Week 12: A Positive Future

Refer back to the list you created in week 7: the 12 things you would do if you were completely free of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. How many items on the list have you already accomplished? You might be surprised to discover that you’re further along than you thought.

The list you created in week 7 likely focused on physical tasks. This week you’re going to focus on creating a broader positive vision of your future, a vision that encompasses all aspects of your life.

This week is also devoted to creating a support plan to help you continue meeting your goals and to ensure that support is there when you need it. It is important to have in place the procedures that work for you to get support. When you are feeling low is not the time to try to create a support plan!

The Role of EFT in Your Positive Future

Tapping on your vision of a positive future not only raises your spirits by focusing you on that vision, but it also helps remove any obstacles to bringing that future into reality.

Tapping with others is valuable support that will help keep you clearing pain and emotional issues as they arise and help keep you focused on your positive future. Join an existing tapping group or start one!

Bonnie had the wisdom to seek the help of a neighbor trained in EFT. There is so much support available. You, too, can find the help you need to heal.

Using EFT for a Positive Future

Write a positive vision for your future. What is the future you most want? Write down one detail of that future in each of these five important domains of life:

• Health
• Money
• Relationships
• Work
• Spirituality

To help envision a detail in each area, ask yourself: What is a positive vision for my _____ [health/finances/relationships/work life/spirituality]? Or: What is my greatest dream for my ______ [health/finances/relationships/work life/spirituality]?

As an example, your vision in health might be: “I feel full of energy.” For relationships, your vision could be: “My husband and I are back to being in love with each other.”

Next you will tap on one of the visions while saying the vision out loud. Choose which of the five visions you would like to tap on (you can follow this same script to tap on the others on your own), such as “Being full of energy.” Write it down on a piece of paper.

• Health
• Money
• Relationships
• Work
• Spirituality

Before you start tapping, take a moment to assess your feelings as you remember this event. Use the 0 to 10 (0 = no discomfort and 10 = extreme discomfort) SUD scale. How strong is your emotional reaction to the memory right now? Give it a number, and write down that number.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 or 10

Also, identify a place in your body where you feel that emotion most strongly. It might be your forehead, your shoulders, or your heart. Write down the location in your body of this strong emotion.

So far, so good! Here’s your Setup Statement:

“Even though I feel resistance to my vision of (name your description above), I deeply and completely accept myself.”

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

Now look at the illustration showing EFT’s 12 acupoints, and tap lightly 7 to 10 times with two fingertips on each point. While tapping, focus on the vision.

A Second Helping of EFT

Now let’s do EFT again, but with a slightly different Setup Statement. Most people experience a reduction in the intensity of the resistance or feeling in the body, so we’ll modify the Setup Statement accordingly.

“Even though I still have some strong feelings about (the memory 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, stay focused on your problem.

A Final Round of EFT

You might still have some remaining SUD intensity (0 = no discomfort and 10 = extreme discomfort), so for good measure, let’s try EFT again.

“Even though I still have some remaining feelings about (the problem 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, stay focused on your vision.

Measuring Your Results

Think about your vision again, and tune in to your (body part). Using the same scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no emotional intensity, and 10 being the highest possible,

write down the number below that represents your number:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 or 10

Congratulations! Your level of emotional intensity just went down by ___percent. (Divide your second number by your first number, then multiply your answer x 100.)

Tapping for Your Future

You can tap on your visions in all five life domains, using the script above.

It is also important in creating a positive future to build ongoing support into your life. Find the avenues of support that work for you. These might going to an EFT practitioner periodically, and/or joining a tapping group in your area. Create a support plan so you can refer to it when you need to remind yourself to seek support or are in need of extra assistance.

As usual, before you go to sleep each night, think about any upsetting incidents that occurred during the day, and tap them away. When you wake up, tap through the points three or four times before you even start your day. This will help balance your energy, and give you more resilience!