Client with two phobias: Fear of mice and needles
By Carol Look, EFT Master
I worked with a 24 year old woman who had two distinct phobias: mice and needles. Her apartment had recently been invaded by a family of mice that entered through a hidden hole in the wall. The landlord was non-responsive about fixing the problem.
My client said she felt petrified of the mice, and couldn’t sleep since her roommate had found a mouse scurrying across their living room floor. When my client described the problem, she got the shivers and her face reddened slightly. Words such as “scurrying” made her wiggle in the chair. She said she felt foolish because her roommate had found her standing on top of a table to be safe from the mice.
We tapped as follows:
“Even though I’m afraid of the little furry things…””Even though I have this phobia about mice…””Even though my fear of mice keeps me up at night…””Even though I’m afraid the mice are going to “get” me…””Even though I feel ridiculous being so scared of mice…””Even though I HATE MICE…”
The following week she returned, very satisfied with herself. The landlord had still neglected their pleas for help, however, my client had found herself completely turned around and found the whole situation rather amusing. She said SHE WAS NOW CHASING THEM and was GOING TO GET THEM. She had finally slept well for a few nights and felt totally confident that she was in control of the situation.
This same client’s needle phobia truly disturbed her because she knew she was being negligent about health issues. She had not been to a doctor in over three years specifically because of her phobic reaction to needles. She said she was embarrassed to tell me about it.We tapped together as follows:
“Even though I have this needle phobia…”
The word phobia, while true, did not resonate with her emotionally, so we used other images/words/etc.
“Even though the needles give me the creeps…””Even though I get the chills when I think of getting a shot…””Even though I feel faint when I think about needles…”
In my office, this phobia subsided enough for her to go through with a doctor’s appointment. She returned in two weeks triumphant. She said she still would prefer not having blood drawn or getting a shot, however, it seemed to her “no big deal now.”
