Dear Dick
articles about wide ranging psychological issues
from "The Local Bulletin" (Brisbane Australia)
by Dick Rigby
©all articles are copyright 2006

August 2006
I’m so excited.  I want to share it with you.  I’ve known about “Emotional Freedom Technique” (EFT) for quite some time, but I haven’t had the time to study it.  On my recent  trip to the USA I had the opportunity to study EFT.
Since I came back from the States, in mid June, I have been using EFT and I am very pleased with the results.  It works more quickly than any other technique that I have learned about in my 35 years of psychology.
Why does it work so well?  Because it is fundamentally different from the techniques that most psychologists use.  EFT works with the energy centres of the body.  Every living creature is made up of energy points and energy pathways.  These pathways may be called “subtle energy” pathways or “meridians”.
The Indians and the Chinese have known about these points & pathways for centuries.  Acupuncture points are the energy points along the meridians.  Somebody came up with the bright idea of stimulating these energy points at the same time as dealing with psychological blocks.  Eureka – it works. 
The therapist guides the client through a simple and safe routine.  The client taps on certain energy points of the body while stating their problem out loud.  Each statement of the problem ends with the affirmation “I deeply and profoundly accept myself.”
The problem might be “fear of flying” or “migraine headaches” or “unresolved grief.”  The list is endless.
The success of EFT seems to be dependent on the careful choice of words so that the client is deeply emotionally connected with the words they are saying.  Therapists who have been using this technique for years report that it is effective on a range of physical problems as well as psychological problems.
We all know the old saying about “mind over matter”.  I have seen it demonstrated over and over, that if we can set the body switches right, the body cures itself.  EFT helps set the switches.

Shifting the tough stuff

June 2007
It’s always been a challenge to psychologists to figure out how to shift the “tough stuff”.  I call the tough stuff our obsessional thoughts, unwanted fears, addictions, depression etc etc.  Most of us have some of these.
Hundreds of techniques have been tried over the years with varying degrees of success.  Psychoanalysis started out with Freud.  It’s still used by some psychologists, but its slow.  There is good old CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).  This is widely used by psychologists today.  It think it is a very effective technique, but I have not found it very useful in shifting the tough stuff.
Then there are lots of techniques where the therapist waves a magic wand. These include hypnosis, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and EMDR (eye movement technique).  These are good at shifting the tough stuff, but they have their limitations.
Then there are the cathartic techniques involving emotional release including; shouting, primal screams, bashing cushions and rebirthing.  These were very popular in the 1970’s and 80’s.  They are not so popular now days.  I think it is because the same results can be achieved in much more gentle ways – and it’s easier on the ears!
There is another group of therapies which includes Gestalt, psychodrama, Voice Dialogue.  These are also quite effective in shifting deep stuff. 
In order to shift the tough stuff, we need to reach down deeply enough to where the tough stuff lives.  The techniques that I find most effective in getting to these deep levels are the energy techniques.  Last year you may have read my article discussing EMT (Emotional Freedom Technique).  This is where a client taps with his finger tips on certain parts of his body while repeating the statement that the therapist is making.
The reason I think EFT is so effective in shifting the tough stuff is that it works with the energy systems of the body in a very physical way.  Also it is effective because the therapist can be quite directive in guiding the client towards a desired outcome.
But with all therapies, their effectiveness depends on the therapists intention.  If the therapist is coming from a loving and giving position, the therapy will be much more effective than a therapist who is applying a technique in a mechanical way.
The therapist needs two things to help shift the tough stuff; the right technique and a loving supportive attitude.

More about tough stuff

August 2007
I have received a lot of positive feedback on my article called “Shifting the tough stuff”, which appeared in the June edition of the Local Bulletin. I mentioned there that the tough stuff is our obsessional thoughts, unwanted fears, addictions, depression etc.
Let me tell you a story about Betty.  Betty is now 73 years old and she is fairly set in her ways.  She has been a creature of habit for many years now.  Her husband, John died six years ago and Betty found it difficult to adjust.  She never learned to drive and always relied on John to drive her places and help her with other things.
The last person that Betty wanted to see was a psychologist.  She didn’t really believe in all this pampering and indulgence.  She was of the school that, if life dealt you a hard blow, you just took it, and got on with the job.
But then strange things started to happen to Betty.  Every time she left her home she would get a very strong and uncomfortable feeling of dread.  She loved the social contact at her social club, yet this feeling of dread was even making it hard for her to get down to the club.
She tried all the techniques that she knew about ignoring the feelings and just getting on with it.  She told herself “Don’t be so silly”.  But the feelings of dread just didn’t go away.
Eventually a dear friend of hers recommended that she see a psychologist.  She picked a nice sounding psychologist (Louise) from the phone book and rang to make an appointment.  When she met Louise, Betty apologized over and over for wasting Louise’s time.
Then it got down to tin tacks.  Louise took a history and found that there had been a gradual build up of fear in Betty following John’s death.  The feelings of dread kept getting worse.  Louise used Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and started to work through the layers of Betty’s fears.
Louise kept in mind that, in some ways Betty was a very competent women, and in other ways she was quite dependent.  Louise worked at building on Betty’s strengths.  The tapping reinforced Betty’s self confidence, and it also gave her a technique to take away and use next time the feelings of dread struck.
Betty made a full recovery.  What was impossible “tough stuff” just dissolved, using a combination of caring therapy, the right technique and a sound knowledge of what to do.