If you’re a teacher, student, or parent you may be interested in tuning into blogtalk radio on 13th May for the EFT in Schools show.  Host Eleanore Duyndam will be interviewing Paul Widdershoven, founder of School Made Much Easier, and his daughters, Erin Ness and Marlise Widdershoven, who are first year elementary teachers using EFT with their students.

Did you know that using EFT in schools can reduce test anxiety, improve relations, boost confidence, and create effective learning environments?

Click here for information about the show or to listen to the recording if you miss out on the live show.

Erin Ness and Marlise Widdershoven are going to share:

- How tapping helped them through their studies to become teachers

and

- How, when and where they now use tapping in their classrooms.

Paul quotes “Every week they call and tell me another amazing story of how tapping made a difference to their students. Tomorrow they are going to share their energy, passion and some of the creative ways they bring tapping into their classrooms with you too.”

To listen to the show click here

Cheers

Angie Muccillo
EFT Practitioner & Instructor
Remedial Massage Therapist (Member AAMT)
(BA Social Science- Psych/Soc)
(Dip Illustrative Photography – Fine Art/Photojournalism)
(Cert IV Remedial Massage)
(EFT-ADV)

Location

Sublime Massage Clinic
Hutton Street
Thornbury Melbourne

Vic Australia 3071

mob:       +61 417 391 055
sublime@pacific.net.au
angiemuccillo@gmail.com

Download and print this complimentary Kids Tapping Points Chart beautifully illustrated by Sheryl Tongue from the book Tapping For Kids.

This 2 page full color chart contains a tapping points diagram and the Happy Button Rap, a poem from the book Tapping For Kids which helps children to practice and remember the tapping points.

Using the Chart For Demonstrations

This chart is suitable for use in presentations and group/school demonstrations or to pin up in your child’s room. When you purchase Tapping For Kids from DragonRising you also recieve an audio recording of the Happy Button Rap that you can use with the Kids Tapping Points Chart.

 Click to download a PDF copy of the Kids Tapping Points Chart

Angie Muccillo
EFT Practitioner & Instructor
Remedial Massage Therapist (Member AAMT)
(BA Social Science- Psych/Soc)
(Dip Illustrative Photography – Fine Art/Photojournalism)
(Cert IV Remedial Massage)
(EFT-ADV)

Location

Sublime Massage Clinic
Hutton Street
Thornbury Melbourne

Vic Australia 3071

mob:       +61 417 391 055
sublime@pacific.net.au
angiemuccillo@gmail.com

A case study by Deirdre Brocklebank © 2009

I really enjoy doing EFT with children as I have found them to be generally very creative, open and usually co-operative, while doing the process. The young man that I am writing about in this article is an intelligent and spiritual young man of six years of age (when I first saw him) and I will call him Kyle.

I first worked with Kyle about six weeks previously when we tapped on his being bullied at school. He was initially tentative at that first session and he preferred having the door open while we did the EFT, so he could see his mother in the other room.

For his second session Kyle asked me to help him as he was scared of a dog monster that he saw in a television cartoon. He was also feeling scared during his swimming lessons because of his fear of sharks and crocodiles. He was much more relaxed and confident with me this session. I asked him whether he wanted the door open or closed while we did the EFT. This time he was quite adamant that he wanted the door shut so we wouldn’t be “interrupted”. He was quite subdued initially while telling me about the cartoon monster and he didn’t look me in the eye while he talked and tapped his karate chop point.

As he slowly gained confidence he started to look at me as I encouraged him to describe what the monster did and what it looked like. His confidence grew as I repeated his words and threw in a few of my words such as “ugly, spotty, silly old monster ‘. By this time his confidence was growing to the extent that he told me with glee that the monster did “blue farts” and that his grandfather had said “they shouldn’t show such bloody awful television cartoons to children.”

I made a few suggestions about how we could deal with the monster such as sending it into space or drawing it. He chose to draw it and then to burn the drawing. He insisted that we also burn all the matches that we used. He laughed about the monster going up in smoke and made sure that every bit of the drawing was burnt to ash. After the burning he tapped randomly on the head and body points for statements such as “the silly old monster and the gone to Monster Heaven monster.” I tapped along with him.

He agreed to do an EFT setup and round on the monster. As I mentioned previously, Kyle is quite a spiritual boy and I was impressed before we started tapping, when he looked at the sky and said, “If I look at the sky and look at God I can see my friends. My friends are John and Don.” He could also “see” his dog Darcy that had died. His friends are still alive and it was interesting to note that John was the friend who had been bullying him and he was the reason for Kyle doing the first session of EFT with me

Kyle asked me to tap on him and to speak the setup and he repeated what I said. The setup we worked out together was, “Even though I’m a little bit scared of the scary, smelly, blue-farty, pink and blue spotted monster I‘m a great, happy kid and mummy loves me.” I tapped through the points on him from the top of head to the karate chop using the descriptive words in the setup plus other choice ones that he contributed, including “yukky, stinky, jumping-from-tree and paper-ripping monster.”

Kyle said he “felt fine” after two rounds.

His second fear was about sharks and crocodiles and this also seemed to have stemmed from television shows. He had seen a surfer attacked by a great white shark on television and he had also seen crocodiles leaping out of the water at people on land and in small boats. I was very impressed when he told me with confidence that “crocodiles are like dinosaurs as they are about 100 million years old and they are still here and sharks are too.” He tapped randomly on himself while telling me this.

Kyle wanted to burn the drawing of the shark and the crocodile but as we had run out of matches he decided to tear the drawing into tiny pieces. I agreed to dispose of these later.

He seemed much happier after tearing up the drawing so I encouraged him to talk to me again about the shark and crocodile. I did this by asking him to pretend that he was swimming in the pool and to tell me how he felt. He said he still felt a bit of a “scaredy cat”. I tapped on him for the following setup. “Even though I’m a bit of a scaredy cat in the pool because of the shark and crocodile, I’m a great and happy kid and I’m stronger than anybody else and stronger than a shark and a crocodile.” The statements at each point from the top of head to the under arm, were based on this setup statement. After two rounds he felt “fine”.

Kyle was a much happier boy when we finished the session and he was quite happy for me to tell his mother what we had been tapping on. He even contributed to the conversation without any obvious anxiety or fear.

On the third session we tapped on his nightmares about dinosaurs. They seem related to his seeing dinosaur models in a museum about 20 months before. He described them as being100 feet tall, with grey/brown teeth about10 metres long. He was scared they were going to bite him. This has been a recurring dream as he mentioned that he woke up and rolled out of bed on another occasion because of a dinosaur dream and his mum came and saved him. We tapped two rounds for, “Even though the scary dinosaurs woke me up with a fright and I was scared, I’m a great kid and really brave and strong.” We then tapped one round of each of the following: “I now choose to sleep nicely.” “I’m a big, strong, brave kid.”

The thing that most frightened Kyle about the dinosaurs was their size. I told him about the fable of the elephant being frightened by a mouse and ad-libbed with parallels about his dreams and the dinosaurs – ie even though he is smaller than a dinosaur he is still brave and strong. (I asked him questions to ensure he understood about the differences in sizes of the animals and their comparative bravery). He agreed that the best way to deal with the dinosaurs was to tell them to go away if any more come back when he is asleep.

The value of the previous EFT work that we did on his fear of sharks was evident when he told me of another dream that he had had recently about a shark. In the dream he and the shark kept swapping teeth and finally Kyle got the biggest teeth and he bit the shark.

In the fourth session Kyle mentioned that his friend we had tapped for in the first session was bullying him again. I tapped along with him while he tapped himself for: “Even though every day John says ‘naughty, nice, going cookoo’ to me and its confusing and frustrating, I’m a great kid and I’m Okay.” We tapped two rounds for: “John gets in my head and it’s confusing and frustrating.” He felt a lot better and then tapped on himself for: “Even though I wish John wasn’t there I’m still a great kid.” This was followed by two rounds of the following: “I wish John wasn’t there but I’m still a great kid.” We then tapped together for “Even though I’m distracted by John I’m a great kid.” followed with two rounds of “I’m still distracted by John when he goes to the pencil sharpener.” He is a very insightful child and I was impressed when he told me that it was okay, because John only teases people because he is sad.

Kyle is very sensitive and he told me in a round-about way that his mother had been kicked at school when she was a child and it affected her back. He was worried that his sister would break his back because she kicks him. We tapped for: “Even though I’m worried that Suzy will break my back like what happened to mum, I now choose to accept and love myself and Suzy unconditionally.” He did one round of the main phrase then repeated the story while tapping the KC. He felt okay when thinking about it and changed the subject.

Kyle admitted that he occasionally still feels a bit scared of sharks when he swims in one particular pool because he can’t see the edge. However, once again the efficacy of the EFT that I had done with him in the earlier session was obvious. Instead of wanting to get out of the water, his strategy now is that if he thinks he sees a shark coming to get him, he just moves out of the way and it hits the wall.

His parents were discussing divorce and there was obviously a lot of strain in the family but Kyle did not mention these issues to me. Therefore, I only focussed on what he wanted to address. I will address those issues in the future if he chooses to raise them with me.
Deirdre Brocklebank
B.A. Dip Reflex Cert. IV in Assessment and Workplace Training, Theta Healing practitioner, EFT practitioner and teacher. Member RAA. d_brocklebank@hotmail.com  http://bodyandsole.wordpress.com

by Angie Muccillo © 2009

What is Imaginary Tapping?

“Imaginary tapping” is a useful technique children can use when they are in a situation where they are not physically able to tap, for instance during an activity where it is impractical to tap or in public where they may not want to be seen tapping. 

Instead of physically tapping children can just think about the problem and at the same time imagine they are tapping by visualizing the tapping points.

How to Use Imaginary Tapping

“Imaginary tapping” is simply done by visualizing the tapping points without actually tapping on them. The easiest way to do this is to imagine each tapping point “lighting up”. Your child may come up with their own alternative imaginative method.  Children have wonderful imaginations, so allowing them to choose a method that appeals to them can be very empowering and allows them to more readily remember it. Instead of “lighting up”, your child may choose to imagine that the tapping points open up like flowers or that they open like a door. Talk to your child about how they want to visualize their tapping points.

When To Use ”Imaginary Tapping”

As an example a child sitting in a dentist’s chair may experience discomfort, anxiety, fear etc during the procedure.  Without using words or set ups the child can simply imagine the tapping points while they feel upset. This is a very handy self calming method that can be used in the moment while experiencing the actual trauma.

How To Practice Imaginary Tapping

This technique whilst simple may require reinforcement at first. Practice and encourage “imaginary tapping ” with your child around the home so they can get used to the technique and this will help them remember how to do it when they are out and about.

Sit down and discuss with your child beforehand the types of circumstances where they may use this technique such as, during a game, in the change rooms before a race, around an animal that scares them, in the classroom, during a test etc The possibilities are endless!

Use gentle reminders. If you know your child is heading off to an activity where they could become upset remind them they have the ability to help themselves calm down by using “imaginary tapping”.

Why Use Imaginary Tapping?

This simple tapping variation is as effective as actually tapping the points and can broaden a child’s use of EFT. It can be used as an “emergency” procedure to help children calm down in moments of stress. This is an “in the moment” tapping technique which gives children the opportunity to tap there and then when the negative emotions are being experienced.

My thanks goes to the parent who purchased Tapping For Kids and who asked a question about this topic and raised the subject of what to do when her daughter is in a situation where she is not able to tap. If you have read the book and have any questions or topics you’d like to discuss please feel free to send me an email at angiemuccillo@gmail.com

Cheers!

Angie Muccillo (BA, EFT- ADV)
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Remedial Massage Therapist
Author of Tapping For Kids
Melbourne, Australia

mob: 0417391055
angiemuccillo@gmail.com

The following article, Reducing Childhood Baggage by Heike Prevrhal appreared in the EFT International newsletter and has been reprinted with permssion. I invite you to read this thoroughly entertaining, beautifully written account of Heike’s use of EFT with her 5 year old son. This is an exceptional example of the power of EFT and how it can help children clear very deep issues that may otherwise go on to become part of their adult baggage.

The following episode with my 5 year-old son Anton made me yet again so grateful for having EFT in my parenting toolbox that I want all parents to know about it.

It was an eye opener for me to experience first-hand how EFT addresses existing issues in children so comprehensively and deeply, and how it greatly contributes to avoiding some of the usual accumulation of emotional childhood baggage – what a blessing!

Here is the story. On a walk to the park Anton accidently ran head-on into a newspaper stand. His lips were bleeding a little bit, and a few bruises started to appear quickly. This was his third “severe” little accident within a few days. Anton is normally very healthy and not accident prone at all.

Now he was in pain, cried hard, and he was very upset. We sat down and I started tapping on him addressing the accident. “Even though I’m hurting, my face hurts, I’m still a great kid; I’m scared, I did not see this stand, it hurts, but I’m still a good kid, Mama and Papa love me,…”

He then kept saying: “Mama, mama” and we simply tapped on “I want my mama, mama!!! Mama!! I want my mama” (while he was sitting on my lap anyway), “I want my mama to help me, and I am a great kid, mama, make it go away!”

He calmed down a bit and then said:”I want to glue up this bad box with all yucky stuff, I am going to make it sooooo yucky that they will take it away! And then I’ll put so many coins in the slot that it’s completely stuffed up, and I’ll have the only key, so nobody can use it and they’ll take it away, so it does not hurt me…” – I heard a whole lot of anger and being mad at the stand, so we tapped on anger, all the while using his own words. After a couple of rounds the power of his anger seemed to wane, and he calmed down.

Then he threw his hat to the ground. I managed to just observe instead of reprimanding him. He also pulled his hair and on the skin on his front head. I asked him what he was doing, he replied “I want to take my skin off!” “So you want to take your skin off?” I mirrored. “I don’t want to keep getting hurt in this skin.” Wow, this is deep. Don’t we all feel uncomfortable in our skin at times and would love to be able to get out of it?? So there was FEAR, fear of being hurt again and having to go through pain again. That’s on what we tapped next “…want my skin off, don’t want to hurt again, afraid of being hurt again, not safe, and I am a great kid anyway…”.

He seemed calm and in a good space at this point. It occurred to me to ask him “So why do you think you’ve been getting hurt so much recently?” He contemplated this for a moment, and then very deliberately answered “Mama, it’s because of those scary bad guys in the dreams I’ve been having.”

What followed was a description of four scary dreams that I had not heard in such detail and clarity before. The most recent one was about “this scary killer person coming to our house”. The other three were from a little while ago; one about a favorite stuffed animal doggie being stuffed into the toilet several times without Anton being able to prevent it; another dream included someone being really mean to Anton’s sister and taking things away from her repeatedly, and Anton could not help her. The fourth dream was set at the playground where a giant scary hand suddenly appeared on top of the climbing structure and tried to grab him.

I sensed a lot of fear and feelings of disempowerment and helplessness in these dreams. I simply kept tapping on him while he was describing his dreams. Then his story started shifting and words just kept bubbling out of his mouths like a waterfall for the next 20 minutes: In great technical detail (people who know Anton well will easily guess what I mean!) he described how the chairs in which the bad guys would sit down would automatically fall over and release the bad guys and monsters into a big, giant long tube extending to the center of the earth, far, far away. He described the mechanism as a one way valve, so there was no coming back for the bad guys. At the center of the earth the bad guys would get all “mushed up” and transformed into “yucky cake”. At this point Anton started having fun with his story, and declared with a big empowered smile on his face, “But then there is another small hole that I can sit on and pee and pooh on the monsters! (laughter and delight – made me think of all those strategies around imagining an intimidating boss naked to feel more empowered, this definitely worked for Anton).

But he kept talking: Now there was another giant, long tube, because now the yucky cake made out of bad guys had been transformed into yummy cakes, and only those would automatically be suctioned back right into our kitchen. There he would share those yummy cakes with his friends (well, all this happened right after the Thanksgiving dinner!), and you know what? The scary hand from the playground had now become his friend, and actually, now there were two of these hands helping him cut the yummy cakes!!!

Only now was he really done and started skip-jumping off to the park in a delighted mood. An hour later and back at the house a friend of ours asked him about the bruises. He looked at her as if that accident had completely dropped from his mind.

The complexity of emotions and issues in this tapping conversation with my son just put me to awe. I was deeply impressed by the creative way in which the negative emotions transformed into “yummy cakes”, empowerment and regaining of control. And really, this basically was just one of those every-day bumps. Usually we’d provide some initial comfort and attention and then simply move on, or we would distract the child away from the negative emotions.

This conversation felt like a window into the soul and psyche of my child to me. Holding this kind of presence with our children seems like a wonderful way of reducing the accumulation of unaddressed negative emotions into emotional baggage they would otherwise have to carry around. Simple tapping – what a gift to pass along to our children!

Follow up: Anton and I have been having a couple of follow-up conversations, and over-all I am touched by the way he is willing and able to share his emotions with me -it seems to transform and deepen our relationship.

One time he woke up with another distressing dream where bad guys were coming from the air, throwing things at him and therefore would not sit down on those “special chairs that drop them” – I simply tapped on him while he was talking, and he very quickly came up with another creative solution that worked for him and calmed him right down (the helper hand would squeeze the bad guys in the air).

Another evening before falling asleep Anton said: “Mama, I am really trying to leave these bad guys behind, but I am still thinking of them”. We tapped on:
…Even though I try really hard to not think about bad guys, I still do, and I am a great kid…
…even though the more I try to NOT think about bad guys, the more I seem to think about them, and I am a great kid…
…trying to not think about bad guys really hard kind of is like thinking about bad guys, it’s so confusing…maybe I should just pretend to not even care if I think about them or not…

Then he decided to transform bad guys into penguins, which he loves dearly. I kept tapping on him while he told me his strategy. Then he shifted and said, with shiny happy eyes: “Mama, now it does not matter any more, it’s even a good thing when I think about many bad guys, because then I’ll have a BIG huddle of penguins”, and he drifted off to sleep peacefully.

Heike Prevrhal
EFT practitioner, Mom of Anton and Annika, and incredibly grateful about this amazing technique!

Bio: In addition to studying/completing online training with EFT founder Gary Craig’s material’s, Heike completed the “Progressive EFT Practitioners Intensive” with Lindsay Kenny and Zoe Walton September in 2008 towards certification as a Progressive EFT Practitioner.. She is now running a successful and rapidly growing Progressive EFT practice in San Francisco. Heike now offers in- person office and worldwide phone and Skype sessions in her office in San Francisco, and phone sessions and skype world wide. Sessions are offered both in English and German.

 As a proud mother of two, she has this to say about her own EFT practice: “EFT has made me a much happier and more loving mother, partner, professional and person in general. To me the biggest gift that we can give to our children is dealing with and releasing our own issues. (Kids are a great help in that – they will trigger the most patient of us at some point, clearly pointing out any remaining baggage!!) – The second biggest gift we can give to them might well be teaching them early how to tap!”

For further information please check out visit her web page www.ReleaseIntoPeace.net  or contact her per email: at heike@releaseintopeace.net

Feeling guilty often comes with being a parent. Guilt is a form of parental anxiety that if left to run rampant can ruin the quality of family life. In truth, holding onto guilt does not make you a better parent or stop you from repeating the behavior that you feel guilty about. More often than not holding onto guilt progressively erodes your self worth and confidence as a parent which can create further parenting challenges.

As a parent what do you feel guilty about?

Examining what makes you feel guilty and tapping on it may not only help to relieve a great deal of parental stress and burden but also help you to become a more happy, calm, loving and present parent. As a parent you can use EFT to ease the burden of guilt which can then pave the way for more productive and healthy behaviors and self concepts that enriches the lives of both you and your children.

As a parent, acting out of guilt may at times lead to making poor decisions that you then later regret, possibly leading  to further guilt. Learning to manage parental guilt can lead to making more healthy parental decisions which are not governed by underlying feelings of inadequacy. It is easy to get trapped in a cycle of guilt that continues to grow and eventually incapacitates. EFT can be a blessing for parents who would like to escape this cycle.

Here is an example of a parent who felt guilty about her reaction to her daughter and the damage she feared this would cause her. This scenario was posted by a parent on the EFT Parent Forum and to me reflects the way in which many parents “torture” themselves with guilt, sometimes for many years later, as in this case. As you read her story you will most likely identify with and understand how she is feeling.

What stood out for me was that she didn’t actually realize how she was hurting herself by holding onto this guilt. The purpose for posting was to seek help for her daughter, who she thought she had damaged with her actions.

In my reply to her post I have outlined how she can use EFT to release her guilt and the underlying issues that triggered her reaction.

The title of the post is “How to Undo Old Hurt”

When my younger daughter was about 4 (she’s 12 now), I was discussing a family problem with my cousin. I was made an utter fool of by another cousin and was talking with great feeling about it. My daughter who was very neat and orderly even at that age, was folding clothes and packing it very neatly into my travelling bag and was so proud of the job well done that she kept calling me to have a look with stars in her eyes. Before I realized it, I had turned on her and barked at her. I still remember with deep regret that utterly shocked look on her face, how quickly she went from feeling on top of the world to the pits.

I don’t know if she remembers the incident. I don’t want to remind her of it in case she has forgotten. But I have a guilty feeling that the effect of that incident did carry over for a very long time. Is there anything I can do with EFT surrogately to rid her of this? Would appreciate help with this.

My response to this post…

“I’m sure you will gain an even better relationship with your daughter once you tap for your guilt and reassure her that she always has your love no matter what. Once you have cleared your own guilt, you will probably find it easier to talk to her about it, even though it might feel scary at the moment.

A couple of suggestions for tapping:

Call up the feeling you got/still get when you see the look on her face and tap on something like:

Even though I can’t forget that utterly shocked look on her face, I forgive myself for reacting like I did, I didn’t intend to hurt her, I was doing the best I can and I’m a great mum

Even though I can’t forgive myself for what I did…
Even though I feel so guilty for reacting like that …
Even though I deeply regret doing that to her…
Even though I worry she will carry this hurt….
Even though it’s my fault if she carries this hurt….
Even though I’m too scared to mention it to her, because what if I only make it worse…
Even though I don’t want to see that hurt look on her face again by bringing it up…

Keep tapping on everything that bothers you about the whole incident until you can play the whole event (from start to finish) through in your mind without any intensity.

By then you will probably be more than ready to talk to your daughter openly, honestly and with the deep love you so obviously have for her. Any tapping you do with her on this, will also strengthen your bond. Personally, in this case I would only use surrogate tapping if there is a reason why she can’t/won’t tap by herself or with you, but even then only after you are clear of any negative feelings toward yourself.

You could also tap on the incident with your cousin where she made a fool of you, if you still have any intensity around that event.”

Another Practitioner who also responded to this post wrote the following..

“First, you need to tap on forgiving yourself and give yourself credit for being a good, loving and humanly flawed parent… I would guess that your daughter does remember the incident and if she does not she may still carry the energy of that hurt. I speak from experience on this one. Be brave and bring it up with her. Ask if she remembers and discuss it. Tell her how proud of her you are and always have been. Tell her that you made a mistake and you are sorry. Tap with her if she wants or ask her to help you tap to forgive your self. Clear the air. You will both feel better for it. The important thing is to put down this burden. Eight years is a long time to carry it.” Nurse Crilly www.YourEFTCoach.com

The parent replied with the following comments..

“The only reason I got the courage to go ahead with EFT for the issue I mentioned earlier was because it would benefit my daughter and because of your encouragement. (Angie, just reading your suggested EFT phrases was so soothing To cut a long story short, I started with a relatively neutral topic with my daughter. When I eased the old issue into the session, she, as you’d said, was happy to help me forgive myself. She didn’t remember the incident at all. We ended up tapping for over an hour. I tapped along with her. That specific issue is totally neutralised plus my daughter’s exam fears and others too. And I have finally after months started listing memories to EFT on. Thank you so very much…”

Tap on Your Parental Guilt

If like parents everywhere, you are sitting on a mountain (or molehill) of guilt, I invite you to take the time out and tap on everything you feel guilty about. Simply start by making a list of “all the things I feel guilty about….” Then using EFT tap on each and every event and incident that you have on your list. (Click here for EFT Tapping Guide). If you feel you don’t deserve to let go of the guilt then tap on that too. The funny thing with guilt is that we hold onto it believing that holding on to it makes us accountable and reminds us of our actions so that we don’t repeat them. In reality guilt can actually stop us from taking the action that is really needed to rectify or improve a situation.

Tapping on your parental guilt can take you on a personal journey of self healing so the next time you catch yourself taking a “guilt trip” use EFT to help you reach an altogether different and more “sunny” destination where you can leave all your baggage behind!

Angie Muccillo (BA, EFT- ADV)
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Remedial Massage Therapist
Author of Tapping For Kids
Melbourne, Australia

mob: 0417391055
angiemuccillo@gmail.com

Have you visited the EFT4Kids forum on Gary Graig’s website?

This forum has been specifically set up for parents, teachers and practitioners interested in the application of EFT for young people. It is a friendly place to share your experiences, discuss, study and post questions related to children and EFT. I personally enjoy reading and contributing to the discussions where I feel I have something to offer and have learnt a tremendous amount from the questions and answers found on the forum. It is an excellent resource and can also be used to direct other parents and teachers wanting to know more about using EFT with children.

Below is a description of the different sections within the forum.

General Interest Discussion
A community for those interested in the use of EFT by children, adolescents and teens. Specific parent, teacher and practitioner topic areas are also provided to help focus the discussions for various interest groups.

Parent’s Discussion
A community for parents, siblings and other family members interested in the application of EFT for children, adolescents and teens within the family environment.

Teacher’s Discussion
A community for teachers, coaches, administrators and mentors interested in applying EFT for children, adolescents and teens within a learning environment.

Help With Math Dyslexia

Below is my response to a question posted in the General Interest Discussion section of the EFT4Kids Forum.

QUESTION: I am on staff at a private Christian school for children with learning and developmental delays, and I help children with remedial math and reading. I’m new to EFT and have had some success on issues with myself and also one of my students that I’m tutoring over the summer, but don’t know quite how to proceed. He is very dyslexic, and has severe issues with memory. He has a very hard time remembering anything, so his vocabulary is very low and he reverses a lot of his letters and numbers. I want to help him get past this, but I’m not sure what to do next? We have tapped on many negative emotions such as “I’m stupid”, “Math is confusing”, “Even though I’m not good at Math”, etc. as well as positive alternatives. Any suggestions?

ANSWER: It’s great to hear that you are incorporating EFT with remedial math and reading. There are certainly many ways that EFT may help. Here are some suggestions on ways that you could work with him. 

Get him to look at a page of text or numbers and ask him to describe exactly what he sees on the page. It may be that the numbers and letters jump around on the page or they may look like they are on top of one another. Make a list and use his exact words/descriptions as set up statements. Even though he may have a limited vocabulary, tap on the words he uses to describe the problem.

e.g “Even though the words jump around on the page, I’m m still a great kid.”

Ask him for a SUDs. How much do they jump around? 10 means really jumping around and 0 means not jumping around at all/completely still. After a few rounds check his SUD’s again to see if the “jumping around” has eased and then tap on the remainder or what he sees now.

“Even though the words are still jumping around a bit, they are not as bad as before and I’m a really great kid.”

Continue working until it comes down to zero.

Ask after a few rounds, “now what do you see?” You can do this for every reading/writing/math problem that you identify or that he experiences. Try to be specific and work on one issue at a time.

You can also ask him how he feels when looking at a page of text (angry, frustrated, embarrassed etc). Tap on these as separate aspects.

For the letter reversals ask him to spell a word then tap on what happens.

e.g. “Even though I get my letters back to front when I spell the word cat, I’m still a great kid”

With the memory problem, perhaps you can try this. Get him to look at a short sequence of numbers/letters or words and ask him to repeat them to you. If he can’t remember them, tap on:

“Even though I can’t remember these words…..”
“Even though I get upset/frustrated/angry when I can’t remember…”

Check again after a few rounds. If he can remember some but not all, tap on:

“Even though I can remember some of the words, but not all of them…..”

Keep repeating this process, adjusting the set up according to what is changing/happening. If after few rounds he can remember the short sequence, try increasing the numbers you present to him.

As he starts to see even the slightest improvements his confidence will likely start to improve also.

Keep searching for and tapping on the emotional aspects of having dyslexia.

Does he have a hard time at school? How does he feel about himself?
How does he or others label him?

“Even though the kids pick on me…”
“Even though I get embarrassed when….
“Even though I get anxious when…
“Even though I get angry when….
“Even though everyone thinks I’m dumb….”etc

Tap on any specific events or things that have happened in the classroom to upset him. You can use the movie technique to help neutralize these events.

There is a great article by Steve Wells on Dyslexia and learning disabilities that may also be of interest.
http://www.emofree.com/Dyslexia/dyslexiadisabilities.htm

NOTE: This approach may also be used with adults who have math or reading dyslexia. As a Disability Liaison Officer at TAFE, I worked with many adults with a learning disability. Unfortunately at the time I didn’t know EFT. If you work in this area within a school, college or university consider introducing EFT to your students.

Angie Muccillo (BA, EFT- ADV)
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Remedial Massage Therapist
Author of Tapping For Kids
Melbourne, Australia

mob: 0417391055
angiemuccillo@gmail.com

When you order Tapping For Kids you will also gain access to 10 FREE downloads!

Order Tapping For Kids now in either Paperback or E-book from DragonRising and receive an amazing Kids Tapping Survival Pack download. These downloads include:

1. 8 mp3 files of all the tapping scripts, poems and raps that are in the book (read by a child);

2. A Tapping For Kids Certificate that can be given to your child after reading the book and;

3. A Tapping For Kids Quiz!

These downloads are available when you order your copy of the book.

Order Tapping For Kids Now

This video Empowering The Lives of Children presented by The Tappy Bear Foundation features the work of dedicated EFT Practitioner Deborah Miller who uses the EFT Tappy Bear with children in a cancer ward of a hospital in Mexico. The results of Deborah’s onsite program within the hospital has been nothing short of amazing and due to its incredible popularity and success in helping children feel better and cope with the many challenges they face,  the Director of the hospital’s oncology department has asked to make this program a permanent service in the cancer ward.

Watch this video to see how Tappy Bear becomes a comforting presence in the lives of these children. Commentary by Dr. Patricia Carrington.

The Tappy Bear Foundation is now seeking help for continuing programs like this one which will bring much needed assistance to children and their families. Click here for more information about Tappy Bear and The Tappy Bear Foundation.

I am pleased to announce that my new book Tapping For Kids – A Children’s Guide To EFT is now available for purchase online through DragonRising Publishing. You can order the eBook or Paperback today!

Tapping For Kids is designed to help children (7-11) overcome traumas and problems of everyday life by using EFT. Through a mix of story, activities, rhymes and tapping scripts, the book effectively enhances children’s learning and shows them how EFT can be used to help them overcome their fears, worries and everyday traumas, while at the same time building up their self-esteem. The story in the book is set within “The EFT Palace of Possibilities for Kids”, a multilevel healing high rise where its ‘Caretaker’, known as the TapMeister, runs play shops to help children ‘master the art of tapping’ – a popular new kids movement taking the world by storm!

Help Promote Tapping For Kids

DragonRising Affiliate Program

If you are interested in helping to promote and share Tapping For Kids with your clients, friends, mailing lists and online communities, DragonRising offers an attractive affiliate program which you are invited to join.

Click here for more information and to sign up as A DragonRising Affiliate

Click here for DragonRising Affiliate FAQ’s

REVIEW

Here is a review from an 8 year old reader..

“I liked how the book used songs to help you remember the Happy Buttons. I also love how the children in the book travel the 8 floors and each of the floors have a special activity for you to do or something to learn about tapping. I already now a little bit about tapping, but now I know alot more and it seems like more fun and something easy to do on your own” Antonia S, Nth Dandenong VIC

Click here to BUY NOW

Angie Muccillo
Author of Tapping For Kids
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Melbourne, Australia

angiemuccillo@gmail.com

       +61 417391055       

A common question I get from parents and caregivers is what to do when their kids won’t tap.

“My 8 year old son has been taught how to tap by an EFT Practitioner and I have done it with him off and on. When something comes up and I tell him to tap on it, he doesn’t want to! Any ideas??”

“I was wondering if you could give me advice on how to teach EFT to a reluctant child. I have tried to teach my grandson EFT but his response has been a very strong no, I don’t want to do that. Do you have any suggestions?”

Let’s look at some of the reasons why children may not tap and what you can do to create an environment where tapping is encouraged.

Why Kids Won’t Tap

Sometimes children will resist tapping even when they have been taught to use it and it has worked for them in the past. Firstly, no matter how much you may want your child to tap on something because you know it will help them, it is important to remember that you can’t “make” a child tap if they don’t want to. It is especially important to understand that EFT is not a strategy for getting children to do what you want or to get them to behave in a certain way. It is a way to help children release their emotions if and when THEY want to. We can show them when and how to tap but the decision to tap must ultimately be the child’s. Sometimes they may prefer to tap alone and other times they may prefer to tap with you or another person.

Some reasons why children may resist tapping:

1. Children may resist tapping because they are being “told” to tap rather than being “encouraged” to tap. When given as a directive children may react with a defiant or rebellious attitude. It can become “another thing mum nags me about” as opposed to when a child realizes that it’s “something I can do whenever I want to feel better.”

2. Children can often pick up on your desperation for them to tap and this can make them more resistant to it. Often the harder you try the more they resist.

3. They may not feel it is “cool” to tap. While some children take to EFT immediately others may feel self conscious or embarrassed about using it.

How To Encourage a “Reluctant” Child To Tap

1. Become an EFT Model. The key to encouraging a “reluctant” child to tap is to actively model it yourself as well as help create an environment where tapping is part of family life. When children see their parents tapping they are more likely to do it themselves. According to Karen Curry, author of EFT For Parents, “children do what we do, not what we say…if your kids see you tapping, especially when you are feeling emotional intensity, they will be encouraged to use it themselves under similar circumstances.” If they see you tapping and how it benefits you they may be more likely to do it with you or on their own.

2. Tap On Your Own Frustration/Desperation First. If you are frustrated or upset about the fact that your child won’t tap, then treat your own frustration or upset first.

“Even though Tim won’t let me teach him to tap, he’s still a wonderful child and I love him unconditionally”

“Even though I want to help him but he won’t let me…”

 ”Even though I can’t get him to tap with me…”

Even though he pushes me away….”

“Even though he’s doing this just to make me mad…” etc

3. Surrogate Tapping. Once you have brought your emotional intensity down by tapping on your own frustration/desperation first, you can then try surrogate tapping for your child, starting with any beliefs the child may have about EFT such as

“Even though tapping can’t help me, I’m still okay”

“Even though nothing can help me with this problem, I’m still okay”

“Even though I would rather stay mad/sad/upset, I’m still a great kid”

“Even though I’m too scared to tap…”

Also surrogate tap on the child’s actual resistance to tapping using their own words such as:

 ”NO don’t make me tap”

“ I don’t want to tap”

“I hate tapping”

“Stop trying to make me do it”

“I won’t do it, I hate being told what to do” etc.

 After a few rounds tap on some positive statements on behalf of the child such as:

 ”What if tapping makes helps me feel better”

“What if I can do it on my own”

“What if tapping helps me feel really really good”

 ”What if I don’t have to feel upset anymore”

“This tapping stuff is actually fun”

“What if I like doing it”

After you have finished surrogate tapping pay attention to any changes and notice if the child seems more willing to tap, of their own accord or asks you to help them.

4. Tap On Behalf of Your Child. When you see your child getting upset, rather than telling him to tap, simply start tapping out aloud on yourself so they can hear you, using a set up that reflects what is going on.

“Even though Tim is really mad and hurt because….., he’s still a great kid and I love him”

Encourage your child to join along with you or just keep tapping on their behalf (unless they object) using whatever you think is bothering them to tap on. If they see that you understand how they’re feeling they may start tapping themselves and be more open to telling you why and what they’re really upset about.

5. Add Some Humor. You can also add some humor and tap on something like:

“Even though mum is doing this crazy tapping thing again and I don’t want to do it, I’m still a great kid. I’ll tap if and when I want!”

6. Why It’s Cool To Tap. Reinforce the benefits of tapping to your child, such as “it’s a way to help you feel better whenever you want” “it can help you calm down when you want to” “it helps your anger melt away” etc. When kids find out they can tap on their upset without having to tell you what it is about they start to pay attention! In her work with children, Ann Adams will often tell an upset child in her faculty who hasn’t been introduced to EFT yet that, “I’m going to give you something to calm yourself down and you don’t even have to talk to me.” She points out that “not asking a child to talk ’sets you apart’ from all other professionals who have tried to help this kid” The Promise Of Energy Psychology pg 168

Tapping For Kids – A Children’s Guide to EFT is a delightful and practical way to introduce children to EFT. Reading this book to your children or giving it to them to read on their own will take them through the entire EFT process allowing them to understand exactly how EFT works, how and when to do EFT and gives examples of the types of daily issues they can use EFT for. After reading and practicing the exercises in this book, children will be skilled, prepared and equipped to use EFT or the “Magic Formula For Feeling Better” when the moment arises, such as before a test or after an argument or after any upsetting incident/event.

Setting up an environment where tapping is encouraged and offered as an option and a choice may go a long way to helping a “reluctant child” to tap. Through teaching, encouraging and modeling the use of EFT within the family, in the classroom etc a “reluctant child” may discover they have a tool for life.

Angie Muccillo BA EFT-ADV
Author of Tapping For Kids
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Melbourne, Australia
angiemuccillo@gmail.com
  +61417 391 055

I am pleased to announce that Tapping For Kids – A Children’s Guide To EFT will be available from the 1st December 2008 and is a perfect Christmas present for the children in your life!

You can pre-order the eBook or Paperback today!

Tapping For Kids is available for purchase online though DragonRising Publishing.

Click here to BUY NOW

Help Promote Tapping For Kids

DragonRising Affiliate Program

If you are interested in helping to promote and share Tapping For Kids with your clients, friends, mailing lists and online communities, DragonRising offers an attractive affiliate program which you are invited to join. Earn up to 30% commission!

Click here for more information and to sign up as A DragonRising Affiliate

Click here for DragonRising Affiliate FAQ’s

REVIEW

Here is a review from an 8 year old reader..

“I liked how the book used songs to help you remember the Happy Buttons. I also love how the children in the book travel the 8 floors and each of the floors have a special activity for you to do or something to learn about tapping. I already now a little bit about tapping, but now I know alot more and it seems like more fun and something easy to do on your own” Antonia S, Nth Dandenong VIC

Angie Muccillo
Author of Tapping For Kids
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Melbourne, Australia

angiemuccillo@gmail.com

+61417 391 055

Tagged: EFT children book, tapping for kids, teaching kids to tap ]]> http://tappingforkids.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/pre-order-tapping-for-kids-now/feed/ 0 Angie Muccillo tappingforkids-2503 http://tappingforkids.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/eft-world-magazine-autumn-issue/ http://tappingforkids.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/eft-world-magazine-autumn-issue/#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:33:05 +0000 Angie Muccillo http://tappingforkids.wordpress.com/?p=164 ]]>

The Autumn edition of the EFT World Magazine is out now. My article “Empowering Kids To Tap On Their Own” is featured in this issue.

By Editor Gary Williams

The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
The Autumn Edition

Another great issue of EFT World for you, featuring a new book on EFT called “EFT for Dummies” reviewed by Prof Tam Llewellyn-Edwards, EFT Master, EFT Honors Certificate.

Also Angie Muccillo Author of “Tapping For Kids” talks about empowering kids to tap on their own. EFT is such a powerful tool for kids and some say that our children are our greatest teachers.

One of their strengths when very young is the fearless ability to get in there and have a go, something we may lose as we get older and more self-conscious.

Our culture tends to disapprove of making mistakes, but we can really learn and get to know something by learning from our mistakes. In NLP they say “there is no such thing as failure only information”.

One of my favourite kids’ stories is about a nativity play where three boys played the three kings. For some reason things got a little muddled and the kings greeted the baby Jesus in the wrong order.

The first king said “I bring you myrrh”, the second king said “I bring you gold”, and the third king said “frank sent this”. Kids are always willing to have a go!

Also featured in this edition, an exclusive in depth interview with internationally recognised teacher and trainer Tania Prince. Tania talks about TAT and how EFT helped her get beyond her own shyness. Tania also gives you ideas on how to get started and shares her thoughts about how you can improve and develop your delivery of the Emotional Freedom Techniques. We are blessed to feature two masters of EFT in this edition of EFT World with EFT Master Judy Byrne talking with me about how we need to work hand in hand in a complementary fashion with the medical world. Judy also offers advice and tips on improving your ability as an EFT Practitioner.

For more information visit http://www.eftworldmagazine.com

This is a featured article by Gene Monterastelli from EFT Q&A http://eftQandA.com a website dedicated to answering your most pressing EFT Questions. In this article Gene answers a question from a mother whose 11 year old daughter developed a fear of school. In his comprehensive answer, Gene provides an outline of how the mother can approach and get to the core of the problem using EFT. If you have any questions about EFT that you would like answered you can submit your question at http://eftQandA.com

By Gene Monterastelli

QUESTION

My daughter has suddenly developed a fear of school, (she’s 11). She has previously been very very happy there, and has no reason to feel like this. She really wants to go but feels she can’t, and doesn’t know why? Any ideas?

ANSWER

Obviously, with such a little amount of information, there is no real way to answer this question. There are a whole host of reasons that could be contributing to this fear. It could be associated with the classroom, something on the play ground, or something with the other students.

When we don’t know the root cause of an emotion

What the situation does do is give us a good backdrop to talk about how do we approach an emotional response when we have no idea of where the emotions are coming from.

There are two basic tacks that we can take. I would recommend taking both of them at the same time. They are, to deal with the emotions in the moment and to investigate to find the root of the emotions. By doing this we are able to help the fear in the short term and by trying to find the roots of the fear so there won’t be the same response in the future.

The Emotion Right Now

One of the blessings of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is the fact that we are able to use it right now for the emotions we are feeling in this moment. In this case I would recommend two things.

First, I would recommend spending some time before going to bed tapping on the fear about going to school the next day. If the fear is large enough it is not going to happen just as she is walking out the door for school, but more than likely is going to be present the night before. It is good to deal with this at bedtime because this fear is going to affect her quality of sleep.

Second, I would recommend spending some time tapping in the morning before heading out the door to school or even on the ride to school.

In both cases the tapping is very simple. I would have her explain to me how the fear feels, how her body feels, and what she is worried about. I wouldn’t use any complicated tapping phrases. I would have her tell me the story of what is going on in her body and her head while she is tapping.

Investigating the Roots

Now that we have gotten the fear in the moment under a little more control we can start to look around for what the root cause is.  I would start to investigate by asking questions around the common reasons an 11 year old wouldn’t want to go to school.

Questions to ask to get to the core of an issue

My questions would be something like this:

1) Why does she feel like she can’t go? It sounds like the questions has been asked but it is a good place to start every time. Often people, not just kids, have a hard time admitting why they are afraid. By asking again they might give an answer they didn’t before.

2) What could go wrong if she does go to school? When dealing with fear it is usually rooted in not wanting to experience a bad outcome. They might be able to name the outcome they fear and not associate that with the fear itself.

3) The feeling of not wanting to go, what does it remind her of? The is a classic EFT investigation question. When you don’t know the root, see what it reminds you of. Lots of information can be found here.

4) If she could change one thing about school what would it be? Sometimes we don’t want to say what we fear, but we are willing to say what we would like to see different. Fear is often associated with weakness. We don’t like share why we are fearful. This question lets us answer without looking weak.

5) If she could go to a new school how would the new school be different from her old school? This is very much like the last questions. By giving them a chance to say what they want, we are giving them an out of not having to say what they don’t want or fear.

6) If she could go to school tomorrow and know one person was not going to be there, who would she want that person to be? No one likes to be a tattletale. Also for kids there might be fear of retaliation for turning a bully in. This way they don’t have to tell on someone else and still be able to state their needs.

7) When she is not at school, what does she think the other students say about her? People, not just kids, can be ruthless. We don’t like to be place where we are being picked on, but again we don’t like to be tattletales. By asking the question in this fashion we are not asking her to tell on anyone. Instead, she is pretending what they might say. This is a safe way to share what she fears.

Obviously this is just a start, but I think it is a good start. It is important to remember that with EFT we always have two plans of attack. We can deal with what we are feeling right now and we can deal with the roots of the emotions. If we can find our way in with both tacks, then we should use them. Just because we don’t know the root, doesn’t mean we are helpless. We can always go after what is going on right now until we get to the root of the issue.

Gene Monterastelli is a Baltimore based EFT practitioner. He regularly works with clients in the areas of stress, weight loss, limiting beliefs, anxieties, learning disabilities, pain management, and relationship issues. There is a very special place in his practice that is dedicated to parents of special needs children, especially for parents of children who have been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Click here to check out Gene’s Stress Busting Products

I recently had an EFT session with a woman who has suffered anxiety and depression since her childhood shortly after her father committed suicide. Naturally this is a tragic, deeply traumatic and sad event in any child’s life. She has consequently had years of therapy and whilst she can talk about her father’s death now, it took a very long time before she could do so. At the time and understandably so, due to the level of grief and overwhelm experienced by her mother and family, no-one ever talked about what happened or comforted her in any way and all she remembers is feeling so completely alone, scared and with this constant aching sadness in her heart. After her dad’s death she was always sent to school early and remembers sitting and crying alone and in fear behind the shelter sheds. The family’s grief was so deep and their ability to function normally so severely impaired that her needs for comfort and support were not able to be met by her immediate family.

After tapping on several issues around her father’s death, how she felt as a child and other issues currently affecting her life, she became saddened to realise just how much of her life has been consumed by this and that she was still in part hanging on to the past, despite wanting very much to move on and “get on with it.”  So at this point we tapped on:

“Even though part of me is still hanging on to the past, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

“Even though I’m so sad that this has consumed so much of my life that I don’t even know what it’s like not to have it, I deeply and completely accept myself.

“Even though I’ve not had the career, the family, the life I wanted because of this, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

“Even though if I give up the past now I won’t know where I’ll be, who I am or where to go, I choose to focus on my personal vision of peace” (which she described earlier, as the life she wanted)

As she tapped on this, a very significant memory of herself as a child popped into her head. She distinctly remembered making a decision “to be miserable.” The reasoning behind this was “if I am miserable someone might come.” She explained that as a child she always felt sad, alone and scared, often crying for hours waiting for someone to come and comfort her but no-on ever did. This “childhood decision” was made at a time when she was in deep mourning for the loss of her father. The “decision to be miserable” became a part of her life and how she experienced it from then on. Something that is likely to be at the core of her depression. So we tapped on something to this effect:

“Even though I made a decision as a child to be miserable, I am an adult now and choose to make a different choice. I choose to be happy and focus on my personal vision of peace instead and let go of the vow I made as a hurt, sad and lonely child”

As we know childhood events shape our lives. I can’t help but wonder how different her life may have been, if as a child living under those circumstances, she had EFT to release all those feelings of sadness, hurt and loneliness. Of course that would not have bought her father back, but the deep pain in her heart that she has felt ever since and that manifests as anxiety, may have definitely been eased.

I think this highlights the importance of teaching our children to tap, whatever opportunity we get because we may never know when they might need it in the future. A happy carefree child today may lose a parent or be subjected to any other similar tragedy tomorrow. A child who has lost a parent (or suffered any other tragedy) in today’s age does have access to these tools and we as adults have the ability to make a difference by teaching it to them.

Do you remember any negative choices you made as a child? Could they be affecting the quality of your life? If so, you have the opportunity as an adult to tap and erase that choice and replace it with a healthier choice. Consider what being at peace means for you and add it to your choice statement when you tap on it.

“Even though as a child I made a choice to……., I deeply and completely accept myself and choose to focus on……(your vision of peace) instead.”

As the author of Tapping For Kids my mission is to help as many children as possible learn “the art of tapping” so that they have the opportunity either with an adult or alone in their room or behind the shelter sheds or in any moment of need to release the strong and overwhelming emotions that they are confronted with. Peaceful children are more likely to become peaceful adults.

Help create peace in the life of a child by teaching them to use EFT routinely as a way of healing and soothing emotional upsets.

Angie Muccillo
Author of Tapping For Kids
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Melbourne, Australia

angiemuccillo@gmail.com

+61417 391 055

“Our childhood experiences tend to establish the avenues we take through life. Some of us spend our lives stalled on Anxiety Avenue or WoeIsMe Way while others move freely along Success Street, Heaven’s Highway and Love’s Lane. Do you suppose our unresolved fears, traumas, guilt and other baggage-like emotions from childhood have any influence on which freeways we frequent. Of course they do. Our childhood experiences are written on our emotional walls and, depending on their quality, they become either “stop signs” or “green lights” as we move through life. Further, they have a way of reinforcing themselves and growing larger over time.” Gary Craig www.emofree.com

How different would your childhood have been if you had known how to use EFT as a child? What events would you have tapped on? What difference would that have made to your life today? Just think about it.

I find these questions interesting to dwell on and indeed I have.

Try reflecting back on your own childhood and see if you can find a time or times in your life where you could have benefited from using EFT.

Then the next time you see a child who is upset, sad, angry or anxious consider the implications of teaching them to use EFT.

“What better time to introduce EFT to someone than when they are young? If we can relieve a learning disability, a fear or an ever present anger and thus change the direction of a child’s life by a mere 5 degrees, that shift in direction can mean the difference for some children between graduating from high school or dropping out. It can mean the difference between going to college or menial jobs. It can give some children the self confidence to say no to drugs and THAT, of course, is life changing.” Gary Craig www.emofree.com

Change the life of a child by teaching them to use EFT routinely as a way of healing and soothing emotional upsets.

Angie Muccillo
Author of Tapping For Kids
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Melbourne, Australia

angiemuccillo@gmail.com

+61417 391 055

Tapping on and clearing all the “aspects” of a problem is just as important when tapping with children as it is for resolving any adult issue with EFT. Ann Adams, EFT Practitioner and Campus Director at a residential care facility for Severely Emotionally Disturbed children, explained to the children she worked with that “problems are like puzzles”

“I explained how problems were like puzzles and that puzzles have a lot of pieces. That the first step was to think about your problem and then pick what piece of it you want to work on. Then, when that piece of the problem was fixed you would pick another piece until all the bad feelings were gone.” Ann Adams

This is a very useful concept in helping children to identify and tap on all the aspects of their problem. It is a simple metaphor that kids can easily relate to and an important “trick of the tapping trade” according to the TapMeister in my book Tapping For Kids.

“In this practice lesson you will learn that ‘problems are like puzzles’ and another important trick of the tapping trade is to tap on all the pieces of the puzzle to make sure the job is really done!…When you think about your ‘problems as puzzles’, you can see that there are different pieces joined together to make up the whole problem and all the bad feelings that go with it….” The TapMeister

How To Help Your Child Tap On All The ‘Pieces Of The Puzzle’

Making Mini Movies

Say the child you are tapping with is having problems with bullying. Ask the child to pick a “piece of the puzzle” that makes up the problem they are having and get them to play a movie in their mind of that part of the puzzle, while they tap on their points.

“Say you are being teased by someone at school. One part of the problem may be that you are really scared of bumping into them. The first step then is to tap on this piece of the puzzle by tuning in to this part of the problem.” The TapMeister

When that piece is neutralized ask them to pick up another piece, or the next biggest piece and repeat the process until there are no more pieces to tap on.

“Then when this part no longer bothers you, pick another piece of the puzzle. You do this until you have tapped on every piece of the puzzle until all the bad feelings are gone” The TapMeister

Listening To Their Story

Another way is to simply allow the child to tell their story out loud while they tap. If they are willing to talk about it then continue by listening attentively and calmly, without judging, blaming, lecturing or telling them what he or she should have done (which we are often tempted to do.) The idea is to let all your child’s feelings and concerns to be expressed while they tap. Encourage your child to tell you the whole story by asking questions like “and then what happened?” and “what else happened?” This will allow the different aspects of the problem to be uncovered. Continue with this process, until the issue is completely neutralized.

Silent Movies – When a Child Won’t Talk

If a child is ashamed, guilty or fears being punished for something that has happened or that they have done, they are less likely to talk or explain their story in full or at all. Fortunately this process can be used without the need for the child to necessarily verbalize their problem. They can do it all in their mind by making mini movies and tapping on each piece of the puzzle in silence. Tell them they can make their very own “Silent Movie” if they don’t want to talk about it.

In her work with children, Ann Adams will often tell an upset child in her faculty who hasn’t been introduced to EFT yet that, “I’m going to give you something to calm yourself down and you don’t even have to talk to me.” She points out that “not asking a child to talk ’sets you apart’ from all other professionals who have tried to help this kid” The Promise Of Energy Psychology pg 168

I have actually found that when a child is given the opportunity/permission to tap on their issue “silently” they will more likely talk about “what happened” afterwards. This is great for actually opening up communication and dialog with a child who may not otherwise be willing to talk. This method also opens the door for children who simply have difficulty communicating or expressing how they feel in words.

Angie Muccillo
Author of Tapping For Kids
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Melbourne, Australia

angiemuccillo@gmail.com

+61417 391 055

This is an article by Deborah Miller an EFT Practitioner in Mexico who donates her time to a local hospital for children with cancer. In this beautiful article which is reproduced with permission, Deborah shares her vision on the importance and benefits of using EFT with children. She also offers a wonderful tapping script for adults to heal their own wounded inner child. Many thanks to Deborah. Her contact details are at the end of the article.

KIDS ARE THE KEY by Deborah Miller, PhD

I’ve come to this conclusion: Kids are the KEY to deep long lasting healing in the human race. If kids are taught how to release their anxieties, fears, and problems before they get fixed in their subconscious and then have more layers put on top of them, imagine how much better their lives will be. Imagine how much suffering they will avoid. Imagine how much more enjoyable life will be because they will know they are divine, worthy, wonderful beings just because they exist. They will have EFT as a tool to help them release any trauma that comes into their lives and to instill positive healthy beliefs.

Here’s an example of how I see this coming about in real life based on the volunteer work I do applying EFT with kids with cancer in a local hospital in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I live. A mother came into the cancer ward with her 5 year old boy for his treatments. She told me that one day she was upset with her son for doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. He immediately started tapping, “Like the lady (me as I taught him how to do EFT) told me, I’m a good kid.” The mother laughed and told her son, “Yes, even if you do things you aren’t supposed to, you are a good boy.” For me, this is a perfect example of empowering a child, giving him the understanding that he is a wonderful person no matter if someone, even his mother, is upset with him. He understands his core self has worth. It allowed his mother to let go of her frustration with her child and see him for the beautiful being he is. For me, this created a new mother/child interact filled with compassion, understanding and love.

We adults are also lucky because we can use the same tool to release the pain and trauma that our own Inner Child suffered and is still carrying. I do a lot of EFT with my clients based exactly on the part of them that is holding a trauma. As the inner child releases that trauma, so much relief is felt. Once that inner child releases the trauma, the adult is free to create a new belief and manifest something better.

See Kids are the KEY, whether physically a child or our own inner child.

THE KIDS WITHIN US

Even though I am an adult, I have many parts of myself that are still a little kid, I love myself.

Even though the little kid parts in me still hurt from the painful experiences they had, I’m a great kid, a great girl/boy, a fabulous person, and I love myself completely and profoundly.

Even though that kid part of me still hurts so much, is still carrying the pain, is still making decisions for me based on what was experienced so long ago, and I let it happen because as an adult I still feel that hurt inside of me, I love and forgive myself. No one taught me how to help the little one in me feel better.

Eyebrow:
I choose to give something back to the little on in me who felt so hurt and misunderstood. I invite him/her to tap along with me.

Side of Eye:
I invite my inner child who got hurt by not understanding adults and what they were saying or doing, to be present, to be heard, to be able to speak about what hurt.

Under the Eye:
I invite my inner child to express those hurts or even better yet to get rid of them. I ask my inner child to put the hurts in a big box. All the hurts go in the big box.

Under the Nose:
I as an adult help my inner child put all those hurts in the big box. We take handfuls of hurts and put them in the box. We don’t even have to examine them. We just put them in the box.

Chin:
We take the big hurts and the little hurts and put them in the box. We put the ugly ones and the dark ones in the box.

Collarbone:
We put the scary ones in the box. I help with those scary ones and put them in the box

Under the Arm:
We gather all the hurts and put them in the box. We put them in the box to get rid of them so they won’t hurt us anymore.

Top of Head:
Once we feel we have all the hurts in the box, we close it up. We put on heavy duty tape and secure it so the hurts can’t come back out.

Eyebrow:
We are glad that all the hurts are in the box instead of inside of us. It feels good to get rid of those hurts, but we don’t want them to get out and hurt anyone else.

Side of Eye:
We decide we want to get rid of the box. We take the box and bury it. We bury it deep in the ground. We bury it not to avoid it, but to let the Earth transform it. She decomposes it all until nothing is left.

Under the Eye:
Once the Earth decomposes those hurts, everything is used to make something new, something bright and beautiful like a tree, a plant, grass.

Under the Nose:
I like knowing that all my hurts changed from something so ugly to something so beautiful like a plant.

Chin:
I like that my hurts can’t do any harm anymore. In fact, they are making things beautiful in my world. I stop to enjoy the beauty around me and in me.

Collarbone:
In the place where those hurts were, I put beautiful light and love. I feel the love come into my heart and fill it with my favorite color.

Under the Arm:
That color fills me up completely. Love heals me from the inside out. All those hurts are gone and now they are replaced with love. I like that. It makes me feel very good.

Top of Head:
I feel so good now that I’m filled with love. My inner child feels better too. He/she can go off and play with a big smile knowing that the hurts are gone and have been healed with love. There is so much love inside that it is easy to share.

GIFT FOR YOUR INNER CHILD

Gift yourself a private session to work on the specific traumas that your inner child experienced. I’ve worked with traumas of all ages even back to the womb and birth. Clearing the younger part of you creates a freedom from the emotional traumas experienced and stored in the pain body, allows you to express your divine self and release the need to repeat those old patterns. The results are amazing. It is guaranteed to change the way you look at life.

Contact me for a private session by email at: ddmiller7@findthelightwithin.com

GIFT FOR KIDS WITH CANCER

I am gifting my time with a group of children with cancer at a local hospital. I am using Tappy Bear, a stuffed bear with the tapping points on him. The kids love him. The results with EFT have been remarkable.

If you would like to donate to the project please contact me. People are donating a Tappy Bear, toys, books, games, and/or money to help these children feel better.

Tapping with these children has been one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had.

Contact me by email at: ddmiller7@findthelightwithin.com to give a donation.
Deborah Miller, PhD
Oaxaca, Mexico
Mexico phone: +52 951 515 3332
US phone: 713 893 3440
mailto:ddmiller7@findthelightwithin.com
http://www.FindTheLightWithin.com

This “Tapping Circles Start Up Guide” is part of the “Kids Tapping Survival Guide” a series of resources that complement the “Tapping For Kids” book and help support kids newly acquired tapping skills. Click here to buy the book.

An excellent way to practice tapping, get rid of your stress and share what you have learnt with others is to form a tapping circle.

What is a tapping circle?

A group of people (of any age) getting together with the purpose of tapping as a group on a shared problem or issue. A tapping circle may be a group of friends, neighbors, family members, a team, club or a class of students. For instance, you may decide to set up a tapping circle with a group of other students in your class who are worried about a test that is coming up or other players in your sports team – before and/or after a game to release nerves etc. You could from a tapping circle with others from your club or youth group.

Who can set up a tapping circle?

Anyone who has learnt how to tap can start a tapping circle by inviting their friends, neighbors, family, other students, team members etc

How do I set up a tapping circle?

Just put the word out! A tapping circle can be very informal. Set a time and place, such as at school during lunchtime and invite anyone who may be interested. You can put up a poster at school or you can just tell people.

How often and where do we meet?

As a group you may only meet once for a specific issue or decide to meet regularly. It can be for 15 minutes a day or once a week, it’s up to the group to decide.

What do we do in a tapping circle?

Here are some suggestions…

It’s a good idea to sit in a circle, so that everyone can see each other. Make everyone feel welcome.

Make sure everyone knows where the tapping points are. Start with just a round of tapping on all the points. You can bring along a “Tapping For Kids” Poster which shows the tapping points and how to apply the “Magic Formula For Feeling Better.”

One person in the group can lead the others through these steps…

Step 1: Pick a problem. E.g. test nerves

Step 2: ‘Tune in’ to the problem by thinking about it or playing a movie of it in your mind

Step 3: Rate the emotion using your feel-o-meters

Step 4: Say a set up like “Even though (I have this problem), I’m still a great kid.” Say this 3 times while you tap on your karate chop.

Step 5: While thinking about your problem, tap on your happy buttons starting from the Chimney Top all the way to the Tarzan thump.

Step 6: Rate the emotion again using your feel-o-meters.

Step 7: If your rating has gone all the way down that means you are feeling a whole lot better. If your rating has not gone all the way down, then just start again and keep tapping on what is left, until your rating goes all the way down.

REMEMBER no-one needs to actually say what their problem is if they don’t want to, but as a group you can come up with and write down a list of shared problems that the whole group can tap on together.

For example if there is a test that is coming up that you are all worried about, everyone can have a turn (if they want to) to say what is upsetting them. Some issues raised by the group might be:

· I feel nervous about this test
· I’m sacred I’ll run out of time
· I’m worried I’ll forget everything
· I hate tests
· I’m no good at tests
· I’m scared I’ll fail

You can then apply the “Magic Formula For Feeling Better” to each of these problems.

“Even though I feel nervous about this test I’m still a great kid and I choose to stay clam and relaxed”

“Even though I’m sacred I’ll run out of time I’m still a great kid and I choose to stay clam and relaxed”

“Even though I hate tests I’m still a great kid and I do the best I can”

“Even though I’m no good at tests, I’m still a great kid and I do the best I can”

“Even though I’m scared I’ll fail I’m still a great kid and I choose to stay clam and relaxed”

Other suggestions

You can also use the tapping scripts and audios from the “Tapping For Kids” book for your group if you choose.

From the book…

“So let’s say you are worried and scared about all the horrible things that are happening in the world and you know other kids at school who are feeling the same. You could all get together at morning playtime or at lunch and sit in a circle in the playground tapping on all your worries and fears. You could put all your worries and fears into the Big Green Recycle Bag and use the Worry Workout Tapping Script.”

Where can I go to for help?

Visit the www.tappingforkids.com kids tapping resources section for more information and resources.

Angie Muccillo BA EFT-ADV
Author of Tapping For Kids
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Melbourne, Australia

+61417 391 055

These Top 12 Tapping Tips For Kids are part of the “Kids Tapping Survival Guide” a series of resources that complement the “Tapping For Kids” book and help support kids newly acquired tapping skills. Click here to buy the book.

Tapping Tip #1
The trick to feeling happy and calm is to tap on your “Happy Buttons” anytime you feel hurt, lonely, sad, nervous, worried or angry.

Tapping Tip #2
Memorize the “Magic Formula For Feeling Better” and practice using it everyday

Tapping Tip #3
Use your feel-o-meter before and after tapping to see how much your feelings have changed.

Tapping Tip #4
Tap on each tapping point or “Happy Button” about 7 times

Tapping Tip #5
“Tune in” to your problem and tap. Just think about it and tap.

Tapping Tip #6
“Play a movie” of your problem in your mind and tap. This is like making a Silent Movie of your problem and tapping while you play the movie in your mind. This is a handy tip if you don’t like to talk about your problems or don’t have anyone to talk to about your problems. This is a way of helping yourself whenever you need it most.

Tapping Tip #7
Tap on all the different parts of the problem like separate pieces of a puzzle

Tapping Tip #8
If after one round of tapping, you still feel some of the upset feeling, do another round of tapping. “Tune in” to whatever upset is still left and tap on that.

Tapping Tip #9
Whenever you finish tapping remember to take a long deep breath, filling up your belly until you see it expand! Remember this helps get your energy moving!

Tapping Tip #10
The number one trick to having high self esteem is to tap on and ERASE all the words, names and things people say to you that make you feel bad about yourself.

Tapping Tip #11
The number two trick to having high self esteem is to REPLACE these words by generating your very own words that make you feel good about yourself instead. That’s how you generate your own esteem.

Tapping Tip #12
Tap every night before you go to sleep. Just ‘tune in’ to anything that upset you during the day and tap on your happy buttons until you feel peaceful and calm and sleepy. You get a great night’s sleep that way and you wake up feeling happier and more energized.

Angie Muccillo BA EFT-ADV
Author of Tapping For Kids
Advanced EFT Practitioner
Melbourne, Australia

+61417 391 055