You Can Eat One and Stop

By Gloria Arenson MFT, DCEP

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An amazing acupressure technique called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) can take cravings away in minutes. Whether it is cigarettes, beer, donuts or chocolate, just touching or tapping a few energy points on the face and upper body allows the urge to disappear effortlessly.

Most people who have used EFT to combat cravings report a loss of desire that lasts for hours, days or longer. I had a chocolate miracle ten years ago when I received a gift of a glorious box of very expensive chocolates. As a lifelong chocoholic, I didn't want to open this Pandora's box, so I put it on my kitchen counter where it proceeded to beckon me. I couldn't live with it, but I couldn't live without it either.

Since I specialize in helping people overcome their compulsive behaviors, I did what I tell my clients to do. I gave myself a two-minute EFT treatment. I tapped 3 times on the outside edge of the hand and then ten times on these energy points: on my eyebrow near the nose, the outside edge of my eye socket, under the lower lid of my eye, under my nose, under my lower lip, under my collarbone and four inches under my armpit on the side of my body.

While I tapped I agonized over my desire for those luscious pieces of chocolate. My urge to gobble them up quickly dissipated. I treated myself a few more times during the day and also gave myself a couple of follow up treatments on the next two days, while looking lovingly at the golden box of goodies. However, I didn't feel like opening it!

By the third day it dawned on me that I had lost interest in the candy. I put it in my freezer in case my husband wanted some. As the days turned into weeks, I noticed that I had not only stopped craving the gift box of chocolate, I stopped desiring chocolate in general.

It happened so easily that I was sure it wouldn't last. It has been ten years and the old unstoppable craving hasn't returned! Freedom means sometimes I eat a piece of chocolate or portion of chocolate cake, and sometimes I don’t feel like it even though it is there. It's no big deal.

Challenge your craving with this experiment. Almost everyone has a taste for chocolate. You most likely will have some chocolate in your home right now, candy, a cookie, or cake. If sweets are not what you crave, you may want to challenge your desire for a cigarette or beer instead. Follow these simple steps.

Hold the chocolate and smell it. Take a very small bite and savor it. Rate the intensity of your desire to eat it from zero to ten. Tap each energy point ten times while thinking about how much you want it. Taste it again.

Rate the intensity of your craving. Has it changed? Continue to tap the points and rate your desire until you have reached zero. You will now be able to discard the rest of the uneaten food without regret. If you can't, keep tapping.

You will be amazed at how quickly the craving for chocolate dissipates, often after only one or two rounds. Many people report that the aroma also changes, becoming less appealing. Use the craving challenge with other urges you can't control: cigarettes, alcohol or shopping.Have fun while you improve your health.

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Author's Bio:

Gloria Arenson, MFT, DCEP, specializes in using EFT to help people overcome compulsive behaviors, especially overeating, bulimia, spending, and procrastination. She has successfully treated hundreds of people for stress, anxiety, trauma, and fears. Gloria is the author of Desserts Is Stressed Spelled Backwards, How to Stop Playing the Weighting Game, Born To Spend, Freedom At Your Fingertips, EFT For Procrastination, and the award winning Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing. Visit her website at www.GloriaArenson.com or contact her at glotao@cox.net.

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Disclaimer: All information on this website is for educational purposes only, and the content is not intended to suggest that it is a substitute for proper medical care or good common sense.

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.