Rapid Treatment for Physical Pain

© 2009 Fred P. Gallo, PhD

Pain is only bearable if we know it will end, not if we deny it exists.

–Viktor Frankl

Pain’s Price Tag

The exact cost of physical pain is difficult to calculate. Just in terms of lost productive work

due to arthritis, back pain, headache, and musculoskeletal pain, the figure soars into the

billions, in fact over $61 billion in the United States alone in 2003 (Stewart et al. 2003).

Ouch! This figure increases exponentially when we consider other types of pain. Yet there are

many other costs, such as pain medication, hospitalization, chronic pain facilities, surgery,

implantable therapy such as morphine pumps and spinal cord stimulators, transcutaneous

nerve stimulation (TNS) units, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, pain management

psychotherapy, addiction treatment, and more. Most importantly, in many respects, there are

the costs in terms of personal misery, as well as the effects of chronic pain on the quality of

marital and family life. Obviously pain can cause lots of suffering.

What is Pain?
Pain is a Middle English term that comes from the Latin: poena and the Greek: poine or

π?ωος, meaning punishment, penalty, and payment. No doubt, the linguistic roots of the word

are true to the experience. And obviously the expression “no pain, no gain” does not apply to

pain in this sense.

Pain is not simply a biological response to an injury or disease; it is also psychological and

social. On the biological side, pain involves three aspects of your nervous system: peripheral

nerves, spinal cord, and brain. Peripheral nerves extend from your skin, muscles, and

internal organs to your spinal cord. Many of these nerves contain nociceptors that sense real

or potential damage to the areas of your body where they are located. When injury occurs,

these cells send electrical impulses along the peripheral nerve to the dorsal horn of your spinal

cord. Then neurotransmitters (chemicals) are released that stimulate other spinal cord nerves

to transmit information about the injury to your brain. These signals travel to the thalamus—a

relay station—that sends signals to three distinct regions of the brain: the somatosensory

cortex (where physical sensations are registered), the limbic system (where certain emotions

occur); and the frontal cortex (where you do most of your thinking). The experience of pain is

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therefore a composite of physical sensations, emotions, and thought. Successful intervention

often needs to address all three. More on this later.

Acute Pain
It’s important to make a couple distinctions about pain. First there is acute pain, which has

survival value. It is the result of an injury or stress that can lead to injury. The pain

motivates you to protect the stressed or injured area. Generally acute pain diminishes and

passes as the source of the pain is alleviated (such as a toothache or stubbed toe), the injury

heals, or the stress on the body is removed. Acute pain generally responds well to medical

and dental procedures, rest, heat, ice, and pain medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen,

ibuprofen, Percocet, oxycodone, and often simply the passage of time. Often it is not

necessary to treat acute pain, since it is usually self-limiting.

Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is distinct from acute pain. Many consider chronic pain to be classified as such

after it persists for three months or more. Chronic pain can be the result of an ongoing

condition, such as migraine, arthritis, nerve damage, infections, and cancer. At other times the

initial physical cause is no longer present, such as after an injury has healed, although pain

persists. Psychogenic pain refers to pain that is not caused by a disease, injury, or other

obvious physical reasons (Tallis 2002). It seems that psychogenic pain is frequently associated

with psychological trauma. However, psychogenic pain can be just as tormenting as other

kinds of pain, and even if the symptom is a headache, it’s not rightly thought of as being “just

in your head.” From our perspective, it’s in your energy system.

Types of Chronic Pain

There are probably as many types of chronic pain as there are individuals who suffer from it,

since pain is always a subjective experience. However, here is a list of some of the most

common types:

Low back, shoulder, and neck pain can be the result of structural problems that may

respond to medical treatments and/or to treatments covered in this chapter.

Tension headache is often experienced as a band around the head.

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Sinus headache is generally the result of a sinus infection (sinusitis) and is felt in the

forehead and cheeks.

Migraine is a throbbing vascular headache associated with nausea and sensitivity to light

(photophobia) and sound (phonophobia). There are many types of migraines, with

inflammation often being a cause. Migraines can be triggered by certain foods, stress, and

various emotional factors.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), also called Tic Douloureux, is a severe, excruciating, stabbing,

electric shock-like pain associated with the fifth cranial nerve and affecting areas of the scalp,

forehead, upper and lower jaw, nose, lips, eyes, ears, and upper back. The electrical impulses
at the source of this type of pain bypass the spinal cord and goes directly to the brain. TN is

often considered to be the most severe pain conditions. This spasmodic pain
generally occurs on one side of the face, with many episodes occurring within
minutes. Specific trigger points can trigger an attack if touched, such as by shaving,
applying makeup, eating and even talking. There can be periods of complete absent
of symptoms that can last days, weeks, months, even years. However, without
treatment the pain usually returns.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an extremely painful chronic, autoimmune disorder that

attacks joints, skin, muscles, lungs, and the circulatory system.

Osteoarthritis involves the breakdown and loss of cartilage in joints, although it may also

involve the autoimmune system.

Gout is a type of arthritis as a result of the build-up of uric acid. This is a very painful

inflammatory condition that frequently attacks the big toe, although it can also affect other

joints and the spine. This condition is generally treated with diet and/or medication.

Neurogenic or neuropathic pain involves dysfunction of the peripheral or central nervous

system in the absence of trauma or disease. This is also referred to as sympathetically

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mediated pain or reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD).

Cancer pain can be terribly excruciating and is generally treated with narcotic pain

medications. However, not all cancer is painful.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is involves sensitive and painful trigger points between

the muscle and connective tissue layer or fascia that surrounds the muscles, bones, and

joints. This condition is often referred to as fibromyalgia and fibromyostitis.

Post-Laminectomy Syndrome: A lumbar laminectomy, or open decompression, is

performed to relieve pain caused by nerve impingement. While usually this surgical

procedure results in improvement, some people are left with pain. Treatment often involves

steroid injections and physical therapy.

Stump and phantom limb pain can vary from tingling sensations to relentless stabbing

pain. The causes of phantom pain are still debated, although it’s probable that the brain cells

associated with the limb account for the sensation.

Raynaud's disease is a circulatory condition that causes discoloration of the fingers and toes

along with associated pain.

Post-herpetic neuralgia is a long-lasting pain condition that can occur after suffering from

shingles. It is the result of damage to nerves as a result of the shingles viral infection.

Diabetic neuropathy is a condition that results in numbness and sometimes pain and

weakness to various parts of the body, including the hands, arms, feet, and legs.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) refers to acute or chronic inflammation and pain

of the joint that connects the lower jaw to the skull.

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Angina pectoris involves chest pain due to a decreased supply of blood and oxygen to the

heart, generally due to obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries.

Pain Relief
There are many treatments for physical pain. Migraines and other types of headache are

generally treated with rest, relaxation, heat, cold, diet, physical therapy, and medication.

Back pain is often conservatively treated with rest, heat, massage, medication, physical

therapy, and TNS units. Surgery should be a last resort, since often the problems corrected

through surgery are similar to those found in people who do not suffer from back pain. For

example, degenerating and bulging discs do not always result in back pain. So correcting

these structural problems often will not eliminate the pain. However, there are also conditions

that require surgery, which can offer relief from pain.

There are also a number of alternative treatments that can help you to relieve and cope with

chronic pain. Among these approaches are biofeedback, relaxation training, acupuncture,

hypnosis, visualization, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and energy psychology (EP). Here

are brief descriptions of these approaches.

Biofeedback and Relaxation Training

When you have pain, it is natural to instinctively tense the area. This reflex can become

chronic and aggravate the pain. Learning to relax muscles in the pain area can help to reduce

the pain. This is sometimes accomplished through muscle biofeedback (electromyography or

EMG), where instrumentation is used to give you visual or auditory information about the

tension in the area. In this way your consciousness of the specific muscles involved in the

tension is elevated while you attempt various strategies to relax the muscles. As the tension

decreases, so does the pain.

Often it is enough to practice a relaxation technique, called progressive relaxation, even

without using a biofeedback monitor. This involves tightening and relaxing various muscle

groups from your head down to your toes. If you are physically able to, do the following

exercise while sitting or lying down:

1. Rate your level of tension from 0 to 10, with 0 being wonderfully relaxed and 10 being

tremendously tense.

2. Tighten the muscles in your face by making an exaggerated smile (also tightening

your forehead, jaw, and neck), hold the tension for about five seconds, and then relax

the muscles. Do this three times.

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 3. Tighten the muscles in your shoulders and sides of your neck, hold the tension for

about five seconds, and then relax the muscles. Do this three times.

4. Tighten the muscles in your arms by making fists and extending your arms, hold the

tension for about five seconds, and then relax the muscles. Do this three times.

5. Tighten the muscles in your chest and abdomen, hold the tension for about five

seconds, and then relax the muscles. Do this three times.

6. Tighten your buttocks muscles, hold the tension for about five seconds, and then relax

the muscles. Do this three times.

7. Tighten the muscles in your legs by extending your legs out in front of you, hold the

tension for about five seconds, and then relax the muscles. Do this three times.

8. Reevaluate your tension level from 0 to 10. Is it lower now?

If you were able to follow these steps, you probably feel more relaxed than when you started.

If you were initially experiencing pain, perhaps this exercise gave you some relief.

Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an ancient practice that involves inserting hair-like needles at specific locations,

or acupoints, along specific meridians of the body. While there is not absolute proof for the

existence of meridians and acupoints, there is some scientific evidence (Reichmanis, Marino,

and Becker 1975; Becker and Selden 1985; Darras, de Vernejoul, and Albarede 1992).

Nevertheless, acupuncture and related techniques, such as acupressure, have been found to

be effective in the treatment of pain. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory states

that the needles and other forms of meridian stimulation serve to balance a bioenergy system

of Qi (also spelled Ch’i and pronounced chee, as in cheese). Nowadays it is thought that

acupuncture relieves pain by causing a release of endorphins and other biochemicals that are

natural pain “medications.” Energy tapping involves tapping on meridian acupoints to treat

psychological problems and many physical problems, such as physical pain. In this chapter, we

introduce its effectiveness in treating physical pain.

Hypnosis
While it may be entertaining and acceptable on the stage, hypnosis is not the practice of

having people wobble and quack like ducks. Rather clinical hypnosis involves the use of

altered states or trance and suggestion to help people achieve various results, including pain

relief. Basically this method involves implanting suggestions in the subconscious through

means such as imagery and metaphors. Hypnosis appears to bypass everyday consciousness

and works somewhat like subliminal advertising to your benefit. There are many levels or

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degrees of trance, from daydreaming to being lost in thought and to experiencing amnesia.

Frequently, a deep trance is needed to achieve pain relief, especially if the suggestions are

difficult to follow. For example, being able to compress your pain into a tiny speck imbedded

in a blue sky is much more difficult than finding that as you read this sentence you are able to

relax and let go of your pain and find it diminishing as you relax deeper and deeper, and

perhaps feeling lighter and lighter at the same time. Well-structured suggestions and images

are often more important than trance itself in helping you to get the results you desire.

Visualization
Akin to hypnosis, imagery or visualization involves internally picturing something that helps

you to relax, shift your attention, or to generate images that reduce pain. Actually you create

internal images all the time, even if you are not consciously aware of them. If you think of

something scary, you get a scared feeling. If you imagine fingernails scraping on a

chalkboard, you might get a shuttering sensation. And if you imagine a relaxing scene, you’ll

probably feel more comfortable as your muscles relax. Try this exercise when you’re feeling

tense:

1. Rate your level of tension from 0 to 10, with 0 being wonderfully relaxed and 10 being

tremendously tense.

2. Put yourself in a comfortable position, sitting or lying down. Take a few deep breaths

and relax.

3. Now imagine a comforting scene, whatever is most comforting for you: walking or a

beach or through the woods, watching a sunrise or sunset, listening to a gentle rain,

etc. Picture everything in detail and then put yourself in that scene. Vividly and

completely be in that scene.

4. After you have spent a minute or so imaging in this way, notice how you feel. Again

rate your tension level, 0 to 10. You’re probably feeling more relaxed and serene.

Visualization can also be used to change other characteristics of pain. For example, if the pain

is hot, imagine rubbing an ice cube in the area of the pain can help it to cool. Also it’s often

helpful to direct your attention to the location of the pain while observing its shape and color.

Ongoing attention in this way can often reduce the intensity of the pain.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a standard approach to psychological pain

management. CBT involves alteration of thoughts and behaviors that are instrumental in the

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experience of pain. For example, if you have chronic back pain or headaches, it’s

understandable to have emotional reactions at the same time. These may include fear,

anxiety, frustration, anger, embarrassment, and shame. Relieving the emotional reactions can

go a long way toward helping you to cope with and reduce the pain. For example, emotions of

fear and anger can result in increased tension that will increase the pain. Also fear and

anxiety can motivate you to avoid activities that might aggravate the pain. But if you reduce

your activity too much, your muscles will weaken and then the pain will increase in general in

addition to when you attempt to exercise muscles in the pain vicinity. Learning to challenge or

dismiss the thoughts at the source of the emotions can make it easier and more likely to

engage in activities that will eventually strengthen your body and reduce pain.

Energy Psychology
Energy Psychology is based on the concept that your psychological functioning and problems

involve energetic aspects (Gallo 2002, 2005, 2007; Gallo and Vincenzi 2008). What do we

mean by this? While your psychological functioning is related to the environment, social

context, thoughts, behavior, chemistry, and brain structures, energy is also involved in the

form of electrical impulses and electromagnetic fields. After all, your nerves carry electrical

impulses and electromagnetic fields operate throughout your body. Negative and positive

electrical charges are important in separating and directing the flow of bodily fluids.

Electrolytes work this way too. These are either positively or negatively charged ions (salts)

that move in different directions depending on the charge. The primary electrolytes in the

body are sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, phosphate, and

sulfate. These ions maintain and carry electrical impulses through nerves, muscles, and really

all the cells of your body. Your body is truly the body electric, and this includes your mind,

thoughts, and emotions. Energy tapping is an energy psychology technique that effectively

treats psychological problems and can even be used to treat physical pain. Before covering a

couple of energy tapping techniques for pain relief, here are a few actual case examples.

Headache Pain
Susan was a nurse at a local physician’s practice, where she had worked for about ten years.

She liked her job, although recently she developed excruciating headaches that started like

clockwork everyday around 3:00 PM. After using pain medication for several months, she

decided to try psychological treatment since the headaches persisted. At our first session she

wondered if biofeedback would help, so she was given information about that approach and

related options such as relaxation training and energy tapping. Since the initial appointment

was in the morning and she did not have a headache at the time, it was not possible to

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directly treat her with these techniques. So I taught her a general relaxation exercise that

involved tensing and relaxing muscles from her head to her toes (progressive relaxation) and

a simple energy tapping technique for whenever she experienced a headache. I also asked

her to report on her progress in a week. If she had a headache and was unable to effectively

use energy tapping, she was advised to call the office and I would guide her through the

technique over the phone.

Several days later Susan called the office around 3:30 PM. She was experiencing a headache

that she rated as a nine on a 10-point scale. She said that she had been faithfully practicing

the relaxation exercise and that in general she felt more relaxed. However, she was confused

about how to do “the tapping technique,” so a phone session was in order. Within three to five

minutes, the headache was gone. After this successful treatment, the technique was reviewed

in detail so that she could use it if she got another headache.

Approximately two weeks later, Susan called to report that she had successfully “tapped away

headaches” several times the previous week and that for the entire second week she did not

have to use energy tapping, since she was not suffering from headaches! Susan was thrilled

and relieved! She continued to practice the relaxation exercise, since she felt that it was

helping her to relax in general. But she said that often she could simply use tapping for the

same purpose. It also made her feel very relaxed.

Two months later, Susan called the office once again. She said that she and her husband had

decided to move to Florida, which had been an interest of theirs for several years. She had

been conflicted about moving and believed that this was a major factor in her headaches. She

said that resolving the headaches made it easier for her to come to terms and finally make a

decision. Susan no longer suffered from chronic headaches. But if she were to have another

headache, Susan had the means to tap it away.

Back and Hip Pain

Mary was on disability because of severe back pain. She had undergone a couple back

surgeries, one being a fusion that required taking some bone from one of her hips.

Unfortunately, as a result of this procedure she continued to have back pain as well as pain in

her hip. However, Mary did not schedule a session because of her back and hip pain but

rather because she was biting her fingernails. She wanted hypnosis to help her with this

problem. She speculated that her nail biting could be related to her back pain, and she said

that was her doctor’s opinion as well. I informed Mary about a new technique that might help

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her with the back pain and just might also help her with her nail biting. Although skeptical,

she agreed.

At the time of the session Mary rated her pain as a nine on a 10-point scale. After

approximately ten minutes of tapping, the pain was gone and was replaced with a “mild

tingling sensation” in her back. She got up and moved around, bent over, laughed, and

questioned, “Am I hypnotized!?” I told her that I didn’t try to hypnotize her and that she

didn’t seem to be in a trance. Actually it was clear that Mary was not in a trance. Rather she

was quite alert and delightfully definitely pain free.

Later that day Mary’s pain returned to a level five after four or five hours. I took her through

the same treatment over the phone, and the pain was gone within a few minutes. After that

she had a few more office sessions and each time we were able to successfully eliminate the

pain. Mary became quite proficient at using energy tapping. She found that the pain relief

lasted for longer periods with ongoing self-treatment. Treatment ended after a total of five

sessions. About two months after treatment was complete, Mary stopped by the office at

lunchtime to show off her beautiful nails. Apparently resolving her pain also helped Mary to

quit biting her nails. Mary was exceedingly pleased.

Jaw Pain
Several years ago I was teaching an Advanced Energy Psychology (AEP) course in Heidelberg,

Germany. At the end of the first morning session, one of the participants said that she would

not be able to continue with the training since she was experiencing severe jaw pain. Instead

of allowing her to leave in pain, I asked her if she would like me to attempt to treat her for the

pain by using energy psychology. She agreed. I asked her to focus her attention on the pain

and she said that the pain intensity was a 10 on a 0 to 10 scale. Five minutes of tapping

brought the pain down to a 1. Given self-treatments each time the pain intensified, by the

second day she was pain free and she remained pain free for the remainder of the four-day

seminar. Several months later she returned for the second half of the training and reported

that she no longer suffered from jaw pain. She did not require further medical treatment for

the condition. It is likely that she had been suffering from TMJ.

Trigeminal Neuralgia Pain

About a year ago, my daughter Pamela developed TN just before she and her family were

preparing to leave on vacation. The pain was so severe that they were going to cancel the

vacation. Although she had an appointment scheduled with her physician, we took a few

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minutes to treat the pain. I took her through a tapping sequence that eliminated the pain

within a few minutes. Pain relief lasted for a few hours before she needed to repeat the

treatment. They were able to go on the vacation. She was able to settle the pain symptoms

anytime they returned by applying the treatment herself or having her husband assist her.

Treatment Strategy for Physical Pain

The most basic energy tapping treatment for physical pain involves tuning into the pain

sensations, rating the pain level 0 to 10, treating any possible psychological reversal, and then

tapping repeatedly on the Back of your Hand (BH) (see Diagram 1) while continuing to pay

attention to the level of pain. While sometimes a decrease in pain is noticed quickly, most

people need to tap on BH for a couple minutes or more before noticing a decrease in pain. As

soon as a decrease of two or more points occurs, tap briefly Under Collarbone (UCB), and then

resume tapping on BH. You can continue to go back and forth between these two points,

more extensively tapping at BH, as long as the level of pain continues to decrease. Often the

results can be enhanced by doing the Brain Balancer (BB) (see below), and then resuming

tapping BH, followed by UCB as you continue to monitor the level of pain. Sometimes the Eye

Roll (ER) is also beneficial in this treatment. What follows is a more detailed description of this

process.

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Treatment Recipe for Physical Pain

1. Focus your attention on the location of the physical pain (head, back, shoulder, etc.).

Rate your level of pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 representing the highest level of

pain and 0 indicating no pain.

2. Treat for the possibility of reversal by tapping repeatedly on the Side of Hand (SH) or

rubbing the Sore Spot (SS) while thinking or saying three times, “Even though I have

this pain, I deeply and completely accept myself.” It also may be helpful to tap SH or

rub the SS while thinking or saying three times, “I accept myself with all my problems

and limitations.”
3. Look at the chart below and at Diagram 1 to identify the location for the meridian

points for Back of Hand (1) and Under Collarbone (2). While focusing on your pain,

tap on the Back of your Hand (BH) until you notice a decrease in pain (of 2 to 3

points), and then tap Under your Collarbone (UCB) point five times (see chart

below). Tap these points in order 1-->2. Only tap hard enough to feel it. The

tapping itself shouldn’t cause any pain. (It may be helpful to close your eyes while

doing this treatment.)

Treatment Recipe for Physical Pain

Meridian Location
Back of Hand (BH) 1 Back of hand between little and ring fingers.
Under Collarbone (UCB) 2 Under collarbone next to chest bone.
4. Again rate your pain on a 0 to 10 scale. If there is no decrease, go back to step two
and cycle through the sequence again. If there is not a decrease after five minutes,

this is probably not an adequate treatment for this pain or there is another reversal

that needs correction.

5. Next do the Brain Balancer (BB) by tapping repeatedly at BH while rotating your eyes

clockwise, rotating your eyes counterclockwise, humming a tune, counting to five, and

then humming again.

6. Repeat the tapping sequence 1-->2.

7. Again, rate your level of pain from 0 to 10. It should be lower yet. When the pain is

within the 0 to 2 range, go to step nine. Sometimes the treatment needs to be

repeated several times while focusing on your pain before you feel complete or near

complete relief from the pain symptoms.

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 8. As long as there is a decrease in the level of pain, continue with the sequence until

there is little or no pain remaining. If the treatment stalls at any point, this indicates a

mini reversal. Treat this by tapping SH while saying three times, “Even though I still

have some of this pain, I deeply and completely accept myself.”

9. When the pain level is 0 to 2, do the Eye Roll (ER) to lower the pain further or to

complete the treatment effects. To do this, tap on BH, hold your head straight and,

only with your eyes, look at the floor and then slowly raise your eyes up toward the

ceiling.

Frequently this treatment will relieve your pain for an extended period of time. When the pain

returns, repeat these treatments. In time recurrence of physical pain symptoms may become

increasingly less frequent. For many people, the interval of pain relief increases over time and

in many cases the chronic pain resolves.

Treatment Strategy for Complex Physical Pain

With more complex pain conditions, the basic strategy might not lessen your pain. Sometimes

this is due to another level of psychological reversal that must be corrected before the pain

treatment will work. For example, alternatively it may be necessary to tap Under Nose (UN)

(see chart below), while saying three times, “Even if I never feel relief from this pain, I deeply

and completely accept myself.” (Other reversals may also be involved.) However, in some

instances, it is not a matter of a reversal, but rather that your energy system is more

pervasively in a state of disruption, requiring more treatment points. The Treatment

Strategy for Complex Physical Pain involves combining additional treatment points with

the basic pain treatment strategy. A detailed discussion of this process follows:

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Treatment Recipe for Complex Physical Pain

1. Focus your attention on the location of the physical pain (head, back, shoulder, etc.).

Rate your level of pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 representing the highest level of

pain and 0 indicating no pain.

2. Treat for the possibility of reversal by tapping repeatedly on the Side of Hand (SH) or

rubbing the Sore Spot (SS) while thinking or saying three times, “Even though I have

this pain, I deeply and completely accept myself.” It also may be helpful to tap SH or

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 rub the SS while thinking or saying three times, “I accept myself with all my problems

and limitations.”
3. Look at the chart below and at Diagram 2 to identify the location for the meridian

points for Eyebrow (1), Under Eye (2), Under Nose (3), Under Bottom Lip (4), Under

Arm (5), Under Collarbone (6), Little Finger (7), and Index Finger (8). While focusing

on your pain, tap five to ten times at each of these meridian points. Tap them in

order: 1-->2-->3-->4-->5-->6-->7-->8. Only tap hard enough to feel it. The tapping

itself shouldn’t cause any pain.

4. Next identify the location for the meridian points for Back of Hand (9) and Under

Collarbone (6). While focusing on your pain, tap on the Back of your Hand (BH) until

you notice a decrease in pain (of 2 to 3 points), and then tap Under Collarbone (UCB)

five to ten times (see chart below). Tap these points in order 1-->2. Only tap hard

enough to feel it. The tapping itself shouldn’t cause any pain. (It may be helpful to

close your eyes while doing this treatment.)

5. Again rate your pain on a 0 to 10 scale. If there is no decrease, go back to step two

and cycle through the sequence again. If there is not a decrease after three attempts,

this is probably not an appropriate sequence or there is another reversal that needs

correction.

6. Next do the Brain Balancer (BB) by tapping repeatedly at BH while rotating your eyes

clockwise, rotating your eyes counterclockwise, humming a tune, counting to five, and

then humming again.

7. Repeat the tapping sequence 1-->2-->3-->4-->5-->6-->7-->8, followed by 9-->6

(the BH-->UCB sequence).

8. Again, rate your level of pain from 0 to 10. It should be lower yet. When the pain is

within the 0 to 2 range, go to step ten. Sometimes the treatment needs to be

repeated several times before you feel complete or near complete pain relief.

9. As long as there is a decrease in pain, continue with the sequence until there is little or

no pain remaining. If the treatment stalls at any point, this indicates a mini reversal.

Treat this by tapping SH while saying three times, “Even though I still have some pain,

I deeply and completely accept myself.”

10. When the pain is 0 to 2, do the Eye Roll (ER) to lower the distress further or to
complete the treatment effects. Tap on BH while holding your head straight and, only

with your eyes, look at the floor and then slowly raise your eyes up to the ceiling.

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 Treatment Recipe for Complex Physical Pain

Meridian Location

Eyebrow (EB) 1 Beginning of eyebrow at bridge of nose.

Under Eye (UE) 2 Under eye on bony orbit.

Under Nose (UN) 3 Under nose and above upper lip.

Under Bottom Lip (UBL) 4 Under bottom lip in cleft of chin.

Under Arm (UA) 5 Six inches under arm pit.

Under Collarbone (UCB) 6 Under collarbone next to chest bone.

Little Finger (LF) 7 Inside tip of little finger nail on the side.

Index Finger (IF) 8 Inside tip of index finger nail on the side.

Back of Hand (BH) 9 Back of hand between little and ring fingers.

Generally this treatment will relieve your pain for a period of time. If the pain returns, repeat

these treatments. In time recurrence of physical pain symptoms may become increasingly

less frequent. For many people, the interval of pain relief increases over time.

Pain and Trauma

If your pain is the result of an incident or traumatic event that has left you with psychological

trauma, often it is helpful to bring the event to mind while doing the Treatment Strategy for

Complex Physical Pain. This does not mean that you should emotionally relive the event; just
lightly bring it to mind. (Also see Gallo 2007, for the application of energy psychology for the

treatment of trauma and post-traumatic stress.) In these instances, your pain is a significant

aspect of the trauma, and resolving it will also help to relieve your physical pain.

Summary
In this article we have covered how to use energy tapping to treat physical pain conditions,

such as headaches, back pain, and more. It is important to keep in mind that you should

always consult a health care practitioner if you have ongoing physical pain, since this may

indicate an underlying serious medical condition that may be effectively resolved through

treatments. However, if it is suggested that your pain condition can only be managed with

medication, or if you have been told that “you’ll just have to learn to live with it,” energy

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tapping may just be the help you need to relieve the pain. And this just might make it

unnecessary to live with it.

References
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