By: Christine Delgado
GL, a woman in her 30s, came to her first EFT session feeling anxious about a looming March 1st deadline for submitting her certification case histories. Although she was familiar with EFT and Energy Psychology techniques, she described her anxiety as “heart-jumping-out-of-my-throat” intensity—rating it an 8 on the SUD scale. The thought of falling short on time filled her with dread and self-doubt.
The Immediate Trigger: “Submitting the Notes”
To begin, we tapped on the immediate stressor—the act of submitting her notes. Using the Setup Statement, she said,
“Even though I feel my heart jumping out of my throat thinking about the March 1st deadline, I accept myself.”
We included several of her anxious thoughts, such as “Four weeks left,” “It’s not enough time,” and “I’m in trouble.” After one round, her SUD score dropped from 8 to 5.
When I asked what she visualized as she thought about the deadline, she said she saw herself pressing the “Submit” button on her session notes. We tapped on this image using the Basic Recipe, addressing both the physical sensation (“heart leaping”) and the cognitive thought (“It’s too much for her; it might overwhelm her”). After one round, her SUD decreased from 7 to 3. A second round with the 9 Gamut and alternate points brought it to zero.
She felt calmer and more grounded. To test, I asked her to imagine pressing “Submit” again. No emotional charge remained.
The Deeper Root: “I’m in Trouble”
When I asked her to say the phrase “I’m in trouble” and notice what arose in her body, she immediately reported a sinking feeling in her chest and recalled a childhood memory: receiving an “F” on a geography test in high school.
We tapped on this event—“That one time when I got an F in geography class.” The initial SUD was 8. I invited her to identify the most distressing aspect. She said it was the disappointed look on her teacher’s face. “It felt like a vice grip around my heart.”
After one round of tapping on the visual image of that expression, the SUD dropped to zero. Testing with vivid imagination—recalling the look, the classroom, the paper in her hand—still produced no charge. Then she remembered hearing the teacher’s words: “Not good enough.” Saying the phrase aloud raised her SUD to 3.
We did two more rounds of the Full Basic Recipe, including the 9 Gamut and alternate points, focusing on the auditory aspect—the exact tone of the teacher’s voice. Afterward, the SUD dropped to zero.
Cognitive Shifts and Integration
As the emotional charge dissipated, GL experienced spontaneous reframes. She realized, “He was mean to everyone—it wasn’t personal.” She laughed and added, “My mentor now isn’t anything like that!” These cognitive shifts marked a clear release of old associations between evaluation and shame.
We used Sneaking Away and Reframing to help her consolidate the insight and recognize how her current situation differed from the past. She noted feeling lighthearted and even amused by how strongly that old school memory had been coloring her present-day anxiety.
When we revisited the original stressor—submitting her certification notes—she reported complete peace. “It feels neutral now,” she said. “I can just do it.”
Follow-Up and Homework
I suggested she continue tapping on memories involving “mean teachers” or times she had to submit work under pressure. These represented similar patterns of fear of judgment and not measuring up. She agreed that recognizing these echoes from childhood made the current deadline feel far less intimidating.
Reflections on the Session
This session demonstrated how quickly EFT can resolve anxiety when a specific event is identified. In less than an hour, GL’s SUD scores dropped from 8 to zero on both the recent and childhood events. The presenting issue—deadline anxiety—was completely neutralized after linking it to the earlier core belief, “I’m not good enough.”
The most striking moment came when she realized the power of that old geography classroom memory. What had once felt like life-or-death judgment was now simply a long-ago experience of a stressed teacher. Her physiology and emotions responded immediately to the shift in perception.
Had time permitted, we might have explored additional early experiences of criticism to further reinforce her sense of confidence. Still, the outcome was clear: GL ended the session calm, self-accepting, and ready to meet her deadline without fear.
Client Results Summary
Presenting Issue: Anxiety about meeting a professional deadline
Initial SUD: 8
Final SUD: 0
Key Cognitive Shift: “It wasn’t personal.”
Primary Techniques Used: Basic Recipe, Full Basic Recipe with 9 Gamut, Reframing, Sneaking Away, Vivid Imagination Testing
Outcome: Complete resolution of anxiety and newfound self-compassion around performance and evaluation.