I love the experience of continuous tapping with clients as we work our way around the tapping acupressure points together. I invariably offer something about their situation that brings a smile to their face and often laughter. It's a joy to share given the difficulty from which we started.
Keeping EFT Simple for Clients
As tapping can be very effective in helping someone’s body feel calmer when they are facing a difficult issue, I invite clients to think about using tapping for everyday stress or for when they sense negative feelings building up inside. If they are interested, I forward standard guidelines after the session. However, I have the sense that these are not engaging enough for clients who seem less motivated to tap on their own. I've become interested in finding a way to make tapping more appealing. I would like to keep EFT simple for clients, so they can use it as an everyday stress reliever.
Metaphor Enhancing Tapping - Racing Red Motorbike
A client I saw online recently described the state of being stuck in overdrive with intrusive thoughts. I offered them the metaphor of a bubble machine to explore whether this resonated with them. In response, they began to describe an impatient red motorbike that was weaving in and out of traffic, revving, creating chaos, and not making much headway. It was powerful to see how the client easily engaged with the idea of metaphor. We tapped together for several rounds using words that emerged. Here are some of the phrases we used.
"... this racing red motorbike, this raging and racing red motorbike, this burgundy red motorbike racing away, raging and revving, getting in the way, irritating, annoying, not stopping, pushing, pushing and revving, making lots of noise, driving people crazy, causing pressure, fear, danger ..."
The metaphor of the motorbike seemed to help the client realise that this 'overdrive and intrusive thought state' was not something they personally identified with at all. They perceived themselves to be soft and gentle, easy going, a people pleaser, and a person who is generally willing to make allowances for others. They were really surprised by the imagery of their overthinking state. They said they felt relieved because the process had helped them to realise just how trapped they had been feeling - trapped in current circumstances in which they were feeling powerless and extremely unhappy. By the end of the session, the client appeared to appreciate that tapping could help manage further states of over thinking, with the use of the 'burgundy red motorbike metaphor'.
Metaphor Enhancing Tapping - Navy Blue Bubble Machine
Another client described the overwhelming feelings of rage that were beginning to surface after our previous session of tapping on early childhood experiences. I wanted to find a way of keeping EFT simple for the client. As they had previously felt very numb in relation to childhood experience, I wondered if a metaphor might help to manage difficult feelings as they started to arise. The client loved the idea of imagining a navy blue bubble machine on a chest at home and using tapping to calm down the bubbles on days when feelings were intense. Alongside this strategy, I invited the client to write a 'no send letter' to the parent with whom there had been a historical disconnect. I'm hoping that the bubble metaphor may help support this client around the process of writing this letter which I will know more about next session.
I'm eager to explore whether these metaphors help the clients to identify and soothe inner distress, at our next sessions.
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Claire Sainsbury is an EFT International Advanced Practitioner.
Photo by Gaby Fishman Fosbery on Unsplash
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