Did your tapping make a difference? When the problem is pain, the test is simple – either the pain goes away or it doesn’t. If it does, it’s probably because EFT successfully removed energy blocks while neutralizing emotional issues that were the pain’s
underlying cause. But pain relief isn’t the only indication of EFT’s effectiveness. Here are some common signs of EFT at work in any tapping session.
The person sighs. This often happens after a round of tapping and it reflects an energy shift away from stress toward relaxation.
The person yawns. The yawn might or might not be accompanied by fatigue.
Some people have fallen asleep in the middle of their EFT sessions, but even well-rested people yawn during and after tapping. Yawning has been associated with sleepiness, boredom, and (incorrectly) low blood oxygen levels. Behaviorists consider yawning a calming signal, a non-threatening bit of body language
designed to help those nearby relax and feel safe. Recent research suggests that yawning is a way to cool the brain. Whatever its purpose, yawning in an EFT session is an important clue that energy is moving and the tapping is working.
The person’s breathing changes. Most of us breathe shallowly, especially when we’re under stress. Longer, slower, deeper breaths are almost always a signal that EFT is working. The more balanced your energy, the smoother and more relaxed your breathing.
The person’s voice changes. During an EFT session it’s not uncommon for someone’s voice to crack, for stress or tension to make the voice actually squeak, or for the person to have trouble talking. Then, after EFT brings the person’s energy into balance, his or her voice sounds deeper, rounder, fuller, more confident, stronger, and more vibrant. Speech patterns change, too, going from stumbling and inarticulate to clear, coherent, fluid, and eloquent.
The person’s posture and body language change. People who are
depressed, anxious, frightened, or in pain sit, stand, and walk very differently from the way they do when they’re comfortable, confident, relaxed, happy, and healthy. In successful EFT sessions, postural changes are often obvious. Instead of sitting hunched, with the head down and a curved spine, most people
straighten up, lift their heads, and look at the world around them. Some practitioners describe their clients as blossoming like flowers as their energy clears.
The person cries. The Tearless Trauma Technique (see page 87) is at the heart of EFT, and it really is possible to work through serious problems without
weeping. But in many cases people do cry. Tears are often a sign of release or relief. Even if the tears are a symptom of discomfort, in which case the Tearless
Trauma Technique is used to reduce the discomfort level, the emotional change indicates that EFT is working.
Sinuses drain. Congested sinuses that suddenly begin to drain reflect an energy shift.
Facial muscles relax. Actually, muscles all over the body soften, but changes in facial expression, such as from tense and stressed to relaxed and comfortable, are obvious clues. EFT can make such a difference in facial expression that some practitioners call it an instant face-lift. A few rounds of effective tapping can help you look years younger as well as happier.
Blood pressure and pulse change. Often people begin an EFT session with an elevated pulse rate or high blood pressure. In those cases, successful EFT tapping – even if it’s for something unrelated to physical symptoms – brings both pulse and blood pressure back to normal.
The person feels hot or cold. A temperature change, such as feeling suddenly hot or cold, is another indication that EFT is working. A small or large area of back pain may feel intensely warm or hot, and the pain may pulse or vibrate.
Someone who feels suddenly hot may blush or turn red. Another person might break out in a cold sweat and suddenly feel chilled. All of these physiological changes indicate that EFT is working.
The person feels vibrating energy. Do enough tapping and your fingers will begin to tingle. When that happens, move your open hands toward each other, moving them closer, further apart, and closer again. If you sense a vibrating energy field or a feeling of resistance that grows stronger as your hands move closer, something is happening energetically.
A cognitive shift occurs. One minute you’re angry and the next you’re laughing.
One minute the person you’re mad at can’t do anything right and the next you’re making excuses for him. One minute you’re convinced that there is only one way, one “right” and “true” way, to look at the situation and the next you realize there are many. As soon as you stop replaying a situation in the same old way and notice something new or different, and as soon as “the principle of the thing” no longer matters the way it did, it’s obvious that EFT has done its job.
The pain moves. This happens so often that we use the phrase “chasing the pain” (see page 172) to describe the appropriate EFT response. The pain might move a short distance, such as an inch or two, but it’s often a longer distance, such as from the left eye to the right side of the forehead or from the right
shoulder blade to the center of the spine. In some cases pain jumps all over the body. For example, you might be tapping for pain in the small of your back and suddenly realize that your back pain has disappeared but now your right ankle is throbbing. Moving pain is a definite indication that EFT is working.
The pain gets worse. Ironically, this can be a sign that EFT is working. It often indicates that buried emotional issues are getting close to the surface. By continuing to tap and by approaching the pain and its aspects from a different perspective, your results will probably improve. It’s very unusual for pain to get worse and stay worse when you’re using EFT, especially when you incorporate the many shortcuts and advanced techniques explained in this book.
The person is suddenly open to new options. This is an excellent sign because it shows that the person is no longer stuck in his or her old way of thinking and feeling. Balanced energy leads to clear thinking.
You could say that the overall test is whether any kind of change is taking place. The more things change, the more energy is moving and the more EFT is working. Even if you haven’t yet achieved the results you hope for, all this moving energy is a very good sign. It’s only when nothing happens – the pain stays exactly where it was, the person’s attitude doesn’t shift at all, and the whole situation stays stuck – that we are tempted to conclude that EFT was not effective.
Even when that happens, it’s worth trying again. So much depends on the art of delivery, the search for core issues, and the examination of different aspects that a sudden breakthrough can turn an unresponsive situation into an EFT success story. I’ve seen this so many times that I never conclude that EFT “didn’t work.” Rather, I adopt the belief that EFT always works but that sometimes we have to keep searching for the problem’s true emotional cause.
The next chapter will help you develop the EFT skills that bring outstanding results for yourself and your own pain, for every other problem you’d like to solve, and for anyone else – including friends, relatives, co-workers, total strangers, and even family pets. In fact, our files include reports from people who used EFT to improve the health of their house plants and the performance of their cars, computers, and household appliances.
I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, I told them to try it on everything! And you can, too.