Sometimes we have the idea that we must do hours of tapping for a problem to improve.
Recently a client had a session due to severe anxiety. She was frequently waking up with a racing heart, unable to sleep again. Her nervous system was revving so high that she wasn’t able to relax and get good rest.
For context:
Her country is still in lockdown during the 2020 pandemic. She had numerous streams of income before and was doing very well financially. All her businesses had come to a grinding halt due to the strict lockdown measures. It was all out of her hands. No wonder her anxiety was sky-high.
She arrived at our session and started describing all the factors that were influencing her anxiety. There were many. I had the thought “… this might take a while…”
Me: “What would be the best use of our time today? Where do you want to start?”
Client: “I just want to feel a bit calmer so my brain can work again. So I can decide what’s next for me!”
We started with how it was feeling in her body. It was like G-forces pressing down on her from above, shutting off her thinking capacity. She had gone for a flip in an aerobatic aircraft (Pitts Special) once and explained the thrill of experiencing G-forces. But this time it was no fun at all!
And, the worst was, she didn’t know when the circumstances (and stress) would end. She was also feeling overwhelmed and teary.
We started tapping
A few rounds of tapping released the heavy pressure. Her eyes started moving. I know her well as we’ve done lots of work together and usually it’s a sign that something is happening for her.
Me: “What’s happening?”
Client: “I’m no longer able to concentrate on the feeling of pressure. My thoughts are all over the place.”
Me: “So where are your thoughts going?”
Turns out…. she was starting to get ideas about who to contact, and what to do next. Then she started scribbling more ideas on a piece of paper and said, “You know – I can get so stuck sometimes, and it just takes something small to get me going….”
It only takes a little bit of tapping
Even though I’ve experienced this often, it still delights me.
10 minutes of tapping for major anxiety that had paralysed her thoughts shifted the stress enough for blood to return to the prefrontal cortex, so she could think, analyse and plan again.
Strategic thinking, analysis and planning are some of her strongest talents. She was unable to do that because of the anxiety. By the end of the session she had 5 or 6 avenues to explore and could act again, instead of being paralysed by the intense emotion.
The amygdala (part of the limbic system) that warns us when something feels unsafe, can ‘hijack’ the rest of the brain capacity.
EFT Tapping is a simple way to release anxiety and stress, so we can think clearly and then get into action.
It’s simply wonderful how fast that can happen!
Liesel helps sensitive introverts to see their sensitivity as a superpower, love their work and practice awesome self-care so they can be energized and make a difference in a meaningful and fulfilling way. She helps them to overcome the fear of being visible, avoiding the spotlight and conflict, being ‘too nice’, perfectionism and procrastination.
She’s the author of “No Problem. The Upside of Saying No”, which is a handbook for those who struggle to say no, are overwhelmed and exhausted.
Click here to read about the book.
