For any particularly stubborn issue (like EFT for weight loss), Gary Craig advises us to say the setup statement emphatically.

Here’s a quick way to amp up your setup statements even more, by adding 1 single word.

“Even though I have this ___________, I consciously choose to love and accept myself anyway.”

Adding the word consciously seems to intensify and add focus to the acceptance statement.

Click here to view the embedded video.

EFT Resource – Read the tutorial on finding core issues.

Using EFT for weight loss often involves some introspection.

This week’s post is a question from a reader.  Judy writes “Yesterday I heard myself say that I was bound to keep gaining, that weight only really goes up.  Even though I had said it as a joke (and only to myself), I felt that zing of truth.  I really feel that is true.  I started tapping immediately but the belief is not down to 0 yet.  I’m looking for core issues without success.  Any advice?”

Hey Judy – You did a lot of things right –

1. You caught yourself with a sabotaging belief. Even if you said it as a joke, it’s at least part of your belief system.

2. You started using EFT right away – that’s great if you can tap in the moment, while you are having those feelings – and there are feelings attached to that belief.

3. You realize that there’s probably a core issue that you haven’t identified yet.

One of the best ways to find the core issue is to identify the feelings – are you feeling frustrated, hopeless, like nothing you do is going to help?  Or how would you describe the feelings? Use your own words.

Then ask yourself – what does that remind you of?

Tap on that experience or memory, EVEN if it doesn’t seem related to what you are experiencing now. Because there’s probably 1 or more events that occurred that are causing you to feel as you do now.

What conclusions are you drawing from these events? What are you making this mean?

One thing may lead to another. But go ahead and get started – you’ve got work to do!

What if your craving goes away and you want it back?

It’s not unheard of!

Steve Wells recently wrote about a woman who lost her craving for chocolate unintentionally (by watching the EFT videos), and then wanted it back.

I had the same situation with my friend, who lost her taste for wine, after we did EFT for weight loss. Steve has suggested that this could be caused by conflicting motivations, and to tap on the wish, need, desire for the substance. Or that subconsciously, you know that returning to the substance may not be good for you.

He further states that “most addictions only truly change when we can find other more enhancing ways to get our needs met – Consider what might give you the positive benefits without the negative side effects.”

Gary Craig has also suggested that your body knows what is good for you, and that once the urge for the toxic substance is removed, it may not taste the same.

I’ve had this experience with ice cream. All of a sudden, after tapping, it tasted like cardboard!

Is it possible that EFT sensitizes our taste buds? I now seem to be able to taste the chemicals in foods more. That’s a good thing, even though my mind may still wants to indulge! I am happy to report that the urge DOES fade with time.

Ice cream plagues a lot of people. In my last EFT for Weight Loss Teleclass, ice cream was described as refreshing, soothing and delicious. Everything you would want in a sweet treat! And one of the problems with ice cream is that there are so many varieties!

My suggestion is to hold the ice cream in your hand and tap, tap, tap. Really focus on your urge for it, and NOTICE if your desire changes and if the taste or texture changes in any way.

If you are missing something that you once loved, you can tap for that and/or your wish to enjoy it again (if appropriate), but my gut feeling is that the body knows what is best, especially if you are trying to use EFT for weight loss.

I don’t miss my craving for ice cream, but I remember it fondly. It was with me for years, before EFT. Fortunately, I’ve been able to let it go, and seek comfort and soothing and “sweetness” in other places than in my freezer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

2 Minute Video – Enjoy!

Clear
How many people eat in a situation like this?

To clear means to clear your space, and clear your head of clutter, so you can focus on what you are doing. Be present and release everything else from your mind.

Commit
Committing is about being present and mindful for the entire meal. Make a clear commitment to being present in your body, to using all of your senses, and to not letting anything distract you during the meal.

Connect
Connect to your food and to your body – take responsibility for what you are putting in your mouth and be aware of how it feels in your body. We often eat like – it’s not me eating this mountain of food, it’s my psychic twin.

Commune
To commune means to be in a state of intimate, heightened sensitivity and receptivity – be with the food – don’t just wolf it down like my food-obsessed beagle. 

Complete
This is as important as anything else. It’s important to feel complete with the meal before moving on to something else. How many of you get up from the table (assuming you are sitting down to begin with) before you finish the last bite? At the end of the meal, ask yourself “Am I complete with this meal?”

If the answer is yes, move on to the next thing.
If no, what else do you need to feel complete?
If you aren’t sure, do nothing – just be with that feeling of being unsure – be with it – don’t try to figure it out – because then you are in your head and out of your experience.

If you practice these steps, then it will be easier to feel complete, and you won’t keep having to go back for more. You’ll be able to stop when you are satisfied, and eat less.

Eating should have a definite beginning, middle and end. Honor your space, honor the food you are about to eat, and honor you for taking the time to nourish yourself.

Here’s a letter that I received from a subscriber, David — he uses my books and has taken some of my teleclasses. I think it speaks to how a person can struggle with various addictions for years, and perhaps EFT is a bridge to the subconscious in creating change, even while we sleep! What do you think?

Hi Carol,

I love your book, Lose Weight Now – Stay Slim Forever. I have been studying your work on the subject to develop my own plan to become physically fit again.

What you have written is so powerful – ideas that we all can use for our own program. I wanted you to know how much your work has meant to me, and to thank you for bringing so much wisdom to us, to make possible healing so much needed at this time.

I have kept a journal on EFT experiences and wanted to share one with you that was very meaningful to me. I am using your books on weight loss, “Lose Weight Now – Stay Slim Forever” and “Lose Weight With EFT.”

In this journal entry I am describing a dream I had a few nights ago – after three weeks of study and EFT processing.

THE DREAM

I found myself inside of a large old house standing in the lobby, and I noticed that others were being served cocktails.

Strangely, a tall slender man was casually holding a bottle of vodka in one hand and his drink in the other. I heard him ask me, “What would you like to drink?”

“I think I’ll have scotch please”, I heard myself reply.

“Go to the basement and pick out a bottle of whatever you would like”. In the basement, I noticed that a lot of people were doing yoga. I manage to carefully step around them, retrieve a bottle of J&B, and go back upstairs to pour a half a glass of scotch.

As I sipped my drink, I became aware that I was doing so WITHOUT ANY EMOTION; NEITHER WAS I AWAKENED BY THE DREAM.

BACKGROUND OF DREAM

Over the years, I have experienced a cluster of addictions: alcohol (periodic binge drinking, which on several occasions, led to detox and rehab) tobacco, food, (binge with heavy carbos, i.e., fruit cobbler, cake, bread; between compulsive periods of running and physical fitness training; with two or three days of alcohol binges every four to six months).

Tobacco was removed from the cluster, but only after an extended struggle, i.e., I quit smoking many, many times, and would always return to it only during periods of alcohol consumption. Food craving would lead me to food binges when I was free of alcohol.

Early on, weight was really never a problem because it was off-set by running, exercise, strict diet, and demands of a career. Now, weight is the primary problem, because it is the only active member of the original cluster of addiction: alcohol, tobacco, and food.

Now I’m in a situation where diets fail me, where there is much less motivation for exercise; where weight continues to increase in the absence of alcohol, and cravings continues to rage.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DREAM

After lengthy periods of “sobriety” I would often have a dream that I was again drinking alcohol, or it appeared so in the dream. These dreams were troublesome. I was trapped in fear that I was about to do something that I preferred not to do, but, somehow, had no control over the matter.

Soon I would be bound helplessly in this very real and dark anxiety. Finally, I would awaken, shaken from the dream, unable to go back to sleep.

Throughout the day, the dream left me with the “feeling” that I actually did drink alcohol, and all self-talk could not dissolve the physiological effects of diminished self worth and depression.

I referred to these emotions as a “spiritual hangover” because it was in these times that I felt the most alone; with the greatest absence of any spiritual worth.

To the contrary, the dream described above that I had a few nights ago left me without emotion, while the symbolism of its content should have been even more intense, i.e. I was left to select any brand that I desired; it was given to me in a large quantity, all of this without any fear of consequences!

Further, the tall slender man could have been a role model to me; even a friend of much value, yet he was the one handing out all of the booze.

Is it possible that the words of self-acceptance in the EFT Setup Phrase, repeated over a period of 3 weeks with tapping, could somehow selectively deactivate the energy of fear and depression established over years of reinforced human behavior?

If the answer is in the affirmative, EFT is a remarkable procedure to heal the human mind and body, giving us the hope of going beyond the “wound” to a great Source of healing.

The possibilities are very exciting.

Thank You for helping to make that possible,

With Love,

David

Carol’s note: Of course, the answer to your question is yes — EFT can neutralize excessive emotion, sometimes in a very short period of time. And I agree, it is a powerful healing tool.