How to Use EFT to Release Fears and Phobias

To one degree or another, everyone experiences fear. What are you afraid of? Many people are, understandably, afraid of death. I've worked with a lot of clients on this fear, especially cancer patients and cancer survivors.

Others are more frightened by the prospect of a loved one dying, and I've unpacked and tapped out this one with many clients, as well.

Some people are terrified of buttons. For you word-nerds out there, the name of that fear is koumpounophobia, and it can be debilitating.

In fact, the list of fears and phobias is nearly as long as the list of things there are in the world. According to an article in the Huffington Post, these are the top ten most common fears: 10) Being in a crowd 9) Thunder and lightning 8) Water/drowning 7) Blood/injury/injections 6) Flying 5) Small enclosed spaces (claustrophobia) 4) Fear of public places (agoraphobia) 3) Heights 2) Animals (including snakes, spiders, dogs, and others) 1) People (this includes the fear of public speaking) Whether it's death, flying, public speaking, or buttons that scares you, you can release your fear with EFT. There are many ways to go about this. Depending on what the fear is and what caused it will largely determine how you and/or your EFT practitioner approach it. When I'm working with a client on a fear or phobia, I usually begin at the beginning. For example, many years ago I had a client who came to me for a severe water phobia. She had had this phobia for over twenty years, ever since escaping from Vietnam in a small boat filled with 30 other refugees. On the first day of their voyage, they lost their motor. Without it, they were left floating, adrift at sea, for over a month. They had barely enough water and rice to survive, and this was strictly rationed out in tiny portions. Finally, after weeks of near starvation, exposure to the elements, and terrifying nights surrounded by nothing but black water, they were rescued. Because my client knew when and why her fear of water had begun, my approach to helping her release it was very straightforward. All I had to do was have her tell me the story of what happened, listen for the parts that were clearly the most traumatic, and tap those out until they were neutral. It took one session. The next time I saw this client, she showed me photos of herself joyfully playing in and near water. In one, she was sitting in a small boat, with her feet dangling over the edge, in another she was wading into small waves on a beautiful beach, and in the last one she showed me, she was parasailing. She had no more fear of water, and felt as free to enjoy it as she had as a child, before the harrowing experiences she had at sea. Other fears and phobias are not so easy to crack. This is because sometimes people don't know why they're afraid of something. In these cases, you and/or your EFT practitioner may need to do a bit of detective work. One place to start is with this tapping statement: "I'm afraid of _____________ and I don't know why." As you repeat this statement while you or your practitioner taps through the points, more than likely some memory or inkling about the fear will begin to surface. It may not even make sense to you, but whatever it is, go with it. For example, an image of someone's face may come to you, and you may feel that that is somehow related to your fear. In that case, you would then create a tapping statement out of that. Something like, "My fear of ____________ reminds me of ____________ and I don't know why." If you keep on tapping on the fear and whatever comes to you about it, your subconscious mind will very reliably deliver up the next thing to tap on. It's like tapping on one aspect of the fear peels it away, which reveals the one beneath it (think of the onion metaphor). Before long, you'll be free of your fear, and it will no longer be able to affect you. As always, the thing to remember about EFT is that when you're tapping about something that is in the past (like my client's experience with being adrift at sea for over a month), once you release it, it's gone for good. If you're tapping about something that is any ongoing situation, for example, having cancer and being afraid that you will die from it, you may find that the fear returns. You may have heard me describe this as being like a glass of water. Imagine that the glass is filled to the top. In this case, we'll call that water "Trauma from being bitten by a dog." Once all that trauma has been released with EFT, this metaphorical glass of water is empty, and it's empty for good, because the event is in the past. However, if you are tapping on a glass of water that we'll call "Having cancer," once it's empty, you will be free of the fear, but since you still have cancer, the fear may come back. In this case though, the glass you emptied is now only partially full, and thus will feel less intense, and will take less tapping to empty it again. Like grief and trauma, fears are no match for the magic of EFT. Can you imagine your life without the fear that holds you back, keeps you up at night, and turns your belly into a roiling cauldron of dread? Thanks to the gentle power of tapping, you don't have to imagine, because before you know it, you'll be free.

PLEASE NOTE

When doing EFT tapping on your own, if you aren't able to completely heal the issue you're working on, so that when you think about it, it no longer causes any stress, emotional pain, anger, or fear, I recommend working with a professional EFT practitioner. If you decide that this is the best course of action for you, click here to schedule a session or free consultation. For a downloadable PDF of this article, click here.

BY HEATHER AMBLER Heather Ambler is a San Francisco Bay Area EFT practitioner and mindset coach. Through her private practice and online programs, she’s helped over 10,000 people in 78 countries recover from loss, heal trauma, release fears, increase confidence, and achieve goals. To schedule a session or free consultation, click here.