EFT/Tapping Q and A Podcast with Gene Monterastelli – Emotional Freedom Techniques

Another Sept. 11th has come and gone. I spent time this year on a flight in to NYC and I took a walk at sunset to look at the city and the memorial lights (see photo) from my home in Brooklyn. I am not one who gets caught up in anniversaries of this type. I often think we spend too much time on the anniversary and not a enough time the rest of the year thinking about the ramifications of trauma and violence in the world. It is easy to feel like we are too small or the conflict is too far away for us to have an impact, but when we are peacemakers where we are it ripples out and it is significant. Take a few moments and tap with me on becoming a peacemaker.

I recently had a conversation with one of my clients. She started the call by saying, "I have some great news! I am no longer a doormat. I am asking for what I need. I am only helping others in a way that is healthy for me. Most importantly I am able to say 'no' to others when I want to!" After sharing this story in my newsletter many people wrote to me asking how they could achieve the same change in their own lives. There are three main areas we can tap for when it comes to uprooting a doormat disposition. In order to enjoy the lasting effects of this transformation I would recommend regular if not daily tapping on these issues. I encourage you to listen to the audio at the end of this post for examples of tapping for these three areas.

One of the things I love most about tapping is its flexibility. Not only can it be used on a wide range of issues, but it can be used in a numerous ways. Steve Wells and his colleague David Lake have spent years playing around with the basic EFT recipe. They asked what worked, what didn't work, and how it could be improved. In the end they created something they call Simple Energy Technique (SET) which is a user friendly collection of the best of the best techniques. In this interview Steve talks about the ways in which SET is similar to and different from EFT. SET is so simple and straightforward that you will be able to add the parts you find useful to your tapping right away.

A huge piece of who we are is where we came from. Our personality and our beliefs are shaped from a very early age by the people around us and the stories they told. We describe ourselves by our family name, our heritage, where we grew up, and our nationality. This type of connection to our past is important and healthy, but there are times when it becomes a problem. It becomes easy to use these descriptions of who we are as a way of limiting ourselves unnecessarily, for example:

Taking care of others is an easy thing to do. We see needs, suffering, and struggle. We respond. Often times (I know at least for me) it is hard for us to extend the same type of care and concer for ourselves. In this interview with EFT Master Loretta Sparks we talk about some of the most common reason that caring people have such a hard time taking care of themselves. We also talk about a number of really simples tools and steps that can be implemented right now to make it easier to care for yourself.

Years ago a friend of mine wrote a book called "Real Love In A Pizza Love World". In English at least, love is a tricky word. We use it for so many things, and in so many ways, that sometimes it can be hard to get our mind wrapped around the idea of wanting to be loving and be love. In this interview with Terry Lynch we talk about the way she approaches the word love, and also demonstrates the protocol of EmoTrance on me.

One of the questions I receive a lot from people new to tapping is, "Aren't you worried that you will tap something bad in?" That is a reasonable concern. Often when we are tapping we are saying phrases about how we would like our life to be better while we are tapping. From the outside it almost looks like we are driving the positive phrases into our body and our mind. But that isn't what is really happening. Instead, from my point of view at least, we are in the process of clearing out inaccurate beliefs and perceptions. In this podcast I explain what I think is really happening when we are tapping, how we can be more successful with our tapping, and why the big pink eraser I have in my front pocket informs the way I tap.

Shame is the most powerful, self-defeating and crippling of emotions. In this interview I talk to Rhona Clews about the power of shame, how it is created, how it is toxic in our lives, and how we can use tapping to clear it out.

Tapping Q and A is a labor of love for me. It is a very personal site, written from a very personal point of view. It is far from the only EFT site out there, and I have never claimed it is the best EFT site. It is simply my point of view on what might be helpful. From time to time I like to share with you why I created Tapping Q and A, my goals for it, and what you can do to get the most out of the site. This way we are all on the same page.

Last weekend I had the chance to speak at the Spring EFT & Energy Gathering (Northeastern USA) just outside NYC. I was asked to speak on EFT and Self-Sabotage. My talk was about 5 lenses we can use to figure out the core issues of our self-sabotage. After explaining them I share how we can tap for those issues once they are identified.

On some level most people who smoke really want to quit. Even though the will to change is strong in the larger context of their lives, it is really hard to motivate change in the moment because "one cigarette won't kill me." Usually smoking isn't the core problem, but symptomatic of a larger issue. In this interview Sue Beer and I talk about how we can use EFT to stop smoking.

I recently did a survey of some of my favorite professional tappers. One of the questions I asked was, "Who in the field is doing the most controversial and experimental work?" The name that came back the most was Robert Smith. I have done a number of reader surveys over the years asking who you’d like to hear on the podcast. Of practitioners who have not already been interviewed, who is nominated most often? Robert Smith. So after a number of false starts I finally have an interview with Robert about Faster EFT. I find Robert's approach very thoughtful and that I agree with his world view about healing.

Sometimes there is a clear entry point to a problem. There is a past moment we keep reliving where we see exactly what went wrong. Other times there is a clear pattern we are trying to change, like emotional eating, where we can tap on specific actions that are happening regularly. But this is not always the case. Sometimes there are issues beneath the surface which affect us more generally, such as low self esteem, and it’s difficult to know how to tap for them. In this interview I talk with Lindsay Kenny about a simple process that we can use for these issues. I would encourage you to have a piece of paper and pencil to hand as you listen.

We live in interesting times. Every morning when I wake up I am bombarded with friend requests, invitations to attend events, fund projects, and try new programs. At the exact same time it is possible for me to go through an entire day and not have one single profound connection with another person. In this conversation with Rick Wilkes we talk about how scary it can be to put yourself out in the world with the intention of making genuine connections when it feels like we will be judged. This is Rick's fourth appearance on the podcast. The reason I have him back so often is because he is so insightful! This conversation is one of my favorites and I really encourage you to listen to it!

Please read this carefully! I am only making this offer available to 7 people. This is not one of those fake offers like a business that has been having a going out of business sale for five years. Only 7 spots! (And you will see why there are only 7 as you read on.) If you don’t want to read this long note...no worries. You will receive the regular newsletter on Thursday with links to the resources you have come to expect from Tapping Q and A. Gene