I love tapping! (Emotional Freedom Technique) it is one of the ‘freedom tools’ I use and teach to my clients. Here’s an example of why I love it.
A few months ago, I’d been feeling increasingly frustrated at my lack of action to complete the book I’ve been writing. I was out of integrity with my commitment to myself to complete it and I was having a field day judging myself for that! Ugh!
A little context might be helpful… Last December I made a commitment to myself to complete final edits to my book and have it ready for publishing by the 31st of the month.
(This book is my unique perspective on how pain serves us, gained from over three decades of helping people heal their physical and emotional pain as a former Physical Therapist and as a Life Coach and Intuitive Healer. It’s been in the works for years.)
I was getting up early each day and sitting in the sun room to write for a few hours, moving consistently towards my (self imposed) deadline. I was excited how the writing was flowing with ease.
New Years came and went and I extended my deadline to January 31st, pleased that I was writing from a deeper, more authentic and vulnerable place.
One morning my husband came down and sat beside me while I was writing. He glanced at the computer screen and made a simple comment: “You can’t start a sentence with the word And or Because!”.
My reaction was swift and harsh. “It’s my f*cking book and I can say whatever I want, however I want to say it!”.
“Alrighty then!” He said as he moved away to make his coffee in the kitchen.
I continued to write, not knowing how that one comment had triggered something deep within me.
Over the next few days, I lost the urge to get up and work on the book. Soon, weeks passed without me writing. I just couldn’t seem to make myself sit down to write. What had been a joyful project, now felt like a dreaded chore! UGH!
With the frustration and stress mounting, I decided to tap on my resistance to writing. It didn’t take long for insights to pop into my mind. While tapping, it occurred to me exactly when and why I had lost my momentum in working on the book.
I became aware that I had a fear of people judging me for what I have to say or – like my husband – how I choose to say it. And, while I am privy to my husbands “judgement/criticism”, I can’t know what other peoples reactions will be when they read the book. My mind was running wild with thoughts like: “What will they think of me? Will they think I’m a flake? Will they think it’s stupid? Irrelevant?”.
Wow! These not so subtle, yet unconscious, fears were behind me not prioritizing the time to complete the book. They were creating an internal resistance to working on it and making it feel like hard work. No wonder I wasn’t prioritizing getting it done!
The tapping not only helped to calm my nervous system and release the frustration, it also helped me access the memory of my husbands simple but impactful comment and the different fears it triggered to the surface, giving me insight into what was behind my lack of motivation to complete the book.
I was now free to address them and complete the project! (Right after I tapped on releasing the fear of what other people think of me.)
I love tapping! Have you tried it? Check out this video to find out more
I’d love to hear what your experiences are with it. Leave a comment below.