By the time most of us reach adulthood, we have experienced some form of trauma, ranging from heartbreak to more intense physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Depending on the situation, therapists often refer to these traumas as small t or big T. Though the actual trauma may have been experienced decades ago, often, there are hidden tender and hurting spaces in its wake.
The trauma experienced is often morphed into a feeling of danger or threat. When we encounter different situations that trigger than feeling, our body and mind go into fight or flight mode. Our nervous system goes into overdrive, dominated by the part called the sympathetic nervous system, which handles emergencies. All our physiological resources are redeployed to meet the threat, whether the danger is real or not.
Although healing of trauma is often a lengthy process, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT Tapping) work very simply and scientifically. Even when the feedback loop of pain or emotional trauma has been reinforced for years, EFT is often able to break it very quickly.
It has us face and remember a negative emotional experience, a method referred to in psychology as “exposure.” We then pair that remembered trauma with a new cognitive input, reframing the memory with a statement of self-acceptance: “I deeply and completely accept myself.” While we hold these two items in mind, the traumatic exposure and the cognitive re-frame, EFT then has us tap on our bodies. The tapping points used in EFT correspond to points used in acupuncture.
Tapping soothes the body, introduces a non-traumatic physical stimulus, and interrupts the emotional triggering we’ve created through the traumatic memory. This pairing of a troublesome memory with a soothing physical stimulus often breaks the power of that memory, reducing its emotional intensity. After EFT therapy, when the troublesome memory is brought up again, we are able to look at it for what it was - with a clear mind and without the triggering feeling.
If you have experienced traumas in childhood that now get in the way of a joyful life, let's work together. I can help you safely face these traumas and clear the emotional charges that affect your mental/emotional health.
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