. Focus on your area of worst pain, and use the above procedure.