Hello, I am an English girl, however I currently live in India with my partner.I am posting these on a couple of threads as I dont know where it fits best.The nearest EFT practitioner is 14 hour train ride away so I am trying to heal a (for me) complex issue alone. I started of enthusiastically and can definately say that it works for me in some way as tapping for a few rounds over a few days allowed me to stop clenching my teeth.

Now I am trying to work with the bigger issue. I have some weird sensations in my skin like pressure, pulling or tightening of the skin. The sensations have little by little spread over my body. I am in a lot of physical discomfort which gets me down a lot and  has even driven me to contemplate suicide, although other things in my life are currently good. The doctors havent found a physical cause for the sensations and it seems like the cause is my subconsious mind - although noone has really been able to explain to me how that happens and what is the mechanism - or why my mind reacts like that as I have never met anyone with a similar problem. the best medical solution so far I have found has been to ignore it which is hard. At the same time I have a lot of anxiety about these sensations because of the physical discomfort, and because I dont know how to make them go or even get some relief - they are there all the time.

the first time they came (10 years ago)I related the cause directly to a health scare that I had that made me worry alot about health and illness.However even after I stopped worrying and got on my life they were still there to some degree - but not enough to be too bothersome. Now about  year ago they got a lot worse. I dont know if the cause was worry about some back pain which the doctor thought may be arthritis(but not extreme worry or anxiety - just normal level), stress over where to live and how to manage financially(my partner is Indian and is incidentally very supportitive and understanding), general stress, or (unlikely)the fact that I started meditating and practicing simple pranayama (concentration on a mantra or my breathing increases these sensations temporarily). However tapping on these issues hasnt noticably reduced them so I wonder if what is keeping them there is partly my fear of them - but I cant just switch that off and ignore them as there is too much physical discomfort, so it all seems like a no hope viscious cycle at times.   The stress with sorting out practicalites with my partner has now gone and so has the back pain more or less.

Now in comes EFT and I have some hope that I may get some help with that. So far I have noticed mental shifts after EFT sessions  but I have problems with something that I havent ever seen mentioned on the website. After practicing EFT I am on a big high - super positive - my future seems bright, the physical discomfort seems more tolerable.But it is not fully a comfortable high. It is like I need a pill to come down from it - my thoughts are super active and I cant calm down or meditate. Its rather like I drunk strong coffee or took speed or something. Then after some time I come down from this state and stronger anxiety then before kicks in and I get down. After some days it stablizes and I am probably less anxious then before I started, but it leaves me wary of practising EFT again especialy if I have to be with people, go out etc. because I feel really strange swinging between these highs and lows.I dont think I am imagining this as I cant automatically create these mental states and I never expected this before starting.

What I am obviously looking for is a balanced mind - calm but positive - not highs and lows like that. I feel that I would like to practice EFT everyday to crack this problem and I dont want to leave it as I dont really have many other treatment options so I hope there is a solution for this side effect.I am supposing it has something to do with endorphins 

Can anybody advise me the best way to tackle the sensation / anxiety problem, and at the same time how to manage the unwanted side effects and keep my mind in balance.What things could I tap on?

Also if I tap on the sensations themselves and they dont go I feel some kind of anxiety that they arent going and it isnt working and I am a hopeless case. Anyway to deal with that mind? If the sensations are in all parts of my body to some degree or other should I tap for the whole body or specific parts? Also I cant really think of a core issue other than what I have already mentioned. Is there always a core issue and what to do if there isnt?

I would be very grateful for any help with any of these questions as it isnt easy for me to access a good practitioner.

Kind Regards to all and thank you for this forum.

I'm sure there will be others here that will suggest far better set up suggestions and EFT appraoches. 

I just wanted to insert that your post made me think of dissociation and how different parts of the brain sometimes control different symptoms and moods, which could be the cause of both things you described.  I would search for any articles on this website having to do with dissociation, parts, DID and related things and think about approaching things from a parts perspective.  Also it is so important for you to listen to those 'first' thoughts that enter your head as they can give you clues as to the issues to work on.

Here is one thread: http://www.emofree.com/Articles2/parts-shoulder-injury.htm

Blessings~

Thank you for that Kirsten - I am going to research now what you have said about dissociation. One thing someone said to me once is that the sensations have become for me like an obsession , or bad habit that the subconcious mind keeps producing. I dont know if that is true, but if so - and it does make sense in some ways although there must have been an original cause, is it possible to break that with EFT and how to proceed??

Thank you and best wishes.

A way to find the possible core issue was ask yourself when did this start.  What was going on in your life in the 6 months to a year before that?  Is there anything around that time that could feel intense if I were to allow myself to think about it?

Just asking the quesion, IF there were an emotional cause for this problem what would it be?  Often the answers pop up spontaneously.  If your partner asked the question then that would leave your subconcious free to speak.  

If you weren't thinking about your feelings and symptoms what would you have to think about instead?

Gill 

Hi, thank you so much for all your helpful replies and support -

 I AM finding a help now in lowering my anxiety and feeling more energetic and positive, but so far I am unable to find a way to releive this physical discomfort, or in fact any  - even a headache. In the EFT manual it says that relief from headaches is felt after a few minutes by over 90% of cases so I dont know if I am doing something wrong but I tapped for about an hour on it!. I have read the manual inside out and the website and did try to think of emotional reasons for keeping it etc.

The thing I would like suggestions on more than anything is that of core issues. I cant think of one or even a few specific traumatic events that made this situation. But if I think of my past it is rather long term stresses over time that may have made it.It is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack looking for one incident although it may exist and I have forgotton...

For example my mother was ill for a long time when I was a child. I cant remember one specific event about that but it definately caused stress, worry, fear and probably guilt too. What is the best way to deal with long term ongoing situations , rather than specific events? 

Also I have tried a little for specific (so far relitavely minor) events that I do remember (like the peace procedure) and the fact is that I know they bothered me at the time,  but now I dont feel any real emotion about them anymore, so it is hard to know if I have tapped on them enough so to speak, need to do so, or what emotions to mention.

It is all a little complex!!!

Thank you very much for your help - I will keep on alone tapping for the moment and depending on my progress see if there is any practical way to have therapy in the future.

Best wishes from Mere (my user name was just the first thing that came into my head when I signed up)

Hello Mere,

Don't give up!!! You are correct--your situation is complex. I am glad to hear that you are feeling less anxious and more energetic.

A technique that I have found helpful for repetitive events is called bundling baggage. You might want to try it.

A question that you might want to ask yourself is “What is the payoff for me keeping these headaches (or other symptoms)?” I would recommend asking your higher self after doing several rounds of tapping.

My hunch is that your headaches are trying to tell you something. You could ask you higher self, “What is the message that my headache (or other symptom) is trying to tell me?” Again ask after you have tapped for several rounds. Many times it can be something that is very obvious, but there may be a part of you that isn't ready to hear it...

When was the last time that you cried? It can be very beneficial to cry and tap. You don't need to say anything when you are crying—just tap on your points. If you find your sweet spot (one that feels extra good) it is OK to tap there more often.

EFT is great for helping release stuck energy. There is something really BIG that is stuck in your energy system. All of the emotions that you mentioned would be good to tap on. Know that you are Whole and Complete and that what you are dealing with are conditions that can clear, and that you deserve to be at peace.

I just  had another thought that I just had, "Who or what is under you skin?" "Who or what event would you rather not have been part of your experience?"

Mere, hope that some of this helps.

With love and compassion,

JoAnn

Hi and thank you very much for your message which is very useful - especially the idea of tapping when I cry, and thinking what is getting under my skin.

I am still now and then experiencing that thing I mentioned - that post tapping high - and I dont really like it. I feel wired and edgy and find it hard to sleep - and euphoric. But after the payoff is that I get more anxiety when it goes away - and take some days to get back to normal. I have never heard this and it makes me a little wary of tapping. DO you know anything about this, or know anyone who might?? I have tried tapping for it but it a little but it doesnt seem to help - I think it is somehow altering my brain chemistry but I dont know how or how to prevent that....

Any insights I will be very thankful for!!

Mere

Hi Mere,

Instead of tapping, have you tried touching the meridian, and inhaling and exhaling? Maybe you are reacting to the tapping. Maybe it is to harsh for you or it triggers something...

Gratefully yours,

JoAnn