Tap Your Way to Worthy

Rare is the person who has made it through life without ever being made to feel worthless, or without interpreting a situation that way, even if it wasn’t intentional. Healing from the origins of unworthiness begins by acknowledging that: a) hurtful things happened, and b) we perceived things to be hurtful. Then, we interpreted those experiences and internalized them on a very deep, even subconscious, level. There, they shaped our beliefs about our self and the world.

Many of the beliefs we formed are what are called limiting beliefs because they limit our capacity to enjoy life to the fullest. They prevent us from making different choices, seeing opportunities, or recognizing our own gifts, or those offered to us, all while keeping us focused on the negatives. Sadly, these limiting beliefs play a role in how we presently sabotage our own self-care and undermine our ability to attract successful relationships, career opportunities and abundance.

How many limiting beliefs are embedded in your subconscious, and how many of those beliefs do you continue to operate from today? If you can relate to some of these, can rattle off a few of your own, or if you even have a sneaking suspicion that limiting beliefs have whittled away at your worthiness, perhaps it is time to explore tapping in a little more detail.

Tapping is a popular modality that addresses disturbances within the body’s energy field. Also known as EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques, it involves finger tapping on meridian or acupressure points on the head, face and upper body while thinking or speaking about a troubling event, upsetting thought or negative emotion.

Tapping’s effectiveness is credited with restoring internal energy balance, making it possible to keep a memory but lose the emotional charge associated with it. The memory of the traumatic event still exists, but it no longer triggers a painful emotional or physical response. The person experiences the appropriate feelings but loses the over-the-top emotions regardless of how extreme they were or how long they existed.

Tapping is growing in popularity as a practical tool for ridding unwanted behaviors, overcoming negative thoughts, and reducing physical and emotional pain and stress. It helps people release limiting beliefs and replace them with more empowering belief systems. And that is why, with EFT, people often go back to childhood to tap on the specific times and events when their beliefs took root within the fertile soil of their subconscious.

Tapping on specific negative events and emotions is vital to the success of EFT, but it may seem counterintuitive to those who prefer positive thinking and encouraging affirmations. It is important to understand that focusing on the positive first would be like bandaging a wound without cleaning it; it is just more likely to fester into something more serious. That said, EFT is a collection of very gentle techniques that enable people to tap on painful memories without having to suffer through the process.

Developed by Stanford-trained engineer Gary Craig in the 1970s, EFT draws from Chinese acupuncture, cognitive behavioral therapy, classical conditioning, Thought Field Therapy, applied kinesiology and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). It is an eclectic technique that would not exist without the history, research and clinical practice that led to its inception.

While EFT is being researched in seven different countries and is used by millions around the world, one area under specific investigation is the work being done with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One study showed a statistically significant decrease in all parameters of PTSD after six EFT sessions, with positive psychological gains still in place three months later. Results like these have provided not only hope but also impetus for further research.

EFT is easy to learn and simple to use, yet, like all healing modalities, there is an art that comes with experience and practice. Although EFT is designed to be a self-help tool, working with a certified EFT practitioner can be of benefit when first learning the technique or when dealing with complex issues. Completely collapsing a long-standing, intense issue can be likened to peeling back the layers of an onion. You tap on one thing, and then another aspect of that issue surfaces, or it brings up a memory that caused you to feel similarly in the past, and you need to tap on that! Without having tried it, it may seem like a painstaking process, but being thorough leads to results that can be life-altering.

People are clamoring for ways to improve their physical and emotional well-being without having to resort to modalities or medications that come with steep costs or side effects. Few modalities, and no medication, can restore worthiness. EFT is a viable tool for releasing the limiting beliefs that contributed to the problem in the first place, making room for positive, empowering beliefs from which to operate.

Alisa Cooper is a doctor of chiropractic, clinical nutritionist and certified EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) practitioner with more than 25 years of experience helping others achieve and maintain optimal health and well-being. Cooper maintains a private health coaching practice while writing on various topics and trends in health care today. For more information, visit LiveAndBeWell.com.

 

Examples of Limiting Beliefs

I’m too young, too old, too fat, too thin.

I can’t manage money.

I have to be perfect first.

Rich people are greedy.

I’m not smart enough.

Getting my hopes up leads to disappointment.

Life is hard.

A good man (woman) is hard to find.

It’s too hard to change.

I’ll never amount to anything.

I lack self-discipline.

I don’t have enough experience.

I don’t deserve to be happy, rich, successful.