Joyce

"Joyce" had suffered with severe back pain for many years. After ruling out osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, medical investigations suggested that the cause of the pain was due to an inflexibility of the articulations of the vertebrae in her spine. Although Joyce was taking 8 Ibuprofen and 4 Co-proxamol daily for the pain and had had a number of cortisone injections and an Iliac nerve block, she was still in considerable discomfort. At this stage, when Joyce's consultant had recommended surgery, rather than submit to such a radical procedure she decided to explore other possibilities.

When Joyce came for her first treatment in July 1999, she recognised that being overweight for so long had played a significant part in the development of her back problem. She had in fact, been struggling with her weight for over 30 years - ever since her first pregnancy. Over this period Joyce had tried numerous diets, sometimes losing a few pounds, but was never able to keep the weight off. Because of this her self-image was poor, her self-esteem having been eroded by the perception that she was 'weak' and lacking in 'willpower'.

On the first day of Joyce's treatment she became tearful as she recalled some emotional difficulties she had experienced whilst living with her parents as a young woman. Although initially she viewed these experiences from a "mature" perspective in which they seemed unimportant, she then became aware that her body was holding a considerable degree of emotional distress associated with these events and that many painful memories remained unresolved. During her tears, Joyce talked about her feelings and began to release the pain she had been silently holding for all these years.

Over the next 3 days, as Joyce became more and more relaxed about the treatment process, she allowed herself to 'feel' many feelings, releasing a great deal of pent up emotion in the process.

When Joyce returned for her second course of EFT 9 weeks later, her weight had dropped by 23 pounds! She felt empowered and transformed. She loved the way she was beginning to look, felt more feminine and was starting to feel really good about herself. Instead of feeling unassertive, she became more confident and persuasive in her communications and began to realise that she didn't have to succumb to the people and daily pressures in her life. She was a vibrant and powerful woman who could assert herself and walk (with more and more conviction) towards her goals.

Before the treatment Joyce had had to move around very carefully because of the discomfort she was in. Now she felt so energetic she was surprising her family by running up the stairs! Her back pain had improved so much since the first course of treatment that she was only taking one anti-inflammatory tablet daily!

Yvette Richards