Part 3

Many people have a problem losing "just a few" pounds. I am one of those people. Sometimes someone who is not at their ideal weight is made to feel bad about themselves (of course this is always a choice), because they aren't obese. I personally feel right now that the additional weight I am carrying is partly because if I lose it, other people might feel bad. How silly. We should not take on others emotions, we certainly have enough of our own. I think I'll be tapping on that! Blessings, Dawn


Part III
Hi Everyone,
Dr. Carol Look provides us with another installment in her weight loss series. Please notice the many insightful Set Up phrases aimed at the underlying emotional issues.
Hugs, Gary

My client, "John," was very dissatisfied with his body and wanted to address his "weight issue." Despite "getting away with" an extra 15 pounds because of his height and build, he was still unhappy and uncomfortable. Eating sweets in the office as a mood lifter or physiological pick-me-up was his main weakness. He is settling into a new job and finds himself reaching for sweets when he feels anxious, in a bad mood, or is grappling with confidence issues. Since we had been successfully using EFT for his fear of success and fear of envy, he was very open to using EFT for weight loss.

I offered John a plate of peanut M & M's and a small piece of wrapped chocolate. He attributed his low craving/urge to our having an appointment during the morning when he wouldn't ordinarily experience cravings. Nonetheless, he managed to focus in and rate his craving at about a 3 or 4 on the 0-10 scale. When his first impression of the chocolate changed from "inferior, not rich enough to produce a craving" to "oh, now I see that's pretty high quality chocolate," his urge went up. We tapped as follows....

"Even though I crave eating sweets, especially when I'm anxious...I deeply and completely accept myself anyway."

He instantly felt more relaxed and was far less interested in the chocolate. We tapped again....

"Even though I reach for sweets because I think they'll make me feel better..."
We then talked about John's family's attitude toward food when he was young. He said, "I never told you about this? My father hated and still does hate fat people." John said he was continually criticized for eating too much, for being sluggish, and for enjoying reading novels and writing rather than playing sports as a kid. (Please note that John is now an extremely successful writer with both a staff job and several freelance projects for which he is well paid) We tapped as follows....

"Even though my father hated how and what I ate..."
"Even though my father criticized me for being overweight as a child..."
"Even though my father wanted me to exercise instead of read..."
"Even though I wasn't accepted for who I am..."
"Even though he never accepted me for who I was/am..."

John wept during and after this last set up. He said his self-esteem was incredibly low during adolescence because of his father's constant criticism and obsession with his weight and what he ate. He was surprised by the intensity of the emotion and then admitted that not being accepted by his father was the most painful part of his life he could remember.
John then remembered feeling inadequate and poorly about himself in school. We tapped....

"Even though I felt ashamed of my body and the extra weight..."

Two tapping rounds aimed at his shame reduced the intensity of the emotional pain to a faint feeling of discomfort. He was able to take a deep breath and relax. John then went on to describe other emotions connected to his daily eating habits. We tapped as follows....

"Even though I feel guilty EVERY time I eat..." and
"Even though I feel guilty spending money on food...I deeply and completely accept myself anyway."

There's nothing like intense guilt to trigger more anxious eating.
For John, having a high enough salary to enjoy sophisticated New York restaurants whenever he chooses has caused him a great deal of guilt. He feels disloyal to his parents for being successful and for spending money on dining out. He struggles with guilt each and every time he and his friends eat out at a restaurant.

When I saw John 2 weeks later, I noticed his face looked thinner. He confirmed that he had been surprised when he looked in the mirror and noticed it too. The last time he checked, he had lost at least 5 pounds. He had been tapping on himself for mild cravings and general anxiety, and found that it had been surprisingly easy to control his portions and avoid sweets--except for an occasional dessert. He felt in control, relaxed and more peaceful.
I am continually impressed by EFT's effectiveness in the areas of compulsive overeating and weight loss. I hope this case offers more encouragement to the list members who are overeating to manage and tranquilize anxiety. EFT works for weight loss if you use it consistently AND if you address the deeper underlying emotions that are being anesthetized by food.

Dr. Carol Look

Expert, part 2

My favorite part of the series. Often we are hanging on to more than just weight.

Blessings, Dawn

Part II
Hi Everyone,
This is the second installment in Dr. Carol Look's series on weight loss. This one is rich with quality wordings and Set Up phrases. It also contains an interesting way to approach unrealistic beliefs (I comment on this within Carol's message).
Hugs, Gary

This is the second installment in a series of cases that came out of one of my "EFT For Weight Loss" classes. As you will note, getting to the underlying feelings, images, and emotional drivers is a must if there is to be any progress.
"Jan" tapped along with the whole class for "Even though I have these chocolate cravings..." and "Even though I feel deeply deprived." She had used the "cravings" round on herself so often that she didn't have any real cravings when I displayed the chocolates to the class. The issue of deprivation didn't ring many bells either. It was not until I asked the class to tap for...

"Even though I don't feel safe leaving my comfort zone of weight..."
...that her ears perked up. The whole class tapped several rounds with various wording addressing the "Fear of leaving my comfort zone..." and "Even though I feel more comfortable staying where I am...." After these rounds, the meaning that surfaced for Jan was "With this weight, I know who I am...what would I really be like if I changed and lost the weight?" This was an important fear that was revealed.

After the lunch break, Jan announced she had finally gotten in touch with a primary block/ fear to her losing weight. She told the group she was afraid to end up old and wrinkly with dried up skin like her grandmother. This was not a newly uncovered fear. However, she had never experienced emotion attached to it before. (I suspect the morning's tapping cleared the way for this.) Jan tapped for "Even though I'm afraid to look like my grandmother..."
She then told the group that she was 100% convinced of the "fact," that everyone who loses weight will look old and wrinkly. She had other images of people who ended up just like her grandmother so we tapped for "Even though it's the truth that I'll look old and wrinkly if I lose weight..." We did a few more rounds for versions such as "Even though it's a fact I'll end up wrinkled..." and "Even though I'm convinced I can't lose weight and look good..." By the end of these rounds, Jan said she could relinquish her position on the "facts" about the end result, and said, "well, maybe it wouldn't have to be totally true."

GC COMMENT: This is an excellent way to approach a not-so-realistic belief. What Carol did was to attack the belief head on with several rounds of EFT. This has a way of loosening up the belief and allowing the client's cognition to become more realistic. I've seen this happen many times.

CAROL CONTINUES: Jan told the group that her grandmother was an extremely hard, critical and unpleasant woman to be around. "She was not a good part of my life." Jan had gone to see her in the hospital before she died and had a vivid memory of her looking skinny, ugly and completely shriveled up. She shuddered in front of the class when describing this memory.
So we tapped again, "Even though that image disgusts me, I deeply...." And "Even though I'm afraid to be anything like my grandmother..." as she had been told she already had a family resemblance to her. After the tapping, she said the quality of the picture had changed, allowing her to see herself differently. We also tapped for "I forgive my grandmother for being so mean and critical..." which led Jan to offer, "I guess she was only doing what she knew best."
In a follow-up phone conversation, Jan said that while I was addressing the class during her demonstration and suggesting some possible alternatives, (i.e., that she didn't have to lose all the weight at once if she didn't like the results) her "all or nothing thinking" began to fade. This was the first time she realized she had options and that she was the one in control.
Stay tuned for the next installment.

UPDATE: Dear Gary, Just a quick update on the recent post I sent you...that class participant (who was afraid to lose weight for fear of looking wrinkly and ugly) has lost five lbs in the one month since the workshop...She has continued to tap for her cravings for all things sweet and sugary, especially heavily sweetened southern iced tea.
Carol Look

Guest expert- 4 parts

By now, most people who had a goal to lose weight for the new year are starting to peter out. I have used EFT with tremendous results on all kinds of physical and emotional issues. I have not used it consistently on anyone to lose weight. I have used it myself with some success but I don't have a lot of weight to lose. So, I am going to share the best of the best, from EFT Master Carol Look. Here is part 1, if you can't wait for the other 3 parts, you can read the entire post on emofree. Go to:

http://www.emofree.com/Addictions/weightlossseries.htm

But just take them one at a time. Here is part 1. And I am going to follow it myself and let you know the results.

Dr. Carol Look's series on Weight Loss

Hi Everyone,

Dr. Carol Look provides us with a series regarding the use of EFT for weight loss. The subsequent installments are appended below. Notice the various well-worded Set Up statements and her pivotal, core-issue question, "What happened the last time you were at your goal weight?"

Hugs, Gary

By Dr. Carol Look

Part I

During my recent "EFT for Weight Loss" seminar, patterns and themes emerged that Gary suggested I write up as a series of posts for the EFT list. Please notice in the case below how simply treating an urge or craving for food fails to address the real emotional drivers that trigger compulsive overeating (which, of course, cause a client to maintain excess weight). Without the deeper work, effective treatment or lasting results will elude even the best of EFT practitioners.

During the weight loss seminar, I provided small DOVE chocolates as a prop to get participants salivating. I then asked the participants who felt a strong urge for the chocolate to come to the front of the room for a tapping demonstration.

"Ann's" craving for the chocolate was an "8" (on a 0-10 scale). She tapped for "Even though I crave this chocolate, I deeply and completely accept myself." After one round, the chocolate still smelled good to her, yet her craving/ urge was reduced to a manageable "4." However, she told the class she couldn't imagine passing up the Godiva chocolate at her favorite Barnes and Noble bookstore. (As is quite common, a new aspect had emerged). She tapped again: "Even though I can't resist the Godiva chocolate, I deeply..." The urge faded a bit and she thought she "might" be able to resist them. She tapped a second round for "Even though I can't resist Godiva chocolate..." as she pictured the familiar, fancy, gold boxes tempting her in the bookstore. She was finally able to "see" herself passing up the formerly irresistible chocolates, although she still had some doubts.

Then I asked the class to tap for "Even though I feel deeply deprived, I completely love and accept myself." This hit a nerve with Ann. She was able to feel even more confident and empowered to pass by the Godiva boxes and felt more understanding of the emotional drivers behind her food cravings.

Later in the workshop, Ann said she became quite anxious about the thought of reaching/imagining herself at her goal weight. We tapped for "Even though I don't feel comfortable losing the weight again..." and "Even though I can't picture myself reaching my goal." The class also tapped for "Even though I don't feel safe leaving my comfort zone..." and "Even though I feel more comfortable staying overweight..."

Later in the class, I asked participants a question I use with all my clients:

"What happened the last time you were at your goal weight?"

A light bulb went on for Ann. She was able to identify the source of her emotional resistance to picturing herself successfully reaching her desired weight. She revealed to the group that she associated reaching her goal weight with her first marriage which had ended quite painfully. She was quite surprised by this revelation, yet delighted to uncover this hidden connection.

In a follow-up phone call, Ann said she had been doing her daily tapping and was able to conclude that her "fears of intimacy and being hurt by love are definite contributors to my addiction to overeating." Trying to avoid these fears and anxieties had allowed her to overeat and put on the extra weight. This bright, experienced, successful psychologist with years of professional psychological experience and self-exploration said she felt "blown away" by the previously unrecognized emotional issues that were revealed by using EFT.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

Dr. Carol Look