"I don't want to tap but I don't know why!"
No one likes to be told what to do. There's often a part of us that immediately resists. Recently, some of my clients have mentioned that between sessions, they are choosing not to tap. For whatever reason, there is resistance and they would prefer to wait until we work together again.
I believe that when we decide to change our limiting beliefs or negative emotions, it is natural to experience resistance. We might become an entirely different person - happier, healthier, more successful, and more abundant. Logically, that sounds great, doesn't it? Unfortunately, our subconscious probably doesn't always agree: change threatens who we are and how we behave, leading us to question if it is really safe for us to let go of the past and move forward. It would mean losing our current identity.
Sometimes I don't want to tap. Perhaps the issue appears too overwhelming, or I don't know where to start the process. Instead of being hard on myself, I acknowledge that is where I am in the moment, and I accept myself anyway. I have an EFT Practitioner and if I do find an issue too overwhelming to address on my own, I know she will guide me through the process and enable me to see things more objectively. I accept myself for not wanting to tap, but I usually consider why it is that I'm not prepared to open this "can of worms". That is why having an EFT Practitioner, or someone we can tap with, is so important - we can make good progress using EFT on ourselves, but by working with another person, we are able to to see different perspectives far more easily.
If you are resisting tapping, then don't tap! However, if you find this is happening on a regular basis, you might want to consider the fears that are fuelling this resistance. Some useful questions to consider are:
What is the downside to tapping/clearing this issue?
Who might you be/what could you achieve if you tapped on this issue/let it go?
Why do you think you haven't cleared this issue yet?
You can also try the following tapping sequence which will help shake up the resistance.
With your dominant hand, tap the karate chop point on the other hand while saying the following:
Even though I know EFT can help but I don't want to tap on this issue, I have decided to accept myself anyway
Even though for whatever reason I'm resisting tapping on this issue I want to accept all of me
Even though perhaps I don't deserve to clear this issue and I'm afraid of who I might be without it holding me back all the time, I am open to accepting who I am and how I'm feeling
Even though there's a part of me that doesn't want to tap and let this issue go, there's a bigger part of me that is curious to know what I could achieve when I feel emotionally and physically free.
Now tap the following points as you say the phrases below:
Top of head: I don't want to tap on this issue!
eyebrow: and you can't make me!
side of eye: I'm afraid of what will happen
under eye: maybe I'm afraid of success
under nose: maybe I'm afraid of failure
chin: what if I change as a result of the tapping?
collarbone: who would I be then?
under arm: I'd lose my identity
top of head: I'm comfortable where I am now
eyebrow: and tapping would change all that
side of eye: I refuse to tap on this issue
under eye: I feel safer keeping this problem under nose: no I don't!
chin: this issue has been holding me back for so long now
collarbone: and I deserve to let it go
under arm: I choose to feel safe enough to tap with curiosity and interest.
Disclaimer: In tapping along to this transcript, you take full responsibility for your health and well being.
About the author: Annabel Fisher is a licensed NLP Practitioner and runs a successful EFT practice. Find relief from pain, chronic illness, fears and phobias, headaches and migraines, weight issues and more through EFT. Get your free "The Essentials of EFT Guide" plus one-hour EFT Q&A audio recording by signing up for her newsletter at: www.theefthealingcentre.com.