Diane von der Weid

One of the keys to success in EFT is to be specific because the more one is connected to his/her issue, the more efficient the tapping. So we should always try to find the right words, the ones that are closest to our feelings. But, for various reasons, it is not always that easy to describe an emotion with words.

A year and a half ago, one of my clients could not describe an aspect of the issue we were treating during that session, other than by saying "This tick in my head"… so we tapped for "This tick in my head", which soon turned into only "This tick.." . After two rounds "This tick" was cleared, we were then able to completely clear his issue.
Since that day (end of 2006) my husband and I have added onomatopoeias to our EFT techniques -- and all we can say is that everytime we've used them, it's been… WOW!

Wikipedia -- Onomatopoeia is a word or a grouping of words that imitates the sound it is describing, suggesting its source object, such as "click," "clang," "buzz," or animal noises such as "oink", "quack", "flap", "slurp", or "meow".

Here is the story of Nina, 8 year old.
Her mother brought Nina to me for a pathological shyness.  At the beginning of our first session Nina was silent - she would speak through her eyes - they were wide open.  While I was explaining to her a little bit of what we would be doing for the following hour, it was obvious that Nina wasn't going to open up easily to me because she didn't know me.

So I pulled out my list of different onomatopoeias, and asked her to pick one that would correspond best to what she was feeling just then.  She was surprised of course, and, with a faked indifference, she pointed out at one which said "hmmpff".  I asked her to tap on all the points with me, and made the setup with *Even though hmmpff, I'm a wonderful girl".
While we tapped for "hmmpff", I started to emphasize "hmmpff" more and more. Her eyes were getting bigger and bigger and she looked incredulous.  After only one round of EFT she was already more relaxed.  I asked if the "hmmpff" was any better, she nodded.  We did one more round, and the "hmmpff" wasn't there anymore.  Now she pointed at "Grrrrr", so we tapped for "Grrrrr", and then she burst out laughing.  From that point on it became easier for Nina to talk to me - she had started to accept me.

She came in for two sessions.  During the second session we worked to clear her core issues which were about her older brother.  She still used a few onomatopoeias - this time not because she was too shy to express herself, but simply because she found they were easy and fun to use.

EFT'ers who use metaphors know how helpful and pleasant they are to work with.  Metaphors are also a precious tool for surrogate EFT - because the sub-conscious mind often works through images.  Onomatopoeias work in a similar way; in fact we could say that they are tiny, abstract metaphors.  Yet they are very powerful.  In essence, they are a condensed sound PLUS a lively emotion - I believe this is why they are so effective - they do seem to have the capacity to amplify the release of negative emotions.
 

Advantages in using onomotopoeias with EFT :

• To be specific when expressing a negative emotion by using almost no words
• Because an onomatopoeia can be a wonderful shortcut to long sentences such as "Even though I-walked-out-of-the-room-slamming-the-door-with-rage, I deeply and completely…." . It is easy to say instead : "Even though  WHAM !, I deeply and completely…", and then to just tap "WHAM!" putting rage (or any other emotion) in it.
• They condense emotions in a gentle but very strong way -- thus reducing often the number of EFT rounds needed to clear an issue.
• They are easier to shout out because they are short, somewhat playful, and also ecause they are a little unpersonal (just like metaphors).
• By expressing an onomatopoeia, one tends to "get into it" more. So far, we have never met anyone capable of saying "Ouch !", "Ping!", "Argh!", "Wham", "Grrrr!", "Wishhhhh….", etc. in a monotone without any emotion...
• There is something quite out of line about them, which tends to favour positive cognitve shifts. 
• Great with kids and teenagers -- they love it !

The number of enthusiatic e-mails I have received following the posting of this article in Gary Craig's Newsletter (28.01.2008) clearly indicate that onomatopoeias appeal to many EFT'ers, whether they are newbies or experts.  And, since almost everybody has asked me for them, I am enclosing here the two generic lists (one with "noises", the other one with "human sounds") of onomatopoeias that I have created and currently use. You will find them ready to print in PDF files. Onomatopoeia PDF Files

For your information, please note that I have purposely created these lists in colours with a playful writing, like in comic strips because in our experience, this reinforces the "letting go"...  Also I chose to make them quite complete because reading a greater number of onomatopoeias also helps to disconnect better from the rational mind -- sometimes it will even help you or your client find your (his/her) own "sound", which obviously, is even better !
Remember that we are aiming at here, is a real "getting into it".

NOTE : As I'm French mother tongue I would be very interested in any additional onomatopoeia you find effective. I would also love to receive your feedbacks and hear about your successes. Please e-mail to : diane@aequus-libra.ch. Thank you !

Diane von der Weid
Personal Performance Consultant
EFT-ADV, CHT
http://www.aequus-libra.ch/
diane@aequus-libra.ch