What follows is an update on my tapping about being out of control with food. There were several positives, although baby steps, and a resolve to set myself up for more success by making tapping more automatic instead of relying upon myself to decide to tap when I need it. I also explore what might be some of the underlying issues that will need to be resolved in order to experience more success in managing my food more successfully.
Have you ever been out of control with food? This is an old problem that has re-surfaced for me. Please tap along with me in the video. If you have questions or comments about any of the content, I’d love to hear from you.
Have you ever heard that expression? I have heard it and used it, but only understood it through context, never knowing a dictionary definition. Merriam-Webster defines it as “to encompass an entire range of something.” Synonyms include range, spectrum, span, scope, breadth, scale, or extent. Gamut is also a term that can apply in meridian tapping. While in tapping it is the name of a tapping spot, to me it also relates to increasing the breadth and scope of your tapping, or “getting the whole thing”.
There is a spot on the back of the hand between the knuckles at the base of the ring finger and little finger. It is the third point on the Triple Warmer acupuncture meridian which is responsible for turning on and off the fight/flight/freeze response. It is also associated with the spleen meridian. Carol Prentice, in her article at www.thetappingsolution, describes the use of the 9-Gamut Procedure. She indicates that disturbances in spleen energy may be involved in both physical and emotional problems.
The 9-Gamut Procedure was taught as an important component of the Emotional Freedom Technique decades ago when I was first learning it. For some reason, I don’t completely understand, many practitioners stopped teaching it regularly. Actually, so did I. It was the part of the tapping procedure that looked the strangest and I feared that it prevented people from actually wanting to do the technique. Recently, I have revisited that decision and have decided to include it again in my own tapping.
Other Energy Psychologists, such as Fred Gallo and Harry Vincenzi, in their book Energy Tapping, use a form of this procedure and call it Brain Balancer. This is a very accurate label for what the 9-Gamut Procedure does.
The 9-Gamut Procedure includes these steps:
Tap the Gamut spot on the back of the hand continuously
Without moving your head, circle your eyes clockwise
Hum a few seconds of a tune such as Happy Birthday or Row Your BoatAt this point most people seem to need some explanation of why you are being encouraged to do this. Eye movements are tied to brain function. So when you look right you are using the left side of your brain and when you look left you are using the right side of your brain. Similarly, humming stimulates the right side of the brain and counting stimulates the left side of the brain. When you put this all together you stimulate the whole brain, while also changing the emotional response by tapping on the gamut spot.
Mair Llewellyn posted an interesting article on www.emofree.com that describes the pros and cons of using the 9-Gamut procedure. The cons are pretty much what I had expected: takes longer, looks weird, and can be intimidating to new tappers. The advantages include a method for tying tapping to other healing practices that people may have heard of such as neurolinguistic programming (NLP), EMDR, and other brain balancing techniques that are increasingly more popular in the media. Another advantage is that blocks to change/healing seem to happen more quickly when it is used. Previously unconscious memories can be unlocked. The third advantage that she identifies in the silent period during the 9-Gamut which provides a break from the words often used while tapping the other points. In this silence self-awareness and insight have a chance to bloom. Lastly, the gamut point itself is quite useful whenever there is pain or emotional trauma. As I stated before, it is associated with that fight/flight/freeze response that is a part of the trauma/pain experience.
Still not convinced? Dawson Church, an amazing practitioner, and researcher published an article on EFT Universe that shared research on the eye movements from University of South Florida in a sample of people with PTSD and depression. Researchers found that the emotional distress held in memories of traumatic events was rapidly reduced while using Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). ART also uses eye movements similar to the 9-Gamut Procedure. While the exact mechanism for change is still under study, research indicates that many different techniques that use eye movements have been clinically useful in reducing emotional distress.
Ready to give it a try?
The tapping exercise below also comes from my study of the Tao Te Ching.
Setup (while tapping karate chop point): I have a tendency to make snap judgments about people, places, events, circumstances – really, just about everything. Even when I take the time to think about things, I’m still making judgments. I often pride myself on being a good listener, but I even make judgments about what I expect other people to say. I sometimes start thinking about how I want to respond to what people are saying before they even finish saying it. That is a definite clue that I’m not really listening. Even though I have this tendency to judge, I choose to move toward judging less. Even though I often fail to really listen to other people, I choose to move toward listening more. Even though I have a tendency to judge and a tendency not to really listen, I choose to judge less and listen more.
Eyebrow…I am a very judgmental person
Side of Eye…That doesn’t feel like a very flattering statement
Under the Eye…I can hardly admit that to myself
Under the Nose…I certainly don’t want to admit that to anyone else either
Chin…Even the statement that something is good is a judgment
Collarbone…My need to evaluate or judge things is a sign of my resistance to just experiencing life as it comes
Under the Arm…It sounds to zen to say that there is no good or no bad – there just is
Top of Head…I’m not at a place where I really believe that
Eyebrow…I am open to learning to judge less
Side of Eye…I am open to believing that I could experience more of life without adding judgments about whatever is happening
Under the Eye…I may not be as good a listener as I would like to think
Under the Nose…I get caught up in my own thoughts and fail to really listen to the thoughts of others
Chin…If I am not listening to them – I’m still in my own reality
Collarbone…That means I can’t really understand where they are coming from
Under the Arm…I choose to listen more
Top of Head…I am excited to see where these choices will lead me
The 9-Gamut is a great procedure to add to your regular tapping. When I first learned to tap (many years ago) the 9-gamut was always included. Now it doesn’t seem to be very common, but I still find it useful. Fair warning: it looks really weird. This was always the hardest part to get people to do and it is such a shame. If you can roll your eyes (I bet you can do that), hum a tune, and count to 5 you can do this. Keep an open mind and give it a try.
I have posted quite a few tapping examples lately that were based on my reading of the Tao Te Ching. I was inspired to delve into the Tao Te Ching after reading Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao. His discussion of each of the verses has been very meaningful to me. Considering the magnitude of change that embracing these lessons could bring caused me to start tapping while reading just to manage the anxiety. Here is another tapping example. I welcome your comments and questions and hope you will share your experiences.
Setup (while tapping the karate chop point): According to Wayne Dyer’s advice we should practice letting go of always naming and labeling. This advice makes me feel sick to my stomach. I’m really good at naming and labeling. Naming and labeling is the way that I manage my life and my world. I cannot imagine what life would be like without the names and labels. While on one level I know that the names and labels don’t really define the thing, and that those names and labels really only define me – they make me feel safe and secure. In spite of this very, very, very, very strong tendency to name and label, I want to be open to experiencing the world without those names and labels.
Eyebrow…Names and labels
Side of Eye…I love them
Under the Eye…The idea that the names and labels may really limit my experience of the world isn’t new
Under the Nose..Even Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet makes reference to that fact when discussing the rose
Chin…I just can’t imaging what it would be like to experience something without a name or label
Collarbone…That’s probably not true
Under the Arm…I experience things all of the time without names and labels
Top of Head…I usually tend to call it anxiety
Eyebrow…I call that out of control
Side of Eye…Or I make the judgment in response that I must be stupid because I cannot name or label it
Under the Eye…The Tao suggests that names and labels aren’t really necessary in order to experience the world
Under the Nose…The Tao also suggests that my need to label and name may stem from my inability to accept the mystery
Chin…So true!
Collarbone…The word mystery is very much like the word surprise to me
Under the Arm…Very scary stuff
Top of Head…I want to be open to the possibility that I could do it differently
Eyebrow…Maybe I could use my senses to understand something before jumping to the name
Side of Eye…I could lose myself in the fragrance or color of a flower before giving it a name
Under the Eye…I want to experience being in the presence of a butterfly without knowing what kind it is
Under the Nose…I suspect that once I name it I really stop experiencing it
Chin…It is exciting to think that my experiences could be more intense and more real than ever before
Collarbone…I commit myself to more experiencing
Under the Arm…I commit myself to letting go of my need for instant names and labels
Top of Head…I commit myself to considering the mystery
“
I don’t have time to exercise.” I say these words a lot. I’m a very busy person. Intellectually I know that what I mean is that I don’t have time that I want to allocate to exercise, but the feeling that I don’t have time is quite real. Tap along with the exercise and see what comes up for you.
Setup (tapping on karate chop point): I don’t have time to exercise. I’m a very busy person. Where would I find the time? I have way too many things to do so I don’t think I really have the time to exercise. In spite of all my excuses about time to exercise, I choose to love and accept myself anyway. Even though I have an amazing number of excuses about why I don’t have time to exercise, I honor that part of me that knows that I really do.
Eyebrow…I don’t have time to exercise
Side of Eye…Sometimes that feels really true
Under the Eye…Sometimes I know it is just an excuse
Under the Nose…I AM really busy
Chin…I have a lot on my plate
Collarbone…Other people rely upon me to get things done
Under the Arm…I often feel overwhelmed with all I have to do
Top of Head…Lets face it, adding exercise to the mix seems pretty daunting
Eyebrow…At the very least it could be quite inconvenient
Side of Eye…I don’t know how I would fit it into my day
Under the Eye…What other things would I have to give up?
Under the Nose…If I get other people to do their own stuff I could probably find some time to exercise
Chin…But that will mean conflict
Collarbone…If I asked for help with some of my own stuff I probably could find some time to exercise
Under the Arm…But asking for help is hard
Top of Head…I realize that I don’t have to do it all at once
Eyebrow…I could do a little bit at a time
Side of Eye…Like just parking one spot farther out in the parking lot
Under the Eye…If I really wanted to exercise
Under the Nose…I could be creative in my scheduling
Chin…The first step is deciding that I really want to do this
Collarbone…Then I can decide what exercise or exercises I want to do
Under the Arm…I might be fun to take a class
Top of Head…And learn something new
Eyebrow…I could get the whole family involved some of the time
Side of Eye…Or I could have this as “me time”
Under the Eye…It feels somewhat good to thing about doing this for myself
Under the Nose…I have the same amount of time each day
Chin…That everyone else does
Collarbone…It is up to me to decide how to use it
Under the Arm…I will have to make some choices
Top of Head….Making me a priority
This is a tapping exercise that I first used in 2011. It pains me to tell you, but it was true again this week. I am once again deeply ashamed of how out of control I am about food. In my own defense, it isn’t always true, but some things have obviously changed in my life and another aspect has clearly shown up, so I’m bringing this one back — for me. Hopefully it will be beneficial for you too.
I have gained a little clarity about why the problem has returned. I’ve noticed that the time right after work is the most perilous for me and I don’t have the same problem on the weekends usually. There seems to be something about my lack of control with my job and my lack of control with food. (We will likely address that in a tapping video very soon.
The Setup (tapping on the karate chop point). I am so ashamed of my inability to control my eating. Even when I am eating, my brain and inner self often tell me to stop. But I am out of control. Something takes over and I just keep eating and eating and eating. In spite of being like an out of control animal about food, I want to let go of the shame and guilt about this situation. Even though I have shame and guilt about my eating habits at times, I am trying to learn new skills and new ways of relating to food. I get out of control around food and I am ashamed of my lack of control. Even with this “character flaw” of mine, I choose to take baby steps to regain a healthier way of eating and living with food (although I’d definitely be ok with giant steps too.)
Eyebrow…I am ashamed of my eating
Side of Eye…I am often out of control
Under the Eye…I should be able to control my eating better
Under the Nose…I should be able to control myself better
Chin…Its not like I don’t know any better
Collarbone…I blame myself for this
Under the Arm…I am supposed to be a smart person
Top of Head…Obviously Not!!!
Eyebrow…Other people would be appalled if they really knew how I am with food
Side of Eye…I am so ashamed of myself
Under the Eye…I’m not really out of control all of the time
Under the Nose…Just some of the time
Chin…But I am ashamed all of the time
Collarbone…That doesn’t make sense
Under the Arm…I don’t want to be out of control
Top of Head…I don’t want to feel so much guilt and shame either
Eyebrow…I wonder if there might be something about this that I could change
Side of Eye…I wonder if there is a way I could be more mindful about my eating
Under the Eye…I wonder if there is a way to be more gentle with myself
Under the Nose…Feeling out of control is scary
Chin…Guilt and shame are awful
Collarbone…I would like to feel a little bit better about myself
Under the Arm…I could probably let go of these feelings, at least sometimes
Top of Head…I can control myself when I eat salad
Eyebrow…I can control myself when I eat vegetables
Under the Eye…There’s no reason to feel guilt and shame there
Under the Nose…I can control myself when I eat apples
Chin…Another reason to reject guilt and shame
Collarbone…I may have a bad habit of guilt and shame
Under the Arm…I choose to stop beating myself up when it isn’t appropriate
Top of Head…I choose to love myself into better health
While the message Don’t Try – Do! may be more recently associated with my little green guru Yoda, it is also a lesson from the Tao Te Ching. It is also a lesson I have struggled with, although intellectually whole-heartedly support.
Setup (while tapping on the karate chop point): I have a tendency to say I’ll try things. I was taught that I should always be open to trying. That was supposed to help me find the courage to do things that I might think I could to. Unfortunately, saying I’m going to try seems to also set me up for failure at times. I am open to just doing things to whatever level or ability I can at that time and accepting the result – whatever it is. Even though I tend to think in terms of success and failure, I am open to learning a new way of being. Even though trying feels more comfortable to me than doing, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though I am aware that this is a lesson I haven’t quite mastered in the past, I love and accept myself fully.
Eyebrow…The words I use may be holding me back
Side of Eye…It seems like saying that I’ll try something should be a good thing
Under the Eye…But that attitude may be limiting me in some ways
Under the Nose…When I say I’ll try, I instantly insert the possibility for failure in my life
Chin…I am open to learning a new way to choose the events of my life
Collarbone…I wonder how things could be different if I just do things instead of trying
Under the Arm…I choose to use words that open up possibilities
Top of Head…The attitude of trying can sometimes help me avoid commitment
Eyebrow…The attitude of trying can sometimes help me avoid responsibility
Side of Eye…The attitude of trying can sometimes help me avoid the possibility of failure
Under the Eye…Well — not really
Under the Nose…I am open to redefining failure
Chin…I am open to redefining responsibility
Collarbone…I am open to redefining commitment
Under the Arm…These are all constructs that I have previously accepted as real
Top of Head…Perhaps there is another way to view the world
Eyebrow…I am open to clarity
Side of Eye…I am open to being less tentative about things I choose to do
Under the Eye…I am open to doing
Under the Nose…When I wake up in the morning – I am doing
Chin…When I eat – I am doing
Collarbone…When I go to bed — I am doing
Under the Arm…In all that I face today – I want to do
Top of Head…Trying is in the past. Now I will do.
There may not be a right or wrong. I’ve been exposed to this concept before and have certainly used it in psychotherapy more than once when encountering someone’s rigid beliefs. Honestly, this is a concept that I often struggle with and I have a marked tendency to see things in terms of right and wrong. It requires a conscious decision to see things any other way.
The second verse of the Tao Te Ching addresses the duality of the world. I understand that I can see beauty because I see ugly and that there is no old without also knowing the existence of young. I have trouble handling things when what seems to be polar opposites exist side by side. I have even more trouble handling it when directly pertains to me. If I do something that I label as wrong, I’m all bad. If I do something that I label as great, I lose sight of other parts of me that might not be as great.
I am trying to embrace the duality of life more often. I’ve been wrestling with the inadequacy of the labels “right” and “wrong” for a long time now. Below is a tapping exercise to help better understand my struggle. I hope you tap along.
Setup (while tapping on the karate chop point): Even though I tend to think in terms of right and wrong, I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though I struggle with dichotomous interpretations of the world, I am open to having an easier time with this. Even though I have blocks to really accepting the new way of seeing the world in my life, I choose to embrace my willingness to change and accept all of me along the journey.
Eyebrow…Life without sadness means life without joy
Side of Eye…Life without illness means life without health
Under the Eye…Life without tragedy means life without victory
Under the Nose…Life without frustration means life without satisfaction
Chin…I’m afraid to embrace the entire human experience
Collarbone…I really prefer only the thing that I label as good
Under the Arm…The rest really scares me
Top of Head…I can’t quite wrap my head around the whole thing
Eyebrow…A part of me wants to get it
Side of Eye…And another part of me doesn’t
Under the Eye…That is just another example of the duality of the world
Under the Nose…I guess I can’t fully understand the concept of approach
Chin…If I don’t also recognize my own feeling of avoid
Collarbone…I’m not sure how this really plays out in my daily life
Under the Arm…I look forward to those moments when I feel like I really get it
Top of Head…And I guess I need to look forward to the moments where I don’t too. That is the duality of life.