If anyone has had success with surrogate tapping, especially for children with autism, please get in touch.  I am new to EFT and interested in applying it to children with communication difficulties, especially those on the autistic spectrum.

Thank you,

Mark G

Dear Mark

alas I haven't had the chance yet to work with autistic children. I do though have a lot of experience with surrogate tapping. I use it not only for children but also for adults. Depending on circumstances and sensitivity of the subject the intensity of the respondents vary. It is obvious to me, given time, there is always a noticeable effect.

I found that for myself often the surrogate tapping turns more effective after I exercise on myself a series of energy exercises and heart rhythm coherence breathing techniques. I feel the key point for successful surrogate tapping is being in tune with your intuition and trusting the information you are generating within yourself when interacting in situations where communication is poor.

While doing surrogate tapping I often found that different images of energy-stimulation are being projected into my consciousness, so from tapping on the points I find myself imagining different forms of energy moving in my subject while repeating in my head or out loud the setup phrase. I intentionally want give you specific example for what I see in my mental images, so you will not be tempted to impose it or subconsciously suggest it on to your own experience, simply trust in your ability to reintroduce in your present being capacities which you have buried under years of cognitive dominants.

In some cases where I found communication to be an obstacle in the evolution of a process, I found the use of magnets and the movement of 8 a powerful means to connect Biomagnetic fields which in result radically improves verbal and non-verbal exchange of information between myself and my subject. My favourite is holding hands with my subject while between our hands lies a magnet then we start making together with arms without letting go of the hands little shapes of 8 in the air slowly making them larger starting slow and if possible accelerating adding to the dynamics of the movement, 30 seconds to a minute is enough. of course with children the playfulness of the act can prolong the exercise and you will find they tend to take over and give it their own interpretation improvising on that theme.

I hope this is helpful information

enjoy

Aurel

PS http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/members/deden.htm  this interview might inspire you to an all other side of energy medicine, especially to the part where she tells about her experience working with a young man considered to be artistic.

Surrogate tapping for children

Hello Mark, The attached article is on general surrogate tapping. Even though it is not specific to autism, the key guidance is all there. Please come back to the forum or direct to develop the questions you have about working with autistic children.

Best Wishes

Christine

Whilst active tapping with children is the best gift I know to help clear negative emotions, there is good occasion for surrogate or proxy tapping with a child.  It is really quite simple, no need to make it complicated. Following are some general guidelines: 

“ Getting yourself out of the picture”   Words from Gary Craig when he is talking about practitioners working with clients. Of course, the same applies to parents helping with their children’s issues. What use can you possibly be to your child in helping them if your energy field is disrupted as well?If we anxiously tap with someone or on someone we greatly lessen our chances of a positive result - this is one reason that we always tap along with clients. I don't want my own state to interfere with their healing.

To the frazzled mum of the tantrum ridden toddler in the supermarket

To the parent who is faced yet again with a child who refuses to do homework

To the parent who is waiting for their teenager to return home late at night.

My advice to other parents and to therapists is the same:   For the true energy balancing effects of surrogate tapping to be most effective, always, always, always tap on yourself first.  This will make all the difference.

Children tend to be intimately tied to their parent’s emotional state to determine how they are going to feel. Remember, emotions get transferred between people when we interact, and children are often like tuning forks for our emotional states. So,try..“ Even though I  am feeling angry that this …. has happened again, I deeply and completely accept myself” Working through levels of how you feel about the issue and remeasuring SUD’s as you go.By tapping yourself first you have more chance of truly being able to get into their space. You become free of your own negative emotional states ABOUT the problem, in order to work with the child ON their problem. Prior to this, emotions are likely to cloud response - and even being transferred to your child, short circuiting the benefits of tapping.Once you can honestly feel in a balanced state you can begin to tap for your child.

“Alone or together ?”You do not have to be in the same room with your child. In fact, sometimes it can be a good idea to take a little space as long as they are not in any potential danger.If the child is calm you can sit near them or hold them on your lap. You can say the words out loud so the child can hear clearly or to yourself if you feel there may be resistance. A great time for surrogate tapping is when your child is asleep. You can focus on the tapping points on the child as you tap on yourself.  Use words/phrases that your child would say.You can do a surrogate tap for your child if they are on a school trip or even abroad.

“How do I get started ?”    A good place to begin is to tap your Friendly (Karate) Point and say, “My intention is to help …. (name) by seeing this issue through his/her eyes and feeling his/her feelings through his/her heart because I love him/her.”Tap yourself to clear your own energy. Example: “Even though I am upset/concerned/sad/angry (pick one or insert your own) about ..( name’s).. issue (describe the issue), I completely accept and love myself and him/her.” Alternate or additional statements could be…“I choose to be calm and loving about this issue”  or…I release my negative feelings of frustration/ anger/ guilt” or “…I choose to be calm, confident and caring.”

“ Becoming the child ? ”    What is meant is that after clearing your own issues, try to put yourself in his/her place or look at the issue from his/her perspective. Tap yourself “as if” you are your child. Make your statement in the first person.It is my belief that as long as we ask for our EFT to be "for the highest good of all", then we are in integrity.

“My child won’t tap anyway ! ”       Occasionally when tapping is new to a child can be resistant to tapping or being tapped on. Tap yourself first for your frustration. Then, use your child’s own exact words whenever you can to tap on yourself. Example: “Even though I think this tapping is stupid, silly or won’t work, I am willing to give it a try, anyway.”When you feel a good emotional shift, you can begin to tap yourself for the issues at hand. Don’t worry unduly about SUD’S; you have a good idea what the intensity is. You might want to throw in that “Even though I am feeling mad/sad/bad,     I know my mum and dad love me and care about me.”You can be open, child like and creative with your statements. Be persistent. Be patient. Be silly! Most of all, be gentle with yourself.I will offer you more advice on gentle ways to overcome your child’s resistance to tapping in a  later issue.

 “What issues can I work on ?” Simple. You may choose to surrogate tap on any issues that have emotional content: e.g.

·         Temper, stubborn, anger, fear, confidence, sadness, guilt, shame, etc

·         When parents are separated from their child for some reason - hospital, school trip, etc

·         When the child is resistant to tapping on themselves

“I’m not sure about it ?”     Sometimes I get asked do I think is it ethical to tap for someone else. I usually respond by asking them to consider do they ask permission to pray for someone else. With care, surrogate tapping reduces negative emotions by clearing energy disruptions always with the Child’s Best Intention in Mind.

Have fun. Fondest wishes – Christine This article is adapted from my  © TAP with ME programme for parents. Log onto www.eftworld.co.uk for details of the complete programme