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Gene Monterastelli is an EFT practitioner living in Baltimore, Maryland, who has authored many EFT articles which can be found at Emotional Freedom Techniques Q & A
(This article assumes a basic knowledge of EFT. If you need a quick primer, download my free eBook, The EFT Quick Start Method.)
 "Emotional Freedom Techniques Q & A
Q: I have decided (once again) that I need to cut caffeine out of my diet. In the past I have given it up cold turkey, but have ended up with withdrawal headaches. Is there a way that I can use EFT to help me kick the caffeine habit in a pain free way?
A: I get questions about craving management all the time. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a great tool for dealing with any sort of craving (sweets, cigarettes, caffeine, or anything you just must have right now).
There are four basic steps to killing a craving. They are eliminating resistance to changing behaviors, stopping the craving, managing withdrawal symptoms (if they exist), and taking steps to insure long term success.
Resistance to Change
Often when we want to make a change there is a part of us that doesn't want to change. It might be because we don't know how life is going to look after a change, it might because we are worried we are going to lose something we need by changing, or it could be both.
Sometimes there are side effects to changing the types of food and beverages we consume. Because we have eaten or drank something regularly in the past, the body becomes used to (and often dependent upon) these substances. When we remove these from our diet it can take the body some time to transition.
For example, the most common side effect for the elimination of caffeine from our diet is headaches. Because we know side effects are possible, we may resist making the change we want to make. I have found it very helpful to deal with the resistance to change whenever we are going to make a change in our lives.
Once you make the decision to make a change in your diet you should take some time each day and tap away any resistance to change. You can do it first thing in the morning to set your day up for success. It can be done in one or two rounds of tapping, which will take less than three minutes. [These statements are made on the tapping points, skipping a setup phrase.]
I really want to make this change.
It is the best choice for my health
I am afraid that if I quit drinking coffee I am not going to be able to get up in the morning
But I choose to know that once my body is no long dependent on the caffeine I will be able to wake up without it
I am afraid that if I quit drinking coffee I am going to have withdrawal headaches
But I choose to know if I do have any sort of withdrawal symptom like headaches I can tap those away as well.
I want to thank any part of me that is resistant to this change.
I know it is resisting because it is uncertain how life will look after the change
It is resisting change because it is trying to protect me for an uncertain future
But I know this change is what is best for me
I give myself permission to change.
Killing The Craving
Getting rid of cravings with EFT is a very easy task and can usually be done in a round or two of tapping. We deal with craving in the same fashion we deal with any other physical symptom. Tune in to the intensity and tap it away.
When you notice a craving building, ask yourself "Zero to ten, how large is the craving?" After you have the SUDs level [0-10] simply tap:
This craving for coffee
This craving for coffee
This craving for coffee
After a round or two of tapping, re-rate the level of intensity. If there is still some craving left, do another round of tapping.
In my experience it usually only takes two (three at the most) rounds of tapping to lower the craving enough to insure I am going to make a good choice.
Withdrawal Symptoms
There can be withdrawal symptoms when we change our diet in any way. In this case we
simply go after the symptoms themselves. If you need a refresher on how to deal with
physical symptoms check out Learn EFT - EFT 102: Step One - Tune in and Rate - (
Physical Issue).
Planning For Success
Whenever we want to make a change in our lives, we would like it to happen right now. I know I wish I could simply snap my fingers and change my habits. This is very difficult to do.
Because of the way our brains are wired it takes us 14 to 21 days to create a new habit. This means for the first two to three weeks of creating a new habit we are working from pure will power alone. This is the reason why New Year's Resolutions often fail.
The easiest solution I have found to this problem is to make changes in very small steps. My favorite example of this was of the man who wanted to change his eating habits. He had been eating at McDonald's every day for lunch. Instead of giving up fast food cold turkey he did it slowly. On the first day, before he ate his lunch he threw away one french fry. On the second day he threw away two. Then three. Then four. Before he knew it, he was eating a health lunch. The trick was to creep into it.
When giving up something we crave we can take the same approach. Let's take giving up coffee, for example. For the first week, eliminate drinking coffee after 6pm. You can drink your regular amount of coffee until 6pm, but every time you crave coffee after 6pm, you will tap the craving away instead of drinking coffee.
During week two, don't drink coffee after 3pm. Again, you can drink your regular amount up until 3pm, but nothing after. The next week move the cut off to noon. In the fourth week the cut off is 9am.
In five weeks you will be coffee free.
© 2008 Gene Monterastelli, reprinted with permission.
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