[This article is part of a four part series on how to get create with tapping when you are stuck or bored with tapping. A new part willed be added every few weeks. See the parts that have been published so far and check back regularly to see the full series.]
photo by Mike Baird |
Mechanically tapping/Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a very easy thing to do. All you need is to provide stimulus to the tapping points plus tuning into the issue at hand. The tapping part is easy; what can be hard is the tuning in part. Often we are so close to an issue or we have been working on an issue that it is difficult to see it clearly.
In the first three parts of this series we build upon ideas from two articles found on Jeremy Dean’s PSYBlog. In this fourth part we will look at a number of other ways we can get past block and the feeling of tapping staleness.
Obviously not all of these are going to work for every issue, but by having a complete menu to choose from you are going to find new ways to approach the issue.
Take A Break
Sometime we just need to take a break. I have found that if I spend a lot of time with an issue that I need to clear my head so I can have a fresh look at the issue. Sometimes this is as simple as waiting until the next day while other times taking a few days off to clear my head is a really good thing.
A few days break will give you a new perspective and many times it will give you new insights.
Move On To Anther Issues And Come Back To This One
Another way to help with an issue that is stuck or an issue you are bored with is to work on another part of your life. By doing this you will still feel like you are making progress, but will be giving the issue you have been hammering on a rest.
I have also found that many times while working on a second issue I will come to an insight about the first issue.
Remind Yourself Of the Progress You Have Already Made
When we are working on an issue over a longer period of time it becomes very easy for us to forget how far we have come. Often in the moment all we notice is the discomfort we are feeling right now. We are not thinking of it in terms of what the discomfort level use to be.
With clients that I am working with over a longer period of time I find that I am reminding them of their progress about every third or fourth session (because it is so easy to forget how far we have come).
When we recognize how far we have come it makes it much easier to keep moving forward. This is very easy to do. Think about how the issue was when you first started tapping on it. How is the issue changed and how is it the same?
It is vey easy to get caught up in wanted everything to be a one minute metrical. When we take a step back it becomes much easier to see that it might not be happening as fast as we would like, but compared to other possible treatments things are happening quickly.
Take a few moments to just tap on: “I know this is not happening as fast as I would like…But I can see progress is happening…I can see things are getting better…I just need to keep after it…And more progress will come…I give myself permission to be easy with myself in this process.”
Give Someone Else Advice
Sometimes it is much easier to give someone else advice than it is to deal with our own issues. When we are giving advice to someone else we are able to be less emotional and we see things clearer. Take the issue you are dealing with and pretend one of your friends has come to you for advice. What advice would you give them?
Close your eyes and image you are sitting in a coffee with a friend. Image them explaining what is going on. Just listen to yourself respond. This is an easy way to take a step back from your issue and see it in a new way.
Get Outside Help
Sometime we are just too close to an issue to be able to see it clearly. Getting outside help does not me we have failed. It doesn’t mean that we aren’t any good at tapping. It just means that we need some outside help. Many of the clients I work with are very experienced tappers and they do work on their own regularly. They reach out for help when they hit a bit of a wall.
Many times when we reach out for help from some else we get a new perspective on the issue. If this isn’t enough to clear the issue completely, it will give us new information and avenues to pursue.
Tap (And I Mean Just Tap)
I have found it to be very helpful to just tap and I mean to just literally tap. No set up phrases. No images. No NLP techniques. Just tapping.
I do this when I am taking my evening walk or when I am taking a bath or shower. Sometime I will do it while I am watching TV.
My conscious mind has a tendency to monopolize the energy I am putting towards solving my problems. I have found it helpful to let my subconscious do some work on its own.
There has been many times when I am just tapping to nothing in particular that I start to yawn, sigh, and even cry. All signs of progress. I have feel things moving and almost always feel very relaxed at the end of it. This is a great way (and a no pressure way) to feel better.
This is part 1 of a 4 part series. Check out all 4 parts for more creative ideas.
Thank You!
I noted you said : “There has been many times when I am just tapping to nothing in particular that I start to yawn, sigh, and even cry. All signs of progress. I have feel things moving and almost always feel very relaxed at the end of it. ”
I find when I go Flowdreaming (like guided meditation but with lots more emotion) I yawn almost non-stop (and I mean REALLY yawn!) and I often find tears come from the corner of each eye (I’m lying down) for no apparent reason.
I’m interested to know why you say this is progress?
Thanks
Typically these types of physical responses are associated with release. This can come in the forms of yawns, tears, signs, and burps. I can’t tell you exactly why this is case, but it is something I see all the time with my clients.