Getting Free from Addictions with EFT

Getting Free from Addictions with EFT

Robert Elias Najemy

When working with our addictions to various substances, we will usually (but not always) need more perseverance in performing EFT than for other issues such as fear.

Dr. Callahan has discovered that which is obvious but yet ignored. Addictions are our way of appeasing anxieties. When we feel anxiety, we seek our addictive substance hoping to temporarily remove that unpleasant feeling.

This, of course, just creates a vicious circle because we then become even more addicted and feel even worse when that substance leaves our system. We could be talking here about nicotine, caffeine, sugar, chocolate, sweets, tranquilizers and / or drugs of any type.

Thus, we become addicted in an effort to sedate unwanted feelings and then a whole series of feelings are created around this effort to avoid the original feeling. We will need to employ EFT for:

1. The desire for the substance.
2. The symptoms and feelings of withdrawal.
3. The emotions we have about not having our dose.
4. The feelings we have about the fact that we are addicted.
5. The feelings which we are trying to cover with these substances.

Employing EFT for the Desire

Gary suggests that we employ at least one round of EFT for any specific desire 15 to 25 times a day. In this way we establish our freedom from it.

When tapping for the desire, we would use the following possible phrases:

A.1. Even though I desire _____________, I deeply and profoundly love myself.

A.2. Even though until now I have desired _____________, I now feel safe, peaceful, happy and free without it.

B. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this desire for _________.

C. Reminder Phrase = Desire for ______.

In addition to this, we may need to tap of various emotions associated with the problem.

Employing EFT for the Emotions

For example we might feel some of the following emotions.

1. Guilt or shame because of our addiction.

A.1. Even though I feel guilty (ashamed) because I am addicted to _____________, I deeply and profoundly love myself.

A.2. Even though until now I have felt guilty (ashamed) because I was addicted to _____________, I now understand and love myself.

A.3. Even though until now I have felt guilty (ashamed) because I was addicted to _____________, I now feel safe, peaceful, happy and free without it.

B.1. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this guilt (shame) about my addiction to _________.

B.2. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this desire for _________.

C. Reminder Phrase = Guilt (shame) about ______.

2. Fear that we may not get our "dose".

A.1. Even though I fear that I will not get my _____________, I deeply and profoundly love myself.

A.2. Even though until now I have felt fear that I would not be able to get my _____________, I now feel safe, peaceful, happy and free without it.

B.1. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this fear of not getting _________.

B.2. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this desire for _________.

C. Reminder Phrase = Fear of not getting.

3. Anger towards those who might prevent us from getting our dose.

A.1. Even though I feel angry with those who prevent me from having my _____________, I deeply and profoundly love myself.

A.2. Even though until now I have felt angry with those who prevented me from having my _____________, I now feel safe, peaceful, happy and free without it.

A.3. Even though until now I have felt angry with those who prevented me from having my _____________, I now understand and love them for their effort to help me.

B.1. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this anger _________.

B.2. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this desire for _________.

C. Reminder Phrase = Anger at those who obstruct me.

We will include all the rest in common setup phrases:

4. Withdrawal Symptoms when we cannot get our dose.
5. Anxiety when we do not get what we want or when we are without our substance.
6. Unhappy because we do not have what we want.
7. Depression because we cannot feel pleasure or happiness without our substance.
8. Suppressed because we do not have want we want.

A.1. Even though I feel anxiety (withdrawal symptoms, unhappy, depressed, suppressed) when I do not get my _____________, I deeply and profoundly love myself.

A.2. Even though until now I have felt anxiety (withdrawal symptoms, unhappy, depressed, suppressed) when I did not get my _____________, I now feel safe, peaceful, happy and free without it.

B.1. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this anxiety (withdrawal symptoms, unhappiness, depression, suppression).

B.2. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this desire for _________.

C. Reminder Phrase = Anxiety (withdrawal symptoms, unhappiness, depression, suppression) when not getting _________.

Other issues and Aspects

As you can see, the issue grows and occupies an ever-greater portion of our lives.

The substance, in addition to relieving our anxiety, can also come to represent among other things:

1. Freedom to have what we want. Thus we would feel suppressed without it.

A.1. Even though I feel suppressed when I do not get my _____________, I deeply and profoundly love myself.

A.2. Even though until now I have felt suppressed when I did not get my _____________, I now feel safe, peaceful, happy and free without it.

B.1. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this feeling of suppression ?lack of freedom.

B.2. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this desire for _________.

C. Reminder Phrase = Feeling of suppression ?lack of freedom.

We are combining the rest in the same phrases.

2. A source of pleasure. We would feel unhappy or depressed without it.

3. A substitute for affection or other needs or pleasures. We would feel unloved or without happiness without it.

4. A substitute for companionship. Especially cigarettes, coffee or alcohol, which require a ritual of preparation.

A.1. Even though I feel deprived of pleasure (affection, companionship) when I do not get my _____________, I deeply and profoundly love myself.

A.2. Even though until now I have felt deprived of pleasure (affection, companionship) when I did not get my _____________, I now feel fulfilled, peaceful, happy and free without it.

B.1. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this feeling deprivation of pleasure (affection, companionship).

B.2. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this desire for _________.

C. Reminder Phrase = Deprivation of pleasure (affection, companionship).

Working with Physical Symptoms which appear

When physical symptoms arise, then we might need to also tap for them to subside.

A.1. Even though I have this (physical phenomenon) ___________ in my (part of the body) ________ when I do not have (substance) ________, I deeply and profoundly love myself.

A.2. Even though until now, I have had this (physical phenomenon) ___________ in my (part of the body) ________, I now feel totally peaceful and healthy.

B.1. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this (physical phenomenon) ___________ in my (part of the body) ________ when I do not have (substance) ________,

B.2. I choose (want, deserve, allow myself, accept) to be free from this desire for _________.

C. Reminder Phrase = (physical phenomenon) ___________ in my (part of the body) ________

When working with addictions we need to work on the Following

1. The desire for the substance.

2. The anxiety which comes up when we do not have it.

4. The physical symptoms of withdrawal which might appear.

5. Various other emotions which surface when we do not have our substance or when we think of not having it. (Possibly an empty feeling, fear or suppression)

6. Any other aspects or childhood experiences which may come up.

7. Any forms of resistance towards freedom from this substance which may surface.

Some possible forms of resistance might be:

a. I cannot feel free without this____.
b. I cannot feel happy without this____.
c. I cannot sleep without this _______.
d. I have no other source of pleasure than ____.
e. I have no other faithful companion in life than ___.
f. This is my frame or reference in life ____.
g. This is who I am _____.
h. I do not know how I will be without this ____.

If, while tapping for the desire, any of the above mentioned emotions, aspects, bodily symptoms or forms of resistance appear, then you will need to tap for them.

If it is not possible to do this every time we perform EFT for the desire itself, then we can write down what comes up and once or twice a day work in more depth on the various aspects related to this addiction.

In order to remember to do this for the desire that occurs many times a day, it is suggested that we create various points of reference, which we associated with the tapping. For example, when we wake up, before or after showering, before and after eating, before work, after work, while sitting on the toilet and before sleeping at night.

Another way to remember is to use a watch, which beep on the hour.

In this way, we keep the desire very low. If, however, we do feel the desire, then we should also tap at those times.


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From the forthcoming book by Robert Elias Najemy EFT for Self-knowledge and Total Freedom.

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Robert Elias Najemy is the author of over 600 articles, 400 lecture cassettes on Human Harmony and 20 books, which have sold over 100,000 copies.
He is the Founder and director of the Center for Harmonious Living in Greece with 3700 members.
His book The Psychology of Happiness is available at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0971011605/holisticharmo-20 and http://www.HolisticHarmony.com/psychofhappiness.html.
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