By Dawson Church, EFT EXP-3
What’s the difference between a craving and an addiction? A craving is a strong desire. Cravings are usually transient. They come and go.
An addiction is an enduring behavior that persists over time. Purely physical cravings can often be easily addressed with EFT.
However, addictive patterns usually aren’t just physical, they’re rooted in unresolved emotional trauma. Until those traumas are resolved, the addiction continues. Even if willpower succeeds in suppressing it, the addict often simply switches to a new substance.
I’ve worked with my share of people who no longer want their coffee, chocolate, or alcohol after one or two rounds of EFT.
I’ve also had my share of people with seemingly endless emotional issues who truly needed their addictive substances or behaviors until an emotional clearing of their negative thought patterns occurred. It was their best solution to the problem until the root causes could be eliminated. This can take time, of course.
You may have noticed that the EFT for cravings stories on this website illustrate not only deeper emotional issues, but a higher level of experience with EFT as well. Most of these EFT stories on this site were submitted by experienced EFT practitioners and/or licensed therapists who have a more complete understanding of emotional issues and how to navigate through them.
I also share these stories in the weekly EFT Universe newsletter so you can see how deep the emotional issues can run, and how an experienced EFT professional might find and address them.
Improving your EFT tapping skills will require good detective work to lead you to the specific hidden issues that need attention, and good testing methods will let you know when there is more work to be done.
It is interesting to see how emotions show up as physical symptoms. People sweat when they are nervous, get a headache when they are stressed, or feel a knot in their stomach when they are scared. Often, once the physical cravings have been tapped away with EFT, the emotions behind the physical cravings bubble to the surface to be worked through with the help of EFT.
When working on your own cravings or addictions, pay close attention to changes in your body, and be sure to address them with EFT. Because they represent aspects of the issue you are trying to resolve, they can lead to deeper emotional issues.
“Even though I have this knot in my stomach over thinking about [name], I deeply and completely accept myself.”
Remember that even if you start by tapping on something global or general, emotional layers will be peeled away, revealing unexpected memories and very important clues from your healing process.
Addictive cravings sometimes represent a crying out for love. You can often identify such cases when a few rounds of EFT directed at cravings have only minimal impact. This is because there is a bigger emotional need that is driving them.
EFT Tapping Setup Statement examples:
Even though I have this ravenous appetite for [name craving], I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I sometimes feel like I hate myself because I cannot resist [name craving], I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I am angry and ashamed after I give into [name craving], I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I have this addiction for [name craving], I deeply and completely accept myself.
EFT Tapping Reframe Examples:
This craving for [name craving]…
This hunger for [name what you hunger]…
This longing for [name what you are longing for]…
If you are serious about dealing with your food addictions you should consider bringing EFT tapping into your life every single day anytime you feel your emotions tipping in a negative direction and want to deal with these emotions with an addictive response. EFT Universe offers some great online programs that can help you deal with food addictions. They are Naturally Thin You Mastermind Course and Naturally Thin You Boot-camp: EFT for Weight Loss. Click on the links and come check them out.
There is also my EFT for Weight Loss book that is devoted to dealing with food addictions and uncontrollable cravings.
Keep on tapping.
