By D. Tankoos
In the 10 years prior to learning EFT tapping, I experienced intense pain in my right shoulder that negatively impacted and restricted my whole life. I couldn’t hug my children without wincing and cringing.
Shaving proved arduous and challenging, and every time I raised my arm to hail a cab or lift my cell phone to my ear, I experienced great, agonizing pain.
My doctor had told me I had a torn rotator cuff and a physical injury to my shoulder.
I had seen the x-rays and the bone spurs, and had been told surgery was inevitable, something to delay as long as possible.
Over the years I had tried various approaches from medical to alternative, including physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, psychotherapy, pain killers, massage, and yoga.
Most were only temporary fixes, at best. But nothing brought lasting permanent relief until I used EFT tapping.
Desperate for help and totally clueless about such a different approach as EFT, I began sessions with an EFT practitioner. It took a session or two for me to accept this new techniques. At first, the tapping was tedious and I wondered where this was all going.
However, from the second session on, each time I met with the practitioner, I felt more relaxed, looked healthier, and felt less stressed.
In the course of my sessions over several months a plethora of issues arose to be dealt with and, to my great surprise and relief, were released. At first I couldn’t express what I felt; my thoughts were vague, and childhood memories were distant.
My issues included the symptoms of diabetes, such as cravings for sweets, coldness, and pins and needles in my feet and hands, combined with job and divorce distress.
We often used the EFT Talking While Tapping Technique, where I would tap on the EFT points, mirroring the EFT practitioner, while talking about the issue at hand until all emotional intensity disappeared.
As I talked and tapped, deeply buried emotional pain and memories were released, resulting in new insights and alleviation of symptoms. With EFT I realized I had been holding on to negative feelings, bad memories, and anger. Once the floodgates were opened with EFT, I experienced clarity and relief on many levels.
After I had released emotional pain, guilt and old hurts, I focused on healing my shoulder pain and immobility. By this time, after several sessions, EFT and I were friends and I used it myself between sessions to reinforce and accelerate my progress.
Some of the tapping statements that helped me are the following:
Even though I have a serious shoulder injury, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I have a painful tear in my right rotator cuff, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though my shoulder and arm hurt, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though my life is painful right now, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though my ex-wife is stuck in my shoulder, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though Mary wrecked our marriage and threw it in the trash, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I still have some of this Mary pain stuck in my shoulder, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though it’s too painful to put my arm around anybody, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though I don’t have anyone to put my arm around, I deeply and completely accept myself.
Even though my arm and hand are numb and tingly., I deeply and completely accept myself.
As I tapped my way through these statements I surprised myself at the strength and intensity of the feelings locked up inside me, feelings now being slowly unlocked and released with EFT.
So many statements started at an intensity of feeling at 4 or 5 (on a scale of 10), zoomed up to 10, and with persistence resolved at 1 or 0. And although I left some of my sessions exhausted and drained, nevertheless, I left freer and freer of my shoulder pain, guilt, and anger.
The results of these EFT sessions are that I am still pain-free after many months.
I have regained full use of my right arm and shoulder, and the tingling and numbing decreased from a 10 to a 1 or 0. An MRI confirmed the physical injury in my shoulder, but my surgeon and I agreed that no surgery was needed because I was not in any pain.
My faith in and respect for EFT for pain and other symptoms continues to grow and the connection of mind and body becomes clearer to me every day. Since my EFT success and continued use of the technique I experience relief, freedom, and a wholeness of spirit new to me.
