Working with cravings using tapping to facilitate recovery from addiction

Working with cravings using tapping to facilitate recovery from addiction:

Healing and recovering from addictions include learning how to handle cravings without acting on them. Tapping can be a wonderful resource to be used alongside more common methods like ringing someone in your support network to share about it and mindfulness. The tapping can regularly completely resolve cravings when they arise. Unfortunately some cravings are implicit or out of awareness, so focused tapping is not so easy on these. The approach of SET, (Simple Energy Techniques) which also uses generalised tapping or energy toning, for up to an hour a day, whilst not focusing on any ‘problem’ in particular, can be very effective. It is also worth grafting continual tapping especially finger point tapping with the thumb on 1 hand, onto any addictive process, called acceptance tapping (all from SET) It is well worth checking out SET and Intention tapping, (Steve Wells) as it is very powerful and easily used for self help.

Here I discuss two approaches to using tapping with cravings.

 The first approach just targets the symptom (craving) although memories may spontaneously arise as you tap, which can then be resolved through tapping. Cravings and obsessive or addictive thinking are often ways to avoid feelings, which link back to unresolved issues from the past.

Please see advice about getting support with this.

The second approach, called following the energy (Karl Dawson} is a way to use tapping to discover the underlying feelings, traumas and beliefs which are often contributing to, or causing the cravings. These can then be cleared and healed with tapping. Both approaches start the same way. Please do not use the second approach without a practitioner to guide you and support you to start with, unless you are already very experienced in using EFT. Even then I would recommend getting help from a practitioner as you can make much better progress with help. Remember Connection is the opposite of addiction.

Managing a craving:

1)           Notice the craving you are having and/or the thoughts which you are having, which are tempting you to engage in the addiction (drink/use or act out the behaviour). Rate it out of 10 for intensity.

2)           Start tapping through all the points or just the finger points as you focus in on where you feel the craving in your body, or where you feel or sense the thought to engage in the addiction impacting your body.

3)           Alternatively, notice how you feel about the craving (such as frustrated or angry)

4)           Use this as the target for tapping. You can use EFT, ‘Even though I have this craving in my stomach, or ‘Even though I have this anger craving to smoke/use/ etc. I love and accept myself anyway….and then use a reminder phrase as you tap through the points.

5)           Notice how intense the craving or feeling is now and where it is and then tap, as you focus on that Continue this process until it reduces to Zero.

6)            Or continuously tap through the points as you focus your awareness on the craving, sensation or thought, without needing to say anything. (SET Steve Wells/David Lake)

Approach 2:

Finding the cause of the craving:

1)           Notice the craving you are having and/or the thoughts which you are having, which are tempting you to engage in the addiction (drink/use or act out the behaviour)

2)           Start tapping through all the points or just the finger points as you focus in on where you feel the craving in your body {eg stomach) or where you feel or sense the thought in your body.

3)           Notice what colour, shape, texture, density, sensation and sound the craving has, (eg a hot, black, gaseous, humming ball in my stomach)

4)           What emotion do you feel or sense in the hot, black, gaseous, humming ball? (eg shame)

5)           As you continue to tap, ask yourself when/where you first felt a hot, black, gaseous, humming ball of shame in your stomach like this.

6)           Often a memory will pop into your awareness. This is what you need to tap through. Notice what belief you took on during this memory and you can also find other memories with the same theme to tap on. You can ask yourself, where else you learnt this belief and work on that memory too.

Please seek help then dealing with these memories unless you are very experienced.

If you have a serious addiction, please seek professional help, and connect with some self-help groups too, such as the 12 Step Fellowships, or SMART recovery. You cannot beat an addiction alone, you will be dishonest with yourself.

Denial : Don’t Even Notice I Am Lying!

#eft #emotionalfreedomtechniques #practitioner #anger #anxiety #stress #ptsd