Finding core issues

Taken from the EFT newsletter 23rd November 2009, by Gary Craig:

When EFT "doesn't work," it is usually NOT because it doesn't work.

Instead, the real reason for not seeing results is because the practitioner has not applied EFT properly. Perhaps the practitioner has not been specific enough or maybe emerging aspects are masking otherwise valid healing work. We have covered these possibilities earlier in this tutorial.

There is another important element of sophistication that we need to explore ... namely ... the discovery of Core Issues. Sometimes a client's "presenting problem" is nothing more than a symptom of a Core Issue--a much deeper, much more important underlying problem. Once the Core Issue is discovered, it can usually be broken down into specific events and handled routinely.

There are many live examples of Core Issues throughout the various EFT training tapes. Study, for example, the case of Nate's "fear of heights" on the From EFT to the Palace of Possibilities DVD set. Nate comes up on stage with other height phobics and makes only modest headway. After some detective work, however, it was discovered that the real Core Issue was the sense of ridicule he felt when he was teased and prodded to make a parachute jump from a helicopter (while in the armed services). Once we took care of that Core Issue, his fear of heights vanished. In addition, his eyesight improved and his elevated blood pressure dropped dramatically (without taking his medication).

Other live examples abound within our EFT - Beyond the Basics DVD set. Pay particular attention to the sessions with Craig (Bashful Bladder), David (Fear of Public Speaking), Martha (Being Reserved) and Jane (Accident).

Finding Core Issues is an art and it requires experience to do it expertly. Fortunately, there are some common sense questions that can help you get to Core Issues quickly. Here are some of them....

• "What does this issue remind you of?"
  
• "When was the first time you can remember feeling the same kind of feeling?"
  
• "If there was a deeper emotion underlying this problem, what might it be?"
  
• "If you could live your life over again, what person or event would you prefer to skip?"

Please be aware, however, that a favorite answer clients like to give to these questions is, "I don't know." When you hear this, be persistent. You can say, "Well, just guess for me." Their guesses are usually right on target. Gary Craig