Your approach to tapping

Why do you tap? To get rid of something? To tap away something? Because you are sick to death of feeling the way you do? Because you want it gone? Because you're ready to scream?

Just imagine that a pain or dis-ease is the only way your body can get your attention. It is your body's way of communicating with you. The more you do not pay attention to you and your body, the louder, more progressive and chronic the pain becomes. Now, just imagine that pain is a feeling you had as a three year old. Imagine you felt rejected or unwanted because of something. Imagine that you as a three year old just did not have the ability to process - in other words, feel - that feeling, as you just did not know how to feel it. You did not have the skills or knowledge yet, or maybe something terrible happened and you went into shock. Imagine your body loving you so much that your body 'says' to you, "you're too young, sweet and lovable for these feelings and experience, I'll hold them for you so you don't have to feel them right now, but at some stage when you're older and more able can you please feel them and let them go so I can let them go too? That way I can hold more feelings for you because if you ever feel hurt again or just feel that things are too much for you, you can give your pain to me and we'll keep helping each other by letting it all go?"

Do you feel differently now about a pain (emotional or physical) that you may have after seeing it in a different light? Can you give it the attention it needs? Just imagine tapping as a form of noticing and giving attention to what is there, a way of processing what needs to be processed so it can resume its natural flow. See if you can tap with attention and curiosity and not with the intent of tapping it away or wanting to get rid of it. Just imagine how a three year old would feel if someone she loved wanted to get rid of her? Wouldn't she cling on for dear life? Wouldn't she feel rejected and unwanted all over again? Pay attention to what is behind your pain, you might be surprised at the results! If you find yourself judging, criticising or getting frustrated, pay attention to these feelings too and tap on them because they are there and came up. They too deserve your attention.