We recently connected with Andrea Withers and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Andrea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.
I had two defining moments in my life regarding my present profession as a Certified Clinical EFT Practitioner.
First, like many people in 2007, I had never heard of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). I was loaned a book where I first stumbled upon Thought Field Therapy (TFT), the original tapping method discovered and then developed in the eighties by Dr. Roger Callahan, an American Psychologist.
The book mentioned how tapping on certain acupressure points on the face and body could reduce cravings. I wasn’t sure I believed that, at that moment, but I had nothing to lose in trying it out. So, when I was craving sweets, I went to my pantry and looked for something sweet to drool over while I tapped the acupressure points mentioned in the book. Much to my surprise, it worked! I didn’t care AT ALL if I ate that treat anymore, and I had really wanted it before tapping!
That was all the proof my sweet tooth needed to drive me to learn more, which lead me to Gary Craig’s work. He was a student of Dr. Callahan. Gary Craig simplified Dr. Callahan’s TFT method and made it easier for anyone to use, and he coined his method “Emotional Freedom Technique,” or EFT, in about 1995.
After my first experience using TFT for cravings, I tried EFT on my daughter’s blood/IV phobia with amazing results. She was about 11 years old, and she would scream and run from the room if someone said the word “blood.” During our session, she said her distress was WAY over the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale we use in EFT, which has a range of 0-10. She would scream at the beginning of each new round that her distress was a level 32.
First, we worked on my daughter’s extreme fear of people just saying the word “blood.” Once that cleared to a zero (after 1 round!) she remembered a time when she saw my blood being drawn where the tube exploded and blood sprayed everywhere scaring her, which event we also cleared to a zero in 1 round! Then she remembered her great-grandmother pulling her IV out of her arm, which left her fearful of IVs. We cleared that to a zero in one round too! (Young children aren’t hung up on whether EFT works or not. They just believe and heal.).
That is how EFT works. It is like ping pong balls in a pool. Once you clear the top layer of issues (generally, the conscious issues or issues that are ready to be worked on), it calms the fight or flight response and allows the connected events and aspects to feel safe to be worked on as well. They will then pop up from below (generally from the subconscious). Because of this, I use gentle techniques and grounding techniques that allow for dealing with unexpected traumas that might pop up, which helps my clients feel safer and calmer.
This is probably a good place to note that I have additional trauma training to help assist my clients should they have any traumatic memories pop up unexpectedly, but I am not a licensed psychologist. If you know you have severe C-PTSD or other severe mental health issues, it would be good to seek out a licensed mental health professional, who is also certified in EFT, to assist you. EFT has been shown through research to significantly reduce PTSD symptoms.
Many who are new to EFT may think it isn’t based on science. Allow me to geek out on you for a moment! EFT is an evidence-based method that has been validated in research studies to meet the APA Division 12 Task Force requirements on empirically validated treatments. Presently there have been 29 meta-analyses and systematic reviews, 65+ randomized controlled trials, 75+ uncontrolled outcome studies, and hundreds of clinical case studies, systematic observations, anecdotal reports, and theory papers. Four fMRI studies have also verified the effectiveness of EFT. Much of the research can be found on my website at www.tranquilmindsllc.com by clicking the research button and watching the videos on my home page.
With all that said, it is wonderful to have such an empowering tool providing hope to thousands and thousands of people who have been suffering, often for decades!
Going back to my backstory, in September of 2007, after trying EFT successfully on myself, my family, my friends, and random strangers in need, I decided this was something I was so passionate about, that I wanted to be certified and make this my profession. I had seen it work on phobias, pain, anxiety, stress, fears, motion sickness, cravings, trauma, immunity, and stuck negative emotions like anger, resentment, sadness, worry, shame, and more. I had read many, many case studies and research papers about the effectiveness of EFT on a growing number of emotional, mental, and even physical conditions, and the results I had seen with my own work verified what others were reporting. It simply worked!
I finally did everything in Gary Craig’s course to certify as an EFT practitioner, except for my final client practice work. I completed more than 80 of the 100 required sessions to certify, but right after that, Gary Craig had a heart attack, halting any further momentum in its tracks.
I was sad to hear of Gary Craig’s health problems, and very disappointed that my certification course was so abruptly ended. I was a busy mom with 3 young kids at the time and they had many medical appointments. I didn’t know what was going to happen with Gary Craig and his certification course, so I simply moved on and decided to help people free of charge for about 14 years, as I was able.
My second defining moment came in June of 2020. I found myself with more time on my hands due to Coronavirus and my children being grown. One day, I had a really strong feeling that I needed to figure out what I was going to be when I grew up, so to speak. Right after that thought, I got up from my chair, opened my emails, and there was a form letter from Dr. Dawson Church, the one who bought Gary Craig’s business after his heart attack.
The letter informed me that he was offering a year-long Ultimate EFT Certification Course, and where to go to find more information. It wasn’t long before I was enrolled and on the fast track to certification, which I completed in February of 2021.
I ended up being grateful I didn’t complete my first certification course because I learned even more from Dawson’s very structured and thorough course. Additionally, I was able to train directly under Dr. Dawson Church during the course’s practice intensives and my recertification. It turned out to be a great benefit to be trained twice by two of the best in the field. Looking back on it, I feel it was worth the wait and the near-double certification.
Both of these experiences opened my eyes to things I never dreamed possible and changed the course of my life. My entire mindset about healing shifted. I realized there were many ways the body heals, and there are probably even more that are yet to be discovered. I started thinking outside of the box.
I love giving people hope and helping people on their healing journeys! I love the challenge of helping my clients figure out the root causes of their presenting issues. My favorite part of helping people is watching the light come back into their eyes after tapping. It truly brings me joy!
On a personal note, my favorite way of working is through body symptoms if they are present. The body truly speaks to us through symptoms. It is fascinating to watch ailments like shingles, pain, headaches, asthma, allergies, hives, stomach aches, and more, reduce or disappear once the underlying emotions are addressed through EFT.
I now practice from my home via Zoom. Zoom has been a great blessing in sharing EFT with the world. I used to work strictly in person with people. At first, I wondered if working online in such a field would even be possible, but I quickly learned that it was not only possible but made no difference to the quality of the sessions. I have now successfully worked with people of many backgrounds and faiths from 5 different continents, and I enjoy getting to know and help people from across the globe!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am originally from Southern California spending part of my childhood in Northern California, Idaho (briefly), and Connecticut for a few years as well.
When I began college, I planned to be an early childhood elementary teacher. While in school, I found myself attracted to the family science field before I finished. I ended up graduating in Family Science with a minor in Business Management and planned to get an advanced degree in the Family Science field later. The timing just never felt right with all of the health issues I was dealing with because two of my children were born with birth defects that required a lot of my time and energy.
I have been married to my very supportive husband, Jeff, for over 30 years. As a CPA, he has a more analytical brain than I do, so he wasn’t sure what to think of EFT, at first. After seeing results in others and experiencing the results, firsthand, he’s now a believer in EFT and supports me in my work.
We have 3 grown children who are off on their young adult adventures now. They were my very first practice clients. (Thanks for your patience, kids! Especially when I was so inexperienced.)
I have a great love of nature and enjoy spending time in the mountains near where we live or on vacation at various beaches and other beautiful places. My love of nature extends into my hobby of nature and wildlife photography, which is a passion of mine. If I’m somewhere beautiful, I will be taking pictures!
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
I cannot think of a better profession for myself than what I am doing right now! I feel I have found my purpose in life. It still fascinates me 15 years later, and the research has been growing exponentially.
I often hear of psychologists burning out because they hear so many awful things all day, and they are expected to help everyone without this amazing tool. With EFT, it is different! I tap right along with my clients, so I release any emotional residue as I’m hearing my client’s stories. I almost always feel energized after sessions with clients, even when working on big issues. It is also extremely rewarding to see such fast results. If I do feel strongly about something afterward, I simply tap and release it.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
I think listening to what your client is really saying and letting them lead the conversation with gentle guidance is vital. People want to be heard. They often solve their own problems while tapping because they experience the cognitive shifts that help them see things in a new way that allows them to heal.
EFT is a client-centered technique. And I actually DON’T have the answers. They do! Almost everything I need to know to help them is in their heads. I teach them how to tap in various ways (there are 48). I guide my clients by asking the right questions and letting them feel safe responding. I don’t judge them. I know everyone has reasons for their life choices, and I know people often do things as a way of coping or numbing because they didn’t have access to the tools they needed, like EFT.
It is amazing to me what people can accomplish in an hour just because I give them a safe space, ask the right questions, and listen for clues and connections while we tap together. In this field, what matters most really comes down to the connection the practitioner has with their client.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tranquilmindsllc.com
- Other: Email: [email protected]