Two Cats and a Puppy

I’d like to share three very special and moving EFT experiences. People often ask me if they can use EFT to help their pets. So I tell them yes. And because animals don’t always like to be tapped on and because we may not be sure where their tapping points are, it is helpful to use surrogate tapping.

Now, for some of us, especially those who are Reiki trained, the concept of healing at a distance is nothing new. And those with a homeopathy background are accustomed to treating animals. But for me with my scientific upbringing it always seemed a step too far to use EFT at a distance for an animal. And so it was with more than a little uncertainty that I built into my EFT workshops a group exercise to tap as surrogates for an animal. I need not have worried as the results have been little short of astounding.

In each of these three amazing cases a group of 12 tapped together for a pet known only to one of them. The one who knew the pet acted as the pet through role-play (mentally stepped into the pet’s body) and I acted as therapist leading the “pet” through EFT. The others in the group tapped along with us, repeating the words we used and borrowed benefits for themselves as well.

For the set up phrases we used whatever words came to the person speaking for the pet or to me as therapist and then added something about the pet being loved, safe and cared for. Each of these cases took about 15-20 minutes of tapping.

Oscar's Shaking Tail

In September the group tapped for Oscar. Sue Ashdown was offering a temporary home to Oscar (the cat of a friend of hers) who, due to changing circumstances, was unable to look after him. Sue was worried about Oscar - his tail and whole rear quivered and shook and he stumbled as he walked and sometimes fell. Her three other cats would not eat with him and he was generally in poor condition.

We tapped as a group with Sue leading us and speaking as Oscar:

Even though my tail shakes, I'm a good cat and Sue and Dawn love me
Even though I don't know where I live I'm a good cat and these people care about me...

Sue was guessing at Oscar's emotional state and events that had happened to him just came to her. The words “came from nowhere” she said with surprise. After about 15 minutes of tapping, Sue felt a deep sense of calm and we tapped a round of “I am Sue” to separate her energy connection with Oscar.

When Sue got home from the workshop she found that Oscar's tail was no longer shaking, he was walking better, not falling, the other cats were much more relaxed with him and he with them and they were all eating together. Its now December (3 months later) and Sue confirms that these improvements are sustained.

Kitten the "Scare-dy Cat"

A few weeks later another group of 12 tapped for a middle aged cat who goes by the name of Kitten. Kitten’s owner is a friend of Moira who spoke as Kitten and once again I acted as therapist and the group tapped with us.

Kitten was a "scare-dy cat," very nervous, startled at any movement and spent most of her time hiding upstairs. We started tapping with “Even though I’m scared of footsteps I’m a good cat and Moira loves me.” Then I asked Moira if she knew what had happened to Kitten when she was a kitten. Moira didn’t know and so we made up imaginary events: "Even though that man hurt me and I bit him and I couldn't escape, that was then, this is now, I'm with good people now, I’m safe now," “Even though footsteps remind me of that man and I’m terrified there are good people around me now and they love me."

We tapped together as a group for about 15 minutes until Moira felt a sense of deep calm. I asked her to picture Kitten and she pictured her snuggled up all relaxed. When she got home Kitten’s owner said, "I don't know what's got into this cat, she's so much calmer."

Weeks later Moira confirms that Kitten is much calmer, doesn’t startle at footsteps and spends most of her time downstairs. It is interesting that when she inquired of Kitten’s owner as to Kitten’s early experiences she found out that Kitten had been the runt of the litter and was raised in a chaotic household and her experiences had probably been more of neglect than of cruelty. So even if Moira’s imaginings were off track the tapping did the trick.

Poppy: Destruction and Disruption

The third case is the most moving. Sue Hanisch told us of a tragedy. Her brother and his wife have four young children, four cats and until recently a vibrant and intelligent Border Collie named Shadow who was like a fifth child. One morning in the summer, Shadow was hit by a car and was so badly injured that she had to be put to sleep. The raw and painful grief of the family was such that they believed that no dog could ever replace Shadow.

Then they heard from a neighbor that a Jack Russell 6 month old puppy was to be returned to the rescue centre because his new owners could not handle him. The family felt sorry for the puppy and agreed to take Poppy. Well Poppy proved to be more than a handful and chewed the carpet, terrorized the cats, jumped and barked and was constantly on red alert. Sue told us that this was a turning point for the family, Poppy’s young life had brought hope and if Poppy had to be returned to the rescue centre the children would be inconsolable. However, Poppy’s behavior was causing havoc.

So Sue "became Poppy" and I led the group. We started with the behavior:

Even though I bark and jump I’m a good dog and they want to love me.

Then we went onto Poppy’s insecurity,

Even though I’ve been in three homes and I don’t know where I belong and nobody wants me and I have to be noticed, the children love me and want me to stay.

Then:

Even though I’m scared I’m not good enough its ok, this family loves me.

As we tapped, Sue was feeling Poppy’s emotions and feeling some shift but it wasn’t until it came through me to offer, “Even though I can’t be Shadow I can be Poppy and Poppy is Poppy." At this point it was like an electric shock went through Sue and as we tapped that subsided to a deep calm and she tapped a round of “I am Sue” to de-role herself.

Sue visited her brother a week later. The front door was opened and left open (previously Poppy would have rushed out barking and jumping) as Sue walked into the kitchen she found Poppy curled up in a basket, a quiet little angel. A month later Sue has reported that Poppy has all the natural enthusiasm of any Jack Russel puppy and there is no more destruction and disruption. The cats are now friends with Poppy who in her young fun way is helping the whole family to heal.

Conclusions

So, my conclusion is that if you want to use EFT to help an animal or pet I would suggest that you find at least one other person to tap with you. The one of you that knows the pet can then role-play, tune into the feeling of the pet, or simply speak of what you know happened or imagine what could have happened. If in doubt, guess, pretend or make it up. The other then acts as EFT therapist, asking questions and leading/guiding through the EFT process. Having one of you manage the process frees the other of you to manage the content and to be open to what comes to you without having to think about the words. If you can find other people to tap with you, then that’s even better, though there is no proof, my gut feel is that these three cases were turbo charged by the action of the group. Once you sense the work is done the person speaking as the animal needs to de-role themselves by repeating and tapping with “I am me” and saying their own name.

Happy Tapping, Gwyneth

Gwyneth Moss
Yorkshire, United Kingdom
EFT Trainer and one of the EFT Founding Masters
www.efthelps.com