Day 13 - The tapping solution

Tapping away your desire to drink

O K - i have no idea where to start today, but i'll just tap my fingers for a moment and see if something comes to me. Ok, waiting, waiting, tapping, tapping........tap tap tap tap tap tap - that's right, just keep tapping the 8 recommended acupressure points on your face and upper body, while saying your statement of intent and off you go.  I know right, that's what i thought.

Today's chapter in the journey to be alcohol free is about tapping and if you are like me, you are probably going WHAT THE FUCK IS TAPPING...well it's Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT. The only EFT is the one i do using my EFTPOS card.  So Jan, remember that little promise you made to yourself to learn something new everyday?? well today, you might just have earnt yourself a pay it forward token so you get a day off learning something new, in lieu of this, which i likened to standing in tree pose, rubbing your stomach and patting your head, while reciting the kama sutra

Well, given that i am not a quitter - apart from quitting the booze, i decided that i couldn't skip lucky chapter no 13, i had to embrace it as part of my journey.  So i read the chapter, visited the companion guide, googled it, wiki'd it and gave it a crack.

Tapping was developed as a five minute cure to assist with phobias, fear and anxieties. It combines focussed thought, repeating an objective to initially remove the old negative belief and then repeating with a new belief, while using fingers to tap a number of acupressure points that lie in meridians where vital energy is said to flow.  It is now used to release stress, reduce pain, release negative emotions such as guilt and shame, dissolve and replace limiting beliefs and reduce or eliminate feelings of cravings, addiction and withdrawal.  Could this be the new snake oil?

I did actually find it effective in some weird way.  I felt calm and I actually felt a shift in the belief i was trying to change - which wasn't related to alcohol. but rather my ability to stand in tree pose, rub my stomach and pat my head, while reciting the kama sutra.  Joking, i don't need to do those other things in order to recite the kama sutra.....

I do feel i'd like to explore this more at a later stage, but already i have so much homework to be doing each day, that while i am not feeling any significant worries or stress or cravings along this journey, then i'm happy to continue on with what seems to be working so far to change my mindset.

So here's what went down after i rubbed a bit of snake oil around the the theme of the tapping solution. Firstly we were congratulated on making it to day 13 - nearly halfway through the program.We explored emotional tidal waves, whereby we learn to understand that this journey can be full of different emotions and we need to embrace, rather than resist them. We then discovered the stupidest thing we will ever do - tapping on "special places" while saying certain words and believing our problems will go away - where's Mr Reilly with that love potion when i need him. We learnt how this tapping business all works and 5 ways it can assist us.

I bet you can't wait for today's action items....

Action 1. Practice the basic tapping procedure

Watch the tapping video and practice the technique - but not while standing on one leg, rubbing your stomach and patting your head while reciting the kama sutra.

       

Action 2. Revisit the forgiveness solution

If we are still feeling any resentment, anger or judgments towards ourself or others, then it's recommended we do a lot of tapping and revisit our forgiveness chapter and mantra.

And how am i feeling today - well i'm going okay and enjoying lots of cups of tea and feeling pretty excited about my progress and sharing it with others.