I am a big believer in EFT - and with a professional saw amazing results (managed to give birth to our second child in less than 3 hours and without drugs/interventions or any pain during or after the birth, after having a very upsetting c-section with our first child).  However, my results at home are not as amazing, especially with my 16 month old son.  Lately, in spite of all of my efforts (I have been counseled, primed and educated on the subject to a ridiculous extent) he insists on screaming himself to sleep.  Our pediatrician is a "sleep expert" and is utterly baffled - he has run out of suggestions.  Our baby will not fall asleep while I rock him, nor comfort himself.  It does not matter if I stand with him with my hands on him, or if I am outside of the room - he screams as if he is being tortured (please note that he is normally a wildly happy child, but does have a good set of lungs and is not afraid to use them to express the insult he feels at things like being put down for a nap/bed or being taken out of the bath/swimming pool/ocean, or being put down in general if he wants me to hold him, etc.).  For many months he slept on my back during the day (in an Ergo carrier), but of course even the best mother cannot walk the streets for 12 hours at night with her youngster attacked to her back.  He sleeps perfectly once the screaming has stopped.  No matter how I approach this situation with vicarious tapping for my son it does not appear to help him.  I have tapped from every possible perspective I can imagine.  I know my child is happy, and I know that he is stubborn and possesses a hot temper, yet I wish so much to help him to go to sleep peacefully. One important point could be that he had severe breathing issues as a newborn (due to a non-life-threatening condition he was born with but has outgrown).  For the first 7-8 months of his life he slept propped-up on my chest all night (he could breath well as long as I could keep him in a proper position).  It was a intensely stressful time for all of us, but he is absolutely well now... What am I not understanding in this situation?  This has been going on for quite some time, with peaceful intervals when he will decide to relax and allow me to help him nod off.  I am a stay-at-home, nursing mom so I do not think this is an attachment issue.  Any suggestions on how to proceed with EFT to help my little guy are most welcome.

Dorothy,

I'm sure many EFT parents and practitioners reading your post will see a link between the "severe breathing issues" your son experienced as a newborn and the "screaming himself to sleep" experiences he's now going through. If you don't get responses that help you here, try posing this question in the Practitioner's Discussion forum as well. I think there is an obvious thread connecting any sleep experiences your son faces. When you find the way to address his earlier associations between breathing difficulties and going to sleep what is occurring today will stop. Best wishes to you both.

Be well,

Eric

Hello Dorothy,

As a baby nurse for many years, I have seen my share of kids who will not go to sleep easily.  Not having all the specifics, I will offer some general suggestions.  First, some babies don't like to be tappoed.  They may prefer that you gently rub or massage the points.,  Watch and see which points are accepted better than others and simply skip them. A great alternative that is fun for mom and baby and is a great bonding experience is to kiss or blow raspberries (gently, you don't want to get Junior all wound up!) on the points.  The setup for this might go something like this: "Even though I am upset and mad and generally out of sorts and I just don't know why, I am a sweet, loving and lovable baby."  Alternate with this statement: "Even though I am upset and mad and generally out of sorts and I just don't know why, I choose to be calm and fall easily and gently to sleep."  For reminder phrases, mix it up with things such as: I am out of sorts, I can't get comfortable, I can't stop crying, I don't know why I feel this way.  Alternate with phrases such as: I choose to feel calm and comfortable, I choose to sleep now, I choose to feel peaceful and loved, I know Mommy loves me,  I am safe, I am calm, I am ready to sleep now.  This can be done on the baby or by proxy (surrogate). 

Try to find some nice soothing music with 60 beats per minute -- Brahams, for example.  Also, you can go to www.rhythmicmedicine.com for some wonderful music composed by music therapist Janalea Hoffman. One that I especially love is her Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star -- it puts me right out! Turn off the music if the baby is not calm.  You want to anchor the calm feelings with the soothing music. 

I would further suggest that you tap for your own anxieties over the sleep issues because babies pick up on your energy.  Just as insomnia often gets started as a few sleepless nights and then the anticipatory anxiety over the prospect of another sleepness night, virtually sets up a garauntee for another and another sleepness night.  You might also tap for the intention of everyone having a restful and gentle night's sleep.  Good luck and sweet dreams.