Test Anxiety Relief

BSFF could be even more effective for anxiety.  Great study results here for EFT!

Great outcomes using EFT for test anxiety

A 2013 Staffordshire University study published in Innovative Practice in Higher Education found a significant reduction in participants’ test anxiety scores (using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS).  The Subjective Units of Distress (SUDS) p value was p<0.001, with the HAD being p=.003, and the HAD Anxiety Subscale p value being p=.001!  If you aren’t familiar with “p” values, those 2 zeroes after the decimal before an actual value means it was a very significant difference!

Participants using EFT have seen higher academic scores

The study was called “Tapping for success: A pilot study to explore if Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) can reduce anxiety and enhance academic performance in University students.” Previous to this study, a study done in Turkey found that students scored higher on exam scores after using EFT.  A Benor and colleagues study also found that EFT enhanced student test performance in Canada.  Looking to those studies, this current Boath, Stewart and Carryer study found that those students who used EFT regularly throughout the 8-week period had significantly higher grades than those who dropped out of the study or did not tap regularly.

So, does tapping make you smarter?  In short, more studies need to be done before that is determined. Could it be that smarter people are interested in tapping? Or did the tapping group just study more efficiently?  Or is it that they just felt better and had the time and energy to do the tapping?  (Because tapping enhances the energy system, it could be that the tapping increased their physical and mental energy, as well as their body balance (their “Chi” energy—) always a good thing.)  Findings in the earlier studies seem to point to increased academic performance using EFT regardless of the reasons!

EFT reduces anxiety symptoms

There are a number of completed studies that have found EFT to be successful in reducing anxiety symptoms, and this study bore that out again with very significant p values.  Participants found their test anxiety lessened as well as their overall anxiety.  A win-win for sure!

Now, just to clear the air, if you have tried EFT before and decided it doesn’t work for you, please know that there may have been things going on in your energy system affecting the outcome of your tapping.  That is where the other methods I’ve studied come in.  If you are interested in my life coaching services to help you increase your self-confidence in test-taking, to calm your test anxiety, to increase your focus in school work, or to help solve the puzzle of why your tapping isn’t effective, see the contact information above.

Self-Empowerment With Breath-Work

Breathing with Visualization and Meditation Very Helpful for Self-Esteem and More!

Something that can be very helpful to build self-esteem is as follows:

1. Think of something you want to heal, resolve, or change. The more specific the better.  (i.e. rather than, “my anxiety,” it would be “my fear of being seen as incompetent when I do such and such…”)
2. Come up with a symbol, metaphor, or a meaningful word to symbolize your fear. Then find one you want to replace it with—any symbol, word, etc. that is meaningful to you and helps you visualize or feel the desired state you want.
3. Now do the 1^st half of the Collarbone breathing routine (before changing hands) whilst meditating on the negative state you’re letting go.  (For a "how to" do collarbone breathing, see below.)
4. Then do the 2^nd half of the CB breathing whilst meditating on the positive change state you want. I personally like to do 3 sets of CB breathing for this exercise. Your goal is to let go of the negative and bring in the positive, when you feel you are in the desired state, hold on to that and relish it!
5. When you are done, meditate in the positive state with one hand on the back of your neck and one hand on your forehead.  (aka "Tappas Acupressure"). This will be even more effective if you know BSFF and use your cue word throughout, and close with the closing sequence.  
   
   
6. Do 2-3 times daily if possible (at least once daily) as you witness the change happen!
7. After each breathing session, think of 4-5 things you can endorse yourself for each time--or at least 7 things for which you are genuinely grateful.

Collarbone Breathing 

          Collarbone Breathing (“CB Breathing”) acts as a reset button to neurologically reorganize the brain.  It is helpful for clumsiness, fatigue while reading, low performance, clumsy gait, chronic procrastination, addictions & cravings, anxiety, OCD.  It is also helpful for ADHD, Learning Disorders, dyslexia, Tourettes Syndrome, schizophrenia, and a multitude of conditions that negatively affect lifestyle.  You can follow these links to learn CB breathing with Dr. Franzi Ng:

Introduction to Collarbone Breathing by Dr. Franzi Ng:

(8:59 min.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAe1zptu_jc  

Collarbone Breathing Only (1:42 min.):

Collarbone breathing only, Dr. Ng (1:42 min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb2o3HVvvNA

Building Self-Esteem (part 1)

This information is from McKay and Fanning's landmark book, Self-Esteem, 3rd Ed, an excellent book! (Combined with BSFF cuing, this approach can be extremely powerful!)

There are basically two self-worth categories: "situational" and "characterological."  Sometimes a person just has a situational problem or issue going on.  Many people will need to work with both categories, but here's a great start:)

There are 4 Situational Problems that Negatively Impact Self-Esteem 

1. The "Shoulda's" ("I coulda shoulda woulda!"--Beating self up relentlessly.)

2. Perfectionism (Not allowing mistakes and imperfections as a normal, growing part of life. You can even endorse yourself for having the courage to do something even if you make a mistake.)

3. Vulnerability to criticism (Work on not taking criticism personally--have a growth mindset and work on self-validation, acceptance, and considering where the criticism is coming from (is it a valid source?)) 

4. Non-assertiveness: It's ok that you have legitimate needs! Inventory your wants and needs. Work on putting your needs and your valid wants into words. Then work on saying those words and standing up for your validity as a person.  (It is also helps people when they focus on being grateful for what they do have:-).

Situational Self-Worth Work Bottom Line:

 Refute the critic, stop the thoughts (then change the thoughts), identify strengths (list & endorse), and accept yourself (trust in validity). Cue if you know how (see below.)

If you know BSFF then you can cue for failsafes and misbeliefs with each step.  Adding in scriptural truth can be SO powerful with cuing!  Read some positive scriptures into your phone and cue with them. Remember, use a juxtaposition, cuing on the negative thoughts, then thinking (or saying) the positive replacements and cuing on those. Toggle it back and forth, back and forth, until you start going right to the positive belief. Remember to end with the closing sequence (to seal the deal:-) at least morning and night.  I think you'll be amazed at the outcome.  More on this later!

TFT Now Evidence-Based: This is Dynamite!

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)'s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices just listed Thought Field Therapy (grandfather to Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)) as an evidence-based practice for the following conditions:

Effective Outcomes Using TFT

1. Personal Resilience/Self-Concept
2. Self-Regulation
3. Trauma and Stressor-related Disorders and Symptoms

Promising Outcomes Using TFT

1. Depression and Depressive Symptoms
2. General Functioning and Well-being
3. Phobia, Panic, Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD) and Symptoms
4. Unspecified and Other Mental Health Disorders and Symptoms

Why is "Evidence-based" status such a big deal?

An evidence-based status means it has been rigorously evaluated in a series of experimental evaluations, including randomized controlled trials, and has been found to make positive statistically significant differences in important outcome areas.  These findings have been supported by data repeatedly and is more effective than standard care or an alternative practice, and it can be reproduced in other settings. 

This is a huge step forward in mental/emotional healing and I am so excited!  If you're wondering, I have been trained in components of TFT through my Comprehensive Energy Psychology training.  It is similar to EFT, but uses specific algorithms in tapping sequences.  

Share the joy!

EFT Study on Major Depressive Disorder and More

A study using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) for depression was published in the Current Research in Psychology Journal on July 12, 2014.  I am excited about this study because the participants that continued in the study saw very encouraging outcomes.  A number of the participants had additional conditions that also improved such as General Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Bulimia nervosa, etc. With Major Depressive Disorder on top of all that, these participants had plenty of stress to deal with!

I was very encouraged at the results, with p values as low as .00 and .01, and 95% Confidence Intervals.  There were promising participant results on the depression, anxiety, and stress scales.  In Comprehensive Energy Psychology (CEP), practitioners who work with depressed clients initially focus on correcting at least part of the Human Vibrational Matrix (Energy Field) for the EFT tapping to be effective.  (They initially work on correcting “Deep Reversals” of the body’s polarity.)  For those who have not found success with EFT, it is very possible they have a deep reversal or other energetic disturbances that are curtailing the effects EFT could bring.  I have had really good success in getting to the underlying causes of the energetic imbalances with clients using a method I learned at my BSFF training.  

I am happy to share this news! The study is called, “A Feasibility Study:  Emotional Freedom Techniques for Depression in Australian Adults” by Stapleton, Devine, Chatwin, Porter and Sheldon, and found in Current Research in Psychology Volume 5, Issue: 1, pp. 19-33.  The link is: hescipub.com/abstract/10.3844/crpsp.2014.19.33.  I hope you can access it, but you may have to be a member of the journal in order to do that.  (It's worth a try.)

 In connection with EFT I have had really good results with Donna Eden's "Daily Energy Routine".  There are some EFT practitioners that require clients to do this 6 weeks before they even come into therapy.  So for your convenience, here it is:-)