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Pod #676: How to tap when you can’t put your finger on the exact emotions you are feeling

November 20, 2025 by Gene Monterastelli

We might feel heavy or unsettled, or there is just something there at the edge of our consciousness.

When this happens it can be hard to tap. We might start tapping and then peter out because it is hard to focus on something vague.

This week in the podcast I am sharing a straightforward tool that I use when I am not sure how I am feeling. It takes advantage of the Feelings and Needs Inventory from the Center for Nonviolent Communications.

Although this tool is simple, don't underestimate its power.

Download the Feelings and Needs Inventory free

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Pod #675: The scariest round of tapping ever

October 3, 2025 by Gene Monterastelli

One of the hardest phrases to say aloud is “I love and accept myself”.

The reason it is so difficult to say that phrase is because we know ourselves. We know our failings. We know our mistakes. We know where we have fallen short.

To say “I love and accept myself” feels like accepting all of those failings and imperfections.

Recently, I was talking to my friend Brad Yates about why self-acceptance is so hard. He said something along the lines of “We believe if we just fixed ourselves, then we can accept ourselves. But it is really the other way around because healing begins with self-acceptance.”

I have been trying a new self-acceptance tapping practice for the last few months.

It is the single scariest tapping practice I have ever done. The idea came from an episode of the Bullseye podcast in which Jesse Thorn interviewed the rapper and musician MAVI.

MAVI talked about a practice he had started doing where he was saying nice things about himself while doing something physical. This “something physical” takes self-acceptance to a whole new level.

I have been doing this practice a few times a week while adding tapping since the summer.

It is the single scariest tapping practice I have ever done. The first time I tried it, I could barely keep going for 30 seconds.

In this week's podcast I share:

What the practice is
How it has transformed the way I see myself (in great ways)
How you can do something similar (without having to go to the extremes that I have)

Even if you don't try this, I encourage you to listen to this episode as it will help you to transform your relationship with yourself.

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Pod #674: The Myth of the One Big Tapping Breakthrough

September 19, 2025 by Gene Monterastelli

One of the healthiest changes that has happened in the tapping world over the last decade is that we spend less time talking about the one-minute or one-session miracles.

This sort of instant transformation does happen and it happens regularly. It just doesn't happen all the time!

The reason I am happy that we no longer talk in those terms is because it creates unrealistic expectations for tapping. Assuming that tapping always works quickly means that when it doesn't, we think we are doing something wrong, or tapping doesn't work, or it won't work for our particular issue.

Even with a healthy expectation of the speed of healing and transformation, we can still hold unrealistic hopes for a round of tapping or the healing process.

This week in the podcast, we look at the rate of healing, how we can measure it to gauge whether we are on the right track and how to avoid creating unrealistic (and harmful) expectations.

If you have a regular tapping practice, I highly recommend listening to this episode.

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Pod #673: Tapping for the Fear of Feeling Too Much

September 11, 2025 by Gene Monterastelli

As a tool, tapping is such a powerful way to tune in to our emotions. Feeling, processing, and moving through emotions is a key part of the healing and transformational experience.

At the same time, there is a certain capacity to our emotional experience. Feeling deeply is a powerful part of transformation until it becomes too much.

I have often heard my clients describing this experience like trying to drink from a fire hose. It is just too much, too fast.

It can be scary and disorienting to feel completely overwhelmed in this way. After experiencing your emotions getting the better of you will mean that you learn to be on guard.

It is good for us to be wary unless it means we become so cautious that we stop moving forward in our healing journey.

This week in the podcast, I share with you what to do when the fear of being too emotional is holding back your healing. Using this process means you can strike a balance between not being overwhelmed and allowing deep and powerful healing to take place.

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Pod #672: How to Tap When You Don’t Know What to Say

September 4, 2025 by Gene Monterastelli

You know you'd benefit from some tapping, so you sit down ready to get into it. You want it to work…but as soon as you start, your mind goes blank. You freeze because you can't think of the right words to use. After a few minutes, you give up, thinking you must be doing it wrong.

This happens to everyone, even experienced tappers, and I want to reassure you that it does not mean you are bad at tapping.

Why Your Mind Goes Blank

Several things cause a freeze response. Feeling overwhelmed leads to mental shutdown. Trying to get it “right” creates performance pressure. Fear of going too deep triggers protection mode. Past experiences with scripted tapping have taught you that precision equals success.

Your internal voice tells you: “I should know what to say by now. But if I don't have the perfect words, this won't work.”

This thinking is all wrong.

Words Are Not the Magic

The tapping itself is the power that creates transformation, not the specific words. Tapping works by calming your nervous system and changing how your body holds stress. Even neutral or vague words will activate the healing process.

Your goal is presence, not poetry.

What to Do When You Go Blank

Listen to this week's podcast to learn the three simple approaches you can use when you sit down to tap and don't know what to say. All three approaches are easy to master and even if you learn just one, it will make a huge difference in the efficacy of your tapping sessions, how long you tap, and how often you tap.

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