Norma, Mother of Veteran

Dear Ingrid,

In my EFT session with you I was able to shed a very ‘heavy coat’ . The ‘coat’ was my over-developed sense of compassion that took the place of my own self-worth.  EFT gave me permission to preserve my inner peace, while remaining a caring person. As this burden was lifted, I felt lighter for days and now that lightness is familiar to me. A constant tightness in my chest was also released.  Events since, have occurred to challenge my peace and though they were unpleasant, I saw them with new insight and clarity.  Thank you for sharing this gift. I will pass it along to others.
Peace,
Norma N. Butler, PA

Follow up

Dear Ingrid,

It has only been a few short months since you helped me get my life back through EFT.  What an amazing journey. I tried talk therapy and that was not very helpful in my quest for stability and peace, as I struggled to advocate for my son’s VA health care.  He suffers from severe PTSD and traumatic brain injury from his service in Iraq. When he came home from Iraq in 2003, that is when my ‘active duty’ began.

My days were consumed with trying to find answers, the right person to talk to and the right care. The injustice to our soldiers that I constantly encountered was hard for me to fathom. Everything was a struggle. I spent one entire day unsuccessfully trying to ‘save’ the traumatic brain injury test that was so important. Calamities of errors and detours became the like IEDS. Soon I was having my own issues that were not unlike PTSD.  I began to mistrust everyone.
My son continued to get worse and then his family began to disintegrate. Nothing was coming together.

As a mother,  I had real issues with not being able to help my son reclaim his life. For two years I had his full attention and cooperation, then hopelessness set in.  My 24/7 vigilance, trying to find answers, could not make the difference needed. Now I was feeling hopeless.

In the summer of ’08 I saw EFT mentioned on a weight-watchers forum and on this rare occasion I had time to surf the net and check it out. I read Gary Craig’s story behind EFT and studied the manual online, then I contacted Gary and he offered a wonderful gift for my son. Everything was made ready for the first fEFT phone session with you. In preparation, myself and my son had contacted other soldiers who were helped with EFT and all the comments were positive. We were ready!

Prior to that first EFT phone appointment with you, I left town for 2 days to spend time with another son and our granddaughter. When I returned home, everything with my soldier son had changed due a crisis with his oldest child.  He was no longer mentally available to me and as you know Ingrid, I literally had the phone to his ear – I was that close to bringing EFT help to him – the help I had been praying for!  He became immersed in his battles that can never be won and I had to just hug him and say, “We’ll try another time.”

This was devastating to me. Yet this experience enabled me to receive a tremendous gift. You kindly made yourself available to me Ingrid, to get through this sad turn of events. While it was my plan for you to coach my son, now I was receiving the help. In less than 45 min., with your support over the phone, the giant ‘refrigerator’ that had been sitting on my chest for almost 3 years was removed.

It has not returned and I am forever changed. I love and respect my son and his family and continue to offer support, but I now know that it is my job to stay healthy and be a Mom to my other two children and a grandmother. My kind of love and caring for my injured son had been so concentrated that any goodness in life was not able to get through.
My thoughts and energy were a constant vigil – as if ‘I had made deal’ to give over every part of my being, so he would be okay.  However, there was no ‘deal’, an my vigil was never enough and so I was never enough.

I have prayerfully added EFT to my life and tap everyday.  Sometimes I say the most ridiculous things to myself during my tapping, but hey, that is what is going through my brain so why not!  I sleep nights now and have almost stopped grinding my teeth.
I can get rid of neck pain, anxiety and now I can say I truly love myself and I am enough. The most amazing thing to me has been the quieting of the ‘self-talk’ that had been perpetually with me.

Past traumas were also dealt with.  One of the most powerful phrases you gave me during a tapping session on past trauma was “I am going to listen to the 12 yr old in me and take all my advice from her.” How ridiculous that would be, but that is what I was doing.

My 17 yr old granddaughter is using EFT and accepts it so willingly. She has always amused us with her bouts of hiccups – though they weren’t amusing to her.  Now she taps hiccups away. What an amazing gift EFT can be for someone so young to carry with them through life!

EFT has not been accepted by my son yet, though I know my daughter-in-law used it successfully for an anxiety attack.  I hope he will choose one day, to take advantage of the offer you so wonderfully give to soldiers. Even if he doesn’t…I greatly love and respect him.

Blessings,
Soldier Mom

PS  I really don’t have a problem giving my real name if that is more helpful. ( I think of the people that I needed to talk to so I could know EFT was real and how helpful that was.