Collapsing emotional issues avoids shoulder surgery

By Carol Look

“Joe” attended my recent annual EFT workshop.  He couldn’t wait to tell me how his improvements during last year’s workshop had lasted for him for the entire twelve months since I had seen him!

One year ago, Joe, a brilliant artist and retired architect in his mid-70’s, attended my pain relief workshop and was eager to work on a miserable “frozen shoulder.”  He had been riding on a bus one year earlier, and the bus had stopped suddenly and jerked him forward, partially dislocating his left shoulder.  He was eventually diagnosed with a “frozen shoulder” and had minimal range of motion.  He was only able to move his arm from his side up about 30% after the bus incident (imagine that his arm resting at his side would represent 0%, and raised straight above his head would be 100%).  After 9 months of physiotherapy, he was able to move his arm up about 45% of the way.  After attending an EFT conference, he gained an additional 5 per cent range of motion, and could hold his arm at a right angle to his body, up 50% from his side.

In addition to his shoulder problem, Joe had suffered a back injury in 1959 after falling off a ladder.  He was about to go on his honeymoon at that time, and decided to skip a visit to the doctor.  He was later told that a small piece of vertebrae had broken off.  He has suffered with back pain for 50+ years, making it excruciating for him to stand and lecture in his work, and to stand and work as an artist.

Joe considered leaving the workshop last year as his back pain and shoulder discomfort were so intense it made it difficult to sit still and pay attention.  Luckily, there was the opportunity for him to be a demonstration subject on stage.

During the workshop, Joe volunteered to be on stage for addressing emotional issues connected with pain in his body.  Joe told the class how he had been a Czech refugee in 1946, and had been forced to flee to a foreign country with nothing but a small knapsack at about age 12.  There were several main themes we tapped on for Joe:

• Extreme grief about leaving his home and everything he knew
• Hurt, betrayal and frustration because no one believed him when he described the atrocities he had witnessed in his home country
• Specific event of being “called a LIAR”
• The injustice of what he witnessed (seeing his best friend shot in front of him)

In Joe’s words, “Everything I believed in, all links to reality, were suddenly gone.  On top of everything, I was forced to speak English, and told I was an “evil child” for lying about such nonsense.”

LAST YEAR’S TAPPING

I interviewed Joe in person this year, 12 months after the original workshop, and to the best of our abilities, we reconstructed the effective tapping phrases and EFT rounds that had cleared the pain in his back and his shoulder.  Neither one of us remembers tapping on the actual “accident” or bus incident, the apparent “causes” of the physical damage, so we focused instead on the emotional conflicts.

Karate chop point:  Even though they didn’t believe me … they called me a liar, and I felt so unsupported, I deeply and profoundly love and accept myself anyway … Even though no one believed me and they called me a liar, I accept how I feel and how they responded to me … Even though they called me a liar and didn’t believe what I said, I choose to accept my feelings and who I am.

EYEBROW:  They didn’t believe me and it was so painful.

SIDE OF EYE: They called me a liar.

UNDER EYE: Why wouldn’t they believe me?

NOSE: No one supported me.

CHIN: No one believed me.

COLLARBONE: This pain is being stored in my shoulder and back.

UNDER ARM: No one supported me.

HEAD: I felt so unsupported.

EYEBROW:  How could they accuse me of being a liar?

SIDE OF EYE: I felt so scared and angry, and it showed up in my back.

UNDER EYE: I was scared and all alone.

NOSE: They called me a liar.

CHIN: No wonder my back is hurting.

COLLARBONE: I still feel upset that they didn’t believe me.

UNDER ARM: I’m storing the pain in my back and shoulder.

HEAD: I am free to give it up if I choose.

Joe was able to tell us the details of the suffering and loss he experienced while in his home country.  He told us how his friend was killed in front of him, and how he had to bury those feelings.  He tapped while telling us the details.  While that story was obviously traumatic, the fact that no one believed his story seemed to have a much higher charge on it for him.

Joe’s loneliness and sense of isolation was intense for him.  And he still felt it when he remembered those years of fleeing to another country.

Karate chop point: Even though I was all alone and felt so unsupported, I choose to accept who I am and how I feel … Even though I was terribly alone, and no one would support me, I accept who I am and how I felt and how I feel … Even though it was so lonely back then, I accept who I am and how I feel.

EYEBROW:  I was so lonely.

SIDE OF EYE: Nothing was the same.

UNDER EYE: I was all alone.

NOSE: No one supported me.

CHIN: I was all alone.

COLLARBONE: I felt so lonely all the time.

UNDER ARM: No one supported me.

HEAD: I felt so unsupported.

Joe told the class participants how important it was that we all listened and acknowledged how lonely he had been.  His story of being a refugee touched many participants, and we all allowed him to tell his story, we believed him, and honored the pain he had suffered.

Karate chop point: Even though I’ve been carrying this grief for decades, I choose to accept who I am and what happened … Even though I have been shouldering this grief for decades, I accept who I am and how I feel … Even though I’ve been storing the grief in my back and my shoulder, I deeply and profoundly love and accept who I am and how I feel.

EYEBROW:  The grief has been stored in my back.

SIDE OF EYE: The incredible grief over losing my life.

UNDER EYE: I was all alone.

NOSE: I can feel the grief right now.

CHIN: The grief in my back.

COLLARBONE: This terrible grief and loneliness.

UNDER ARM: This life-long grief.

HEAD: All this grief and loss.

EYEBROW:  The grief has been stored in my body all this time.

SIDE OF EYE: This grief and loss in my body.

UNDER EYE: I suffered so many losses.

NOSE: The losses in my back.

CHIN: The grief I’ve been storing in my body.

COLLARBONE: This lonely grief.

UNDER ARM: Too many losses…

HEAD: Decades of grief in my back.

Joe regained 100% range of motion in his “frozen” shoulder, and improved so dramatically in his chronic back pain that he happily reported to the workshop attendees that instead of taking 25 minutes to hobble to the subway on the first day, it took him only 7 minutes on the last day of the workshop!

THIS YEAR:

This year at the annual workshop, Joe said he suffered from extreme tension in his legs that made it difficult to stand, and sitting for long periods also caused him pain.  When I asked him what he thought might be contributing to the pain, he immediately identified an emotional conflict.  Joe said that his adult children are both living in a foreign country, and he misses them terribly.  He said his conflict – showing up as tension in his legs – seemed to be from wanting to go visit, and needing to stay at home.  His ex wife has forbidden him to visit, and there were some strict religious complications as well.  Joe identified (1) helplessness, (2) grief and (3) powerlessness.

Karate chop point:  Even though I feel so helpless and can’t go visit, I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway … Even though I feel helpless and powerless, I choose to accept that I have these feelings anyway … Even though I feel sadness and helplessness about my children, I accept who I am and who they are.

EYEBROW:  I feel so helpless about this situation.

SIDE OF EYE: I’m not “allowed” to visit.

UNDER EYE: I feel helpless and powerless about this.

NOSE: I have no choice.

CHIN: The conflict is showing up in my leg tension.

COLLARBONE: This conflict about visiting my children.

UNDER ARM: I miss them so much.

HEAD: I feel so powerless.

EYEBROW:  I feel helpless and powerless.

SIDE OF EYE: This conflict is showing up in my legs.

UNDER EYE: This tension in my legs.

NOSE: I miss them so deeply.

CHIN: I feel so powerless and can’t move forward.

COLLARBONE: I can’t move forward on my legs.

UNDER ARM: My legs are carrying this conflict.

HEAD: I feel so unsupported.

Very quickly Joe’s leg tension dropped from a level of intensity of 10 to a 0 out of 10, and he was able to remain standing on the stage while other demonstration participants were telling their stories and tapping.  This was quite unusual for him.  Joe’s leg tension remained cleared the next 2 days at the workshop; I plan to keep in touch with him through email.  In addition, instead of focusing on “missing” his children, he shared with the class how he had received beautiful Valentine’s Day cards and wishes from them, and acknowledged the deep connection to his children.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS:

ONE YEAR AGO:

• Joe’s back pain dropped from a 10 to a 0 on the level of intensity scale of 0 to 10.
• His shoulder range of motion improved from 50% to 100%, and he could raise his left arm entirely up over his head.
• Instead of taking 25 minutes to hobble to the subway, it only took him 7 minutes.

THIS YEAR:

• Joe showed me that his shoulder remained healed, and that he was still able to raise his arm 100% up over his head.
• He remains completely free of back pain.
• His leg pain and tension decreased from a 10 to a 0, and he told me “I ran to the subway this morning and it only took me 2 minutes!”

Many thanks to Joe for his perseverance, grace and openness to EFT.

Carol Look

http://www.emofree.com/Pain-management/frozen-shoulder-look.htm