The Tapping Solution for Weight Loss & Body Confidence by Jessica Ortner Read Free Book Online

tapping target and notice what it brings up in your body. What level of distress does it generate in you? A 10 would be the most distress you can imagine; a 0 rating would mean you don’t feel any distress at all. Don’t worry about getting the SUDS level exact or “right”—just follow your gut instinct. Think about the anger you feel as a result of how you look in that picture. If the feeling is really intense, you might rate it an 8 or a 9. If you’re still feeling anger toward yourself but the intensity has lessened a bit since you first saw the photo, you might rate it a 5 or 6. To see a significant shift in an issue, start with something you can rate at 5 or higher.
    Self-acceptance is an invitation to stop trying to change yourself into the person you wish to be, long enough to find out who you really are.
    — ROBERT HOLDEN
    SUDS is best used to measure emotional intensity, and there are two main reasons we use it. First, when we clear an issue with tapping, we sometimes experience so much relief that we forget how intense the issue was before tapping. Also, by using SUDS we’re able to appreciate the progress we’re making through tapping. It’s not always a necessary step, but it can be very helpful.
    Do I Have to Say “I Love and Accept Myself”?
    When I teach tapping to a new crowd, I can see the restlessness in the audience as I begin to talk about the setup statement. For many it feels incredibly uncomfortable and even a bit “out there” to say “I love and accept myself,” especially when this is the opposite of how they may be feeling. I can relate. I used to think that people who said it were either narcissistic or just plain corny. But I soon learned the incredible power of this phrase.
    We have been taught that in order to achieve something, we need to fight for it. Accepting ourselves supposedly means we surrender to our flaws and never change. But it’s our inability to accept ourselves that keeps us stuck in place. We are so busy fighting our feelings that we don’t realize that the very act of fighting or trying to ignore negative feelings gives them power over us.
    When we don’t accept how we feel, we pile on even more emotions. Have you ever been upset at yourself for being upset? I’m so mad at myself for being mad! I should know better by now and not let him/her trigger me like this! When we don’t accept how we feel, we keep that emotion stuck in place, and over time the pile of emotions we’re stuck with gets bigger and bigger. Loving and accepting ourselves releases us from this pattern and gives us the freedom to choose a more empowering thought. Again and again I have seen the profound impact of acceptance. It is the first step to true transformation. As my friend Kris Carr says, “When we truly embrace acceptance, that’s when our body exhales and can begin healing.”
    Still resistant to this concept? While I always encourage people to try saying “I love and accept myself,” another statement I often use is “Even though I feel so [fill in the blank], I accept how I feel and I’m okay.” You can also use EFT expert Dr. Patricia Carrington’s Choices Method of countering the emotion you’re feeling and adding “and I choose …” at the end. For example, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you could use the setup statement “Even though I’m feeling overwhelmed, I choose to feel calm and confident.”
    Step 3: Creating Your Setup Statement
    Now that you know your SUDS level, the next step is to craft what’s called the “setup statement.” This brings up the energy of the tapping target you’re going to be working on. The basic setup statement goes like this:
    Even though ____________________________ [fill in the blank with your tapping target], I love and accept myself.
    So you might say, “Even though I feel ashamed at how big I look in that picture, I love and accept myself” or “Even though my head is pounding, I love and accept myself” or “Even