How to Use EFT to Get to Sleep Easily

By Dr. Patricia Carrington

There is almost no one who doesn't occasionally have difficulty falling asleep.ï¿½ There are also many people who find it extremely difficult to fall asleep with any ease night after night ï¿½ï¿½ it is a habitual problem for them, better known as insomnia.ï¿½ This article is for both types of people.ï¿½ EFT can be a wonderful help in bringing on a restful sleep easily and quickly even if you usually lay awake tossing and turning.

First, let me say a word about the tapping procedure itself and sleep.ï¿½ Tapping is a rather vigorous physical activity even if done lightly and it can make you more alert rather than sleepier.ï¿½ If you are going to use EFT for help with getting to sleep I suggest you use one of the following alternatives to tapping:

ï¿½ Use the Touch and Breathe method.ï¿½ To do this, lightly touch each EFT spot in turn and each time take a deep easy breath without any forcing (it should be a comfortable natural breath). After this breath say or think your EFT reminder phrase. Touching a spot takes far less effort than tapping it and this can be very helpful when you want to bring on sleep.

ï¿½ Donï¿½t engage in any physical activity; simply visualize each EFT spot in your mind as you say or think your Reminder Phrases.ï¿½ Many people find they can do this very easily and it is just as effective for them as tapping.ï¿½ They may also be able to repeat the EFT phrases mentally and get just as strong an effect as if they were saying them out loud.ï¿½ However, some people do not find doing EFT mentally to be as effective as using either using a physical touch or the sound of their own voice.ï¿½ If this is the case for you, I suggest you just whisper the phrase to yourself as quietly as possible and touch the EFT spots lightly with your fingers without tapping.ï¿½ You do not want to disturb the quiet mood that you are trying to create.

IMPORTANT:ï¿½ A crucial factor to keep in mind when formulating an EFT statement to help go to sleep is not to tell yourself directly to go to sleep.ï¿½ For many people an EFT statement that directs them to go to sleep merely creates resistance.ï¿½ We tend to dislike being told what to do ï¿½ï¿½ even by ourselves! As a result, if we do this we may find ourselves more wakeful than ever because weï¿½ve been ï¿½toldï¿½ we must get to sleep.ï¿½ An EFT statement I find extremely useful in such instances is:ï¿½

ï¿½Even though I'm having trouble getting to sleep, I choose to feel pleasantly drowsy."

The fact is, if you begin to feel ï¿½pleasantly drowsyï¿½ you will more than likely drift off into sleep fairly quickly. You have bypassed your natural resistance to being ï¿½toldï¿½ to sleep and are allowing drowsiness to take the natural course it wants to take.ï¿½ Even if you should lie awake for a while and be ï¿½pleasantly drowsyï¿½ that is an extremely beneficial state to be in.

Thoughts That Can Prevent Sleep

One of the most prevalent mental activities that occur when you cannot readily get to sleep is worrying about some current situation or trying to find a solution to it.ï¿½ Both these things feel as though they were urgently necessary ï¿½ï¿½ somehow you become convinced that you MUST solve this problem or worry about it ï¿½ï¿½ NOW.ï¿½ A very useful EFT statement to use if you are facing this kind of dilemma is to use the EFT Choices phrase:

ï¿½I choose to allow my subconscious to work it out while I am sleeping peacefully.ï¿½

The fact is, your subconscious is often much better able to solve your problem, whatever it may be, than a wakeful tossing ï¿½youï¿½ may be.ï¿½ We all know that many famous inventions have occurred to their originators during sleep.ï¿½ Sleep is an excellent problem solving time when your creative resources can be mobilized powerfully.

Another reason for prolonged wakefulness is that you begin to worry about whether you will get enough sleep!ï¿½ This is a self-defeating maneuver which can often be counteracted by the following EFT statement:

ï¿½Even though I'm scared that I won't get enough sleep, I choose to feel so relaxed and peaceful that it won't make any difference.ï¿½

By saying this you are taking the pressure off of yourself to ï¿½go to sleepï¿½ and therefore you will probably not create as much resistance to the onset of sleep.ï¿½ The truth is, if you allow yourself to lie in bed deeply relaxed it's going to do you so much good that you don't have to worry about whether you're getting enough sleep!

Another familiar occurrence is a restless state where you can't seem to get comfortable no matter what position you lie in, and you have to keep moving.ï¿½ An excellent EFT statement for this is...

ï¿½Even though I can't get comfortable and have to keep moving, I choose to enjoy moving and stretching rhythmically and forget about sleep.ï¿½

Notice that in all these EFT Choices statements you are taking away your own DEMAND that you go to sleep.ï¿½ You are using a Reframe which converts the need to move and stretch into a pleasant rhythmical activity which will be beneficial and may well lead to sleep eventually.

The need to figure out what you're going to do about something and make an important decision is a frequent cause of sleeplessness.ï¿½ If you find yourself in this predicament a very useful EFT Choices statement is the following:

ï¿½Even though I feel I MUST make a decision now, I choose to put all decisions on hold and just let my thoughts drift (or ï¿½chill outï¿½ etc.)ï¿½

Here you are instructing yourself to put what seems so urgent, on hold.ï¿½ This can be an extremely effective maneuver.

These are only of the few of the useful EFT Choices statements that might help bring on a restful sleep. ï¿½I suggest you be inventive in creating your own statements to suit your own circumstances.ï¿½ You will find it remarkably effective to use EFT when you are unable to sleep at night.

Dr. Patricia Carrington, EFT Master