When Talking To Yourself Out Loud Helps
Written by Gloria Arenson, MS, MFT, D. CEP
Did you ever have a problem or emotion that was so upsetting you wanted to call your best friend because you needed a friendly ear? But what happens if no one answers? You are stuck with your feelings and misery. I have invented a simple EFT variation to help you help yourself when you feel this way. I call it Narrative Tapping.
If you don't know how to tap the 8 energy points of EFT you can find the instructions in my book, Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing as well as in the latest EFT book, Freedom At Your Fingertips or visit my website at www.GloriaArenson.com
Then just start tapping and talking as if you were talking to your best friend about your problem. With each new sentence move to another energy point. It is best to talk out loud, so do it when you are alone. Talk as if you were telling your problem to a friend who wants to listen and help you.
In Five Simple Steps I tell about a woman who was waking up in the middle of the night with a fear of dying. As she talked to herself about waking up she tapped her eyebrow point and then, as she moved to tap the outside of her eye she realized that she was about to tu
60. That was scary. She tapped another point under the eye as she told herself that 60 was old. "I don't want to get old," she said as she tapped the next point. "No one will take me seriously."
As she continued to talk out loud and tap she discovered that she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to accomplish new things in her career. "It's too late. Life has passed me by." A moment later as she moved to a new tapping point she shouted, "It's never too late! Who knows what else I will do in my life."
In a few more minutes she had recognized and released regret and sadness about the past and was looking forward to the future. She accomplished this turnaround in less than 5 minutes. Her sleep improved and she went on to do some amazing things in her life and her career.
Be your own best friend and try Narrative Tapping the next time you are frazzled.
Article author
About the Author
Gloria Arenson, MS, MFT, D.CEP specializes in using EFT to treat stress, anxiety, trauma, depression, phobias, and compulsions. Her extensive knowledge of eating disorders and compulsive behaviors led her to write How to Stop Playing the Weighting Game, A Substance Called Food, Born To Spend, the award winning Five Simple Steps to Emotional Healing, and co-author Freedom At Your Fingertips. She is Past President of the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP).
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