Exercise 6: Absolute Acceptance... Tapping For Freedom
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
“The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise”.
—Alden Nowlan
We have tasted self-acceptance. It may feel really good, and there may still be resistance to it. However you are feeling, trust that you can and will shift energy when you are ready. We are going to explore a healing method that will help us with this. It is called the Emotional Freedom Technique, and was pioneered by Gary Craig, a Stanford engineering graduate and a minister with the Universal Church of God, a non-denominational church which embraces all religions. The information comes from his website, as well as the website of his student, Dr Joseph Mercola; www.mercola.com. Gary Craig offers a free download of a beginners EFT manual, as well as an affordable video/audio course. If you find benefit from this process, you might consider learning the advanced techniques with the visual information in the course. (In addition to these sources, I’ve added some of my tips from my own practice.)
This process is very simple to learn, and can be self-applied. It is also very powerful, as it works to directly shift energy through absolute acceptance. Here’s how it works:
“EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments for over five thousand years, but without the invasiveness of needles. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest while you think about your specific problem—whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, pain—and voice positive affirmations. This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive affirmation works to clear the "short-circuit"—the emotional block—from your body's bio-energy system, thus restoring your mind and body's balance, which is essential for optimal health and the healing of physical disease (www.mercola.com).
There are two basic parts to this process. The first part is:
Tapping meridian points: The tapping is done with either the first two fingers (the pointer and middle) of each hand, which is how Gary does it, or with all the fingers of each hand, which is how Dr. Mercola does it. You can also tap alternately, one hand then the other, or both at the same time. Try both ways and see which you like best. The points to tap are:
- On the crown of the head, right on the middle, with one hand tapping on each side.
- At the beginning of the eyebrow, in the area of the brow chakra.
- On the part of the skull around the outside of the eye, just below the temple.
- On the bone directly below the eye.
- On the area just below the nose (this one may be more comfortable to tap using just one hand, or using just the first two fingers of each hand.)
- In the dimple just above the chin (same as above)
- On the point just under the clavicle bone, in the middle of the chest (about ½ to 1 inch under and ½ to 1 inch to either side of the u-shaped depression below the throat)
- On each side of the body, about 4 inches directly below the armpit
- On each wrist (one fun way to try this is to cross the hands horizontally in front of the body, one on top of the other, so that the fingers of each hand touch the wrist of the opposite hand)
(These are the original points for this technique. I go on to tap 4 more points, because this feels good to me. They are: On the sides of the hip, at the hip bone; at the base of the spine, on either side of the tailbone; just above the knees; and on the bottom of the feet, right in the center of the arch. The last one can be alternated, or, you can access this point as well as all the others nicely in the yoga lotus position, if you are comfortable with it. Try these last 4 points as well as the traditional ones to see if they enhance your experience)
Try tapping each of these points now, to familiarize yourself with them. Do this a few times to memorize the order.
The second part of the Emotional Freedom Technique is speaking what I call the “absolute acceptance affirmations.” These are said while tapping each point. There is a general formula for this, and you fill in the blank: Even though.....
The blank can be virtually anything you are uncomfortable with. It could be describing physical states, such as;
“Even though my back is stiff and painful, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I have a toothache, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I carry extra weight, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
It could also describe emotional states, such as;
“Even though I carry long buried rage from the past, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I am feeling sad and hopeless, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I am terrified to express myself with others, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I feel guilty being happy when so many are suffering, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
Or it could describe mental energy, such as;
“Even though I think I am a failure in life, I deeply and completely accept myself”
“Even though I am critical toward my partner, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I carry judgments about people who are homeless, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though I think unkind thoughts about the president, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
In addition to these “inner” states, almost anything that feels “unacceptable” to you could be addressed this way, such as;
“Even though the country I live in is at war with another country, and many people are suffering greatly as a result, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though the car I drive contributes to the poisoning of Mother Earth, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though the great forests, living, breathing life support systems of the planet, are being destroyed by humans, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though a tsunami killed thousands of people in Asia, and caused huge grief for many people, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
You get the idea. Anything you dwell on, or anything that disrupts your flow, anything that you do not accept, or think is “wrong,” can fill in the blank. Another part of this is that these stuck energies often have layers. There may be a deeper, more core emotion or thought lurking under the surface. Many of the surface beliefs and feelings that we experience are symptoms of core issues, original energy blocks. As you are tapping and saying the affirmation, pay attention to your energy flow. Do you feel more clarity coming, a deeper layer? Do you feel the veils lifting, revealing core blocks? If you feel the statement changing, finish tapping through the original statement, then tap for the new, clearer level of the issue.
For example, if you are working with the statement, “Even though I am feeling very angry with my son, I deeply and completely accept myself,” you might find a layer under that, which might be: “Even though my son’s behavior triggers my repressed anger, I deeply and completely accept myself” Tapping for this statement might then reveal an even deeper, core layer, such as: “Even though I am carrying long buried rage, I deeply and completely accept myself”
In the UMS meditation course, you did a meditation called Falling Through The Layers, (Meditation #2 on disc # 2). This is a very similar process. Eventually, the energy shifts, and energy can again flow freely in that area of your energy field. This process is a powerful and effective way to free up stuck energy caused by thoughts and beliefs that don’t resonate with you.
When you use this technique, as you begin to apply it more and more to triggering situations in your life, a shift will occur in your consciousness. You will become aware of your core issues in a way which is very freeing, and makes them much easier to release in the present moment. You will see your patterns, and the origins of these emotional and mental habits, more clearly. You are waking up, shedding skin, rebirthing yourself. You are affirming your true self.
“There comes a time in each life like a point of fulcrum. At that time you must accept yourself. It is not any more what you will become. It is what you are and always will be.”
—John Fowles
Next: Affirmations Exercise #7: Write About Your EFT Experiences >>