A Core Emotional Issue Responsible for Weight Gain

Using EFT to dissolve core issues

By Helen P Bressler

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Mary (name changed for confidentiality) came to me with her problem of carrying extra weight.  She had been overweight since childhood and just could not find an answer to losing weight nor the motivation or mindset to curb her negative behavior around food.  Although her diet was rich in simple carbohydrates, protein and vegetables, it also included a large amount of ‘take out’ and processed foods as well as high sugar, high fat snacks.  Mary was approaching 50 and carried 230 pounds on her 5 foot 4 inch frame.

Mary felt generally ‘fed up’ and had tried diets and increasing exercise over the years.  She already walked 4 miles a day to and from work, and had been doing so for the past few years but nothing she attempted was sustained for more than a couple of weeks, except her walk to and from work.

When prompted to look more deeply at her feelings around her weight, Mary said the weight gain began with the death of her mother when she (Mary) was just 6 years old. Gently probing this scenario further we discovered that Mary had not felt abandoned, angry or ‘undernourished’, as I admit I had expected, but had been left feeling anxious after her mother’s passing.

We addressed the anxiety by first muscle testing to ascertain psychological reversal; Subconsciously, Mary actually wanted to retain her weight.  On discovering this and being reassured that reversal was quite normal and experienced by nearly half of the population, Mary was open to first tapping to address her implicit wish to keep the weight.  The setup used the sore spot, Even though I want to keep my extra weight, I deeply and completely accept and forgive myself’.  After the setup, we tapped, Wanting to keep my weight’ and ‘not wanting to lose weight, alternatively on the EFT points.

I then asked Mary to evaluate the level of anxiety on a scale of 0-10 to which she replied 10.  We explored various wording for the setup and settled on, Even though I am still anxious after my mother’s death...  After three rounds Mary’s feeling anxious had dropped to a 4 out of 10 and she was able to speak more openly about her mother and her mother’s death without the charged emotion she had felt for almost 44 years.  Eager to take the setup and tapping home, I asked her to go through the setup and tapping once each evening for a period of 4 weeks.

Our follow-up appointment fell almost 5 weeks after our first session and began with an elated Mary entering the room.  She had lost 14 pounds in less than 5 weeks and exclaimed excitedly that her whole attitude toward food had changed.  She continued to tap each evening before bed, as she felt motivated and reassured by doing so.  She also explained that she felt free of the charge surrounding her mother’s death and that she was finally felt she was doing something for herself (taking charge of her eating habits and losing the excess weight) without feeling anxious about it.

Apparently since her mother died, every action was accompanied by a feeling of anxiousness.  I considered probing the anxiousness further and asked Mary if any accompanying emotions were present either at the time of the death or since.  As Mary was sincere in her inability to find any other emotion attached to or underlying the anxiety I decided not to ask what may have been leading questions.

Mary continues to tap, to lose weight in a healthy, gradual manner and is eating a balanced diet without the processed snacking that had maintained her overweight.  She states that she is experiencing life in a freer manner and has deeper emotional connections with her children and husband.

The benefits that I greatly appreciate about EFT are the ancillary side effects, such as the more intimate relationships experienced by Mary, as well as the simplicity which makes this so easily accessible.

With love,

Helen P Bressler

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Author's Bio:

Helen holds a bachelor’s degree with suma cum laude honors from Oxford Brookes University and is certified in EFT, Z Point and Professional Coaching. Helen is also a registered nurse and ordained minister. She has over two decades of experience in the area of self-development; and works with individuals, groups and couples with great success.

Her wealth of experience and knowledge make her invaluable in the area of self-development. She is widely renowned as a self development expert and transformational coach and has helped hundreds transform their lives.

Helen uses EFT and Z Point to diminish trauma, blocks and isempowering beliefs which get in the way of discovering  or achieving what we really want. Furthermore, she optimizes growth and facilitates direction. She helps people improve relationships and health, clear emotional baggage, reduce stress and unleash potential. She creates tailor-made sessions that perfectly suit the needs of her clients.

Clients have reported feeling happier, healthier, more peaceful and more aware of their life purpose as a result of working with Helen.

Helen co-authored '101 Ways to Enhance Your Career' and has had countless articles published both electronically and in paper form. As part of her own continuing development she is currently working towards her license in marriage and family therapy.

Helen is available for individual, group, family and couples sessions. Visit her website for further information and details of how to contact Helen: www.optimumevolution.com

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While EFT has produced remarkable clinical results, it must still be considered to be in the experimental stage and thus practitioners and the public must take complete responsibility for their use of it.

In addition, the articles on this site represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the founder of EFT, Gary Craig, nor the owner of this web site, Stefan Gonick.