Part 2 continues with more examples of EFT used as immediate "first aid" in crisis situations. Find Part 1
Bullying
One of my Russian students, Olesya, is a school psychologist, and following her level 1 EFT training she told the following story. A girl student was brought to her office in a completely distraught state – the teachers had apparently taken her off the window ledge as she was about to jump from the top floor (Moscow schools are typically 4-5 storey buildings). This child had apparently been bullied by a group of girls for some time, and she could not cope with it any longer. Olesya reported that following a brief 10 minute tapping session , mostly done without words as the student was so overwhelmed initially, the girl calmed down completely and left Olesya’s office in a confident and peaceful state. Following this incident this girl’s overall confidence has increased considerably, and the bullies have left her alone.
Suicidal feelings
A detailed article on how one of my other Russian students, Dr Oksana Korsunova, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist, helped a suicidal woman who was about to jump off her 8th floor balcony, has been published on EFT Universe website.
Emotional overwhelm
Deanne Jade, the Director of the National Centre of Eating Disorders in London www.eating-disorders.org.uk , teaches advanced training courses to eating disorders practitioners. During these trainings it is not uncommon for course delegates, many of whom have themselves experienced difficulties with food and eating, to break down during experiential exercises. For some of them, it feels challenging or even impossible to remain in the training room because of the overwhelming emotional intensity of these experiences. Deanne describes how EFT has enabled her, repeatedly, to help the course delegates in distress to calm down and remain in the training room, and to continue to engage in the learning process. Deanne mentions that the typically rapid change in the delegate’s distress, sometimes literally “from despair to joy”, brought a lump to her throat, as she was marvelling at the powerful effect of EFT.
Traumatic dissociation
Shiri Ben Arzi, an Israeli health coach, recalls a situation when she was sitting in a café, and a sudden loud bang outside sent a woman who sat nearby into a meltdown – she cowered under the table, shaking, apparently not aware of what was happening around her, evidently re-living a previous traumatic experience. Shiri took the initiative to tap on the woman’s EFT acupressure points which gradually brought her out of the trance state as she regained her awareness and sense of safety.
Second degree burn
Another Israeli colleague, Davina Davidson, described a situation where she scalded herself from hip to knee with a pan of boiling water (later estimated by the doctors as about 5% of her body surface). She ripped her clothes off quickly and the skin came away with the clothing. After cooling the burn in the shower and applying special burns cream, Davina started tapping on the overwhelming pain. Her two sons, 14 and 16 years old, stayed to tap with her, which she found very comforting. She described the pain as excruciating, it was difficult to think clearly so she used very simple sentences along with the tapping to describe her feelings: “this unbearable pain”, “I cannot cope with this pain”. They tapped together for 2 hours non-stop after which she felt able to walk slowly and sit down carefully, and they took a taxi to the hospital Emergency department. She continued to tap in the taxi and in the waiting room. The doctor prescribed very strong painkillers and advised to take them especially at night to enable her to sleep, however by this time Davina felt no need for medication and managed without painkillers throughout the healing process, even though changing the bandages twice daily was very painful; she slept well from the first night onwards. She continued tapping on the physical discomfort as well as the emotions that arose – sadness, helplessness, etc. The burn healed without leaving any scars.
In conclusion...
These are just a few examples of how people around the world have used EFT in crisis situations – I am sure you have some of your own examples and I would love to hear of them. I believe that EFT should be available in every service that deals with crises and emergencies worldwide, and the more we share our experiences with others the more likely we are to inspire these agencies to explore the potential value that EFT may bring in such challenging situations.
Important note: Regardless of how helpful EFT may have been in the above examples, please use your common sense and get qualified medical assistance in emergency situations. EFT is a supportive tool and NOT a replacement for proper medical treatment.
Masha Bennett is an EFT International Accredited Certified EFT Master Trainer of Trainers and Advanced Practitioner. She is also a Registered Neurolinguistic Psychotherapist. She combines her private therapy and training practice with work as a psychological therapist in the UK National Health Service, and has taught EFT to professionals and general public in the UK, Greece, Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Russia and other countries. www.practicalhappiness.co.uk
From the EFTfree Archives, which are now a part of EFT International .
Originally published on December 22, 2012
Share Your Comments & Feedback