I’ve been working as an EFT (tapping) therapist in Brighton since 2006. In that time I’ve seen hundreds of clients and have felt the ripple or should I say tidal wave of change in my own life.
As I’ve changed so has the way I view my practice. I’ve also come to realise that each EFT therapist works in a different way, based on their own life experiences. I have added to my own practice techniques which sit comfortable with me. This is the only way a therapist can truly believe in the techniques they offer.
For me, being an EFT therapist has been a wonderful experience and I still love the work I do. However, I sometimes look back and think I could have done things a little bit differently.
So, here are 5 of the biggest mistakes (or life experiences) that I have learned from…..
- The problem probably won’t go away in just 1 session EFT is often hailed as a wonder therapy. I know when I first qualified and began using EFT I met many people who wanted me to help them tap on their long-held issue and expect to be healed in 15 minutes. I must admit, I saw some people who had immediate pain relief but that pain was a symptom of something deeper, at core level. I also saw clients who were left disappointed because they still resented their partner after 1 hour of tapping!
- Relax, you don’t heal anyoneI used to feel under pressure to help or even heal the clients I saw. I remember one client who came for a session and told me that unless he cried he would deem the session a failure. The session lasted 1 hour and he cried with just 5 minutes of the session left. He was relieved, I collapsed in a heap when he’d left – oh the pressure! It took me a while to realise that the real relationship in any therapy session is between The Universe and the client. The therapist is there to feedback and more importantly to step back and allow the client to peel away the emotional layers of their problem.
- Create your own therapy pathI used EFT as per manual for the first 6 months. I was afraid of deviating from the pure method because I thought that anything else I added to my EFT practice would dilute it and make it less effective. It was boring! I knew in my heart that if I added certain tweaks to my practice it would grow. It took time to discover new techniques that felt right to introduce into my practice. Looking back, I’m so glad I did. I now have a range of tried and tested therapy tools that effectively enhance my EFT sessions.
- It’s not your place to take sidesIf you find yourself agreeing with your client and even supporting her point of view then it’s important to step back. You may share a similar issue to the client that needs healing and asking leading questions or even feeding back what the client has said in a suggestive manner will not help the client. Similarly, If you feel repulsed by what your client has said and can’t see any positive in his abusive behaviour towards his wife then it’s important to remember the relationship between The Universe and the client. Let The Universe sort it out and keep out of it by allowing the client to express themselves. As the saying goes, ‘we don’t know anyone’s background until we have walked for a while in their shoes’.
- EFT is powerful even if you only did a weekend course in itSoon after my first EFT training I went from the high of being a therapist in possibly one of the most advanced therapy techniques the world had ever seen to someone with a few days training and little experience. My world collapsed around me when I ran a stall at a therapy show and began rubbing shoulders with other therapists who had many years of training under their belts. To be judged by the length of my training was a bitter pill to swallow. It took a while to get over but it made me realise how much I wanted to be a therapist and someone who could help others on an emotional level. I kept going in spite of my inexperience and found that the proof was in the pudding so to speak. I saw my clients’ emotional state improve and develop, that was enough for me!
Go out and grow, let the energy to flow, because you don’t know where you may go…
