Compulsive Hoarding/OCD

By Alina Frank, EFT-ADV, EFT CERT-I

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Although people around the world may scoff at the absurd fact that in the United States there are over 1 million people afflicted with pathological hoarding, the fact remains that it is seriously impairing for those that suffer from this form of obsessive compulsive disorder.  We have all read about recluses who have died under an avalanche of trash, but less visible are those who merely live in filth with fire hazards or unsanitary conditions.

According to the Mayo Clinic it is a difficult problem to treat, but by applying EFT for the underlying related causes I have seen the worst pack rats be able to toss out the clutter.  The following are two examples from my practice.

Susan came to see me after her relative called me and voiced her concern that Susan would soon be buried under a mountain of junk.  When we spoke, Susan identified a fear that she would need the things she was keeping in the future and that was the reason she couldn’t throw anything away.  This seems to be a common theme with hoarders.  The feeling she had of being able to hoard and keep all of her things gave her a sense of safety.

I asked her to name a time when she felt a lack of safety and she immediately recounted several memories of sexual abuse as a child.

Besides clearing all the unresolved emotional pain of her abuse, we worked on letting go of the fear that she’d be getting rid of something of possible value.  Within 3 sessions she was able to organize her apartment and give away or throw out truck loads of rubbish.

Lorraine called me when she felt too paralyzed to be able to move from her childhood home to a different city where she knew her life would improve.

One aspect of her potential move that felt overwhelming was being able to clean the house to get it ready to sell as she had piles of junk on every conceivable horizontal surface.  We went through different fears including the one I worked on with Susan.  One core issue that appeared was an attachment she had to the items that belonged to her deceased father whom she had a particularly strong relationship with.

Even though I will feel guilty if I let this trunk go I will let my father’s memory go…

Even though if I give this to someone who can use it I will be letting go of my father and everything he meant to me…

I am afraid that by discarding this trunk I will be discarding a material expression of the love he had for me, but I deeply and completely accept myself anyway

After we got to a level of intensity of zero on these statements we then did a few rounds of positive reframes:

My father is laughing in heaven at the fact that I have become so obsessed with this old piece of junk

The joyful memories I have of times together are what I carry into my new life and not the lifeless items in this old house.

A few weeks later Lorraine has tossed away bags of clutter, signed a lease on a new place in her favorite city, and has even found lucrative new work - all of which she had told me were steps too daunting to act on before we began using EFT. Here are other examples of issues related to hoarding:

Trouble making decisions – “I can’t decide what to do with this so I might as well stick it here for now.”
Procrastination – “I’ll deal with this mess later.”
Forming strong attachments to things or animals – “This item is a part of my life and I can’t let it go.

Luckily not only are all of these tappable issues but any subconscious associations and emotions can me cleared completely as well making it less likely that the problem will reoccur.

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Author's Bio:

#1 independently rated EFT practitioner

After an exhaustive search to find something that would help her with a
condition deemed "incurable"  Alina found EFT. She has since gone on to become the #1 independently rated EFT practitioner.

Alina is a co-founder of the Western Washington EFT Practitioners’ Group, and the EFT for Vets Associates which provides free sessions for veterans suffering from PTSD.  Alina has served a moderator on EFT founder Gary Craig’s EFT WomenWise Forum. Her work is recommended by many traditional allopathic health practitioners in the Seattle metro area. She has assisted over 2000 clients around the world on Skype, phone, and in person sessions. Through the combined used of quantum physics as a certified Matrix Energetics practitioner and a certified EFT practitioner/trainer Alina is  provides each and every person with an experience of healing for their highest good through her skills and intuitive gifts.

For your free EFT product, to read her list of testimonials, or to schedule a free 15 min consult, please visit www.tapyourpower.net

6 Comments

Raw Food Novice Sim Garner
Posted November 10, 2010 11:40 AM

I was l;looking up tapping scenario's for letting go with EFT when I found your site on the second page of google. I think that letting go of many things in our lives will help us to be more able in all areas of our lives. In abundance I want to let go of hording, penny pinching and attachment to money, people and material things. I was hoping to find a tapping sequence for that. I have to keep looking.

Alina
Posted November 10, 2010 11:57 AM

Hi there,
Thank you for your comment and question. This is some what of a buggaboo for many really good practitioners. Unfortunately, if you want to have 95% and upwards success rates with your EFT tapping then you can't use a script made for the masses. Through videos on youtube, audio scripts, and articles many people have gotten the impression that one size fits all and if they just found the one script they would be able to resolve their issue.
I have worked with many people who suffer from compulsive hoarding and the core issues behind them have been incredibly unique for each. One person could have issues around letting go of things or people because of past trauma. Another person can just have an unresolved memory around a particular loss. My advice is to tap on what you feel when you think of letting a specific person or item go and that will at least open the door to more insights and tapping. If that doesn't do it completely then work with a professional who can guide you into areas you could never get to on your own.

sharon benjelloun
Posted April 13, 2011 10:29 PM

Dear Alina,
I am a Hoarder and a Tapper. I have not tapped on the hoarding. I procrastinate.
I was/am a shopper. And the shopping was a stress releaser. I am and ex-smoker and am mentioning that because when I just said shopping releases stress I immediately though of the smoking.
A big ah ha moment from a couple of months ago was that i realized that shopping releases the stress and anxiety but I end up with all the anxiety multiplied when I end up having all the stuff. I only shop for clothes and bargain hunt and rummage. I would also pick up stuff from the street but I found that if i pick it up and hold it I can leave it in the street. I am not shopping now and am cleaning out stuff and trying hard to throw out, give away and sell stuff. But like any hoarder I still have mountains of stuff and cannot clean the house nor have repair men in to make needed repairs.
I feel that the smoking also reached the point where I had happiness and a release of anxiety and stress when I smoked and had increasing anxiety when I ended up smoking 1-2 packs a day.
I am very low on funds and cannot afford to pay for help as I spent 4 months in Calif. My mom is on Hospice and I went to help my brother with the care of my elderly mom.
Could you set me up with tapping patter. Or is there someone who would like to tap with me. I cannot ask anyone I know because of embarrassment connected with this. I will try to start tapping with the tapping patter you suggested for you clients who had hoarding issues and the feelings i had as a smoker.
Thanks,
Sharon

Alina Frank, EFT Universe Trainer
Posted April 14, 2011 06:32 PM

Procrastination is the subject of my next newsletter, Sharon! It's the war of the 2 brains- your limbic brain which is the much older part of your brain and the neocortex which is the ability to reason. Your limbic brain senses discomfort and will distract you while your reasoning brain says "Come on we have to do this!" The older brain will win out every time unless you face your specific fears and tap on them.
As far as addictions go, they are all related to the same thing - avoiding the pain. Face the pain and tap it away and if you are getting results please work with a practitioner even if it's just once a month. All my pro bono work these days is devoted to returning veterans.

Alina

Pamela
Posted February 19, 2013 08:01 AM

Hi Sharon- I have listened to many EFT seminars. Would you please answer a basic question? I don't understand where to tap when in conjunction with the statements. I can't find a pattern- It seems like sometimes one says one statement per tapping area and then sometimes multiple.

Many thanks!
Boston Tapper to be

Alina
Posted February 19, 2013 10:42 AM

the easiest way is to say the set up statement at the Karate Chop point and the reminder phrases on all the other points. Easiest set up : even though I feel ______(negative emotion) about _____(an event) , I completely accept myself. Easiest reminder phrases:this ______(same emotion as above)


Alina Frank
EFT Master Trainer

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