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EFT for Sleep Issues
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How to
Use EFT to Get to Sleep Easily
How to Use EFT to Get to Sleep Easily
By Dr. Patricia Carrington
There is
almost no one who doesn't occasionally have difficulty falling asleep.
There are also many people who find it extremely difficult to fall asleep
with any ease night after night –– it is a habitual problem for
them, better known as insomnia. This article is for both types of
people. EFT can be a wonderful help in bringing on a restful sleep
easily and quickly even if you usually lay awake tossing and turning.
First, let
me say a word about the tapping procedure itself and sleep. Tapping is
a rather vigorous physical activity even if done lightly and it can make you
more alert rather than sleepier. If you are going to use EFT for help
with getting to sleep I suggest you use one of the following alternatives to
tapping:
·
Use
the Touch
and Breathe method. To do this, lightly touch each EFT spot in turn
and each time take a deep easy breath without any forcing (it should be a
comfortable natural breath). After this breath say or think your EFT reminder
phrase. Touching a spot takes far less effort than tapping it and this can be
very helpful when you want to bring on sleep.
·
Don’t
engage in any physical activity; simply visualize each EFT spot in your mind
as you say or think your Reminder Phrases. Many people find they can do
this very easily and it is just as effective for them as tapping. They
may also be able to repeat the EFT phrases mentally and get just as strong an
effect as if they were saying them out loud. However, some people do not
find doing EFT mentally to be as effective as using either using a physical
touch or the sound of their own voice. If this is the case for you, I
suggest you just whisper the phrase to yourself as quietly as possible and
touch the EFT spots lightly with your fingers without tapping. You do
not want to disturb the quiet mood that you are trying to create.
IMPORTANT:
A crucial factor to keep in mind when formulating an EFT statement to help go
to sleep is not to tell yourself directly to go to sleep. For many
people an EFT statement that directs them to go to sleep merely creates
resistance. We tend to dislike being told what to do ––
even by ourselves! As a result, if we do this we may find ourselves more
wakeful than ever because we’ve been “told” we must get to
sleep. An EFT statement I find extremely useful in such instances
is:
“Even
though I'm having trouble getting to sleep, I choose to feel pleasantly
drowsy."
The fact
is, if you begin to feel “pleasantly drowsy” you will more than
likely drift off into sleep fairly quickly. You have bypassed your natural
resistance to being “told” to sleep and are allowing drowsiness
to take the natural course it wants to take. Even if you should lie
awake for a while and be “pleasantly drowsy” that is an extremely
beneficial state to be in.
Thoughts
That Can Prevent Sleep
One of the
most prevalent mental activities that occur when you cannot readily get to
sleep is worrying about some current situation or trying to find a solution
to it. Both these things feel as though they were urgently necessary
–– somehow you become convinced that you MUST solve this problem
or worry about it –– NOW. A very useful EFT statement to
use if you are facing this kind of dilemma is to use the EFT Choices phrase:
“I
choose to allow my subconscious to work it out while I am sleeping peacefully.”
The fact
is, your subconscious is often much better able to solve your problem,
whatever it may be, than a wakeful tossing “you” may be. We
all know that many famous inventions have occurred to their originators
during sleep. Sleep is an excellent problem solving time when your
creative resources can be mobilized powerfully.
Another
reason for prolonged wakefulness is that you begin to worry about whether you
will get enough sleep! This is a self-defeating maneuver which can
often be counteracted by the following EFT statement:
“Even
though I'm scared that I won't get enough sleep, I choose to feel so relaxed
and peaceful that it won't make any difference.”
By saying
this you are taking the pressure off of yourself to “go to sleep”
and therefore you will probably not create as much resistance to the onset of
sleep. The truth is, if you allow yourself to lie in bed deeply relaxed
it's going to do you so much good that you don't have to worry about whether
you're getting enough sleep!
Another
familiar occurrence is a restless state where you can't seem to get
comfortable no matter what position you lie in, and you have to keep
moving. An excellent EFT statement for this is...
“Even
though I can't get comfortable and have to keep moving, I choose to enjoy
moving and stretching rhythmically and forget about sleep.”
Notice
that in all these EFT Choices statements you are taking away your own DEMAND
that you go to sleep. You are using a Reframe which converts the need
to move and stretch into a pleasant rhythmical activity which will be
beneficial and may well lead to sleep eventually.
The need
to figure out what you're going to do about something and make an important
decision is a frequent cause of sleeplessness. If you find yourself in
this predicament a very useful EFT Choices statement is the following:
“Even
though I feel I MUST make a decision now, I choose to put all decisions on
hold and just let my thoughts drift (or “chill out”
etc.)”
Here you
are instructing yourself to put what seems so urgent, on hold. This can
be an extremely effective maneuver.
These are
only of the few of the useful EFT Choices statements that might help bring on
a restful sleep. I suggest you be inventive in creating your own
statements to suit your own circumstances. You will find it remarkably
effective to use EFT when you are unable to sleep at night.
EFT
Master, Dr. Patricia Carrington
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