[Note: Subscribers receive "Tap & Talk" via email on the First Friday of every month. It is then posted on this website on the Fourth Friday of the month (3 weeks later). To ensure timely delivery, subscribe by emailing me at: Celenia@EnergyPsyc.com. Write "Subscribe Me" in the subject line.]
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TAP & TALK, MARCH 2012
WHAT IS ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY?
Simple
- yet profound - Energy Psychology is a combination of Eastern
acupressure, Western psychology and mindfulness. "Emotional Freedom
Techniques" (referred to simply as "EFT") is the form of Energy Psychology I share with my clients. EFT involves tapping on specific acupressure points while talking about & focusing on one's troubling issues.
The mission of "TAP & TALK" is to provide my subscribers with:
- an understanding of the mechanisms of EFT
- an appreciation for EFT's versatility and range of applications
- instructions on how to use EFT
- tapping scripts and tap-along videos on a variety of issues
- a monthly reminder to apply EFT in your life and reap its many benefits
I hope you find this month's information relevant and helpful.
Keep on tapping!
TAP & TALK ON: ACHES & PAINS
PAIN 101 & THE MIND/BODY CONNECTION
There are all kinds of pain. For instance...
- There's the sudden, acute pain of getting a cut or breaking a bone.This is typically a finite event; the pain comes, but eventually goes.
- There's the recurring
pain of migraine headaches. Sometimes you have them, sometimes you
don't. But you often settle into an expectation that the pain is going
to return.
- There's the chronic pain of back trouble. This can go from mild to severe over time and can become part of the "background noise" in your life.
The
reason why I even mention this is because, depending on the type of
pain you experience, your corresponding emotional state may differ. More
on this below.
When you think of your pain, you often focus on the physical sensation of it.
- You're aware of where it hurts: your head, back, gut...
- You're aware of the quality of the pain: sharp, dull, electrical, hot, piercing.
- You're aware of how it's affecting your ability to be in and move in your body: can you sit, stand, walk, run?
In
addition to this physical awareness (which is difficult to ignore
unless you've taken something to numb the physical experience), there
are also emotional aspects to the pain which you might be less aware
of, but which become critical to your ability to manage your pain.
For
instance, perhaps ANGER is part of the experience. Anger at the person
who caused your injury which resulted in your pain. Perhaps there is
FEAR. Fear that the pain will never go away or that it will get worse.
Perhaps there is RESENTMENT. Resentment about how the pain is affecting
your quality of life. Perhaps there is GUILT. Guilt that you didn't take
good care of yourself, and now you're paying the price. And perhaps
there is SADNESS. Sadness that others don't seem to believe how much
pain you're in, or they simply don't care.
Sometimes
you're not even aware of these emotional layers, and how they are
affecting your physical experience. But they are. The medical community
has known for a long time about the mind/body connection. If you're
anxious or afraid, your subjective level of pain increases. If you're
relaxed, or watching a funny movie, your subjective level of pain
decreases. There is a huge correlation between your emotional state and
how you experience your pain.
AND DON'T FORGET: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ENERGY!
When
you're in pain you feel less energetic. Your desire to participate in
life may become muted and diminished. Quite often, it's not even the
pain so much that affects your energy; it's the way you react and
respond to your pain that truly drains you.
The pain itself is an energy drain, but the emotional layers can add insult to injury.
Addressing
the pain itself with EFT can be very helpful. This alone can alter your
experience and bring your level of pain down considerably. But if you
also use EFT to address all the emotional aspects associated with your
pain, then the results are likely to be much more rewarding. Perhaps
even surprising! (In a good way.)
Do
you love and accept yourself deeply and completely?
This is the
invitation of EFT:
to shift your self-perception from one of criticism
and judgment
to one of self-love, self-compassion and self-acceptance.
Are You Willing To Go There?
TAPPING & TALKING BASICS:
I. 3 Set-Up Phrases While Tapping On The "Karate Chop" Point:
“Even though ...I have this [x, y, z] problem...
I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”
II. Then Tap On This Sequence of Points,
While Stating a Short Reminder Phrase About the Problem:
Inside of Eyebrow (IE)
Outside of Eye (OE)
Under Eye (UE)
Under Nose (UN)
Chin (CH)
Collar Bone (CB)
Under Arm (UA)
Top of Head (TH)
THIS MONTH’S TAPPING & TALKING:
I
have scripted a tapping round about migraine headaches, and provided a
tap-along video link below. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "I
never get migraines, so this won't apply to me. I can stop reading this
newsletter and I don't need to watch the video." But even if you've
never had a migraine in your life, I encourage you to stick with this
process.
Studies have shown that when you tap along during someone else's EFT session, you receive substantial benefit for your own issues.
The issues do not even have to be the same, similar or even related.
They're happily tapping about their migraine headaches, you're repeating
what they're saying and doing, and at the end of the session, you're no longer upset with your parnter for...whatever you were upset at your partner for!
We
call this phenomenon "Borrowing Benefits." So let me repeat that: if
you tap along to an EFT session about migraine headaches (having never
had a migraine headache), chances are some other issue (or pain) that IS
relevant for you, will be affected by tapping along anyway.
Only
recently have scientists discovered neurons in the brain that fire when
you're simply watching the actions of another person. They're called
"mirror neurons," and they're one possible reason why "Borrowing
Benefits" works. Although you won't be watching anyone tapping, you'll
be listening in, repeating and tapping on yourself; there's enough
sensory input for your neurons to respond to in a "mirror" fashion.
What I suggest, in order to increase the possibility of "Borrowing Benefits", is to pick a part of your body that is currently
experiencing pain, soreness or stiffness. On a scale of 0 to
10, with 0 being no pain, and 10 being “I can’t take it
anymore”…identify where you are on this scale and make a note of it.
We’ll tap about migraine headaches, but we’ll check in at the end to see
whether your non-migraine
pain has shifted.
One last note before we start...
Sometimes, even gentle tapping is too much when in the midst of
a migraine. If that’s the case for you, simply close your eyes, and listen.
Repeat after me silently in your own head, and just IMAGINE
yourself tapping on the points. This is what I call “don't-strain-yourself” tapping,
and is useful when a person is in too much pain to have their eyes open, to talk out loud, or to tap.
On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being: "This Pain Is Unbearable"
and 0 being: "The Pain Is Gone",
measure where you are right now with this issue. Make a note of it.
Enjoy the Tap-Along Video
[if you simply wish to read the script, continue after the video, below.]
OK, so we’re going to start with our
3 Set-Up Phrases, While Tapping on the "Karate Chop"
Point:
- Even though I have this migraine
headache pain, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.
- Even though I don't seem to be able to
get rid of this migraine headache pain, no matter what I try, I deeply and
completely love and accept myself.
- Even though I'm skeptical that this
tapping stuff will make any difference in my experience of this pain, I
deeply and completely love and accept myself.
Inside Eyebrow
(IE): This migraine headache pain.
Outside of Eye
(OE): This stabbing, throbbing pain in my head.
Under Eye (UE): I can't function
when I'm in this much pain.
Under Nose (UN): It negatively
affects my experience of everything.
Chin (CH): I don't have the
energy to do anything else but lie down and hide.
Collar Bone (CB): But I can't
afford to take that kind of time for myself.
Under Arm (UA): People are
relying on me to get things done.
Top of Head (TH): But I can barely
stand. I can barely keep my eyes open.
IE: I know it's a head-ache,
but sometimes it feels like my whole body is in pain.
OE: I'm really angry
about this pain.
UE: It feels so
unfair!
UN: I try to take
good care of myself...
CH: ...But these
headaches keep coming back.
CB: I'm afraid that
these headaches are never going to stop.
UA: Or that they will
continue to get worse.
TH: It makes me feel
helpless.
IE: It makes me feel like
I have no control.
OE: I resent the way
these headaches make me put my life on hold.
UE: It makes me
wonder what I'm doing wrong. What have I done to deserve this?
UN: Because of this
pain, my life is less than what I want it to be.
CH: Because of this
pain, people don't want to be around me.
CB: They think I'm
just a big, fat complainer...
UA: ...But the truth
is I don't want to feel like I'm alone with this problem.
TH: And I want
others to acknowledge that this pain is real.
Take a deep
breath at the end of these rounds of tapping & talking.
Then go back to
the “0 to 10” scale, and reassess where you are.
Repeat the
rounds, if necessary to get to a 2, 1 or 0.
Once you have
brought your level of pain down to a 2, 1 or 0,
then you can
begin tapping in the "positive."
It's not that EFT focuses only on the negative;
however, it is imperative to clear your energy OF its negative charge before you can bring positive energy on board.
Otherwise,
the negativity just sits there underneath, festering away, waiting for
the worst possible moment to be heard and felt.
It's like stitching up a bad cut before first cleaning the wound properly.
A nasty infection is going to thrive underneath the surface.
If
you've been successful in bringing your distress level down to a 0 to
2, than try the following "positive" tapping & talking round:
3 Set-Up Phrases, While tapping on the “Karate Chop” point:
- Even though it feels as if nothing ever
works to keep this pain away, I am willing to be proactive about managing
my pain and taking control.
- Even though it feels as if my body is
sometimes my enemy, I do love my body and all the incredible things it IS
capable of.
- Even though I am tired of this pain, I
will recognize and enjoy those moments when I am pain-free.
Inside Eyebrow
(IE): I choose to know all that I can about how to help myself.
Outside of Eye
(OE): I am willing to consider new alternatives.
Under Eye (UE): I choose to
remain hopeful.
Under Nose (UN): I choose to
surround myself with people who are helpful and supportive.
Chin (CH): I know I am not
"making up" or simply imagining this pain.
Collar Bone (CB): This pain is real
to me and that's what matters.
Under Arm (UA): I choose to be
courageous and not give up.
Top of Head (TH): I choose to be
in control of my health and well being.
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NEXT MONTH (APRIL):
Tap & Talk On:
Finances & Abundance
are invited to schedule a
FREE introductory session
on the Third Thursday
of the month (April 19).
[New Clients Only, Please]
