"I can't do this."
“I will never get the range of motion I used to have.”
“I am physically and mentally exhausted.”
“I will never be able to work with my dog like I want to.”
When my client, Maria, spoke of her experience of going through knee replacement rehabilitation, I could hear and feel her frustration. Eight weeks post-surgery, she was not seeing the gains she had hoped or expected to see. Discouraged and in pain, she was already talking about the permanent lack of motion that she expected as a result of the surgery. It was the story she was telling herself and one she believed in.
Physical and emotional pain were taking their toll on her ability to heal. Maria was in a cycle of frustration that created even more difficulty and intensity during her long and arduous rehabilitation. The more frustration she felt, the harder it was to move forward and to feel hopeful about her progression and recovery. She was truly at the end of her rope.
Working With Pain
Pain is complicated. More than just a physical sensation, it’s deeply intertwined with emotions and thoughts. Pain makes it very easy to get overwhelmed with fear, frustration, and even hopelessness. These emotions can amplify the sensation of pain, making a challenging time of healing much more intense and harder to manage. But as with so many other EFT success stories, Maria’s work became a beautiful example of how EFT can help to address these emotional components and shift the way pain is experienced so that true healing can occur.
In our time together, we worked on Maria’s feelings of frustration, anger and fear. She was able to bring her emotions to the surface and voice her feelings. She said and heard out loud the reality of how she was feeling, while sending calming signals to her nervous system through the tapping. As we moved through the session, Maria's perspective started to shift. She remembered that her mother had gone through the same surgery but had not been active in or dedicated to her rehab. As a result, her mother ended up with limited motion and many associated difficulties.
Shifting the Story
Maria realized that a major part of her fear was rooted in the observation of her mother’s experience. Bringing this realization to light allowed her the space to understand the impact that this was having on her own recovery. With this new connection to the memory, a shift was able to occur.
Maria became more accepting of her journey ahead. Feeling more empowered that she could and would make progress, she saw that she could take a different path than her mother did. She understood and gained perspective on her emotions in a very different way. In addition to EFT we did hypnosis - using a technique that allowed her to move her pain outside of her body - as well as a visualization of forward momentum during her next sessions (and beyond). Maria saw the future version of herself moving freely in her life and doing the things she loved with ease. She saw that her work gave her a sense of accomplishment, understanding and hope.
Recovery and Healing
The next day, when I asked how she was feeling, Maria texted a reply, "Much better! Yesterday was way better for walking and I slept with way less pain last night.” After her physical therapy session she reported, “I got 116 degrees!!! Really good session today.”
Maria continues to make great improvements in her range of motion and says that the session ‘got her over the hump’ because she was able to see her situation in a different way. EFT allowed her to change her relationship with her pain. It accessed her nervous system so that it could lower the anxiety, fear and stress that is often linked to heightened pain. It also gave her a self-care technique that she can use at any time.
Maria continues to thrive in her rehab. Acknowledging that it is hard work and takes time, consistency and persistence, she remains hopeful and strong. She has given herself grace and understanding and sees her future-self doing all the things that bring her joy: gardening, running after her grandchildren and working with her beloved rescue dog. That is the story she believes in now and continues her healing journey with momentum, strength and hope.
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Jennie Warner is an EFT International Accredited Certified EFT Practitioner
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