Hi - for the last few months I have been using EFT to sort through some chronic pain issues and get in touch with their underlying causes.  I recently tried Dr. Carrington's Choice Method and have been doing extra tapping (and maybe tapping with more pressure than I normally do & more frequency since I'm so enthused about it).  Yesterday I noticed pain in my wrist (dominant hand) as well as in both hands on top of the hands near the base of the thumb and underneath (fleshy part of the hand).  I'm curious if the pain can be brought on by the tapping itself or maybe it's just the underlying emotional issues I'm bringing up.  It's weird because I've never had hand pain before.  I'm sure it will go away (and it's the least of my "problems" :-) but thought it was an interesting development.  I have been stressed lately; I'm in my last year of law school and feeling unsure if my life is going in the right direction...so maybe it's a manifestation of that.  Thank you for any insight!

Hello Asia,

Tapping like this isn't something you've probably ever done much of before... it's likely that your hands and wrists may take a little time to adjust, especially if you're doing it more often and "enthusiastically" as you say.  It could be that maybe you're tapping a little too hard -- and if so, you can lighten up a bit... maybe massage your knuckles; stretch your hands and wrists between tapping; or just back off a bit.

 WITH THAT SAID... what I really believe is happening, is that you're naturally finding your alternative tapping points!   When I first began working with EFT, I made some major breakthroughs by noticing when/where these little pains began to pop up -- and using them as "alternative" tapping points in addition to the EFT basic recipe.   Go ahead and tap directly on them (but also keep doing the basic recipe).  For me, they always (surprise-surprise) corresponded perfectly with some published acupuncture meridian point.

 Now when I tap, I notice all sensations immediately -- even if something just seems like a small "itch" -- I follow it... allowing those sensations to guide me as to where I need to tap.  It's also a great way to "Chase the Pain".  For me, I find that when one of the tapping points is sensitive, it's because something is blocked there, and I tend to tap longer on that point -- which then clears completely.  I experience that a lot when using the Karate-Chop point, the 9-Gamut and many alternative points on my head and face.  I typically check the tapping points on both sides to see whether one side might be more sensitive than the other --  in which case, I always choose the spot most "sore" to tap on, regardless of which side I'm doing my general tapping on.  

There are websites you can search online that post fairly detailed pictures of where the acupressure meridian points are. 

I hope this helps! 

Kindest regards,

Hi Leigha,

Thank you so much for your insight; it really rings true to me what you've said.  Thinking about it, I have done more intense tapping previously (without any painful side effects) and really believe it is energy stuck in those points.  I hadn't even considered tapping on them!!  I do find that some points are more tender than others in my tapping and, intuitively, with the "standard" tapping points (like under eye) I had a feeling I should pay extra attention to it...but not for the pain in my hands/wrists.  This is a fascinating thought.  I am just thinking about when I added my head/crown as a tapping point, how on different days (or different issues I tapped on) I would feel a slight tingle on my right or left side of my head - a definite shift...

I just tried your suggestion of looking up which meridian points match up with the pain in my hands and they completely match up with the chronic issues that led me to discover EFT!  While I should probably save this for the chronic pain forum, I feel like I should mention that the interior points on my hand correspond with lower abdominal pain, bladder pain and sex organ pain --- all have been chronic issues for the last five years!!  While I have run the gamut of trying traditional and non-traditional methods of healing, I have suspected it to be an emotional cause because it followed an intensely stressful period of my life (and I have received a million different diagnoses, depending upon the dr.).  I am really excited to add this to my tapping and so thankful at your suggestions Leigha.  It is so interesting to me how our bodies "speak" to us.  With all of the pain I have been experiencing, I never before noticed pain in my hands like this - maybe I just wasn't in tune to it.  I have been trying to block out the pain for so long (since I didn't know how to get rid of it) and just pretend it wasn't there...my way of coping.  I now realize I have been aggravating the pain and not dealing with the underlying causes.  I am not sure entirely of the cause but have a couple directions/paths to go down...and now, new tapping points to add!

Warm regards,

Asia

 You're very welcome Asia!   There are a lot of really interesting ways to work with pain and the "prescription" varies (of course) depending on the person and situation.  One great technique is to spend some time thanking and accepting the pain... sometimes we even apologize to "it" for us not having recognized that it was trying to communicate and help us.  Speak to it as you're tapping your rounds... verbally follow it around your body by calling it out.  For example, if you were working a pain in your abdomen, at each point you may be saying something like, "this pain in my lower right abdomen".  When you notice it is moving, let it know you noticed, saying something like "I feel you shifting into my hip".

 I often do personify the pain symbolically (but only if a client is comfortable with that) calling the pain "you" and even playing a game of "hide & seek" with it.  Just use your intuition and determination!

Blessings,

Over the last few days I have been really aware of where my pain is shifting.  One noticeable way is in my hands - I have added them as alternate tapping points, like you suggested, and feel like I am making so much progress.  It seems when I do extra tapping on all the hand points, I really get in touch and clear up issues quicker.  It's crazy how much my hands are teaching me!  In a few rounds I would get sensations in my feet too (and tapped there as well).  I am very much more in tune to that now.  I have also noticed reduced pain in my abdomen even though I have not been directly tapping on that pain...I just feel a little calmer overall. :-) 

 I am going to next work on thanking and accepting the pain.  So far I haven't noticed that pain shifting (or maybe I was not in tune with it).  On other things -like headaches- I have seen a shift where the pain moves.  I am going to pay extra attention to my chronic pain and see if perhaps it is subtly shifting and I just didn't notice it before.  I am eager to try the techniques...and report back...thank you again.