| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| hambone |
Posted - 01/25/2009 : 09:47:30
Anyone tried EFT to release emotions causing TMS?
Depak Chopra, Candace Pert endorse it.
Does it bypass need for deep therapy?
IF SO WOULD BE CRITICAL INFORMATION TO PUT ON FORUM. Thanks.
STEVEN T HAMBLIN |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Carmella |
Posted - 01/31/2009 : 06:51:18
I believe that EFT (and Prayer) can work quite effectively together with the Sarno work. Here's why:
Every word we speak or take in forms a synapsis chain in the brain and the brain stores it, much like we would store our pictures and documents in our computers. I have a bird file in my pictures, and as time goes by the file gets bigger and bigger.
If someone says, "I hate my nose" it is stored in the file with all the other times "nose hating" was an issue.
In EFT, a person begins tapping, "Even though I hate my nose..." and this negative FILE is opened!
Then the person says, "Even though I hate my nose, I deeply love, accept, and respect my nose. I choose to appreciate and like my nose."
What is happening is that you have opened a file that is corrupted, and you refresh and repair the file. R&R.
Example:
I moved to florida 8 years ago, and have had a severe fear of lightning storms. It became so unbearable when the storm season began, I was in constant stress from it.
I spent several hours of EFT work on myself. "Even though this lightning.... on and on,
I visted every lightning belief and event in my memory...
to where I finally tapped, "Even though this lightning could strike and kill me, I trust in the Almighty because He directs every bolt. Be still and know that He is Elohim!"
That was the final word. My family was AMAZED, because I even would swim during an approaching storm suddenly. I no longer crawled under the table during storms. I see them now as a beautiful creation, and entrust my life to my Creator.
I have not yet been able to rid the pain though, but EFT really works on phobias, and if I can tap into the event and or emotion of what's causing the pain, then maybe it will help there too.
EFT has also helped me to lessen anxiety attacks.
It's helped me to deal with very painful events...
Carmella
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| Dagnabit |
Posted - 01/30/2009 : 22:20:33
The tapping is probably not necessary, the benefit may be from exposure to the emotions.
While Dr. Sarno does not emphasize feeling repressed emotions, one of his colleagues, Dr. Robert Evans does. Dr. Evans writes on page 179 in The Divided Mind:
"......in psychotherapy for people with psychosomatic disorders, therapists help them to observe themselves in the act of repression and become more in touch with emotions like fear, anxiety, guilt, anger, rage, shame.......................and so on........" |
| tcherie |
Posted - 01/27/2009 : 17:39:12
Marsha,
That was well said, indeed. |
| Northerner |
Posted - 01/27/2009 : 14:11:36
Here's two EFT studies. The second one leads me to believe that the effectiveness of EFT is due to the participant's effort or the cognitive therapies it uses, and not the tapping.
Wells et al. study
The first study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology in 2003 (indexed in the MEDLINE database) and funded by the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology, involved 35 patients with a phobia of small animals receiving a single treatment with EFT. The authors concluded that their findings were "largely consistent" with the hypothesis that EFT can reduce phobias of small animals in a single treatment session, but that methodological limitations in the study prevented any firm conclusions being drawn.[1]
Waite and Holder study
The second study, published in The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice in 2003 (indexed in the PsycInfo database), was conducted by Waite and Holder on 119 University students who reported specific fears or phobias.[2] This study compared four groups: A group that received a single-round regular EFT; a second group that received the same treatment except that they tapped on points in the arm that are not part of the standard EFT protocol; a third group that received the same treatment except that they tapped on the corresponding meridian points on an inanimate object (a doll) and a fourth group that was asked to make a toy. The participants were asked to self-report their fears before and after treatment on a SUDS scale.
The first three groups did statistically better than the fourth group, but there were no significant differences between the three tapping groups. That is, the groups that tapped on sham points and on the doll did just as well as the EFT group, but all three groups did better than the no-treatment group. Since the group that used the doll was not tapping on meridian points yet still benefited equally, the authors suggested this as a falsification of the claim that EFT is effective because of an energy meridian system.
One proponent has tentatively suggested that the efficacy of EFT in the 'doll' group reflects the action of mirror neurons[3].
Here's the source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_Freedom_Techniques |
| winnieboo |
Posted - 01/27/2009 : 08:36:41
Great post, Marsha. My husband is this amazing person who is never sick or in pain, even though like everyone else he experiences a lot of stress. It just doesn't go into his body. He doesn't dwell on things. He had a completely screwed up childhood, too, mine was just mildly painful compared to his (and mine was no picnic), and I'm the one with the anxiety and the TMS struggle. So I think you're right Marsha, you don't have to experience the emotional pain, my husband doesn't and he could have probably read Sarno if he did have pain, and he would have been one of those two-day recovery stories. Unwittingly, I think my husband can just store his pain in his unconscious and it works out for him...maybe he has a bigger unconscious like they say some people have bigger stomachs than others.
Unfortunately, for me, being that I am a TMSer and more emotional than the average Joe, it's more complicated. Maybe I have a lower emotional IQ or an impaired emotional capacity, but in order to get any peace, I have to understand what happens to me and that's just not easy for me. Maybe this is at the crux of my husband's emotional success. He's somehow able to compartmentalize things better, or settle things within himself and then just let go of all the thoughts connected with whatever it is.
Making sense of my past or present--well, I just think in a convoluted way about most things. On good days, I congratulate myself for being philosophical and thoughtful, but the reality is that nothing is simple and most situations heave through me leaving conflict and emotion that needs to be dealt with or handled or flushed and up until recently, I wasn't too efficient in recognizing that this was case. I would just get overwhelmed by day-to-day stresses that would heap onto to the stress that I was already carrying around. So I think you're absolutely right, in theory that's absolutely how it works and we all get that at some point, after we've journeyed for awhile, but I also think that for many of us, it's more complicated.
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| marsha |
Posted - 01/26/2009 : 09:37:11
tcherie,
Dr. Sarno says"you don't necessarily have to change anything....but you have to know". Learnig about those hidden feelings sends a message to your brain..ie. I am greatful for what you did to protect me from the feelings in my unconscious mind. Now I know about them and I don't need your help anymore..There is no longer a need for the pain.
I don't think you have to experience the emotional pain you only have to KNOW that it exists in your unconscious. Your brain will do the rest with some help from you. Journal and get rid of the fear. It isn't easy to take a walk when you are afraid your back and legs will hurt. Send the message to your subconscious that you know it is your barain causing the pain and TAKE THE WALK. Eventually your barin will get it.
It seems that most of us are working over time to get ride of the pain. In working so hard we are getting frustrated and angry.
Not a good thing considering anger fear and frustration got us here in the first place.
I know how hard it is to relax and take one day at a time. Give some time to journaling,talking to your brain and getting over the fear. Try not to dwell ..
Be optomistic.
Keep writing on this forum.
It has helped me begin to recover.
Marsha |
| tcherie |
Posted - 01/26/2009 : 09:12:27
I have a friend who told me about an emotional release therapy. He has various symptoms that I do not know are TMS, but supposedly the theory behind it is sickness can be caused by repressed emotions. The one time I went the doctor was able to pin point age periods when I suffered emotional stress w/o me telling him anything. It was something the equipment he used picked up. More specifically, if you are living your life outside of your core beliefs (i.e., you allow someone to live in your with you, but deep down you resent the intrusion on your space), this can cause physical symptoms if it bothers you enough.
His technique unlike Sarno may require resolution of the issue depending on the situation. I personally think it is all one in the same. What I mean is with Sarno, I feel that finding out your repressed emotions has caused individuals to change how they think, view, or react to a situation which causes the pain to go away.
I was unable to continue seeing the doctor because he told me specifically that what was affecting my health was something that I would need to resolve. I already knew what was stressing me, he just independently was able to discover it. He said resolving my issue would relieve alot of my stress, bring me peace, and hence my body would start calming down.
I have gotten better strictly following the TMS techniques, but I do feel that as long as something in my life is bothering me to the core I may have mild allergies and muscle aches.
So I believe there is more than one way to skin a cat. Reading a book, following amir's technique, journaling, ignoring the pain, seeking psychotherapy, EFT, positive attitude, crying, whatever it takes.
Right now, I am personally not happy (not depressed)with some things in my life. I do not know if just knowing the pain is due to tension will make me feel better physically. I do think for me changes are needed. If someone has gotten better without changing anything in their life than I would be interested in hearing more. |
| Logan |
Posted - 01/26/2009 : 09:06:07
I have to agree with Dave and LTS. There are no shortcuts around the self work it takes to get free of TMS.
It took me about a year of journaling, behavioral reconditioning (on my own), some therapy, learning how to feel and express anger/sorrow etc.
Several years later, just this year, I have had some amazing success with EMDR therapy (w/ a trained psychotherapist), which has helped me get free from a lot of PTSD generated anxiety from childhood incidents.
I do not think, though, that it would have helped me get free from the TMS pain. I think that you really do have to work consistently over several months, at least, through journaling and reconditioning etc., on the way in which your conscious and subconscious interact.
Good luck on that journey! |
| Dave |
Posted - 01/26/2009 : 08:13:28
There are no shortcuts, no magic bullets. Read Dr. Sarno's book and follow the treatment suggestions. |
| LuvtoSew |
Posted - 01/25/2009 : 10:33:50
I rather feel its just a gimmick. I downloaded the instructions
and it did nothing for me. |
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