I started learning about energetic methods of healing in 2010, and had studied a bit about EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques (meridian acupressure tapping). I wondered if it was “real.”

In March 2015 I decided to bite at a great offer for a 4-day stay at a luxury condo of a major hotel chain, which shall remain nameless. The only catch was our mandatory attendance at a 2-hour presentation about their timeshares. It was something I had promised myself 20 years earlier never to do again, after a most unpleasant experience. But this was such a great deal. . . .

So we bit, and our vacation was truly luxurious and we enjoyed our stay, except for the naggy fact that we would have to attend the dreaded presentation. Which we did, after my husband and I firmly agreed that our answer would be a definite NO.

These timeshare sales guys were good. After an hour and a half, I heard my husband starting to ask the kind of questions you ask when you’re really considering buying. And I got scared. There was $20,000 on the line. What if we couldn’t say NO? What if we were railroaded into this thing? Strong-armed? Cornered? And the sales guy would laugh diabolically as he ran off with our hard-earned cash?

I began to feel strange–fuzzy, light-headed, queasy, and off-balance. My vision was affected; I couldn’t focus correctly. I thought I might throw up or fall over in my chair. I couldn’t bring my attention to the figures the salesman was quoting. We only had 15 minutes left to endure, but I was in no shape to continue. Mercifully, the salesman said, “Why don’t I give you two a minute to talk it over?” And he walked down the hallway.

I said, “Honey, I feel sick and I’ve got to go lay down at the condo. Will you tell him NO when he comes back?”

I carefully made my way to the condo and lay down for a while, but I didn’t feel better. I thought how odd it was that I was fine before the presentation, and now I felt terrible. There was no physical reason for me to feel sick. It occurred to me that it might have something to do with emotions, and I examined what I was feeling, emotionally. It was all about fear–feeling powerless, trapped, and cornered. I decided it couldn’t hurt to try EFT tapping on it–what did I have to lose? I began with something like this, “Even though I’m afraid that I’m trapped and I can’t say no and we’re going to lose $20,000 and I feel like I might throw up and I can’t see correctly, I love and accept myself,” etc. I tapped through the points a few times and reassessed. Long story short: I felt completely fine in about 10 minutes. It was all emotional.

And that’s when I knew EFT was “real.” I decided to certify to become a practitioner, because It really works. That’s the beauty.

(And yes, my husband did say NO.)