Carol Look EFT the Key to Weight Loss Patricia Car Ring Ton Sandra Radomski

the key to weight loss how to stop overeating without even trying

a computerized path to your ideal weight

by

doctors carol look, patricia carrington and sandra radomski (online instructional program created by patricia carrington)

disclaimer the method taught in this program, emotional freedom techniques (eft), provides impressive results for most people but there is no guarantee it will achieve your goals the way it has for others. although eft is a gentle technique, if emotional problems should surface for you while using this program, you should consult your physician and/or therapist regarding your use of eft.

copyright © 2004 by pace educational systems, inc.

important information what you need to know about this program

the revolutionary method you will learn here can help you resist cravings without struggle and stick to your chosen diet, or use no special diet but just eat sensibly if that is what works best for you. it does this in a way that's so effective that you're likely to have a different experience than you ever had before when you tried to control your tendency to overeat.

the program this e-book provides a whole new way of controlling your overeating, and if you already use eft, you can now enjoy a new way of applying it specifically for weight loss. what to expect from this program: z it teaches you a rapid attitude-changing method based on a natural human tendency

to comfort oneself with one's own hands. this method, known as eft, will make it possible for you to stop food cravings in a remarkably effective manner. z it helps you discover, quickly and naturally, the underlying causes of your

overeating — and then proceeds to eliminate them with eft. z it helps you achieve a happier, more balanced life as you deal with some of the

problems that have been dragging you down. z ot leads you through the necessary exercises using animated computer prompts so

that this approach becomes easy, natural and eventually automatic. z it teaches you how you can use eft on your own (when not at your computer) to

handle a wide variety of problems that can trigger overeating.

what this program is n o t

z it is not a diet. we don't recommend that you follow any particular eating regime. instead we assume that you or your health advisor have selected an eating plan that is effective for you, one that works for you, but — and this is an important "but" — that in spite of this you are not able to stick to your diet or eating plan consistently. z it is not an exercise regime, although we hope that you are planning to institute, or to continue, a really good exercise program. we are sure you know this is important if you want to lose those pounds. z it does not address factors other than emotional overeating that can block effective weight loss. however, you should be aware that certain illnesses, metabolic imbalances, allergies, reactions to medications and the like can make losing weight even on the best of diets difficult and sometimes impossible until these factors are addressed. if you are encountering difficulty losing weight even though you have been diligently following the instructions of your eating plan, such factors must be seriously considered, but they are not addressed directly in this program. we assume that you have been attending to these kinds of difficulties and are still having trouble sticking to a suitable diet. if this is the case, then you need to explore the added dimension of "emotional overeating" that, as dr. phil mcgraw points out, is a major stumbling block to more than 50% of people who have difficulty losing weight. working with emotional overeating is what we do here.

are you ready to start?

off to a quick start the chapters in section i of this e-book introduce you to the concepts that underlie this program. we highly recommend that you read them, but not all people need to read them before starting the program. do you fit either of these descriptions? •

you are already thoroughly familiar with the concept of emotional overeating and its implications for weight loss. in this case you can skip chapter 1.

•

you already know eft and are aware of how it can be used for weight loss. in this case you can skip chapter 2.

here is what you must do to make the program work:

•read chapter 3 (especially if you are proficient at the computer) •do the practice exercise “eft for doubt.” •

read chapter 4 at some point but not necessarily before starting to use the program. eventually you will need to read it though in order to understand the fine points of the program.

•

before you do each exercise, read the short chapter introducing this exercise. these introductory chapters give you an excellent idea of what to expect from each exercise.

and now you can get started …

table of contents

this table of contents acts as a navigation bar. you can go to any chapter or exercise by clicking on it. it is important to realize that the chapters are separate from the exercises. you may want to read a chapter only once, yet go back to its accompanying exercise many times. for those times when you want to go quickly to an exercise without thumbing through the table of contents, see the list of exercises at the very end of this e-book. it contains links to these exercises that take you directly to them.

part 1 first things first preface:

important information

chapter 1.

why diets alone don't work

chapter 2.

why adding the eft method does work

chapter 3.

how to learn eft and use the computerized program eft for doubt exercise

chapter 4.

how to make the program work for you part 2 emotional reactions that block weight loss "i overeat to avoid feelings i don 't want."

chapter 5. relieve your anxiety anxiety exercise chapter 6. when anger gets the best of you anger exercise

freeing yourself from unnecessary guilt guilt exercise ashamed of myself! shame exercise i’m so lonely i could cry! loneliness exercise i feel so sad. sadness exercise there's never enough. deprivation exercise i’m so frustrated i could eat without stopping! frustration exercise what to do?.. .what to do? boredom exercise stop trying to control me! rebellion exercise i deserve a treat today! reward exercise nothing ever works for me. discouragement exercise part 3 special situations that block weight loss chapter 17. sensible eating goes out the window when i'm with others. social situations exercise chapter 18. some situations just m a k e me overeat! triggers

exercise

chapter 19. i’ll always look fat so why bother? negative body image exercise freeing yourself from your family’s eating patterns family eating patterns exercise but that's my favorite food! cravings exercise what if i do lose the weight? consequences exercise negative attitudes that sabotage sabotage exercise part 4 next steps "can this eft plan work permanently?"

on your own with eft resources that can take you further part 5 appendices about the authors eft reminder cards aspects in eft eft journal entry page troubleshooting the online exercises list of exercises

part 1 first things first

chapter 1 w h y d i e t s a l o n e d o n ' t w or k if you weren't having difficulty with a diet or with your chosen eating plan, you wouldn't be reading this e-book! because you are having trouble staying with your plan, you know only too well that most people abandon their dieting plans before they reach their goal weight even when the plan is working for them. or if they do reach their goal, they are more than likely to gain back their lost pounds. this is common knowledge but … why does this happen? it doesn't make much sense! one of the most important reasons it happens is an obvious fact that is too often overlooked. this is that most weight loss programs (or personal resolutions concerning losing weight) concern themselves primarily with food. diet plans tell you how to ration the amount of food you eat, advise you on what kind of food to eat, and help you schedule your food consumption most effectively. although the best weight loss programs also try to change people's eating habits—an excellent idea —food is still their central focus. this exclusively food-oriented approach is doomed to fail in the long run because one of the most important causes of overeating doesn't lie in the type of food you eat! the reason you reach for food when you know you're not really hungry, or why you eat more than your body can possibly need when you're already full – often comes from the emotions you are experiencing when you do these things. you are able to avoid certain feelings when you overeat!

you are overeating to numb painful feelings so that you don't have to experience them -- your feelings are the #1 cause of overeating.

as you may have noticed, the so-called "comfort foods" such as sweets, other types of carbohydrates and wheat products (bread is a particular trouble maker) and some dairy products, can be so soothing when we eat them that they seem to make

anxiety or other unwanted emotions actually disappear— or at least become greatly lessened for the moment. wh y c e r t a i n f o o d s s o o t h e yo u consider this. seeking food is one of our most fundamental motives. our urgent need to feed ourselves each day has allowed us to survive as a species for hundreds of thousands of years. have you ever considered the consequences of this fact? here are some of them: not having enough food (or even thinking that there is not enough food) acts as a signal to our "prehistoric" bodies. what does it tell us? you guessed it — the hunger pangs are telling us that there is an immediate danger to our survival! actually today, in our civilized world, this signal is often in error — we are not starving, but the signal is still just as loud and clear as it ever was. our bodies simply don't know that they are living in the 21st century because their biological blueprint was created in prehistoric times when there were no freezers or any form of lasting food storage, and often the person had to grab food and eat it immediately to prevent death. unfortunately, the body and its instincts haven't changed much since that time. and because prehistoric humans had to make the most of any food they could get their hands on, experiencing a full stomach and a sense of satisfaction signaled to them that if times got difficult and there was no food around for a number of days, they could probably survive a food shortage. in other words, our "prehistoric" bodies seem to translate a feeling of being full and satisfied by food as "i'm safe!" why do we find carbohydrate foods in particular to be especially soothing? this may well be because of the immediate "blood sugar rush" that we get from carbohydrates. one theory is that the rapid rise in blood sugar levels after ingesting carbohydrates may make our bodies think that they have suddenly and miraculously been rescued from the danger of starvation. whatever the cause, it is well known that carbohydrate foods and sometimes other classes of foods as well, can cause us to feel particularly safe and comforted. unfortunately, however, a carbohydrate-induced rise in blood sugar levels and its accompanying sense of euphoria doesn't last long. we can run out of steam abruptly when a "rebound reaction" occurs in which our blood sugar drops even lower than before, starting a new cycle of cravings — the familiar "the more i eat the more i want to eat" syndrome. does that sound familiar? the surprising thing — something that is often neglected when people talk about "emotional eating" (eating to avoid painful emotions) is that, if we grab for a comforting food fast enough, or even if we think about that food when we are anxious, angry or sad (or whatever our unwanted emotion may be), we can often avoid consciously feeling

that emotion. food acts so efficiently to mask a feeling we don't want to experience that we may not realize the connection between the feeling and our need for the food until later, if at all. researchers estimate that 95% of diets fail because standard diet and exercise programs do not address this root problem. in fact, it has probably been the most neglected area of weight loss plans —until recently. scientists have now identified a key factor in overeating called "emotional overeating." this is overeating to suppress feelings, reduce stress and change our mood. here are just a few of the situations that can trigger emotional overeating.

worry when you worry about something that is in the future, for example an upcoming exam, a job interview, a surgical procedure, etc. you may find yourself automatically reaching for food to avoid worrying. you have found in the past that eating your favorite food, or sometimes just any fattening food, distracts and comforts you. if you eat enough of your chosen food you might forget about your worry for awhile, provided that you keep on eating it. if you stop this eating for long, however, the worry usually comes back.

for many people food is a major tranquilizer. this is one of the reasons why so many people develop an addiction to certain "favorite" foods — they act just like a medicine. the only problem is that this homemade "medicine" can have serious side effects.

another emotion that often triggers a compulsive need to eat is anger. anger (at your boss, yourself, your family, the way your life is going etc.) can cause you to overeat to hide that anger from yourself and to avoid acting on it. candy bars, doughnuts and other fattening foods (if you get them into your mouth fast enough!) can dampen your anger so effectively that you may not even realize you were angry in the first place. instead you just sink your teeth into that bagel or fistful of potato chips and bite down on them hard — crunch, crunch, crunch… this can be so effective to stifle anger that you may not even realize that you are stuffing these foods into your mouth!

when this happens, your overeating seems totally natural because your anger and your difficulty in dealing with it is temporarily drowned as you concentrate on the food and feel it temporarily calm you. another hunger-creating emotion is sadness. food can be an immediate comfort when you feel blue, especially sweet foods such as candy or desserts, or starchy ones such as breads, rolls or french fries. food soothes you and may make you totally unaware of the fact that you are sad— until later. when the sadness returns, you may need to eat more and more to continue this emotional numbing process.

overeating, or eating when you are full and the body no longer has a real need for food, is much like filling up your gas tank and then proceeding to fill your back and front seats with gasoline too. why, if you don't need any more food as fuel, do you continue to eat? answer: you do this so that you don't have to feel your fear, guilt, anger, self-blame, or some other unpleasant emotion.

the following are just a few of the feelings that we may try to avoid by overeating: z abandonment z deprivation z loss z loneliness z anxiety (in general) z fear (of a specific thing) z

anger z self-rejection z guilt

z shame z and many others…

how many times have you found yourself standing in front of an open refrigerator moments after finishing a meal, not having any idea what it is you really want in there? you only know that something has compelled you to open that door. when this happens, you are being driven by your emotions. they are controlling you.

an unfortunate side effect of many diets is that restricting calories signals the body to store fat and slow down metabolism. the body seems to "think" that the dieting person is facing famine and so will not readily let go of its stored fat for that reason. this is often an important factor in failed diets. in this respect physical and emotional causes can work together to undermine any diet.

an example of emotions controlling the person: sara loved being in control when she restricted her calories and felt proud, as her pounds seemed to melt away. however, after 30 years of watching the scales go down only to shoot up again, she realized that her periods of near fasting inevitably triggered prolonged eating binges. "it was as if someone else was inside of me trying to eat anything that wasn't nailed down. i was out of control!" it was only when sara began to confront the real cause of her failed dieting — her strong emotions that drove her to reach for her favorite comfort foods –– that she was able to make genuine progress with her weight loss.

people who lose weight on eating plans will almost always gain it back unless they have identified the deep anxieties and conflicts that led them to develop the habit of using food to numb their feelings in the first place.

low calorie eating plans can sometimes disrupt hormone balances, which in turn creates stress and an undesirable physical state that can harm a person's basic health. this complicates the weight loss picture. many women, for example, report feeling uncontrollable fatigue just before or during their menstrual period if they are on a severely reduced calorie diet, much more so than when they are not

dieting. they may feel so irritable and uncomfortable, in fact, that at such times they resort to binge eating and hoarding food.

once the pattern of overeating to feel better has been established, it is difficult to break. this is why psychotherapy and other forms of talking therapy are frequently used to help people face the emotional stress that may underlie their compulsive overeating. these therapies can be useful for this purpose, but they have some important limitations. talking alone does not seem to reach down to the primitive irresistible desire to eat when under stress. a treatment method that is even more fundamental, one that involves the body and its reactions, is needed in order to accomplish the profound changes in bodily reactions and habits of mind that are required to establish control over one's eating habits. this e-book, and the computerized program that accompanies it (you will have full access to this program as you interact with the e-book) teaches you a technique that involves both a physical act —light tapping on "comfort spots" on your face, upper torso and hands — and the use of selected words and phrases that you repeat while doing this. this new stress management method is called eft (that's short for emotional freedom techniques), and it can be amazingly helpful in controlling emotional overeating. fortunately, it is very easy to learn and you will be able to apply it to your eating problems immediately as soon as you learn a few simple steps and follow the prompts on the computer screen. we as authors of this program have used eft in our private practices and workshops to help countless people caught in the trap of compulsive overeating. we have, in fact, seen eft work where nothing else has to eliminate the causes of these people's compulsive overeating. those who used it for this purpose not only attained their desired weight, but also kept it off without struggling. here are a few examples of the way eft works for weight loss.

after she had finally overcome her compulsive overeating, mary admitted that, "i used to eat to stuff down any emotion i didn't want to feel.” and described herself as having been an "emotional overeater." it was after she started using eft that she was able to give up her intense cravings for potato chips — bags and bags of them! she did this by using eft on herself to address her fears of being deprived, her fear of being exposed or unprotected without the extra weight and her fear that she would never be good enough to please her critical mother. it was these fears that had been driving her intense

need to reach for the chips. one year after starting eft, mary had lost the 38 pounds she had hoped to lose even though this was the most stressful year of her life during which her father died and she almost lost her job of many years standing.

fiona said, "i've been on diets my whole life and never in my wildest dreams did i think eft would work for me! but it did. it helped me finally feel in control of myself. i lost my cravings, and i didn't feel deprived when dieting either." after using eft, fiona lost her unneeded pounds. she doesn't have food cravings anymore, and has kept this excess weight off for more than a year. she now feels in control of herself and is eating sensibly without struggling to do so.

rod gained many unwanted pounds after his divorce by turning to food to cope with his feelings of abandonment. after he began using eft to eradicate these feelings of loss and anger regarding the divorce, he was able to return to healthy eating habits and the weight came off quickly and effortlessly. in his words, "i was never able to control myself around sugar before using eft, but now i just don't need it. i'm not obsessed with sweets or with any other food the way i used to be. i feel as though i'd been set free!"

when diane moved to the suburbs, her husband took a night job to help out with their financial strain. alone at home, she found herself resorting to eating handfuls of potato chips and eventually bags of chips and pretzels in the evening after her children were asleep to combat her loneliness and anxiety. when eft eliminated her anxiety about being home alone, she no longer felt compelled to eat at night, much to her relief, and her desired weight loss occurred easily.

eft can help you in the same way that it helped these people no matter how much weight you have to lose.

you have tried diets alone. now you can use the diet of your choice together with this powerful new method that dissolves the primary cause of your overeating. you can

learn eft from our computerized program (in this e-book) and the whole process will be easy and natural from the beginning. if you already know eft, this program will open a world of new possibilities for using it. with eft you can realize your major weight goals and stick to your resolutions about sensible eating from this point on. you deserve success in this area after all your struggles with it in the past. now you can reach your goal — permanently.

in the next chapter you will learn more about what eft is and why it can help you with your personal weight loss program.

chapter 2 why adding the eft method d o e s work the new methods of "energy psychology" are transforming the way we handle stress — and you are about to be helped to lose weight by using the leading method in this area, eft. but first …

what i s eft? these initials stand for emotional freedom techniques, an approach to stress that is remarkably effective for overcoming fears and controlling addictions -- among many other things. eft uses light tapping of a few acupressure points while you repeat certain words. it is remarkably simple, acts rapidly, often within minutes, and its effects are almost always long-lasting. by now we have thousands of documented reports from people in all walks of life, including many health professionals, attesting to the remarkable benefits of eft (to see comments about this method from around the world go to http://www.toendstress.com/). in this program we concentrate on one particular use of eft —how it can facilitate the weight loss program of your choice. it can be dramatically effective for this purpose and you will be able to learn eft by following a few easy prompts on the screen.

what is the secret behind eft? there really is no "secret." eft exerts a profound effect on us because it makes use of a natural way of comforting and healing ourselves that you and i have been using since birth...and it turns it into something new and powerful. here is the general idea: we all use our hands to comfort ourselves...every day of our lives. eft simply makes use of this inborn ability in a more systematic way.

have you ever seen someone clap her hand to her forehead when distressed? she is giving herself comfort and support.

or, have you seen someone bring her hands quickly up to her face when she hears some shocking news? she is calming and steadying herself.

or, have you watched someone hug herself when threatened? she is creating a sense of being protected.

these are only a few examples… left to our own devices, we reach for natural comfort spots on our bodies many times each day. this has helped all of us through many a difficult situation. the point is that we usually don't know that we're doing this. by contrast, eft uses this device intentionally, in an ingenious way. the comfort spots used in eft are particularly effective because they correspond to traditional acupuncture points used in chinese medicine that bring about a sense of calm, and reduce pain. but… eft has a different effect from acupuncture, and is much more effective than our natural way of using our hands. it has taken an ordinary human ability and transformed it into an organized system that has vital implications for our health and wellbeing. eft brings about a profound form of change, change without thinking about it — deep, permanent change. i s e f t just t a p p i n g ? no. while you're tapping, you are using words and phrases repeated out loud in a special way. what you say while you are tapping serves to get rid of any unwanted feelings you may have and to install new, positive thoughts and feelings in their place. the specific phrases you will use to facilitate your weight loss are crucial. one of the main purposes of this program is to present you with a wide variety of targeted phrases that you can use when using eft for weight loss. in the program's various drop-down menus you will encounter hundreds of possible eft statements relating to different issues. you will select the statements that best suit you — something that cannot ordinarily be done without a human advisor or counselor at your side. our computer program helps you select the proper "choice" statements so that you can create new, much more positive ways of handling the emotions that presently compel you to overeat. these eft statements use the power of personal choice to effect change. making a choice puts you in "the driver's seat" in your own life. it empowers you. by making positive choices you begin to exert a new control over your life. we will be presenting you with many well-tested choice statements to be used for the emotional reactions that block weight loss. why people lose weight with eft

people lose weight with eft because the method targets the emotional aspects of overeating. eft can be used throughout the day at strategic moments to stop the compulsion to overeat. you can also use it to lessen your overall need to overeat. eft is especially useful for eliminating the traps that compulsive overeaters fall into. for example: do you ever find yourself breaking your diet when you feel stressed out, or overeating when you are anxious at work? at such times do you throw in the towel and decide it’s not worth the trouble to stay on your diet? unfortunately there are so many traps we can fall into when dieting, and so many emotional conflicts that can lead us in the direction of using food to comfort ourselves, that many of us easily find ourselves having uncontrollable food cravings. some of us find ourselves overeating during the holidays, snacking before meals, or indulging in a binge instead of dealing with our feelings — to name but a few of the traps. eft is the perfect tool for staying out of these traps. you can use it to control your cravings, lower your stress level, handle those times of day when you can’t resist eating, and eliminate your self-sabotage messages about your diet, such as “it’s not worth the trouble” or “it’s too much work.” consider those late afternoons when you’re making dinner for the family, and you suddenly feel starving and overcome with cravings, or those long phone calls with a friend when all you want to do is reach for the pretzels. eft can help you reduce the hunger and eliminate the cravings and stay on track. and how about those times when you’ve had a fight with your spouse, or when your children are having tantrums? don’t you love losing yourself in a bowl of ice cream or a bag of chips? with eft, you can avoid these indulgences and stick with your healthy eating plan. marie was having a difficult time with her teenage son. he was disobeying the house rules, talking back, taking the family car without permission and ignoring his curfew. instead of thinking clearly, marie would start eating after one of their fights, hoping to obliterate the memory of the shouting and the helplessness she felt about her son and his behavior. of course, her son kept growing more defiant as she kept growing heavier. using eft, she not only stopped overeating because of her stress, but also was able to offer more solutions to her son and felt more in control of herself and her family. the home situation changed radically. imagine how free you will feel when all you have to do is tap those natural comfort spots on yourself and say a few well-chosen words to erase negative feelings and reduce your cravings to a zero. you will now be back in the driver’s seat in your own life!

now that you know what eft is, you are ready to learn the simple step-bystep process of eft and how to apply it specifically for weight loss. the next chapter's tutorial will lead you through the method and its application in a seamless fashion.

chapter 3 how to learn eft and use the computerized program are you wondering just how you are going to learn eft? or, if you already know eft, how you are going to use the computerized program? (if you already know eft, go directly to the section in this chapter entitled, “using the computerized program.”

eft for newcomers actually, there are several ways eft can be learned. in this program you will be using the fastest, most up-to-date approach—a computerized one, electronic eft. it is especially designed to help you target your own personal weight loss issues using eft. you will soon discover its power. using this computerized approach you will learn how to apply eft to weight loss issues by following the prompts on your screen – an easy, effortless process. so that you will know what's in store for you, we will outline the basics of eft for you right now. here are the series of points on the human body that make this method work. they are the points that make tapping effective when you do eft. (see diagram on next page—>)

summary of eft tapping points

spot 1: karate chop spot (note: this spot is used at the start of a sequence only, it is considered a preparation spot.) spot 2: inner corner of eyebrow. spot 3: outer corner of eye. spot 4: underneath the eye on the orbital bone (the bony structure beneath the eye). (tap gently here, the tissue is delicate under the eyes.) spot 5: directly beneath the nose, above the mouth. spot 6: directly beneath the mouth. spot 7: collarbone spot. make a fist and thump lightly on this spot so that your fist covers the area just below one of the little points of the collarbone. using your whole fist ensures that you are stimulating the entire area; it is therefore not necessary to be too precise at this location. spot 8: underneath the arm on the side of the upper chest, about 4 inches below the armpit. (exact position not essential.) spot 9: top of the head, near the front of the head. note: you can use either hand, and can tap on either side of the body when doing eft.

please locate these spots on your own body now so that you'll be familiar with them when you do your practice session later.

electronic eft the computerized program you will be following has two purposes —one is temporary, the other permanent.

the temporary purpose is to instruct you in the eft tapping sequence, and show you how to coordinate the eft statements you will use in the tapping process. this part of the program will eventually become unnecessary for you because you will have learned the sequence by heart. the permanent purpose is to give you an opportunity to use this program just as you would a personal counselor or therapist who can help you select effective eft weight loss phrases to use. this counseling function is the core of this training and is crucial to its success. directions for the program 1.select an issue you want to work on first (see table of contents). 2.read the chapter on your selected issue. 3.do the online exercise for the issue as follows: •

choose an eft statement from the drop-down menu you will see online and transfer it to the statement box (click on it to transfer).

•

click “start eft” to bring up the animation page.

•

following screen instructions, type your eft statement into the positive and negative phrase boxes.

•

select an intensity rating from 0 to 10 (with 0 being completely at ease with your issue and 10 being as upset about it as you imagine). click to see your intensity level then copy it onto paper for later reference.

•

click “start eft” to commence animation.

•

follow the flashing color-coded dots and tap on the corresponding spots on yourself, saying the entire eft statement out loud three times while tapping on the karate chop spot.

•

beginning with the inner eyebrow spot, follow the red screen prompts and do one round of eft repeating the negative phrase (once or twice) at each spot.

•

beginning with the inner eyebrow spot again, follow the green screen prompts and do one round of eft repeating the positive phrase at each spot.

•

do a third round of eft where you tap on each spot following the alternating red and green screen prompts. say the negative phrase at the first spot, the positive phrase at the second spot etc., continue this alternating pattern for the entire round. (this 3rd round is optional.)

•

retake your intensity level.

•

do several rounds of eft (using the animation sequence each time) until your intensity rating comes down to a 4 or below. ideally you need a 0 or 1 to fully clear an issue but if this is hard for you to obtain, see discussion of aspects in chapter 4 then select a different issue to work on.

that’s all there is to it!

no ne e d t o m e m or ize you don't need to remember any of the eft steps we have just described because the screen prompts will tell you exactly what to do at each step. then eft will come naturally to you after you've done it a few times.

hint: your intensity rating should be based on how you feel right now, not on how you felt at the time the incident occurred (if the incident is in the past). the reason? — you can only change how you feel now. it is best if you don’t think too much about what that rating is – just say the first number that pops into your head.

your pr a c t ic e ex e r c ise the best way to learn anything is to try it, so we're going to give you a chance to practice this program before you apply it directly to your weight loss issues. during your practice session we ask you to pretend that you are addressing an imaginary issue of doubt about whether eft will work for you. whether or not you actually doubt whether eft will work for your weight loss, we ask you to act as though you have this doubt, and just follow the directions.

important do this practice exercise even if you already know eft. it is essential if you want to use this program successfully. note: if you want more detailed instruction in how to do the online exercises (using photos of the screen to guide you) see appendix e. trouble shooting the online exercises.

now practice the method with the "eft for doubt" practice exercise. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

to start the eft practice exercise____click here (make sure you are connected to the internet!)

chapter 4 how to make this program work for you note: you may want to read this chapter after you have started using the program because you are eager to get started right now. that’s fine. but you will need to read it at some point if you want to give yourself the best chance to succeed with this program.

you are now ready to use eft for your weight loss issues this can be an exciting adventure because you will be surprised by how many positive spin-offs there will be from working on your weight with eft. you will probably find that many other areas of your life begin to improve as you do the exercises in this book. the reason is that each problem has so many hidden emotional factors. as you begin to clear these up, your life will change. let's look at a few fundamental things you need to know in order to get started with your eft weight loss plan and get the most out of it.

not reali zing that you are upset when you overeat one of the most difficult problems people face when attempting to control their emotional overeating is that overeating can so effectively conceal the feelings that we don't want to feel that we may not be aware of any unpleasant emotion at the time we are reaching for the food! the only thing we may notice is that we feel ravenously hungry and must reach for a comfort food. as a result, feelings such as anxiety, anger, sadness, guilt and others that are apt to trigger overeating may be temporarily hidden from our awareness.

angela is a dramatic example of this. she was on a plane, heading for a conference in a distant city with a man whom she had recently met in her profession and whom she had been casually dating. they were going to present a paper jointly at the conference. she was working on the paper and chatting with him about their trip when the man suddenly announced that he intended to marry her. this came as a complete shock to her, he was "the last

person i was interested in marrying!" she said. but he was so sure that this would happen that angela became unnerved. for the entire trip he wouldn't stop talking about their forthcoming "marriage," and because he was sitting next to her and attending the same conference, she couldn't get away from him. his insistence that they would be married was so disturbing to her that an interesting thing happened. she suddenly found herself having an almost uncontrollable craving for cheesecake. since there was no cheesecake available on the plane, she found herself vividly imagining finding a cheesecake at a food counter at the airport and elaborately envisioned exactly what the cake would look like, how it would taste, and how satisfying it would be swallowing large chunks of it. the thought of the cheesecake became such an obsession with angela that the sound of the man's voice talking about his intent to marry her faded in importance. all that occupied her mind now was the cheesecake! the wish for it became an unbearably strong urge, and when the plane landed she found herself running desperately from one food counter to another in the airport looking for a cheesecake. had she found one, she has no doubt that she would have eaten it ravenously until not a bite was left. it was not until considerably later that angela realized how anxious she had been about the uncalled for certainty of this man that he would marry her, how frustrated and angry she had felt at not being able to get away from him, and how guilty she had felt when she wondered if she had somehow led him on to believe she was interested in him. her obsession with the cheesecake had managed to temporarily hide all of these feelings by replacing them with an unimaginably strong and specific food craving.

on a lesser scale, many of us experience the same thing. we may hear a piece of news that causes us worry, sadness or anger and before we know it we have started to overeat. often we reach for our comfort food before we are aware that we are experiencing the uncomfortable emotion. at other times we know very well what negative feelings we are experiencing but do not connect them in our mind with our sudden urge to eat a forbidden food.

t h e m o r e e m o t i o n s yo u t a c kl e w i t h e f t t h e b e t t e r because our hidden emotions as well as our consciously recognized emotions may be at work in overeating, the more emotions you tackle with eft the better off you will be. your eventual weight loss will be greatly facilitated and will be more permanent if you handle a variety of different emotions using this program, rather than confining yourself to just the obvious ones.

here is how to get started:

a quick start to weight loss with eft structure is essential for the success of any venture such as this, but everyone is different. here is one way to go about customizing this program so it works for you.

phase 1: starting quickly look over the table of contents and select 2 to 5 issues (no more at this point) that "ring a bell" for you -- ones that seem to apply to you. start by working on just one of these issues. read the chapter that deals with it, and then do the accompanying exercise. tap on this issue using eft until you have brought your intensity level down as far as you can, hopefully that will be close to a "0" or "1" but a “4” will still make a substantial difference in how you view the issue. use as many of the eft statements on the drop-down menu as you need to, doing them one at a time, until you reduce your intensity on this issue.

note: you may not be able to handle a single issue in one day, or even in one week or longer, but continue doing the exercises for your chosen issue until you feel a definite change in your eating habits and attitudes.

as you work on your chosen issue, carefully observe your eating habits during the day. are your feelings about food changing in any way? if so, then this issue is of central importance to you, and you may want to spend even more time on it by working with all of the eft statements contained in its drop-down menu. z if you are getting the results you want you can go directly to the

maintenance program outlined in chapter 24 "on your own with eft." z if you are not yet getting the results you want, then leave that issue for a

while to come back to later -- -- and go on to the next issue in your quick start list.

interesting possibility at this point you may be so excited about eft that you will want to get even more benefits from it. if so, you can delve deeper into your eating habits and realize even greater gains by going on to the second phase of this program.

phase 2: delving deeper phase 2 consists of reading each of the remaining chapters in this program. whenever you discover an issue that applies to you, do the exercise for it. keep on doing this as long as needed to get the results you want.

phase 3: handling difficulties after having completed phases 1 and 2, if you have not yet noticed any significant change in your eating habits, then you will want to consider the following possibilities: 1.at this point it may be a good idea for you to consult a health professional trained in eft. an experienced eft practitioner can often help you get at issues you are unable to identify when working by yourself because you don't have the objectivity to do so. information about how to locate an eft-trained therapist is given in chapter 25, "resources that can take you further." 2.your weight difficulty may be caused, at least in part, by a physical condition such as a metabolic disturbance, allergy-like reaction, or the like. resources that can help you apply the latest technology to such problems are listed in chapter 25.

phase 4: using eft for self development when you have substantially changed your eating habits and have a clear "go ahead" as far as weight loss is concerned, you may want to use this program in a different way — to help you deal with various emotional problems that may have bothered you for many years or possibly all of your life. this can be a long-term project, but it can have a remarkable payoff. a long-term therapeutic use of this program can be of immense value in creating a more fulfilling and happier life for you. information on how to do this is given in chapter 24.

a word of caution — in your excitement about addressing your most obvious needs first, don't forget about all the other chapters in this e-book. they may contain hidden treasures that you least suspect!

important hint! you may or may not "feel" a particular emotion that an exercise is asking you to tap on, or you may not think that the positive part of the sentence (the "i choose…" part) can ever become true for you. an important rule of thumb is to say it anyway, and if at first a particular statement doesn't succeed for you, just keep saying it. you may be surprised at what happens.

a few other points

how to select your eft statements from the drop-down menu when you open a drop-down menu you are presented with a variety of eft statements that address the issue at hand. in fact, there are usually somewhere between 7 and 20 statements to choose from, all of which apply to that issue, but not all of which are appropriate for you. these statements have been carefully chosen as effective for weight loss. in our combined clinical work over the years we (the authors) have dealt with thousands of overweight people who have tackled issues that were blocking their weight loss and addressed them by using eft. the statements that you see on the drop-down menus are based on the experiences of actual people who have struggled with these same issues in our classes, seminars and individual counseling sessions. because these statements are time tested, as it were, many of them will seem very familiar to you. here is how we suggest you work with a drop-down menu: when you first open it, don't try to read all the statements, particularly if the list is a long one. instead, select the first statement that pulls you strongly to it -- the one that makes you say to yourself "aha! that's me!" click on that statement to transfer it to the eft statement box and get going! you will have plenty of time to look at the other statements later.

what about those other statements? when you have reduced the intensity of the first statement you work on to a "0" or "1" (or as low as you can get), we suggest that you return to that same menu and select another statement that may apply to you. keep on doing this until you have approached this issue from many different angles. there are usually many different aspects to any issue; the different statements will pick up different angles of the problem. using eft for each statement that applies to

you will make inroads into the basic causes of your overeating. you may discover some remarkable things from doing this.

daily eft "tapping each day keeps the weight away!" above all, you should follow this program according to your own lifestyle and personality. however, to get the most from it, we recommend that you schedule a daily session of eft. this way you can clear away issue after issue in your life.

other ways to use eft during this program in addition to daily tapping, there are several other ways to use eft in this program: anticipatory eft when you anticipate a special event that you think will be stressful for you, or during which you will be presented with temptations to overeat –– go to your computer, locate the eft exercise that relates to the situation you anticipate, and tap down the intensity of that issue to a "0" or "1. the upcoming event will have a very different impact as a result. after-the-fact eft following an unexpected stressful event in your life— go to your computer, select the eft exercise that relates to the difficulty created, and use eft to reduce its intensity level to a "0" or "1." the event will no longer reverberate within you. note: still other ways to use eft for everyday situations are described in chapter 24, "on your own with eft" and in appendix b that describes eft reminder cards.

troubleshooting like anything else, you will need to know how to troubleshoot eft when difficulties arise. for example, let's suppose your eft exercise is going along beautifully, your

tension is lessening, and your positive phrase is becoming much more believable. then suddenly after a certain round of eft nothing more happens. you don't experience any further change. you may try a second round for this same statement, and still nothing happens. for all intents and purposes, you are "stuck" at a certain intensity level. getting stuck is something that is not at all unusual, and it can be handled by special strategies. here are some of the things you can do to get "unstuck." 1. use the following eft statement (instead of the one you have been using) for one round of tapping: "even though i'm stuck at (intensity level "x"), i choose to move along easily." often this is all you need to do to remove the block, so that in the next round (back to using your original eft statement) you find your reaction to the situation improving once more -- automatically. 2. if the "even though i'm stuck..." strategy doesn't work, then it's likely that a new aspect of the situation has now come into play, one that was not apparent before. this aspect will have to be addressed directly.

aspects it is important for you to realize that as you reduce your intensity rating by applying eft to the emotion you have chosen to deal with, other emotions that have been hidden underneath the original one may surface -- for example, underneath anger there may be hidden fear, grief or guilt. as each of these comes to the surface (as the first one lessons) the new one must be dealt with. the way to do this is to locate the section of this program that deals with this new emotion that has just appeared, and work on it. this will greatly enhance the value of this program for you and increase the scope of its healing power. (see the discussion of aspects in appendix c — knowing about them will greatly increase the effectiveness of eft for you.)

using the intensity rating tracking with the intensity rating is the way you will monitor your own progress as you do each eft exercise. it is much like a thermometer that you use to take your temperature to see whether you are recovering from an illness. it is important to take this measure before you begin any exercise and again, if possible, after every eft sequence. you will be reminded to do this by the prompts on the screen. essentially you will be rating how the emotions evoked by your negative phrase

change as you use eft. a rating of "10" represents the most intense negative emotion (fear, anger, sadness etc.) that you can imagine feeling about the issue at hand. a rating of "0" indicates that you are perfectly at ease with this issue now. the numbers between "0" and "10" are gradations along the way and should lower as you use eft. as your reactions to the situation improve your intensity rating will go down. as a rule of thumb, you should continue doing rounds of eft until your intensity rating comes down to a "1" or a "0.", or at least to a “4”. if it has not come down that far and you think that you are stuck, you may want to take a break from eft and come back to the issue you are working on later (it may start going down again after the break!), or you may elect to use eft for another aspect of this issue by tapping on another emotion that is surfacing (see instructions above).

important: notice how the positive phrase often seems more possible to you as your intensity rating goes down. this is an important benefit of eft.

cu stom izi n g e f t you will want to make eft as comfortable as possible for yourself by adjusting it to suit your individual needs. fortunately this is simple to do. there are several parts of the process that lend themselves to alterations that may increase eft's personal meaning for you. here are a few: 1.the final round of the eft sequence (round #3 where you alternate the negative with the positive) is optional. you can choose to omit it if you want to. while this round has proven valuable for many people because it trains your mind to move automatically from a specific negative thought to its positive counterpart, it is not essential for you to use this step to still get excellent results from eft. 2.a good chance to customize eft comes into play when you type in your negative and positive phrases into their respective boxes. at this point, if you have a need to change a word or two in your chosen eft statement, you can do so. for example, an eft statement might begin: "even though i feel angry at (him/her/them)….", but you might feel that including the actual name of your spouse, child, boss etc. would describe your own reaction more vividly. in that case, type in their actual name! or you might feel that substituting the words "furious" or "outraged" for the word "angry" in the above statement would make it more convincing to you. if so, type in the word that really speaks to you in place of the one in the given statement.

be creative… but please observe the following caution…

make your alterations in the eft statements sparingly. these statements have been carefully constructed to be of particular use for weight loss issues. generally speaking, you should not be creating the choice itself, but simply personalizing it to suit your own situation.

in the future you can, if you wish, learn how to generate your own choices statements from scratch. the resource section of this book tells you more about this. using eft reminder cards one of the ways to get the most benefit from your eft weight loss program is to use daily eft reminder cards. we highly recommend them. to find out how to make and use such cards, see appendix b.

really good advice while the screen prompts give you the standardized way of using eft (very useful to know) keep in mind that everyone is different. because you are an individual with your own special needs, you may find yourself automatically making slight modifications in the procedure without realizing it. you may, for example, find that you are not tapping on the exact spot indicated but only approximating that spot. all of this is fine — if you are getting results. the founder of eft, gary craig, emphasizes that eft is a "very forgiving" method, meaning by this that you can be doing it not quite "right" (i.e. not exactly the standardized way) and still get amazing results. so – above all — be flexible. don't blame yourself if you modify the method slightly to suit your instinctive way of using it. that can often be very useful. just watch what it does for you. if it's working, then everything you are doing is okay – the results are what we are after.

and also — have fun! if this is your first time using eft you are in for an adventure! if you already know eft, this program will greatly enhance your use of it.

you are now ready to use eft to target your weight loss issues. start by going to the table of contents; choose the eft chapter you would like to begin with and click on it. since the anxiety chapter applies to just about everybody who has ever had trouble losing weight, why not start there?

to go to table of contents click here.

part 2 emotional reactions that block weight loss "i overeat to avoid my uncomfortable feelings…"

chapter 5 relie ve your anxiet y anxiety is uncomfortable, unpleasant, and can affect any human being. it is physically as well as emotionally uncomfortable. anxiety is so unpleasant, in fact, that we often try to do something — anything –– to get rid of it. unfortunately, what we do often makes it even worse. do you ever find yourself with a dry mouth, sweaty palms, faster than normal heartbeat, or shakiness in your body? these are some classic signs of anxiety.

doug’s job included weekly public speaking in front of his whole department and boss. as he would approach the podium, he would sweat more than usual, feel a strange out-of- body sensation and feel light-headed. while he always managed to get through these speeches, he was sure everyone noticed how anxious he was. he often feared he would be fired because of them. after doug got through one of these ordeals, he had a ritual — he indulged in binge eating. although he could still hide some of the extra pounds, he knew that eating enough food for three adult males was not normal. the problem was, doug ate so fast and in such a trance state, that he barely knew what was happening as he ate. using eft, doug set to work first to deal with his anxiety about the speeches. after just a couple of sessions of tapping on this, he was suddenly able to approach the podium with excitement, rather than anxiety. he then tapped some more on this issue using eft and found that he was learning how to lower his voice and slow down his words. when he did this he found himself having a more realistic impression of the job he performed while talking. at first, he still had the habit of overeating in solitude after one of these events. he then used eft for this bad habit, and was able to relax and enjoy himself after his speeches and treat himself to a normal meal instead. he soon noticed other times he ate much more food than was necessary. working consistently with eft, he was eventually able to calm down the inner turmoil that was affecting his confidence level, and then was able to shed the extra pounds he had put on quite easily. more importantly, he felt proud instead of ashamed of his behavior when speaking in public.

there are many ways you can use eft to instill new, far more productive habits. as you will see when you turn to the anxiety exercise, you can use it to help yourself feel safer, more confident, and handle anxiety easily whenever it comes up. eft will also help you to develop a natural, easy sense of control over your eating that will stand you in very good stead.

to do the eft for anxiety exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 6 when anger gets the best of you have you felt the discomfort and high tension of anger? are you aware of the need to get that feeling out even if you have to express it by biting into food? biting is one of our most primitive impulses — when we're angry the animal instinct in us wants to use our teeth to bite the enemy! and have you ever noticed yourself thinking that you shouldn’t be angry with a certain person or situation? sometimes the trigger to overeating is feeling a legitimate response such as anger and scolding yourself for having this emotion. at other times, it may be a feeling of having intense anger with no way to express that anger except by crunching some food with your teeth. we humans feel angry on a regular basis, and it's something to be accepted, not avoided. anger needs to be admitted and constructively expressed in some fashion. the eft anger exercises will help you do this.

marie said she was always uncomfortable with the level of boiling anger she felt at someone or something that wasn’t going right in her life. she would struggle to keep quiet and suppress these feelings several times each day. the only way she could tolerate her seething anger was to stuff her feelings with cookies and ice cream. sometimes she followed her sweet binge with salty pretzels. when asked what she was angry about, marie said, “everyone and everything!” however, she never felt entitled to express her anger. she assumed she would get into trouble or push people away from her if she did, even when she had a valid complaint. as a result of this fear, she convinced herself she was a bad person for feeling angry, telling herself that “nice people are never angry.” nothing could be further from the truth, of course. normal people feel anger from time to time and can learn how to take responsibility for expressing it in a civilized and very productive way to others. marie thought it was better to stuff her feelings than to express them. this assumption and behavior led her to gain 40 pounds that her body could not afford to gain. her health was beginning to suffer. then she learned to use eft for her anger, and as she tapped on the various anger exercises she found it didn’t overwhelm or scare her anymore. she recognized that sometimes she had a valid complaint and that at other times she was making a mountain out of a molehill and could act accordingly. using eft she learned to differentiate between a temper tantrum when she didn’t get her way, and feeling legitimately angry at her husband or a friend when they had behaved in an

unsuitable way. she used eft with great success to relieve her feelings of helpless anger and rescue her from her excessive eating. the pounds dropped off accordingly and she was a far more peaceful person.

are you afraid of your anger? do you eat instead of admitting your feelings and finding a constructive way to deal with them? when you have an overwhelming desire to eat a fattening food and are feeling angry or annoyed at the time, you will find it very useful to ask yourself what or who made you feel angry, and then direct eft to that person or incident. the payoff can be tremendous!

to do the eft anger exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 7 f r ee i ng your s e lf f r om un ne ce s s ar y gu ilt do you ever feel guilty about something you said or did, or even about something you didn’t do but feel you should have? if so, how long has this feeling been bothering you? do you have any intention of forgiving yourself any time soon? guilt is a very powerful emotion and can run our behavior from behind the scenes. often people find themselves being overly nice or polite out of guilt, or pushing themselves too hard because they think they don’t do enough.

pamela was a loyal friend, a devoted mother and a good wife, yet she never felt that she did enough for other people. when she explored the reasons for this feeling, she admitted that she felt guilty that she had gone to college before her parents started fighting and got divorced, while her younger siblings were left behind to deal with the trauma of the yelling and the chaos of the divorce. she said she had been trying to right this imbalance through her behavior since she was a teenager. she overcompensated by sending extra gifts and money to her sister’s children and she always volunteered her time even when she couldn’t afford to. what pamela didn’t realize was that her deep guilt about her family situation also made her overeat late at night when everyone else was in bed. she punished herself by sabotaging any of her progress at weight loss. using eft for her unnecessary guilt proved to be the solution to pamela's weight loss problem. without this paralyzing guilt it felt to her as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and so she cheerfully allowed herself to cooperate with her eating plan. she was thrilled with the new "pamela" that emerged as she shed the pounds she had wanted to. she also didn't feel as obligated as she had before towards the people in her life. she could now choose when it was appropriate to undertake certain obligations, and when it was unnecessary and even unsuitable. this way she was able to exercise a free choice in many situations that she had never been able to experience before. eft is a highly effective tool to help you relieve any unnecessary guilt you may have, even if you have been carrying it for years. you can now deal with the original incident, put it in its proper place, stop punishing yourself by overeating, and move on with your life. and you can stop feeling guilty about your overeating — which makes it much easier to deal with your diet. to do the eft guilt exercise click here.

if you have any questions while doing it click on the “ h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 8 " i' m a s ham e d of m ys e lf !" when people feel ashamed, they want to hide themselves, become invisible or pretend they don’t exist. somewhere deep inside they feel that they aren’t good enough and don’t deserve positive attention or people's time. have you ever felt shame? it feels terrible and can certainly trigger an urge to overeat. jack felt ashamed of himself because he had never been an athlete in college but had preferred to spend most of his time on his computer. he had been different from his peers who preferred going out to dances and hanging out in bars, and he wasn’t popular. making matters worse, on top of being sedentary most of the time, he began eating candy as a way to make himself feel better about himself. the sugar made him feel almost “high” at times when he was feeling emotionally low in the evening when his friends were out on the town. after four years in college, jack had gained quite a bit of weight, and felt even more ashamed of himself because of his compulsive eating. he felt hooked on sugar now and was unable to give it up while working at the computer. he did however acquire a good job as a computer analyst and soon made a high salary, but he continued this need to over-indulge on candy while working on the computer. using eft, jack learned to feel comfortable being different from his peers for the first time, and he also used eft to curb his cravings for candy. his shame eventually lifted as he recognized his special traits that other people enjoyed in him, and as this happened and as he worked on his cravings, his eating patterns began to shift. slowly but steadily he began to lose the unwanted weight. this in turn made him feel even better about himself. it was the opposite of the familiar "vicious circle." shame is not a helpful emotion in any situation where you want to foster constructive behavior. being able to first accept yourself as you are, even with your present overweight body or with your bad eating habits, is an important first step toward successful weight loss. as you are kinder to yourself, more forgiving and understanding of yourself, you will find that you are much more willing to let go of your comfort foods and begin dieting in earnest. you will see how this works when you use eft to counteract your feelings of shame and build a more positive attitude about yourself — an "i love myself no matter what" way of looking at yourself. this can come about far quicker than you may realize once you begin tapping on the correct words and phrases for you. to do the eft shame exercise click here.

if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 9 " i'm s o lone l y i c ould c r y !" "but food is always there for me ."

are you alone in your life or do you just feel alone? it is a feeling that can be quite difficult at times and make us feel separated from loved ones even if they are near us. loneliness can make us feel empty on so many levels.

david felt deeply lonely since his girlfriend broke up with him. he described this by saying, "the problem is that being lonely feels so lonely!" he had a point. what he had been doing since the breakup was stuffing his inner emptiness by filling himself with food. it helped temporarily, but still he always felt lonely by the end of the day. in the beginning he wasn’t aware of feeling lonely. all he knew was that he was eating more and more with a frantic attitude and felt, “i can’t get enough!” eventually david realized that he was trying, over and over again each day, to fill the hole within created by his girlfriend's absence. the food interrupted his feelings of loneliness for the moment, but it was now making him feel terrible about his body. finally, at the recommendation of a friend, david began using eft on his feelings of loneliness, especially when he was craving some food he knew he shouldn't be eating. much to his surprise, his overeating stopped quite naturally and he found that he was missing his girlfriend much less. he began to see her in a more realistic light and to realize that there was undoubtedly someone else out there who would be better for him.

anna couldn’t imagine giving up her favorite comfort food, ice cream, even though she was putting on far too many pounds that she could scarcely afford health-wise. her comment was, “but food has been my best friend for so long." food (and especially ice cream) had indeed been her loyal friend during her extreme periods of loneliness after the kids went to college. when all else failed, it was dependable, always there for her, and it never changed or went away. at first she loved losing herself in the ice cream, but soon she found that she needed to really binge in order to keep these painful feelings away from her. her house was empty, and her heart felt empty. she had no idea how to fill the loneliness except by running to the freezer, taking out the ice cream and spooning it into her mouth, often consuming a whole quart at a time.

when she began using eft, anna first identified the worst times of day when she felt lonely and applied eft to her feelings of emptiness. as she continued doing this she began to feel more whole, even in an empty house. soon she found herself able to return to some pastimes she loved, liked knitting those comical stuffed dolls for children, or entertaining her friends by giving little "surprise suppers" for which she served low-carbohydrate dishes deliciously prepared (they loved it by the way). eventually, using eft for her loneliness, she was able to put food back in its proper place---as fuel for her body, not love.

if loneliness is one of your problems, do this exercise for emptiness and loneliness and notice how your food cravings are automatically reduced.

to do the eft loneliness exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “ h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 10 "i feel so sad" sadness can be fleeting or last all day, all week, and sometimes much longer. it can be connected to a thought, an event or a tragedy. bearing losses is a part of life that all of us face, yet no one wants to go through these painful feelings if they can avoid them. you may have noticed that sadness can push some people towards overeating while others scarcely eat at all when they are sad. have you ever felt sad and thought that eating a little something would help? have you ever found yourself looking in the fridge even though you ate only an hour ago? take a moment to identify if there were any feelings of sadness or loss in you before you opened that box of crackers. peter had had to put his 14-year-old dog "to sleep." the dog had been very ill and was in much pain and the vet had recommended this action. sadness engulfed peter for weeks afterwards. he missed his best friend, and when people suggested he get a new puppy, that only made matters much worse — there was no substitute for "randy." at this time peter found himself munching absentmindedly, and not only was he unaware of the connection of the sadness with his eating, he wasn’t even noticing how much he was eating. it wasn’t until his pants were too tight that he woke up and realized he was using food to fill the emptiness he felt over the loss of his beloved pal. no one can escape the sadnesses of life, but you can help yourself heal faster and feel more peaceful after a loss, and eventually allow the really good memories of the lost person, animal or situation to fill your mind and reduce the pain. when you find yourself eating for no apparent reason but know that you are experiencing some loss in your life, use a journal to write down your feelings of loss and identify your sad feelings. do you miss people from your last job, or loved ones who have died? maybe the memories of your youth are triggering that empty feeling of longing. identify why you are sad and allow yourself to feel these feelings. if you use eft to neutralize them, the feelings will change over time and you will begin to process your losses differently. eft will help you substitute appreciation of your lost ones for the sadness. you can use eft to help you through the toughest of times. to do the eft sadness exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 11 " t her e 's ne ve r e no ugh !" ironically, being on a diet can trigger overeating. some people, deprived of their favorite comfort foods (their support system) become anxious and even very angry about this and as a result they experience an intense craving for these foods and tend to overeat as a result. have you ever experienced this paradoxical effect of dieting? if so, the following exercise can be of help.

to do the eft deprivation exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 12 "i'm so frustrated i could eat without stopping!" feeling frustrated can cause many problems. we often act childishly or foolishly when overcome with frustration. have you ever found yourself regretting something you said or did at a time when you felt frustrated for some reason?

donald was often frustrated by his work—his schedule was overwhelming and he could never get to places on time or meet deadlines. he blamed others for this problem, but he still ended up seriously behind in his work every week. to help himself tolerate this frustration, donald would go out after work and wolf down an enormous meal, a few too many beers, and top it all off with a huge dessert. by the time he finished eating, he said he felt better because he was kind of numb, but usually he was so full he couldn’t stand what his body felt like. donald took some time to analyze his behavior when he started working with eft. he used it on his self-blame and sense of frustration as well as on the overeating, and as he did the exercises he found that really didn’t want to feel so helpless and frustrated by work, and he certainly didn’t want to feel out of control with food. his parents were both overweight, and he had been embarrassed to find his weight creeping up on the scale. using eft in a systematic way to tackle these issues, donald was soon able to work more efficiently and wisely. at the end of the day, he would sit quietly in his office and tap for all the frustrations of the day. by the time he had finished, he would feel a normal sense of hunger for dinner, but had no need to rush to the nearest restaurant to bloat himself and forget his frustrations!

eft can be remarkably helpful to quiet your sense of frustration and give you inner peace. that can be of major help in sticking to a sensible diet — and help you lose the weight you want.

to do the eft frustration exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 13 "w hat to do? … what to do?" many people don’t have enough satisfying past times in their lives. they feel bored and are under-stimulated. an easy way to distract yourself is to reach for an exciting dessert or snack. sometimes people even become bored with their food plan and break their diet for a little entertainment.

anita was between jobs and between boyfriends and couldn’t manage to stay on her diet. she was bored with her life and would find herself in the kitchen at all times of the day. she knew that at this time she didn’t have enough structure in her life, which was her dieting downfall. the food program she had chosen suited her well when she was working and busy during the day, but after six weeks of nothing but daytime television and laundry, she found herself having unusually strong sugar cravings at odd times during the day. when she needed something to make her feel better, she searched the pantry for something exciting. sometimes “boredom” is just covering another feeling. when you feel bored, are you also restless? irritable? frustrated? tired? sad? see if you can identify the true feeling that is underneath the boredom when you have a hunch that boredom is not the only culprit. when anita was able to use eft for her boredom as well as her sudden cravings, she discovered that another feeling was driving her overeating; it was a sense of discouragement about her life. after doing the eft exercises for cravings, boredom, and discouragement, she felt much calmer and more sure of herself, and found that she was now no longer drawn to eating foods that weren’t on her diet plan. she also found herself having more energy to work on her resume and make the phone calls that might lead her to new employment. her motivation increased dramatically with eft, and to her great relief she was able to get back on her diet and exercise program successfully after the boredom issue was handled.

as you will see when you read the eft statements offered in the drop-down menu for boredom, an excellent antidote to boredom is to schedule some stimulating and satisfying activities for the evenings or other "alone" times. eft will help you to do this.

to do the eft boredom exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click

on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 14 "s t o p t r yi ng t o c ont r ol me !" do you ever get tired of being “good”? do you ever feel itchy to do something a little edgy, a little daring? wanting to rebel is a normal human tendency and a part of regular development and maturity — as long as your behavior is not destructive or hostile to others or yourself. frederick was tired of being a model husband and father, and the perfect employee. he took the train into the city every morning at the same time, followed the same routine, and hopped back on the commuter train again to catch the 5:30 home. he loved his wife and children deeply, but feared he got married too early and regretted that he hadn’t lived a more wild life before becoming a banker with a mortgage, car payments and high tuition bills. frederick had been an athlete in college and was then able to "get away with" his beer drinking and late night pizza dinners. but now that every free moment was spent either working or taking care of household and child rearing duties, there was no free time for him. so he started staying up later and later to get some free time for himself and eventually found himself overeating from the time he got home until the time he went to bed. soon the pounds began to show up, and he knew he had to change his lifestyle or he would soon have to buy a new wardrobe. frederick understood that he was trying to rebel, and even understood that overeating was a poor choice for finding freedom. in fact, he felt less free than ever, chained to his endless snack cravings and the need to have extra helpings of bread and desserts at meals. when he started to use eft he immediately felt freer and in a short while he began to discuss with his wife ways of carving out private time for himself. he was also able to express some doubts about their early marriage, and whether he had settled down too soon. expressing his feelings and using eft to do this constructively helped frederick accept his situation and find ways to meet his needs much more satisfactorily. the result was that he didn’t feel the need to rebel through overeating any more, and the pounds fell off as he was able to adopt sensible eating habits and live a more satisfying life all around. eft can help you realize that your overeating is basically only hurting you, not them, and can wonderfully calm the feelings of intense anger that lead to your rebellion in the first place.

to do the eft rebellion exercise, click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “ h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 15 " i de s e r ve a tr e a t t oda y !"

"i've worked so hard and been so good i deserve to eat anything i want!" sometimes we feel so overwhelmed with the chores of life that we feel we deserve a little "treat" for all the hard work we have been doing. while rewards are not bad, rewarding yourself with foods that are fattening can build into a huge problem. have you ever found yourself feeling resentful and tired, and so justifying to yourself that extra dessert? have you ever patted yourself on the back for a hard day and then reached into the freezer for extra ice cream? when we feel under-appreciated or overwhelmed, we often look to be compensated and pampered in some fashion. food is one of the easiest and fastest ways to reward ourselves.

consider lanie, a hard-working mother and secretary who felt harassed all day long. after working hard in the office she had to rush to pick up the kids, relieve the babysitter, do the chores and errands and clean her home before her husband got home and she was expected to prepare the dinner. she felt she never got a break form the work, and certainly never had any time to herself. she felt resentful that her husband didn’t do more around the house or with the kids. his argument was that he was the main breadwinner, so why should he have to work any more than that? lanie began treating herself with candy after the kids and her husband were in bed. soon this habit turned into rewarding herself with chocolate desserts and a glass of milk at such times, something that was soothing and tasty as her reward for a long day. she never ate this way in front of anyone, only when she was alone, the work was done, and she could have time by herself. when she started using eft, lanie first addressed the built up resentment and self-pity she was harboring. as a result of reducing this resentment she did some better planning for her life. as she rearranged things outwardly and felt inwardly more at peace, she found much less need of food rewards at the end of her day. she began to “reward” herself in new and healthier ways –– she loved to dance, for instance, and would turn on music and dance her heart out if she felt like it. she was also able to ask her husband for more help with the children (and obtain it!) which took some of the burden off of her. eventually, lanie learned what rewards were appropriate and which ones (like food) only made her situation worse.

there are many rewards you can give yourself other than eating indulgently. eft can help you instill a taste for these different types of rewards. you may want to introduce periodic exercise of a fun sort (such as jumping on a mini-trampoline, doing yoga or stretching exercises, dancing or doing deep breathing etc.). or you may want to lie down on the floor facing toward a couch, put your feet and lower calves up on the couch, stretch your arms out to the sides, and enjoy a wonderfully relaxing "tahiti pose" for two minutes. or you may want to take an invigorating walk, or dance enjoyably like lanie, or pick some book you would like to read. or, you may want to engage in some wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable flights of imagination or play a musical instrument (not too seriously or "work-like" however). or how about calling some friends you are out of contact with, or watching a comedy on tv or whatever else seems fun and somewhat unusual to you? anything that is a rewarding change of pace will work beautifully. eft can help you to select delightful non-food rewards at exactly the time you need them. life will be more fun this way — and you will eat a lot less fattening foods!

to do the eft reward exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 16 " n o t h i n g e ve r w or k s f o r m e . " feeling discouraged takes so much energy out of you! if you feel discouraged or hopeless, you are vulnerable to destructive behavior such as overeating. we all would love to feel secure and hopeful about our lives, families and work, but sometimes circumstances make this impossible.

take eric, a competent businessman who was let go a year ago due to downsizing in his company. eric has been diligently interviewing and sending out his resume, but after months of sticking to his plan, he has become deeply discouraged. without the structure of his job, he has resorted to his old overeating habits. now when a potential employer doesn’t return his calls, he automatically goes to the pantry and opens a bag of chips. when he gets a rejection letter, he turns off his computer and opens a pint of ice cream. he knows the pounds are creeping up on him but he refuses to weigh himself and see the bad news. he suspects he would feel even more discouraged if he did and doesn’t want to face the truth. when eric learned how to use eft for his discouragement about of being unemployed, and for his cravings, which were clearly triggered by his feelings of discouragement and helplessness, his eating habits began to change dramatically. soon he was handling his job situation and his eating very differently. now when he gets a rejection letter, eric takes a brisk walk and looks for another workplace to send his resume to. eft has helped him adopt very new attitudes that are really paying off.

to do the eft discouragement exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “ h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

part 3 emotions that block weight loss "i overeat when i'm in this situation, or troubled by… "

chapter 17 "sensible eating goes out the window when i'm with others." social situations can be some of the most pressure-filled times of our lives. although we may not realize it, many of us don’t feel comfortable in a social situation, especially if we can’t hide behind a role we are accustomed to presenting, such as the good mother, or the caring teacher, or the intellectual person. have you ever noticed that you eat more than you intended to when you are in a social situation? did you notice how quickly you were eating as a way to distract yourself from the uncomfortable feelings? think of times when you’ve been invited to a party or gathering and how you felt in anticipation of that event. were you excited or anxious or perhaps both? focused on the people or on yourself? worried about how you would talk and sound? these are just some of the challenges facing us when we are presented with a new social setting. all of our deep insecurities surface at such times and we don’t even feel like ourselves. unfortunately, these settings often involve food, and the chips and dips and beautifully prepared buffet dishes are calling to us as a way to soothe our anxiety.

consider paula, a funny, light-hearted teacher with three kids of her own under the age of seven. whenever she was invited to a social gathering or holiday party in the neighborhood she felt nervous and especially restless. she felt she needed to be in constant motion or else she would be embarrassed and awkward. her habit was to park herself in front of the table displaying snacks so she had something to do with her hands. she often ate so much food so quickly that her stomach hurt before she was even aware she was eating to dull her party anxiety. she felt more comfortable when she was teaching, lecturing, working from notes and lesson plans rather than having free flowing conversations with her neighbors. when she began to use eft, she initially focused her attention on the way she reacted to the people at parties and gatherings, and with a few sessions of tapping she began to feel calmer and more sure of herself in such situations. then she began to focus on her eating habits at parties and the eft helped her to realize that although she might disappoint her hostess, or feel conspicuous if she didn't eat party food, no one but herself really noticed what she ate. she soon was finding other ways than eating to feel comfortable at parties, such as seeking out several people with whom she could really have an in-depth conversation, sipping seltzer water with lemon in it as she talked etc. these new behaviors were installed, as it were, through the use of eft and they served to make social gatherings much easier for paula. as a result, her undesirable overeating at parties came to a halt and she felt proud of herself for sticking to her diet even when other people were indulging in excessive snacking. her weight began to lessen

noticeably as she was able to maintain a sensible diet even when other people were eating unwisely. this was a triumph for paula.

eft can be used to target all kinds of social conflicts and can help you feel comfortable in any kind of social gathering. you can then be a sensible and gracious eater wherever you are.

to do the eft social situations exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 18 " s om e s it ua t io ns jus t m a k e me o ve r e a t !" most people overeat at the same times of day and under the same circumstances. their habits of overeating to soothe themselves become firmly established and associated with these certain feelings, events or places.

janet followed her diet religiously until she went out of town for any occasion. when traveling away from home she felt entitled to be on a vacation from her diet too. time off was also difficult for her. when she took a vacation, visited family members or took a day trip with a friend, she would find that this triggered uncontrollable eating binges. she would even hide her food, buy large quantities in the airport and eat on the sly. on her recent vacation to florida, she stuffed her pockets and carry-on luggage with nuts, chips and candy bars. she reported that being away from home triggered a feeling of elation and freedom, which she wanted to reward with eating. she admitted that she probably was too rigid with her diet on a daily and weekly basis, which also triggered this wild swing in behavior. using eft, janet was able to separate the “vacationing” feeling from her dieting behavior, and as a result was able to go to the airport for the first time without loading up her pockets. she also modified her rigidity about dieting during regular workweeks and found that she didn’t gain more than a few pounds as a result and eventually lost them again. her clothes fit well and she was happy with her new feeling of freedom at home as well as vacation. certain times of day can be triggers for overeating. many people find that evening or nighttime hours are the most difficult for them and that these particular time periods are the triggers they need to neutralize first with eft. certain people can also become triggers for compulsive eating. feeling tired is another trigger that can set off unwise eating, and for others sitting in front of the television set starts the undesirable eating pattern. whatever your particular triggers are, eft can be used effectively to neutralize them. you will find several different eft statements to choose from on your drop-down menu, or you can type in your own special trigger to work on. if you do, type in and work on one trigger at a time, and when that is neutralized move on to the next one. to do the eft triggers for overeating exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click

on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 19 " i' ll a lw a ys look fa t s o w hy bot he r ?" having a negative body image can be very emotionally painful and cause much distress. do you ever think how much you hate your body or how you wish your rear end was smaller or your stomach would shrink? these thoughts are very common among overweight people (and even some people who are at a perfect weight!) and are often relentless. if you experience this kind of negative body image, where did you get so much self-hatred? who told you your body was inadequate? these are some of the questions that will be useful to you in uncovering the source of the aggression you feel towards yourself.

marion was many pounds overweight, and hid her body with clothing and overcoats so no one could detect her shape. this process could take more than an hour in the morning before going to work. she would pull and tighten and cover and wrap until she felt invisible. at the end of the day when she took off her clothing, she felt despair and self-loathing as the mirror revealed what she had tried so desperately to hide. marion hated her legs, hated her bottom, knew her face had too many chins and complained of her fat stomach. these thoughts and feelings took up way too much of her time and managed to sabotage her weight loss efforts every time. “my stomach is so big, why bother trying to lose the weight? what’s the use?” when she began to use eft for her negative body image, marion began to change her focus. she became much more forgiving of her imperfect body, and was able to stay on track so she could lose those unnecessary pounds. the result was successful dieting and exercise for this previously hopeless and self-blaming person. the way to succeed with a negative body image is to first accept your body with all its imperfections, make "friends with it" as it were by using eft. when you do that, then you will want to cooperate with it to help it let go of those unwanted pounds easily and without struggle.

to do the negative body image exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 20 freeing yourself from your family's eating patterns we all learn ways of behaving, talking and thinking from our families, and it is nearly impossible not to carry them into our adult lives unless we have examined them and decided to change some of them. eating habits are a typical behavior that we learn when young and still use, often unchanged, when in adulthood.

samantha’s parents typically did their fighting at the dinner table. they would virtually ignore the children and engage in loud arguments during the dinner hour. from a young age, samantha learned that if she wolfed her food down quickly, she would be excused form the dinner table and be able to go to her room and avoid her parents’ fighting. as a result, samantha became very good at swallowing large amounts of food without even chewing. she also realized that she was of course able to eat bigger quantities of food in a shorter period of time because of the speed with which she ate. when samantha went away to college, her friends teased her about how she asked for a second helping before anyone else was served. she was oblivious to this pattern until they pointed it out to her. because of the underlying anxiety associated with dinner, she was unable to consciously slow down her eating. it felt automatic to her, and she felt out of control. samantha was able to use eft to slow down her eating and to chew her food thoroughly. she found that the underlying anxiety she associated with meals went away with the tapping, and she was able to feel calm and relaxed whenever she ate. as a result, she was able to recognize genuine hunger and distinguish it from a compulsion to eat out of anxiety. she learned to eat smaller portions and chew properly to aid in her digestion and her weight went down proportionately.

there are many ways family eating patterns influence us without our realizing it. your parents might have given themselves free rein to overeat whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to, for example. this is a strong directive to their child to do exactly the same thing. "if they can, why can't i? it's obviously okay to do that." of course this makes it extremely difficult to follow a reasonable diet. or your parents may have given you food to comfort you and now you give food to yourself as a form of self-comforting. perhaps they hid their unwise eating by "sneak eating" and imitating them, you do this today.

a frequent family pattern is giving food as a gift or a reward to a child, so you may be using food as a gift to yourself today. maybe your parents gave you special food treats when you were sick — "here, eat something and you'll feel better."

for many families, social situations are connected with the serving and eating of excessive amounts of food so that the child begins to associate overeating with happy socializing. was this the case in your family? sometimes food is used to quiet a child, and some families talk excessively about future dining even while they are eating their present meal. other families look down on the child who tries to follow a healthy diet as though they are doing something wrong or "unhealthy." can you guess what this does to that child's efforts to diet when they are an adult? all these and many other family eating patterns may be influencing you today when you try to follow a sensible diet. the eft statements given in this next exercise will target many of these conflicts for you and help you eliminate them.

to do the family eating patterns exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “ h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 21 " but t ha t ' s m y fa vor it e f ood !" do you ever find yourself overwhelmed by a desire to eat something sweet or starchy right now? do you ever try to control yourself from eating dessert only to find you have caved in before everyone else? irresistible cravings are very frustrating, especially when you are trying to stay on your diet. cravings such as these can be physically or emotionally triggered. usually, they feel physical which makes it hard to find the feeling that is driving them. you know you are having a craving when you feel helpless, and can’t seem to control your behavior. succumbing to cravings causes diet failure because (1) you put too many sweets or other carbohydrates in your mouth and (2) you can become discouraged by the setback.

lisa swore off chocolate as her annual new year’s resolution. the following weekend, she went to a party where there were loads of tantalizing desserts. she started to feel herself weaken as she saw the beautiful color and the shapes of the artfully crafted cakes and goodies. her mouth started watering and she felt a weakness all over her body. before she knew what had happened, someone offered her a selection of chocolate desserts, she had a fork in her mouth and the creamy desserts were taking her beyond satisfaction. when she “woke up” out of her dazed feeling, she had eaten a whole plate of these delicacies and was back at the dessert table trying more. understanding cravings goes a long way toward helping you curb them. if you understand that your cravings are most likely triggered by intense underlying feelings, you can slow down and look for these culprits at the time of the cravings or soon after, and do something about them. have you just had an argument with someone and are reaching for the snacks? are you particularly anxious about something at work or a family conflict as you reach for a luscious cake you know you shouldn't eat now, but will? lisa hadn’t realized how socially anxious she was at this party where most of her coworkers and boss were. she felt insecure at work and felt pressure to make an impression. it was only when she did realize this and began applying eft to both the cravings and to her anxiety in social situations (two different eft exercises), that the overeating-at-parties syndrome began to lessen, allowing her to diet much more successfully.

the moral of this story is that it's a great idea to take a moment to ask yourself

some questions about how you are feeling emotionally before you put that cookie in your mouth. then you can apply eft to your cravings and watch them melt away. eft is wonderful for on-the-spot use with cravings. just excuse yourself from the room for a

moment and go somewhere where you are temporarily alone long enough to tap down the craving to a "0" or "1," and come back to the buffet table with a feeling of relative indifference about the formerly enticing fare. this will give you a feeling of immense freedom.

to do the eft cravings exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 22 what if i do lose the weight? you may not think there is a downside to losing those stubborn pounds you have been battling for so many years, but i bet if you asked yourself the following question, you would find a few possible answers. what is the downside of my losing this weight permanently? most people think this is a ridiculous question, but is it? what, for example, would happen to your social life if you lost this weight? would any friends or family members be envious or jealous of your success in this? would you perhaps attract attention that you cannot handle comfortably?

janet finally admitted she was afraid that her sister would be jealous of her weight loss. her sister was older and had taken care of her when they were growing up. the sister battled her own weight problem, and always seemed uncomfortable whenever janet started a new diet program. after experiencing dramatic success using eft for her cravings, janet knew she could be successful this time. she didn’t know, however, if she could handle the pressure form her sister to “stay the same.” her need for her sister's love was paramount here. it was not until she dealt with this need with eft that janet began to really drop the pounds.

and what about attention from the opposite sex? are you ready for a higher dose of that? fran had been promiscuous in high school, when she was at her perfect goal weight. she feared that if she returned to that weight, she might not be able to resist advances from men. she wondered if she would remain faithful in her marriage or not. this was the reason that she consistently sabotaged her diet and it was not until this issue was addressed that she was able to lose the weight.

lorraine was afraid to lose weight because she thought people would place too many expectations on her if she did. once she admitted this fear to herself, she could understand why she kept sabotaging her diets every time when she had lost 10 of the 30 pounds she needed to lose. lorraine came up

with the eft statement, "even though i'm afraid to lose weight because of their expectations, i choose to feel surprisingly free of unnecessary obligations when i am thinner." realizing that this was a deep fear of hers, she used this phrase every day, morning and night. it worked beautifully.

other options for a fear of losing weight may be: "even though i don't want them to be jealous of my success, i choose to feel loved at my ideal weight." or, "even though i'm afraid to reach my goal weight because i might gain it back again…i deeply and completely accept and trust myself." or simply, "i choose to trust myself …"

important a s k yo u r se l f i f th e re is an y ups ide t o re ma i nin g ov e r we ig ht ?

john said he was desperate to lose the weight. when we asked him what was stopping him, he admitted that he was financially strapped and couldn’t afford to buy any new suits for work. his suits couldn’t take yet another tailoring from all his ups and downs over the past 5 years. he thought he should wait until he felt more financially secure before he embarked on a new weight loss program.

catherine knew immediately what the upside was to her staying the same weight. “they won’t expect anything of me if i stay the same. i’m afraid if i finally lose the weight, everyone will expect me to change other things in my life and i just can’t handle that."

if you recognize any of these fears, or identify others, you can use eft to alleviate these feelings and be on your way to a new "you."

to do the eft consequences exercise click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “ h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

chapter 23 negative attitudes that sabotage sometimes it seems as if there are endless reasons to eat in a way that will ruin your dieting progress, or endless ways to sabotage yourself in your weight loss efforts. do you ever feel this way? do you ever find that you are doing well but it suddenly feels too difficult to continue? these feelings are normal, and you can use eft to combat all of them.

for example, candace started following a new diet plan that seemed ideally suited to her lifestyle and her preferences. she consulted her physician who agreed it was appropriate and healthy, and she began following her new plan. after two weeks, she cheated just a little bit, and immediately became overwhelmed with hating herself for not sticking perfectly to her diet. she was definitely losing weight, and felt more energy, but she saw herself as a failure because she hadn’t followed the plan exactly as written.

this caused her to sabotage her progress even more and she resorted to a binge after telling herself, “what’s the point anyway? i’m not doing it perfectly, so why bother?” luckily, she was able to use eft for her unnecessary perfectionism as well as her discouragement.

claudia, on the other hand, hated herself so much when she overate, that it took her days to recover from any slip-up in her diet. after one bad night of eating, she felt depressed and felt like a failure. right then and there she “decided” that she was a terrible person. this feeling was totally incorrect, of course; overeating doesn't make anyone a terrible person, it just shows that you are not in touch with some of your feelings. claudia was able to overcome these strong feelings and get right back on track after using eft. many different negative attitudes can sabotage your weight loss. just a general feeling of inadequacy or unworthiness can make you feel you are not worthy of looking attractive and slim. a feeling that you inherited a certain body type or shape can make you feel hopeless about dieting. these and other feelings of self-doubt and anger at oneself can be readily addressed by eft. to do the eft negative attitudes that sabotage exercise, click here. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

part 4 next steps " "can this eft plan work permanently?

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chapter 24 on your own with eft if you've gotten this far in the program, you have now used eft for at least some of the emotions that can block weight loss. this has been the start of your journey into the world of eft, but — where do you go from here? your next step is an exciting one. now you will have a chance to use eft on your own in ways that you yourself devise. you may even decide to apply it to issues that have nothing to do with weight loss. we will give you some hints about how to go about this. it may be that you are wondering if this is all too good to be true. can eft really help you lose weight and keep it off, permanently? yes. there is only one condition:

you have to use it!!!! in order to help yourself do this, it's easiest if you decide a few things ahead of time so you can plan your day and make eft a part of it. remember, to get benefits from eft — you must use it!

introducing eft into your day we recommend that you select certain times of day to use eft — the same time every day is ideal. for example, decide to use eft before every meal so that just a few minutes before sitting down to eat, you tap for 5 minutes on any issue that is currently bothering you. if you were disturbed during the day because of some issue at work, or an issue that arose with your children, or with your partner etc., devise a suitable eft statement for that and tap until you feel your intensity rating has come way down. or you can tap on your immediate feelings about an upcoming meal, with a statement such as, "even though i'm so tired that i feel i deserve to eat anything i want, i choose to eat sensibly and thoroughly enjoy my food." pre-meal tapping can work at any time of the day. for example, you can tap before breakfast by choosing a quiet place and then identifying a feeling that is

bothering you, or a bad habit about eating that you are struggling with, and then tapping specifically on this issue. it may be that you are eating too many pieces of toast at breakfast, or too many chips at lunchtime, or too many high cal snacks at odd times of the day. whatever your poor eating habits are, eft can work on them, and after spending 5 minutes tapping on them you can feel surprisingly different about your approaching meal or snack. later in the day, before the next meal, again find a relatively quiet place and use eft for about 5 minutes, using either the same phrases from the morning, or new ones. if unexpected feelings surface while you tap, make them the subject of your eft statements. this is a wonderfully helpful thing to do.

specific cravings another option is to use eft for specific issues such as afternoon or late evening cravings. we recommend that you use eft before that time of day; otherwise you might ignore it or "forget" to tap if the chips are beckoning to you or the ice cream calls to you from the freezer. again, find a quiet place and start your tapping for the specific cravings or feelings that are surfacing now.

mandy felt so frustrated with her unsuccessful dieting over the years that she usually gave up when she hit her first plateau. her eft statement went like this, "even though i've never lost weight successfully before, i choose to lose weight successfully this time and keep it off." she used this phrase every day in the morning, and tapped for her cravings every day before lunch and dinner, and found herself, for the first time, successful with her diet.

john made it through the day following his diet perfectly, but the minute he got home from work, he suddenly felt hungry and cranky and headed straight for the refrigerator. he tried to do the tapping in the kitchen… this didn't work out. the reason was that he had passed the point of no return. it is very hard to start eft in "mid-stream" as it were. so john made a commitment to do the tapping before he came home every afternoon. this really worked. now he arrived home calmer, satisfied, and without cravings. this made the kitchen a safe place for him, and he found other things to do there besides snacking and munching on unnecessary foods.

eft statements for cravings can be as simple as: "even though i crave sugar after every meal, i choose to feel calm without it…" or, "even though i have battled sugar cravings all my life, i choose to feel free and relieved of them now."

w a ys t o e n h a n c e t h e e ff e c t s o f e f t 1)the night before you begin doing eft on your own, write down all of the reasons you keep your weight on (cravings, fears, hunger, hurt etc.) and keep a notebook where you write down simple eft phrases to counteract these feelings. choose your biggest hurdle in weight loss first. is it your fear of regaining the weight again? is it a fear of envy or jealousy? are you uncomfortable with too much attention from the opposite sex? write down these fears and blocks and work on them every day with eft. 2)decide when you will do your tapping. twice a day? before meals? before you go to bed? with a friend? 3)make a commitment to yourself, "i will tap every day no matter what!" and then — tap for your objections to making this commitment! 4)select one of the issues you dealt with in this course that still needs more work. go back to the exercise for that issue and review the drop-down menu of eft statements for it. select one of them that you didn't use before. copy it down on a card. then tap your intensity level down on this issue regularly each morning and evening. 5)write down your eft statements and read them aloud to yourself as you tap. not everyone prefers to do this, but others find it very useful. for some people it makes remembering the eft statements much easier. you will have to experiment and decide this for yourself. 6)you can learn how to make eft reminder cards in appendix b of this e-book. now is a great time to make reminder cards for all of your main issues relating to weight loss, and carry them in your pocket or purse as you go about your day. then be sure to read them out loud to yourself, at least once, every evening before going to bed and every morning shortly after you wake up. even if you don't tap on the choices they contain but only read them aloud, you will find that these cards will have an influence on you well beyond what you would expect from this simple act.

(7) now is also a good time for you to make new choices of your own to suit new problems not targeted in this book. an excellent way to start with this is to build on the choices you already know. to do this, read over some of the lists of eft statements in the drop-down menus in this program, selecting the issues that particularly apply to you, and begin to "mix n' match" the negative and positive phrases you see there to create new statements. for example, if you wanted to target your tendency to overeat as a rebellion against people in authority (parents or others) who have told you what you should eat or what you shouldn't eat, then turn to the exercise, eft for rebellion, and see if you can constructively mix n' match the first (negative) parts of some of the statements with the last (positive) parts of others. you could, for example, use the first part of the third sentence that reads, "even though i hate being told what's bad for me…" and combine it with the last part of the fifth sentence that reads, "i choose to know that i'm the one who's getting fatter." who knows? your new "mix n' match" combination may be more effective for you than any statement we devised! try it!

h a ve an y tr o ub l e so m e issu e s su r fa ced fo r yo u ? eft is a powerful technique, one that goes well beneath the surface to root out old ways of feeling and behaving that no longer serve you. because of its effectiveness, underlying issues sometimes surface that need special attention. if this is the case with you, here is what to do: option 1. turn to the chapter in this e-book that deals specifically with the emotion that has just surfaced for you (e.g. fear, resentment, discouragement etc.), or the particular issue that has re-emerged, and systematically work your way through each statement in the drop-down menu that is given for that. use eft on each of the statements in that menu until your intensity level is down to a "0" or "1" for it. option 2. you may need some professional guidance in order to clear this issue. if it is persistent this means that it has probably been around for a long time in your life and may have many roots (many different aspects) to it. working with a therapist skilled in the application of eft can be extremely valuable at this point. this can be done effectively over the telephone so that you have a wide range of eft practitioners to choose from. to find the one who suits your special needs see the resources section of this e-book.

g oi n g fu r th e r wi th e f t aside from the recommendations we have just given you, there are some extremely valuable resources that you can use to help you enhance your practice of eft. these can be of great assistance to you as you use eft on your own. we tell you about them in the next chapter.

chapter 25 resources that can take you further we have selected what we consider the best materials to enhance the effectiveness of your new eft weight loss program. because eft is much more than a weight loss method, however, we also give you resources to help you extend its usefulness into many other areas of your life.

section 1: increasing the effectiveness of eft for weight loss

if you’d like to participate with others who are using eft for weight loss you can view videos of a live workshop: the "weight loss with eft" video series. carol look, c.s.w., d.c.h. has produced an invaluable series of four videos and dvd's in which we see volunteers who have struggled with their weight for years, led through eft to tackle their blocks to weight loss. you watch as carol demonstrates the use of eft for intense food cravings, for underlying emotional problems that can block weight loss, for negative feelings about the body, fears of success, and many other familiar problems that can sabotage dieting efforts. what is so useful is that you can watch these videos over and over again to reap the benefits of eft tapping sessions with people who suffer from many of the same eating problems that you do. this is a wonderful way to participate in an eft weight loss group without having to leave your home. for information, go to http://www.carollook.com dr. look’s training manual: "how to lose weight with energy therapy" this excellent manual can be used with dr. look’s videos for those who want to delve more deeply. it gives many insights into addictions and compulsive behavior, a detailed list of questions to determine the direction of eft treatment, and leads us through exercises to neutralize limiting beliefs that get in our way. the manual also talks about comfort zones and how to break through them, deals with relapse prevention, and gives sample treatment plans for yourself and others. for information, go to http://www.carollook.com

eliminating allergies that can block weight loss because allergies can seriously block weight loss, dr. sandra radomski’s information on how to use eft for allergy-like reactions is especially important. she is a leading specialist in substance sensitivities. if you have been following the program in this e - book and sticking to your diet, but are not yet losing weight, you may be suffering from undetected food sensitivities. sensitivities or allergy-like reactions to foods and other substances can seriously sabotage even the most diligent dieter. if you have this type of reaction to a food you are taking, dr. radomski points out that your body identifies that food as a "poison." in order to protect itself against the perceived poison, your body will instinctively hold on to water weight in an attempt to dilute the impact of the poison. allergy-like reactions to even healthy foods such as oranges, wheat, chicken or soy can keep you from your weight loss goals just as effectively as can junk foods. eft is an extremely effective way to reprogram your body to no longer react negatively to these foods. after applying eft to a difficulty you have with a certain food, your body can now allow you to lose the water weight and reach your goals. here are dr. radomski’s instructional materials in this area: how to use eft for allergies (workshop) (on dvd or cds) dr. sandra radomski has created an excellent workshop on videos (now on dvd) that guides you in the use of eft for allergy-like reactions. in it she gives an extraordinarily detailed and fascinating presentation of this subject that includes absorbing accounts as well as demos of people who have overcome it using the new energy psychology techniques -- and she tells you exactly what to do about these problems using eft. this workshop is a "must" if you are having problems losing weight despite having carefully followed your diet. sandi also has two excellent manuals that supplement these videos. for information, go to: http://www.allergyantidotes.com. dr. radomski’s basic training manual: allergy antidotes: the energy psychology treatment of allergy-like reactions this manual presents all the information you need to begin treating for substance sensitivities. the comprehensive 120+ page manual describes the various symptoms that may cause allergy-like reactions, as well as the myriad substances that may trigger these reactions. muscle testing is used to identify sensitivities. five basic and four advanced treatment protocols are presented for eliminating the negative reactions to the problem substances. allergy antidotes techniques are easy to learn, non-invasive and well suited for the average person as well as for health practitioners. for information go to: http://www.allergyantidotes.com

dr. radomski’s advanced procedures manual this advanced manual combines the latest and most effective energy psychology procedures available for allergy-like reactions. it is the natural progression after the basic manual. for information go to: http://www.allergyantidotes.com

weight loss support program weight loss bulletin edited by the authors of this e-book, this e-newsletter deals with the use of eft for weight loss. it is an ideal support for users of this program since it features new information about eft’s use for weight loss in each issue, with a highly informative question & answer column on this topic. to subscribe free of charge go to: http://www.conquerovereating.com/bulletin.htm

section 2. enhancing eft’s usefulness for you

aside from its value in handling unwanted emotions that can block weight loss, eft is one of the most effective self-development systems presently known. properly used it can positively impact all aspects of your life. below we suggest some resources that can lead you much further with eft. using them you can reach a whole new level of self-fulfillment, health and joy in living.

eft’s founder, gary craig, is a stanford trained engineer and personal performance coach who developed this method in the early 1990’s. his instructional videos (now on cd’s and dvd’s) and user friendly manuals are the classics in this field. they contain a gold mine of information, hints, demos, and mutually shared experiences that can take you to entirely new levels with eft. the gary craig materials are a ‘must’ for any serious student of eft (see below.)

gary craig’s foundational eft website the most comprehensive, instructive and useful website in the entire area of energy psychology, this compendium of vital information about eft has an unusually user friendly tone while at the same time it teaches you about eft in the most thorough and enlightening manner. you will want to spend much time exploring it. to view it click here.

gary craig’s “eft insights” this major newsletter is the place to go to hear about new applications of eft to such areas as serious diseases, fears, phobias, depression and many others, and to read absorbing anecdotes that describe its use for a wide variety of other conditions. gary has assembled an outstanding group of contributing editors whose informative articles are carefully selected for their value to the public, and he himself often writes for this publication. to subscribe free of charge click here. for those exploring eft further dr. patricia carrington’s “eft news & innovations” edited by dr. patricia carrington, one of the leading authorities on eft, this absorbing e-newsletter keeps you up-to-date with the latest developments in this fast growing field. it gives you constantly updated information on eft, features a comprehensive question and answer column, and reviews the latest eft training materials. dr. carrington’s newsletter is widely acclaimed for its thought-provoking discussions and perceptive advice on the various applications of eft. along with gary craig’s website and his newsletter (see above) it is a ‘must’ for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding and use of this technique. to subscribe free of charge go to: http://www.eftupdate.com

individualizing your eft statements formulating eft choices (such as you have been using throughout this program) is extremely valuable in order to shape this weight loss program to suit your individual needs. the following resources created by dr. patricia carrington help you master this important skill:

eft choices workshop (on cds) in an absorbing 2-1/2 hour teaching seminar on videos, dr. carrington demonstrates to a group her well-known eft choices method. as you watch, you become a "participant" in her workshop too, and are given ample time to complete the various exercises along with the rest of the participants. in addition, you have a chance to see pat work with an exam-anxious woman who is able to completely eliminate her lifelong fear of examinations through the use of eft choices. this workshop is available in both dvd and cd (for computers) format for information go to http://www.eftupdate.com and click on "learn the choices method." eft choices manual written by dr. carrington, this 115 page manual is the authoritative training in her choices method. highly readable and user friendly, the manual takes the reader through the basics of her method, and adds to it information-rich chapters on such core subjects as the six rules that make your choices much more powerful; ways to use personal resource states to create targeted choices that work just for you; how to formulate healing choices; how to use choices in times of disaster; and how to build a "library" of choices for issues such as relief of pain, handling of abuse, anger management, improving relationships, increasing self assertion, and many others. for information go to http://www.eftupdate.com and click on "learn the choices method."

to learn more about the short form of eft from videos gary craig’s classic videos teach the original form of eft. if you have followed the prompts in this program you have learned the short form. this is the version gary himself now uses most of the time. if you want to deepen your understanding of the practice by having an expert lead you through the short form as you follow along with her in tapping for issues not necessarily related to weight loss, you will want to look into dr. carrington's highly informative two-video course, introduction to eft. it covers not only the basics of eft, but also the use of aspects, anticipatory eft, and the tearless trauma technique, as well as other special applications of this method. you learn all of this in just two hours of video viewing. for information go to http://www.eftupdate.com and click on introduction to eft videos.

certificate of completion for health professionals

the eft certificate of completion program offers two professional examinations that cover the contents of gary craig's basic eft course and his advanced steps toward becoming the ultimate therapist course. passing these examinations provides objective evidence that you know and understand in full the contents of these important courses taught by the founder of eft. for details go to http://www.eftupdate.com, then click on eft certificate program. private consultations with the authors the authors of this e-book conduct eft sessions in person or over the telephone with selected individuals. details of their respective arrangements, including cost and availability, are posted on their web sites. we suggest that you consult the information on the author's web site first. if you are interested in scheduling an appointment, send her an email with a brief description of your issue. contact information is listed below: carol look, csw, dch 5 east 22nd street suite 23-b new york, ny 10010 phone: 212-477-8645 email: [email protected] web site: http://www.carollook.com patricia carrington, ph.d. 61 kingsley road kendall park, nj 08824 phone: 732-297-2525 email: drpatcarrington@comcast. net web site: http://www.eftupdate.com sandra radomski, nd, lcsw 1051 township line road jenkintown, pa 19046 phone: 215-885-7917 email: [email protected] web site: http://www.allergyantidotes.com to locate other eft therapists

when you know the basics of eft, telephone therapy with eft is a highly effective option in addition to in-office therapy. to obtain a list of eft practitioners in your geographic area or elsewhere, go to http://www.eftupdate.com, and click on find an eft practitioner, or click here then click on eft practitioner listings. while neither list is exhaustive (not all eft therapists have registered for these lists), searching them should give you many options. diet books and programs although there are some outstanding weight loss books and programs, you should adopt the one that is truly best for you and suits your individual needs. we are not recommending any specific book or program here because the key to weight loss is designed to be used with any weight loss program that you find to be truly valuable. in a sense, our program is a universal aid to dieting and weight loss. other web sites of interest the eft support site (eftsupport.com) this site is a major resource for those interested in learning more about eft. it gives newcomers extensive information on how to make eft more effective, how to locate a qualified eft practitioner, how to gain professional training in eft and many other important topics. it also supplies several q&a sections that cover a wide range of questions about the practice of eft, and provides online support. go to http://www.eftsupport.com. the “eft news & innovations” site (eftupdate.com) this web site archives past issues of the eft news & innovations e- newsletter, as well as dr. carrington's previous posts on gary craig's eft insights enewsletter where she is a contributing editor. in addition, it contains ordering information for her videotaped courses, her other books and tapes, and many other types of information of interest to the world of eft. go to http://www.eftupdate.com/

part 5 appendices

about the authors

carol look, c.s.w., d.c.h., is internationally recognized as the foremost authority on the use of the new energy psychology techniques for weight loss and related addictive issues. her many workshops, audio and video recordings, and specialized training manuals, have helped thousands of people to reduce or eliminate their emotional blocks to weight loss. dr. look is a clinical social worker and holds a doctorate in clinical hypnotherapy. she is a member of the national association of social workers, the national guild of hypnotists, and the association for comprehensive energy psychology.

patricia carrington, ph.d., is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and researcher, widely recognized for her creative contributions to the field of stress management. she is the author of four major books in this area and

more than 33 papers in professional journals. dr. carrington was a lecturer in the department of psychology at princeton university for 11 years, and is presently a clinical professor at umdnj-robert wood johnson medical school in new jersey. she was the recipient of the national mental health association award for the outstanding preventive health program of the year and is one of the pioneers of the eft method. her influential "eft choices method" is a major component of the “the key to weight loss”

program.

sandra radomski, nd, lcsw, is a psychotherapist and naturopathic doctor specializing in allergylike reactions and substance sensitivities. her workshops for the relief of allergies and the use of eft for weight loss are in high demand in many parts of the world. at present she is on the staff of our lady of lourdes wellness center in new jersey where she conducts special workshops in the use of eft for weight loss with patients contemplating surgery for this condition. dr. radomski taught in the

medical school at the university of wisconsin for 8 years and conducted biofeedback with pain patients there for 10 years, among other medical activities. her work with eft and weight loss is attracting widespread interest because of its innovativeness and striking effectiveness.

eft reminder cards one of the ways to get the most benefit from your eft weight loss program is to use daily eft reminder cards. we highly recommend them! to find out how to make such cards, see appendix b. here's how to make and use your reminder cards: 1.buy some 3" by 5" index cards. we find that blue cards are especially useful because the color suggests relaxation and it makes your eft cards look different from ordinary cards, but any regular index cards will do. 2.write, each on a separate card, the eft statements that you have found to be particularly useful for you so far. be sure to put only one statement on each card. new statements can be added to the pile and old ones discarded as their goals are realized. 3.each day read over your cards out loud to yourself twice a day (at a minimum) -- when first waking in the morning, and before going to sleep at night. 4.you can carry the cards with you if you like and read these eft statements when you find yourself with spare moments during the day -- such as in the car waiting for a traffic light to change, etc. some people even record their eft statements and listen to them on tape while they drive! 5.don't think too much about what has been written on the cards at other times of the day, just read aloud each statement once, and then let it slip out of your mind to enter your subconscious mind, which will do the work for you (which is in fact exactly what happens). using eft cards can be a great help to your eft weight loss program, serving to clarify and reinforce your positive goals. we highly recommend them.

aspects in eft you may be wondering whether reaching a "0" or "1" while just thinking about a problem will hold up when you are confronted with the same problem in real life. it usually will because in most cases, the chemical and neuronal reactions that occur in your brain while thinking about a situation are the same as those that occur when you're in the actual situation. that's why balancing your emotions with eft while imagining a certain circumstance, tends to hold up when you confront that circumstance in real life. the exception to this is when some new aspect of the problem comes up in the real situation that wasn't there when you were just thinking about it. for example, suppose you tend to overeat at parties when you feel socially uncomfortable, and that by using eft you brought your discomfort level when you think about parties down to "0" or "1 ," but when you arrive at the next party you discover that your level is now a "5." this alerts you to the fact that some other new aspect of the problem that you hadn't handled when originally tapping has now surfaced. you may, for example, find that you are afraid to offend your hostess by not eating her "special dessert" and that this is wreaking havoc with your sensible eating. you hadn't realized that pleasing hostesses (or hosts) was such a problem for you! now you know, and the thing to do is to go back to doing your eft exercise when you get home, but now tap on an eft statement such as, "even though i don't want to disappoint my hostess (or host) by not eating their favorite dishes, i choose to handle the situation diplomatically so that no-one is offended." it will probably do the trick. at the next party, you will find yourself in control of the food you select without experiencing any guilt about disappointing your hostess. occasionally you will identify an aspect that is not included in one of the eft exercises in this book, in which case you will need to make up your own personal eft statement to deal with it. you can do this by typing in your own wording in the negative and positive phrase boxes on the screen (you can locate these boxes in any exercise). if you do so, however, realize that formulating effective eft statements is a skill that must be learned— there are many ways to make them more effective. the resource section of this book tells how you can learn develop this skill to a fine art.

reminder: unexpected aspects that arise do not mean that eft didn't work. they simply mean there is more work to do.

another time when aspects may be an important factor is when you find yourself stuck at a certain intensity level when doing an eft exercise. for example, after doing several rounds of eft for the same issue, you might discover that your intensity level is no longer going down. this strongly suggests that there is a hidden aspect of this problem that you now need to address. as soon as you identify this new aspect (by noticing the thoughts that are going through your mind about the problem at that moment) use eft for it. once the new aspect has been taken care of, your intensity level for the original issue will start to move again or it may just automatically plummet to a "0" when the aspect has been dealt with. the notion of aspects is important in eft. as in the overeating-at-parties example, some problems have many pieces to the puzzle…or aspects…to them and the problem will not be completely relieved until all of them are addressed. actually, each of these aspects qualifies as a separate problem even though they seem to be lumped together. a fear of meeting new people at parties, for example, and a fear of disappointing your host or hostess by not eating their favorite dessert, could easily be lumped together, but in fact, they are separate problems and need to be addressed separately by eft. different aspects are possible with just about any problem you want to address with eft. sometimes they take the form of a series of traumatic memories, such as childhood abuse memories or a series of memories about an accident or traumatic incident. each memory may represent a separate problem, or aspect that needs to be addressed individually before complete relief is obtained. please understand that where several aspects of an emotional problem are present, you may not notice any relief until all aspects are reduced to "0" by applying eft. this becomes very clear when you compare it to its counterpart in physical healing. if, for example, you are experiencing a headache, toothache and stomachache at the same time, you will not feel healthy until all three are gone. the pain may seem to shift but it is, nonetheless, still pain. so it is with emotional issues that contain different aspects. until all aspects are gone you may not feel relief even though you have taken care of one or more aspects. so the key ingredient is — persistence! it pays off superbly in eft, as it does so many other times in life.

eft journal entry page date:______________ issue worked on:_____________________________________ 1st eft statement used (include any modifications you may have made in the statement as you typed it):

intensity level: initial: ____ after 1 round ____ after 2 rounds____ after3rounds____after4rounds___________________ at end of tapping comments:

2nd eft statement used:

intensity level: initial: ____ after 1 round ____ after 2 rounds____ after3rounds____after4rounds___________________ at end of tapping comments:

3rd eft statement used:

intensity level: initial: ____ after 1 round ____ after 2 rounds____ after3rounds____after4rounds___________________ at end of tapping comments:

4th eft statement used:

intensity level: initial: ____ after 1 round ____ after 2 rounds____ after3rounds____after4rounds___________________ at end of tapping comments:

troubleshooting the online exercises if you are having difficulty following the online exercises, we suggest you print out the following instructions and keep the printout with you as a guide while you do the practice exercise again with these pointers in mind. step 1. start by selecting an issue to work on, and then create an eft statement to deal with that issue. in the online program that is part of this program you don't need to create eft statements because they have been created for you – all you have to do is select the one that suits you best. here's how to do the practice issue of "doubt about eft:" when you go online to do the practice exercise (do not go online now, we are just telling you what to expect by giving you inert diagrams below) you will be selecting your eft statement for a feeling of doubt about whether eft will work. to do this, click on the blank box or on the downward pointing arrow at the right of the screen (see diagram below).

when you click on the box or arrow a drop-down menu will appear with a list of possible eft statements for the doubt-about-eft issue. you are going to select the eft statement that best suits your own situation. for the sake of this tutorial, we ask you to pretend that the fourth statement from the top, "even though i doubt eft will help me, i choose to give it a good try." is the best one for you and (when you're doing the practice session, not now!) click on that statement to transfer it to the eft statement box. when you do this, the result will look like this:

step 2. click on the "start eft" button (see above diagram) to open page 2 of the tutorial. there you will see your eft statement now divided into 3 sections: z section #1 consists of the words, "even though." (these words start every eft

statement.) z section #2 is your negative phrase, "i doubt eft will help me." (all eft

statements contain a negative phrase.) z section #3 is your positive phrase, "i choose to give it a good try." (all eft

statements contain a positive phrase.) step 3. you will then type the negative phrase into the negative phrase box in the red frame. (notice that you do not type in the words "even though." they are not part of the negative phrase, they are simply used to introduce it.) your negative phrase box will look like this before you type in the phrase:

when you have typed in your negative phrase it will look like this:

step 4. now type the positive phrase in the positive phrase box (in the green frame). your empty positive phrase box will look like this:

when you've typed in your positive phrase it will look like this:

(note: the fact that you are typing the phrases is important! this fixes them in your memory; ensures that they will appear in the flashing boxes to prompt you at exactly the right moment; and also enables you to change an occasional word to make your statement more personally suitable for you.) step 5. use the scroll bar at the bottom of the page to move the screen slightly to the right. this will allow you to obtain full access to the intensity level tracking indicator. step 6. select an intensity rating that reflects how high your stress level is at this moment. for example, when selecting an intensity level for the practice issue of "doubt about eft… "

z a rating of "10" is the most doubt about eft's usefulness that you can imagine

having. z a rating of "0" is absolutely no doubt about eft's possible usefulness for you.

it 's easy to select an intensit y rating 1.think of a number from "0" to "10" that reflects the intensity of your feelings about the issue at hand. do this "off the top of your head." do not try to decide what intensity rating "really represents the way i feel." it will be more accurate if you use the number that first pops into your mind. 2.your intensity rating should be based on how you feel right now, not on how you felt at the time the incident occurred (if the incident is in the past). the reason? — you can only change how you feel now.

step 7. click on the number to the right of the intensity gauge that corresponds to your current intensity level. for example, if before starting eft you had an intensity rating of "9" for doubt — that is, you were very doubtful whether eft could help you — your gauge would look like this.

and if, at the end of one or two sequences of eft, your intensity rating had now come down to a "3," your gauge would look like this:

if your intensity rating finally comes down to a "1," it will look like this:

note: when doing eft, keep on doing more rounds until your intensity rating has come down to a "4" or below. if it is not possible to get it down this low, click on the “having trouble? click here” button on the upper right of your screen.

important we suggest that you write down your original intensity rating before you do eft, and then write it down again after completing each eft sequence. the computer can't remember your rating for you because you're online, only the paper and pencil will record and remember your rating.

step 8. the color codes box shows you what the colored dots that you see on the screen prompts mean. this is what it looks like:

z a white dot will flash to remind you to repeat your entire eft statement out loud

three times, while tapping on the side of your hand. z a red dot will flash to remind you to repeat your negative phrase out loud one

time on each of the eft spots on face and body. z a green dot will flash to remind you to repeat your positive phrase out loud one

time, on each of the eft spots on face and body. z red and green dots will alternate to remind you to alternate negative and

positive phrases as you tap on the face and body spots. step 9. next you activate the animated sequence by clicking on the "play " button (see diagram below).

step 10. then follow the prompts by first tapping on the karate chop spot while repeating three times the entire eft statement (in this tutorial this is, "even though i doubt eft will help me, i choose to give it a good try"). step 11. do one whole round of eft during which you repeat only the negative phrase at each spot (i.e. "i doubt eft will help me"). step 12. do one whole round of eft during which you repeat only the positive phrase at each spot (i.e."i choose to give it a good try."). step 13. do one whole round of eft in which you alternate the negative and positive phrases. for example, repeat the negative phrase, "i doubt eft will help me" at the inner eyebrow spot, the positive phrase, "i choose to give it a good try" at the outer eye spot, repeat the negative phrase again at the under eye spot — and so on for one

whole round of eft. you will end up with the positive phrase "i choose to give it a good try" on the top of the head spot. this alternating pattern creates a strong tendency in your mind to convert negative thoughts about this situation into positive thoughts about it in the future. step 14. at the end of each eft sequence, retake your intensity level. if it is not down to a "4" or below, repeat the sequence (or click on help for advice).

summary of the eft steps basically this is all there is to eft: z select the issue you want to work on. z choose an eft statement to suit that issue. z

select an initial intensity level for that issue. z say the eft statement out loud three times while tapping on the karate

chop spot. z do one round of eft saying the negative phrase at each spot. z do one round of eft

saying the positive phrase at each spot. z do a third round of eft where you tap on each spot and say the negative

phrase at the first spot, the positive phrase at the second spot etc., and continue this alternating pattern for the entire round. (this round is optional.) z retake your intensity level.

that's all there is to it!

one final important point the prompts on the screen are timed to match the speed of an average eft statement repeated out loud. if they are slower than your own natural speech, keep tapping on each eft spot until you see the prompt move to the next eft spot, or repeat the phrase twice at each spot.

if the prompts are faster than your own natural speech, you can keep the prompt flashing on a particular spot for as long as you want by pressing the "stay longer" button, then reactivate the sequence by pressing the "play" button. later, when you have learned to do eft on your own without the prompts, just repeat each eft phrase once at each spot and then move on at your own pace.

now you're ready to practice the method again using the "eft for doubt" exercise. if you have any questions while doing it click on the “ h a v i n g t r o u b l e ? c l i c k h e r e ” button for guidance.

to start your eft practice exercise click here list of exercises

eft for doubt exercise anxiety exercise anger exercise guilt exercise shame exercise loneliness exercise sadness exercise deprivation exercise frustration exercise boredom exercise rebellion exercise discouragement exercise social situations exercise triggers exercise negative body image exercise family eating patterns exercise cravings exercise consequences exercise sabotage exercise

this is the end of this e-book t ha nk y ou f or j oin ing us i n t h is pr ogr a m !

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