Tag Archives: addiction

Addiction issues – Blog via BeFreeWithEFT

Posted on by
Reply

“I’m an Addict, HELP!

It is common knowledge that the twelve step program reinforces the belief that once an addict, always an addict, and that managing the addiction through the control cycle is the best course of action.  They have their spiritual aspects, and I am definitely grateful for the awareness that they bring along with their compassionate desire for the addicts and their families, however, I also feel that it is time to move on to more effective ways of addressing addictions.

The typical response to addictive behaviors seems to be pushing the addicts into admitting they have a problem, and then getting them some sort of rehabilitation through a twelve step program or inpatient clinic.  To me, this is akin to a fireman running into a house and opening all of the windows to rid the home of the smoke; this causes the fire to rage all the more.  Instead, I choose to find the fire causing the smoke, and remove as much fuel for the fire—I have found this to be a quick and effective alternative to traditional methods.

I have spent many sessions with individuals who experience addictions that range from sex, heroin, marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco; and for the most part, we rarely speak or deal with the addiction itself, but instead search for the childhood roots of powerlessness and loneliness.  According to the Feelings Wheel  powerlessness is being in the state of anger, and loneliness is being in the state of sadness, the opposite of which is powerful and energetic.  It’s interesting that the polar opposite of loneliness is energetic, as many addictions we turn to are an attempt to feel energized, such as overeating, exercise, and some stimulant drugs.

Also, we are pre-programmed by society and our parents to distract ourselves with things outside of our experience, instead of having healthy self-care modeled for us.  When a baby cries, many parents will give their child food, a toy, or some other distractor to keep them quiet.  The belief is, if the child is crying or upset, “I’m not a good parent”, therefore get the child to stop crying at any cost.  Unfortunately, the cost is teaching the child to distract when they are uncomfortable—the seeds of addiction are planted.

Another contributor to the release and control addiction cycle is guilt, which I call the food of addiction.  Guilt keeps us from seeing the real issues in our life and tricks us into believing we are good people if we hold onto it, because we believe that guilt will keep us from lapsing.  Holding on to guilt blinds us though, that is why on the feelings wheel “awareness” is the healthy opposing feeling.  Awareness of the core issues that underlies our addictions, starves out the addiction, while feeling guilty and ashamed of our behavior keeps fueling and feeding the whole cycle.

There are three things that can be done with any addiction:

  1. Let go of the need to feel guilty for being an addict and move into awareness.
  2. Tap on your feelings of powerlessness, loneliness, or fear that you are experiencing in the moment when you decide to turn to your addiction.
  3. Once you are done with the deed and the experience is over, when any guilt starts to flow, tap again to own your feelings and move into awareness.”

 

website   freewitheft.com  Nathan Martinsen

_______________________________________

If you are looking for anonymous help, connect with me and we can work via phone or Skype.

Curing a Chocolate Addiction

Posted on by
1

Here is an article with an excellent example of how quickly using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) can help with addictions and cravings.

Chocolate Cravings!

The Sun magazine, from the UK – by Jane Hamilton 26, May 2009

“Tap on head cured my choc addiction

MORE than a million Brits are hooked on the UK’s most habit-forming substance.

Every day they battle terrible cravings — and tempting hits are available on almost every street corner for as little as 30p.

I’m talking about chocolate. 

To many it is the world’s most addictive foodstuff and kicking the habit can be as hard as coming off drugs.

I’ve been hooked on my sugary fixes for more than 20 years and have tried almost every way to quit.

I’ve been through hypnotherapy, aversion therapy, willpower, diets and even sniffing vanilla oil, which is supposed to counter craving. Nothing worked.

But now a new therapy claims an 80 per cent success rate for overcoming chocolate addiction.

Called Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT, it involves a therapist tapping on meridian pressure points on the head, neck and arms — like acupuncture but without the needles.

Practitioners say it can help people overcome phobias and end addictions in just a couple of sessions.

Lily Allen recently used it to help her lose weight. Madonna is rumoured to be a fan too.

I’ll admit I was sceptical, but after just one session I have conquered my cravings.

Therapist Carey Mann, 37, quit a well-paid job in TV production to train in EFT after she overcame her own binge-eating problem using the treatment.

Now her clients range from athletes who use it to beat pain to City workers hooked on cocaine.

My session took just over an hour.

It started with Carey asking me to hold and sniff my favourite chocolate bar and give it a rating out of ten for how much I wanted to eat it.

I answered ten out of ten — then Carey tapped out a simple sequence on my wrist and face, while asking me to repeat: “I control chocolate, chocolate doesn’t control me.”

I felt daft and was convinced it would not work. Yet when she handed me back the chocolate two minutes later, it no longer smelled so good and my craving rating was down to eight out of ten.

After another 40 minutes of the tapping sequence, I could happily throw the chocolate in the bin.

Carey describes the treatment as a “magic bullet” and says: “EFT works on the subconscious and as more than 95 per cent of what we do is subconscious, it’s the most effective way to work.”

The treatment is so simple that clients carry on using it at home themselves.

While my cravings have not disappeared completely, I can now control them with a simple tap to the hand or wrist. 

And since my session, I haven’t eaten chocolate for a week.

Carey thinks most cravings can be eliminated in just two sessions.

At £80 a time, EFT is certainly expensive — but it’s cheaper than a lifetime’s shelling out for chocolate.

Boffins define choc addiction as having “strong daily cravings” and eating more than 12 bars a week. It affects more women than men and is the most common food addiction.

But eating just one bar a day could make you pile on 2st in a year and it can mask signs of clinical depression.

Celebrity addicts include Robbie Williams, who has battled drug and alcohol problems but admits the habit he cannot kick is chocolate.

He said: “About five o’clock every morning I wake up with a longing for sugar. I’ll walk down to the kitchen and eat a block of chocolate the size of Sussex.””

______________________

If you are seeking help with a food addiction, lets talk!  I do phone and Skype sessions as well as in-person work.