Dr. Patricia Carrington has made a major innovation to EFT with her choices option.

Unlike the traditional affirmations, Choices do not contradict a person's present view of reality and so are much more easily accepted. Additionally, they represent a proactive stance and a commitment to one's self.

When using the Choices option a self-acceptance affirmation is substituted for the traditional EFT affirmation used above. In general this affirmation is the opposite of whatever the negative statement contained in the first portion of the Set-Up phrase.

This Choice is an expression of what the person truly desires for the problem that the treatment is presently addressing. It is aimed at that specific problem rather than being a general affirmation.

Choices Technique

Identify the negative emotion or state (thought, attitude, feeling, pain, etc) that you want to be rid of.

Formulate a Choice that is roughly the opposite of this negative emotion or state.

Combine the negative emotion with the positive Choice.

State the entire Basic recipe combination (negative emotion and Choice) on the first three meridian points.

Then alternate the points by stating the negative reminder phrase on one point and then the positive Choice or reminder Choice on the next point.

Be careful to always end on a positive Choice.

Wording of Choices

Most people do not know how to identify what they really want. Ironically, however the, they are almost always very clear about what they don't want.

When asked to make a positive Choice, which is based on what they do want, most people will at best, just choose to improve a bit on what they don't like. One way they do this is to revert to comparisons.

They will use such words as better or more.

Examples include:

• I choose to be more confident.
• I chose to feel better.

This does not work well because a person's subconscious, computer-like mind is quite literal and it cannot interpret that statement with any precision. What is better? It could be only a tiny bit better. How much is more? When this is not spelled out precisely you have an unclear Choice that will not be very effective.

First Rule of Choices: Be Specific

A person making a Choice needs to state precisely what it is they want. A Choice should not contain vague comparison words such as "better," but should be a statement of exactly what they really want to create in their life.

Second Rule of Choices: Create a Pulling Choice

Choices must "pull" to be effective. This requirement is often neglected. A Choice that is lifeless is like a dull ad; you just skip over it, don't attend to it, and it has very little impact on your life.

You might think of a choice as a sort of ad made up by you and directed to yourself as a consumer. The person who must be sold is you. You have to buy into and truly want the manifestation you are trying to bring about.

Whenever possible seek to carefully add an adjective or adjectives to make the Choice as appealing as possible. The aim is to draw you like a magnet toward the goal they seek. Repeating the Choice during the EFT session should be a source of real pleasure and comfort so that you really want to keep saying the Choice over and over simply because it is so enjoyable to do so.

Examples:

• Let it be easy to ...
• Surprise myself by ...
• Find a creative way to ...
• Find it fun to ...

Alternatively you can add any of these adjectives to give it more appeal:

• Comfortable
• Satisfying
• Delightful
• Ingenious
• Safe
• Unexpected

Third Rule of Choices: Go for the Best Possible Outcome

The rule of thumb here is to be inwardly "truthful" in what is asked for. You need to choose what you really want in your innermost self, not what you think you should want - and it should be the very best you can imagine having.

Examples:

It is not enough to chose to have a "new apartment," because a "new apartment" might be a dingy 6th story walk-up with poor heating, tiny rooms, etc. Yet technically it might be "new" for you. A much more effective Choice would be to state exactly what you really want, such as "I choose to live in a quiet, sunny, delightful apartment.

The more positive and specific you are the better the Choice will be.

Fourth Rule of Choices: State Your Choice in the Positive

Those who have worked with affirmations know that the literalness of the computer-mind makes negative words or phrases a large problem. Our mind tends to ignore the negative and we get exactly what we were hoping to avoid.

We are always better off being as positive as we can when framing any sort of command to ourselves - and affirmations are basically commands.

When making a choice therefore you should avoid using such negative words and phrases as:

• No
• Not
• Never
• Don't
• Be Rid of

For Example:

• Poor Way: I want to be rid of my headache.
• Better Way: I choose to feel clear headed, healthy, focused and enthusiastic.

Fifth Rule of Choices: Do Not Choose for Others

This rule is important to emphasize because some people will choose other's behavior as though they had control over other people, which none of us have.

For Example:

• I choose to have Mary love me.
• I choose to have the people at work think I'm the best.
• I choose to have Ken understand me.

There are many ways that the above incorrectly worded Choices can be reworded so as to be non-manipulative an ethical in nature.

Preferred:

I choose to feel that Mary loves me. Here the person is making a Choice about their own reaction to Mary, something quite within their control.

The details are less important than the intent when applying this rule. The point here is not to act as though we were all-powerful in another person's life, but rather word the Choice so as to be as genuinely helpful to them as possible without imposing your values on them.

To find out more about the Choices Method go to www.eftupdate.com.