Hi Lynn,
I've just read your posts with interest, - well done on your persistence, and progress! Your post reminded me of a 13 year old boy I worked with a couple of years ago, for bed wetting. Although the circumstances are very different, I hope this account inspires you to build on your good progress.
The case illustrates to me (yet again!) how wonderful EFT is - even when it's virtually content free, and done surrogately. You'll see that I worked very much from the NLP presupposition 'behind every behaviour there's a positive intent.'
The boy (we'll call him 'Tom' not his real name) had been referred to me for anger problems. His anger related to abandonment, and a multitude of issues in connection with being placed in care during his infant years. We had made pretty good progress on all of this. In fact Tom himself was so impressed with the results that he taught the technique to his learning mentor, and later, his mother!
I often allowed Tom to use my computer to play on the BBC internet site/childrens section for the last 5 minutes of our sessions. At the end of one particular session with only 2 minutes to go, he clicked straight through to the links to the children's sex education section - and left it on that page before jauntily leaving the office! I made a reminder note for our next session, and also checked his school file which showed that since being at the school (over 2 years), he had been regularly late/absent. Digging a little deeper, I discovered a letter mentioning his nocturnal enuresis, and that this (bed wetting) was the main cause for his being late to school and arriving upset. His GP and family psychotherapist had not yet been able to resolve the issue.
The next session went as follows;
Phil: Tom, .. do you want to play on the computer at the beginning this time?
Tom: OK .. (logged onto a computer game - positioned side on to me)
Phil: I'm not sure .. and I may be wrong, and have you muddled with someone else, - or it could even have been in another school .. but I seem to remember reading recently about a boy having, shall we say - a little problem at night, meaning that he woke up all 'wet 'n 'orrible' .. could that have been you?
Tom: Sounds like it!
Phil: I have an idea, as, I'm guessing that its not your favourite subject to talk about?!
Tom; Umm
Phil; How about I do some tapping, pretending to be you, while you carry on playing your game - not even having having to look at me - and me guessing what its about with you standing up or swinging on my chair if I get it wrong?
Tom: Ok
Set-up:
Phil: (karate) Even though there's a part of me, which is waking me up at night - and I'm not sure why, but there again perhaps I do .. I'm ok and its alright.
Phil: (karate) Even though there's a part of me which seems to think that it need to get my attention, perhaps its right.
Phil: (karate) Even though I don't like what its doing at night, I know its for a good reason, and that this part means well.
Phil: (karate) Even though I've done tapping before, .. not this way and it seems strange Phil doing it all, but that's ok, and I'm alright.
Phil: (karate) And this doesn't make sense to me, but my part is listening in.
Phil: (karate) Even though this good reason to wake may be to be alert, I'm calm and relaxed now. That was then, and this is now.
Round One:
Phil: (eyebrow) I need to stay awake
Phil: (side of eye) Its not safe to sleep
Phil: (under eye) Stay awake - that's what I'll do
Phil: (under nose) I need to be safe .. even if I'm wet. Wet keeps me safe.
Phil: (chin) I can't relax - lots to do. Lots to think about .... .............
Phil: (collar bone) keeping safe, keeping safe.
Phil: (under arm) This part of me
Phil: (top of head) Keeping me safe, keeping me safe.
Continuing straight into Round Two:
Phil: (eyebrow) Don't want to think about it
Phil: (side of eye) No need to
Phil: (under eye) That was then, this is now
Phil: (under nose) Then felt danger, now I'm safe.
Phil: (chin) Now I'm safe .... .............
Phil: (collar bone) Now I'm safe.
Phil: (under arm) Keeping that part safe.
Phil: (top of head) I can now look after it, as it looked after me.
This EFT session was done quite rapidly .. like a workout. It was over very quickly, and we then spent a few minutes playing draughts - not talking about it, before finishing early. I remember a calm, still feeling as we left the room.
The following session, Tom happily told me that his problem at night had stopped the same night of our session. He was delighted (as was his mother!) that he was getting to school on time, and getting most days off to a happy start. It stayed that way for several months, but then in September the bed wetting returned. This coincided with him being asked to 'tell his story' by the family psychotherapist. Tom told me he didn't want to tell his story, but didn't know how to tell her. So we tapped on that, on being confident enough to tell her in a respectful way. He told me later that he had told her - that she was fine with this, and that again he was fine at night.
A couple of months later, exactly the same sequence occurred with Tom seeing another psychotherapist - the bed wetting returned, and again stopped when he found the confidence, through using EFT not tell his story. Following this I told Tom that, in time - he may want to tell what had happened to him, but there again he might not - and that he would know if the time was right. Tom told me that he would continue using the EFT story telling technique, as he'd done it a few times on his own - and was finding it useful.
EFT inspires me, and equally so the spirit of those young people like Tom who embrace and trust it !