Tapping Q & A - Getting the most out of tapping and EFT

I love to learn and in the first decade of my tapping life, I consumed everything I could about tapping and transformation. I subscribed to every newsletter I could find, I listened to podcasts, read books, and attended many live trainings. In the process, I came across the work of Milton Erikson, the founder of the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, who is often referred to as the Dean of American Hypnosis. Right away, I latched on to his idea that "All transformation starts by stating what is." By this, Milton Erikson meant that we cannot create real and lasting change until we level with ourselves. If we are unwilling to be honest about what we are struggling with and where we are stuck, then it is practically impossible to create meaningful change. I see this idea as so important that if you go back and listen to any of the tap-alongs I have created in the last 10 years, you will find reference to this idea. In this week's podcast, I share with you how I employ this idea in my tapping, and how you can add it to your tapping right away! Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Android | Google Podcast | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

Scientific research is increasingly backing up what those of us in the space of transformation have known for decades: our emotional health impacts our physical health. On one level, this is very exciting. It offers us fresh ways to think about the healing process and frees us from only thinking about the body as a machine that sometimes breaks down. On another level, it brings a new level of complexity to the healing process. When we experience physical discomfort, is that because of a physical issue, an emotional issue…or both? These new options may make deciding on the best path to healing more difficult. In this week's podcast I explore how I think about both physical and emotional issues AND how to figure out where to start with your tapping. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Android | Google Podcast | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

A common complaint I hear from my students and clients is that sometimes the act of tapping can be uncomfortable or even painful. This can apply temporarily to a few specific tapping points, for example sinus problems would make it painful to tap around the eyes, or because of injury, illness or a specific sensitivity. This week in the podcast I share with you six different ways to approach tapping when the more typical version of tapping causes discomfort or pain. Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio  

One of the biggest struggles I have when being honest with myself is looking at the times when resistance has gotten the best of me. When I give in to resistance it means I knew what to do, how to do it, and why to do it…but I still didn't take action. For me, this feels like the worst type of failure because it feels so personal. I didn't do something poorly that led to my failure. I failed because I couldn't get myself to take action at all. When we think of resistance, we often think in all-or-nothing terms. Either I do not encounter resistance and am able to take action easily OR the resistance wins and I can't take action at all. In reality, resistance is more nuanced. This week in the podcast we explore the different stages of resistance and how we can tap for each of these stages to keep moving forward to create a life we love through consistent, authentic action. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support   Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube  

A common human struggle is when we find ourselves in two minds about a situation or event. This most commonly happens when we are facing a choice between two (or more) options that are far from perfect. Over the course of the last number of months I have been hearing from my clients and students about a different type of "being of two minds". Instead of being caught between two options, they are caught between two emotions. In these conversations we have come to the realization that the best course of action is not to choose one of these emotions because that means denying our humanity. This week in the podcast we explore what it means to be of two minds emotionally, and how we can tap to support these moments. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

Download handout: http://tappingqanda.com/ptc I love sharing tapping with new people. So much so, when the topic of tapping comes up, I will preface my enthusiasm by saying, "This is something that I am passionate about and I can go on and on about it. The moment I start to share too much, just tell me to stop!" When talking about tapping I usually list all the ways that tapping can be used: emotional first aid clearing limiting beliefs fears and phobias healing past trauma generational healing physical issues Even though everything on that list is something that we can tap for, tapping for physical issues isn't something most people do. Recently, I had a conversation with one of my students about her resistance to tapping for physical issues. It was an enlightening discussion not just about what was holding her back, but what turns out to be one of the biggest reasons people don't tap for physical issues. This week in the podcast I explore why we don't tap more for physical issues and share a simple checklist that will make it easier for you to do so. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support [player] Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube

On August 1st, 2007 I posted my very first article to TappingQandA.com. The article had a very simple title "Making Tapping and EFT Routine". In the intervening years it is a topic that I continue to talk about with my students and clients because they know that their lives would be better if they tap more. Just because we know tapping is good for us doesn't mean we do it daily or when we are in emotional distress. AND what is worse, when we know how to do something and we don't do it, we end up beating ourselves up for not tapping, which only makes things worse. This week in the podcast I share with you five simple steps to making tapping (or anything else) a part of your daily routine. I took the four steps from the old article and simplified them into three steps and added two more which I have learned since writing the first article. If you have ever wanted to tap daily, then this week's podcast is a must. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube  

One of the subconscious resistances we have to taking care of ourselves stems from the recognition that we have it better than so many other people in the world. Because we recognize this, we may feel bad taking care of anything beyond our basic needs. This situation can be compounded when others see us as their go-to person to help them or others, and we find it hard to turn away those in difficulty. Because of this, I sometimes struggle to take sufficient time to tap for myself beyond a little emotional first aid in the moment. To overcome this resistance, I have started tapping for someone new. That person is "Future Gene". Future Gene is exactly what he sounds like, it is me in the future. The funny thing is that I am willing to tap for Future Gene, even when I am not willing to tap for myself at the moment. In this week's podcast I explore this off-the-wall idea and how you can incorporate it into your tapping as well. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

When I work with clients, I pay close attention to the language they use and I pay particular attention to keywords that alert me to how the subconscious mind might be informing their narrative. It is so much easier to create change and transformation with tapping if we can identify the often misguided stories driven by the subconscious mind. One of those words is "should". The word "should" comes with so much baggage. It does not just express what needs to happen, but carries with it a huge amount of unspoken information and expectation. In this week's podcast, I break down all of the extra emotional meanings conveyed by the word "should". I also share a simple four-step tapping process you can use to uncover and clear the resistance that usually accompanies the word "should". Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube

Before we can take action aimed at improving our lives, we need to know what to do, how to do it, have access to the necessary resources, and the internal desire or reason to take action. Sometimes you might have these four elements in place and still find yourself struggling to act because you are held back by internal resistance. For as long as I have known about Carol Look and her work (which has been going on for close to two decades), she has talked about how to identify and clear this internal resistance. In her most recent book, The Yes Code, Carol explains the step-by-step process of how you can uncover and release this resistance to help you get to an internal emotional "yes!" and take action. This podcast with Carol is in anticipation of the release of The Yes Code on October 8th and shares the process of clearing resistance as well as what she learned about herself and the process through writing the book. You can sign up for bonus training by visiting The Yes Code book launch page. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support [player] Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube Guest: Carol Look Contact: web @ CarolLook.com About Carol: Carol Look is a Founding EFT Master, licensed psychotherapist, author, world-renowned workshop presenter and speaker, and creator of her signature coaching method, The Yes Code™. Carol has taught workshops in England, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Canada, Australia, and all over the United States. Known for her laser-like focus and state-of-the-art approach, Carol helps clients release their limiting beliefs and emotional conflicts so they can enjoy lives of exceptional success and fulfillment. Carol is a regularly featured energy medicine expert on leading global summits and is a featured expert in the field’s top documentaries.

Do you ever feel like no matter how much time you spend working on your personal growth, you’re never truly moving forward? One of the biggest challenges in creating lasting healing and transformation is the simple fact that there’s never enough time and energy to tackle it all. At any given moment, you might want to improve your health, deepen your relationships, focus on spiritual growth, sharpen your professional skills, declutter your space and, and…the list never ends. The harsh truth is that you can't work on everything. And the real struggle isn’t just choosing what to focus on, but it’s also the subconscious mind pulling you in multiple directions, forcing you to deal with immediate pains and short-term issues instead of focusing on meaningful long-term transformation. Our subconscious mind is wired for survival, which means it’s obsessed with right now: the urgent discomforts, the stress of the moment, and whatever feels like a quick fix. This constant urge towards short-term relief often leaves us spinning our wheels, feeling busy but never making any real progress. The result? We get caught in a cycle of putting out life’s daily fires without ever tackling the deeper, more meaningful changes we long for. In this week’s podcast, I dive into why your subconscious mind is so fixated on the immediate and how it sabotages your long-term goals without you even realizing it. More importantly, I’ll walk you through simple, daily tapping exercises to break free from this subconscious tug of war, so you can finally focus on the big-picture transformation that truly matters. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

No matter how much we consciously want to focus on a task, subconscious resistance can get in the way, making us distracted and unproductive. Part of us might be resisting tasks because of anxiety about the quality of what we produce, if we can get enough done, how others will receive our efforts, and whether we will be happy with the end result, to name just a few common concerns. Last week, I had a task that I needed to complete but I was aware how unsettled my mind was when I sat down to work. To combat the distraction, I created a brand new tapping process to keep me on track. Not only did it work then, but I have used it every time I have sat down to work since coming up with it. This week in the podcast I share exactly what I did, and how you can improve your own productivity just by drawing a few circles. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support [player] Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube

When we are working on our resistance to taking a particular action, we often end up referring to the past to see if we can identify the roots of our reluctance in not wanting to repeat past mistakes or struggles. Combing through mistakes we have made can bring up old feelings of defeat and disappointment, leaving us feeling worse than when we started tapping as we experience deep emotions about our past failings. Unfortunately, the result of this is usually that we give up on our tapping. Not only do we stop moving forward with our healing, but it can put us into a bit of an emotional spiral. When this happens to me, I have a simple process to get myself back on track. This week in the podcast I share how to recognize when you get emotionally hijacked in this way, the process I use to get back on track, and we do some tapping to show you exactly how that process works. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube

When we are working on healing and creating transformation in our lives, we spend much time looking backwards. The way we understand ourselves, the world, and our place in the world is informed and created by our past, which means our limiting beliefs, insecurities, and bad habits are often rooted there too. That is why there are so many tapping tools that focus on the past, such as the movie technique, the photo technique, and the middle school playlist, to name just a few. While it can be useful to look backwards, sometimes trying to understand our past and why we are the way we are is not helpful and can even get in the way of our healing journey. This week in the podcast I share when it is useful to look to the past, when the past gets in the way, and a simple way to tap to ensure you do not get caught in this trap. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio  

The Buddhist concept of the "monkey mind" describes our human tendency to get restless, distracted, or confused. For some reason, my monkey mind has been going crazy these past few weeks. I feel like I haven't been dealing with a monkey so much as a troop of them! (I just learned that a group of monkeys is called a troop!) Every fifteen or twenty minutes, I have found myself looking at social media or a news website or my inbox or an online dating app or what the weather will be like tomorrow. It was as if I had completely lost control of my attention. One minute I was working and concentrating on the task in front of me…and the next, I was firmly in Distractionland. Instead of beating myself up, I decided to do a little tapping experiment. The results were AMAZING! In this week's podcast I share what I tried, how it worked, and what I learned. This is something you will want to add to your own transformational tool box right away! Support the podcast! Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio  

One of the most common forms of resistance people encounter when doing any sort of deep transformational work (tapping included) is the fear of what will be uncovered. The two most common fears are either that there will be an overwhelming number of emotions that will be difficult to handle or that a previously suppressed traumatic memory will surface. There is another version of this resistance that is less emotional and less dramatic. That is the fear that you will learn or be reminded of something that you don't want to hear. It could be: an uncomfortable truth about your life an action that you need to take but are avoiding because you know it will be hard a toxic relationship that you need to exit a harmful habit that is you need to give up a realization that you failed in the past because you were unwilling to show up for yourself Nobody wants to deal with these types of truths BUT if we want to create lasting change and transformation in our lives, then we need to face up to these truths and heal our relationship to them. In the podcast this week I share a simple tapping phase I love that will make it easier to be open to healing and transformation. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support [player] Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube Watch a video version on YouTube

One of the phrases that Gary Craig used in the original EFT training videos that has stuck with me is "the comedies of our mind". When using this phrase, Gary was referring to the recurring thoughts that we had about ourselves that, when they were examined in the light of day, were seen to be comical or even farcical. For example, right before I try something hard my subconscious mind will pipe up with, "You have failed before and you are going to fail again." Unexamined, that thought could stop me in my tracks. But if I pull it from the echo chamber of my subconscious mind and into the here and now, it loses its power. It might slow me down, but I can work my way through it, This week in the podcast I share with you the process I use throughout my day to ensure I am not a prisoner to these unhelpful and untrue thoughts. This is an approach that you can use in your tapping and also in your daily life without having to tap. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio  

New opportunities can be so exciting as they bring the promise of growth, change, and countless possibilities. The problem is that most of us already have full lives and we don't have the time or energy to add something new. When this happens, we have a tendency to take one of two approaches. One approach is to take the plunge in the hope that things will "just work out"...but they rarely do. We find ourselves stretched too thin and not doing anything well. The other approach is to not try at all. We decide our life is already too busy and allow great opportunities to pass us by, only to feel bad about missing out afterwards. This week in the podcast I share with you the five questions I use when I am presented with an interesting opportunity. These questions have changed my life to help me to add new exciting things to my life, while still maintaining balance. I also share how I use tapping to super charge these questions. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

Tapping without words is one of my favorite ways to tap and I do it multiple times a day. Recently, a few of my friends from the tapping community referred to this type of tapping as "content-free tapping". When I heard this, not only did I learn a new piece of vocabulary, it actually reframed my understanding of wordless tapping. This week in the podcast I share with you my eight favorite ways to use content-free tapping. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube

Maintaining high standards for ourselves is a good thing and means we have goals to shoot for and measuring sticks with which to evaluate our progress. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to fall into self-criticism and self-judgment if we fall short of these standards. So much so that it rarely feels like a choice, but the moment we fall short, the internal critical voice comes roaring forward to berate and belittle us. Even when we are critical of ourselves, we are still able to extend kindness to others and give them the benefit of the doubt. Evaluating our actions is a good thing…but becoming overly self-critical is harsh and unhealthy. When I am too hard on myself, one of my best friends gently chides me in a way that transforms the way I feel about myself and what comes next. He doesn't say, "Gene, you are being too hard on yourself!" because that would not shift my mind or mood. Instead, he says something completely different that turns everything around. In this week's podcast I share the one phrase that changes my perspective in these situations, and how that phrase can be incorporated in our tapping. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube