This article is part of the EFT 102: How to do EFT, The Basics series.

After you get a little water into your system there is one final thing you need before you begin.  I always recommend to my clients to have some paper and something to write with near by.  This is not a piece of advice just for beginners.  This is something I do as well.  We will talk about why we need paper in a minute.

We are ready to being.

The first step of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is to tune and rate what ever we are going to do work on.  To "tune in" has a very special meaning in EFT.  We need to be as focused as we can on the issue in order to do work.

To being with, we are going to work with physical pain.  The next article will deal with how we do EFT for emotions.  Please don't skip ahead.  There is information in this article you will need to work with emotional issues.  We are starting with physical pain, because it is a little more straightforward, and an easier place to begin.

In the example of a physical pain "to tune in" simply means we need to pay very close attention to the pain, so that the pain is fully in the energy system for us to start doing work.  The reason we are in pain (or unable to heal a physical pain) is because of a disruption in the energy system.  For us to do work on this disruption we need to focus on it.  It is really much easier than it sounds.

Think in terms of dirty dishes.  The only way that you can clean a dirty dish is if it is in the sink.  The dirty dishes can be all over the house, by the TV, on the kitchen table, or on the counter.  None of them can be cleaned until they are in the sink.  

The work we are going to do with EFT is no different.  We need to get what we are going to work on in the "sink".  The way we do this is by focusing in on the issue.  The reason we need to focus in is because we are not paying attention to all the information we are receiving each moment.

For example, think of your feet and your socks.  The instant you read that line you could feel the socks on your feet (or if you aren't wearing socks, you felt whatever your feet are touching).  Your socks didn't start magically touching your feet the moment you thought about them.  Instead, your mind decided your socks touching your feet was not an important piece of information most of the day, therefore it was ignoring that piece of information.  The instance that piece of information was important (because I told you to think about it) that piece of information was no longer ignored, but passed into consciousness.

We do this with physical pain all the time.  You can have a sore knee, but you don't really feel the pain in the knee until you sit down.  Your knee didn't start to hurt the moment you sat down.  Instead, as you moved through your day, a part of you decided to tune out the pain, because it wasn't a piece of information that was helpful.  But, the moment you sat down, the body knew it would have your undivided attention and let you know how much the knee really hurts.

That is a perfect example of "tuning in" to a physical pain.  When we do EFT we take this process of tuning in to information and make it intentional.  It is a very easy thing to do.

The best way to understand is to just try it.

Remember, what was said in the last article of only working on one thing at a time.  Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and scan your body for any tension or physical pain.  Pick one of these pains to work with.

To begin with, it is best <b>NOT<b> to pick a chronic pain.  It has taken months or years to build the pain; we are more than likely not going to get rid of it in one round of tapping.  To begin with I would like you to have success, so you can see EFT in action.  

Pick one pain/tension.

Now ask yourself the following questions about the pain.  Write each of your answers down.  Some of the questions might not have an answer, which is fine.  Please don't skip the question because you think it is odd.  Ask the question honestly and think about it for a moment.  If something comes to mind write it down.  If nothing does, move on.  Remember, the more information you have, the faster EFT will work.

• Where is the pain located? (Be as specific as possible.  Don't write, "My neck."  Instead, "It is on the right side of my neck.  It starts at the base of my neck and moves up to the base of my skull.")
• How big is it? (Give a description in terms of size and shape.  "It is long and skinny like a pipe and is 4 inches long")
• If you were going to paint a picture of the inside of your neck (or where ever the pain is), what color would the pain be? (I know this sounds like a weird question.  That is because it is a weird question.  Just trust your instincts.  If it is blue, is it electric blue, sky blue, or navy blue?  Whatever color it is, write it down.)
• If you were going to make a model of the pain for your second grade class, what material would you make it out of to show what the pain is really like? (Yes, another weird questions.  But trust me on this.  Is it a hard rubber, ice, or cotton candy?  Again, trust your instinct.  We are just trying to tune in as much as we can.  The better you can describe the pain, the more tuned in you are, the faster EFT is going to work.)
• What kind of pain is it? (Is the pain sharp, dull, pulsing, or is it just stiff? Imagine you are trying to explain the pain to your doctor.  How would you describe the type of pain?)
• Is there an emotion associated with the pain? (You will be surprised at how quickly something springs to mind with the question.)
• If this pain was a cartoon character and you pained a little face on him, what would he say? (Again, trust the process.  Nothing might come to mind, or a something surprising will.  It is just information.)

You have a great deal of information written down about your pain.  More than likely, this is the most focus you have ever given to a specific pain in your life.  Because you have tuned in to the pain in this way, it will be easier to do work.

The last question is the most important.

• * On the scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 the worst pain you have ever felt in your life, how much does it hurt? (This is just a guess.  There is an article in this section that gives more information about this scale, which we call SUD).

The reason this is the most important question is this becomes our benchmark.  The only way we will know if we are making progress is if we know where we started.  For example, let's say the pain in our neck might be a 6 to begin with.  After we do a round of tapping we will know if we have made progress by asked the question, "0 to 10, how much does it hurt now?"