Tapping Away Guilt Relieves Eczema
Dear Readers,
Rob Nelson helped his client discover the surprisingly literal subconsciuos cause of eczema. Shame can make us blush; perhaps shame held for a long time can cause skin disorders. Email Rob and visit his website.
-David MacKay
“Donna” had grown up in a very strict, repressive family. Her parents were devout Catholics and she felt enormous pressure to be a ‘good girl’. Not surprisingly, by the time she was a teenager the urge to rebel became irresistible.
At 15, Donna turned to crime. She had a summer job in a doctor’s office and began padding her time card, adding hours on to each pay period. She was caught right away and her bad girl aspirations were nipped in the bud. The doctor threatened to call the police but simply fired her.
This was extremely traumatic for Donna. Her parents never found out what had happened, but after 27 years she was still weighed down by severe guilt and shame–about a 9 on a zero to ten point scale when we began tapping:
“Even though I feel so guilty, I choose to love and accept myself”
“Even though I have this terrible guilt, I choose to forgive myself as best I can”
“Even though I still feel so much guilt for stealing from my employer, I deeply and completely accept myself”
Then tapping through the points: “This guilt…I was so embarrassed…they threatened to call the police…this guilt…I was terrified…I felt so bad about myself…this shame…I was so afraid my parents would find out…this guilt…I feel like such a bad person…this guilt…my mom and dad would have been heartbroken…”
After a long round like this, Donna’s distress level had dropped to about a 4 or 5. She’d stopped crying and her breathing was easier. We continued tapping and I began to reframe the story to engender some compassion for herself:
“Even though I still have some of this guilt, I deeply love and completely accept myself” three times, then as reminder phrases:
“This remaining guilt…they were going to call the police…I was so freaked out…but they only fired me…I blew it…I should have stolen a lot more…my plan didn’t work…I really needed help…I couldn’t stand being good anymore…this remaining guilt…if only the police had arrested me…but I was so scared…this remaining guilt…I was desperate…this remaining shame…my parents never found out…I was so humiliated…I was trying so hard to find a way out…”
This round brought the intensity way down to around 1 or 2, but it was our final round that held a big surprise for both of us. I often use humor to help shift perspective and I was offering lines such as:
“My life of crime was short lived…I was a lousy criminal…I was so tired of being good but not very good at being bad…I got caught red handed…”
At these words Donna cried out “Caught red handed?” and held up her hands. “Is that why I’ve had this eczema all these years?!” I just had to laugh in amazement! Sure enough, Donna had sent me a list of issues to tap on, and one of those issues was dyshidrotic eczema. I’d forgotten that she’d been plagued by red, painful and itchy bumps on her palms for years.
Clearing this memory brought immediate relief to Donna’s hands. By the end of the session they looked and felt perfectly healthy! She was indeed “caught red handed” and her subconscious mind dealt with the unresolved guilt in a most literal way!
Rob Nelson, MS
Certified EFT Practitioner
