Working with Pain and Physical Problems Using EFT

EFT for Pain and Physical Problems

In my EFT training courses, we focus a lot on working with pain and physical problems. When training students on how to work with these types of issues, I do live demonstrations with volunteers. The first part of the presentation involves setting up a feedback mechanism to evaluate the results; moment by moment during the demonstration.

Establishing a baseline

When establishing the initial baseline for the problem, in this case, shoulder impingement, it is vital to instruct the client only to move as far as the edge of any pain. Clients can get very keen and try to push what they can do to the limit. This keenness can cause excess pain. It isn’t needed and not a safe practice to do that.

Listening to the body

When a client or demonstration subject knows that they need to listen to their body and only move as far as to the point where it just begins to hurt, they keep themselves safe. During this first part of the demonstration, clients often reveal other information about how the problem impacts their life; for example, it might affect their ability to sleep through the night. Record information such as this, it is useful for assessing the results outside of the therapy session as post-session feedback.

Measuring success

Ideally, in this assessment, you are looking to identify a measurable way to measure progress after each round of EFT. So in the case below, it would be how far up his back can he move his arm before he begins to feel pain and restriction. After setting up the monitoring system, we then identify the words that tune him into his problem and then tap a round of EFT.

Tuning into the problem

Typically with a pain problem, we can tune into the problem via the body; for example, “this tight feeling under my left shoulder blade,” would be the type of language you would use to do this. Equally, we can work by dealing with emotions that are connected to the physical problem. We often experience emotional issues physically in the body. After each round of EFT, we re-assess the problem. If we get improvement in the problem, we continue with the process, tuning in, tapping, and then re-assessing.

When dealing with any problem, you also need to evaluate the results outside of the EFT session.

Look at this example :

Below is feedback from one of my demonstration students dealing with his shoulder impingement problem. It is probably worthwhile to say, he did not expect EFT to work on this problem when he volunteered.

Patient Male: 64 years – Fall Accident and EFT

Diagnosis: Shoulder impingement syndrome

“July 2019, I fell 2.5 – 3 meters and landed horizontally on the left side of the hip on a cement foundation (see picture).”

“After some weeks, the worst pain from the hip decreased (no bone fracture), and then pain from the left shoulder occurred. It wasn’t possible to move the left arm higher than the waist (see picture)  because of big pain; the movement of the left arm was very reduced.”

“This was the situation when Tania A Prince did a few minutes of EFT on this problem with me. Suddenly the left, hurt arm could move as high as the good arm (see pictures). The pain and movement were “measured” before and after (1 is very, very bad – 100 is perfect). Before EFT about 20 (on this scale) and minutes later after EFT-treatment about 90. The next day (without more treatment) 75-80. Now 2-3 months later, it is about 95 % good, still without more EFT.”

“Before the accident, I did daily exercises (The 5 Tibetan Rites). These exercises were absolutely impossible to continue until after EFT. Possibly (I) have the opportunity to use the exercises to help to reach the last improvement.

Great thanks to Tania and the EFT.” Jarle Botnen, Norway, January 202.