When to tap on my own vs when to hire an experienced EFT practitioner

Tapping is becoming more known and lots of people are starting to try it on their own.  What is phenomenal about tapping is that it can be used on any issue you are trying to transform.  And at its core, it’s a stress management tool that can be used by anyone. 

But when should you use it as a self help tool vs hiring a qualified practitioner?

Let me tell you a story about me.

I’ve been using tapping for many years and can honestly say that I’ve successfully tapped on many issues myself.  I’ve also hired practitioners to help me work through some stuff I felt was better suited with someone holding a safe space for me to process my emotions.

I found myself in a really good place and life was going along great.  

That was until….

I opened my email inbox to see one email that had a profound effect on me.  

Most people would have said, it’s just an email.  I would have said the same thing if I didn’t carry the trauma load I do around extreme work stress. 

As I stood there and read the email my whole body started reacting.  My mind was trying to make sense of what was happening but it couldn’t.  My heart started racing, my palms getting sweaty and I was getting this feeling of overwhelming anxiety in my entire body.  

Because I’ve been studying the nervous system and how events and emotions can have an effect on us, I knew right away that I was reliving an old trauma.  I could try to talk myself into reason that the email was not a big deal.  But my body didn’t believe it.  

So what did I do?

First thing I did was walk away from my computer.  Luckily I was home and all I could manage was to get the water ready in the bathtub and lower myself in the hot water full of epsom salt and essential oils.  I just sat there and cried while I tapped through the points.  I didn’t need a set up statement, I was feeling it… so I just tapped.  I knew enough that I had to regulate my nervous system to figure out what was happening.  

As I tapped, I gained clarity and I could put a name to the emotion I was feeling in that moment.  Overwhelming helplessness.  Feeling completely trapped and not seeing a way out of the situation.

But it was just an email right?

You see, 5 years ago I had to stop working.  I was in a very stressful job and for 2+ years I was trying to manage 3 mailboxes with a total of over 1500 emails.  See the connection?  Emails that carried stressful work.  I won’t go into details of the work, because that part doesn’t really matter in this story.

This is the important part that I want you to pay attention to.

My second step…  I hired a qualified EFT Practitioner to help me process that email.

It was so much more than an email.

I knew enough to know that when my nervous system went into the “freeze” state I needed professional help.  Yup, I have been an EFT practitioner myself for years and I do loads of tapping on my own.  

This was different.  This carried a lot of trauma for me and in order to process trauma safely, you need help.  Even when you think you can manage on your own.

This is my recommendation for everyone. If you know that you carry trauma, don’t try to minimize it.  It was just an email right?  Nope, it was 2 plus years of thousands of emails that had a profound impact on people’s lives that I tried to help.  It was trauma even if I tried to minimize it.  It needed special attention and someone qualified to help me process the trauma safely.  I can’t say that loud enough.

I selected someone who I knew would be able to help me with my specific situation.  After an email to her explaining my situation, we set a time to meet the next day.  (So thankful she had an opening that quickly.)

Our first session, she was so gentle and kept me safe while we started slowly tapping and processing the many aspects around the email.

We had a total of 5 sessions in 3 weeks.  It took me almost a week to start feeling like myself again. During that time, I was very gentle on myself. I took some time to go into nature and walk.  Replenish my soul in every possible way.

And today, I am so grateful I reached out for help.  The clarity I gained was invaluable to help me continue growing and evolving as a beautiful human being helping others.

Hope this helps you decide when it’s time to reach out.

I specialize in helping people sleep.  Did you know that your sleep struggle is just a symptom of your life being out of balance? 

                   

 

Until next time, sleep tight!