Nick Ortner's Blog, page 46
March 30, 2016
The recurring dream I had for ten years…
I had the same recurring dream for literally 10 years until I finally figured out what was going on.
(sometimes I can be a little slow…lol)
In the dream I was often back in high school. Every single time I was playing soccer.
At first dreaming about soccer made sense. After all, my whole family loves soccer. We’re Argentine, (I was born in Argentina and moved to the US when I was 7 years old) and I’m not exaggerating when I say that the World Cup is an epic family event every four years.
Soccer has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. Why wouldn’t I dream about it?
As the years ticked by and the dream recurred, though, it started to seem weird.
I was in my late twenties, then early thirties, running a growing business, engaged, then married, then going to be a dad… and still dreaming about soccer?
I had to laugh the day I finally realized what the dream meant.
Hey Nick, GO PLAY SOCCER!
My subconscious mind had been sending me that not so subtle message—and it had taken me TEN YEARS to “get” it!
Soon afterward I joined a league and starting playing soccer every week. Sure enough, the dreams stopped. Just like that.
I think part of me knew I had to “play” more, to get out, to run, to sweat, to have fun, and since I wasn’t getting the message, the dream kept coming!
While recurring dreams aren’t always as straightforward as mine, they often contain some message that the subconscious mind is trying to tell us.
As fun as it is to try to decode dream symbolism…Like when you wake up and say, I dreamt that a white horse rode on a purple cloud and then my grandma was there playing the violin…ummmm…what does that mean exactly? Haha! Or when your dreams look like this:
…it’s also helpful to look at the broader meaning of dreams. Here are 5 simple, powerful tips for figuring out the meaning of your recurring dreams:
1. Notice how you feel in the dream.
Which one or two primary emotions do you (or the character you become) feel in the dream?
The energy or emotion you feel can be significant. For me playing soccer had always been an easy way to feel carefree. Now that I have more responsibility in my life, my subconscious mind was reminding me to balance it out by playing more soccer. Great idea!
2. Notice how you feel about the dream.
Do you wake up feeling anxious about the dream? Excited? Afraid?
Since dreams often mirror reality in strange ways, acknowledging how your waking self reacts to the dream can be important also. If, for instance, you feel scared in the dream, but then angry when you wake up and think about it, that gap in emotional response could be useful information.
3. Notice how your dream relates to your life.
Are there any parallels between your dream and your waking life? Even connections that seem far-fetched can help to clarify what your subconscious mind is trying to tell you.
4. Consider whether your dream provides any solutions.
We tend to focus on the emotional sub-text of dreams, but sometimes dreams provide solutions.
Larry Page, founder of Google, reportedly came up with the idea for his search engine in a dream.
In the 1800s Elias Howe, inventor of the sewing machine, had a nightmare about being taken prisoner by a tribe holding spears with holes near the tips. When he awoke, he realized that those spears were the perfect design for a sewing machine needle.
5. Remember that you’re not always (just) you in dreams.
Since dreams aren’t usually literal, remember that you may not be yourself in the dream. You may also be reflected in other people in your dream. Noticing how your waking self relates to the different people or characters can lead to useful insights.
For instance, if you dream that your partner is cheating on you, you might actually be your partner in the dream, as well as yourself. The dream could mean that you’re craving a little more freedom, but you’re scared that voicing that need might feel like a betrayal. The solution could be as simple as taking more time for yourself.
If you’re struggling to find meaning in your dream, try tapping on it! Tapping is a great discovery tool to figure out what dreams mean. Just tap through the points while asking yourself a question, and see where it takes you.
(if you’re new to EFT Tapping, learn the process for free here)
Tapping is also a powerful way to release the emotional charge of nightmares, even in children. Look out for a new children’s picture book from my brother Alex, “Gorilla Thumps and Bear Hugs”, later in the year, and this fall, an adult book from me, “The Tapping Solution for Parents” 
Tell me below about a recurring dream that gave you an important insight! Did any of the 5 tips above help you to figure out the meaning of a recurring dream?
The post The recurring dream I had for ten years… appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
March 24, 2016
Releasing Worry and Fear Around World Events
I woke up and suddenly felt the weight of the news fall upon me, feeling worried and heart broken. It’s natural to have moments of fear but fear is a bad friend to have when it’s time to make important decisions.
Let love be your driving force, not fear.
I’ll continue to come back to this tapping meditation whenever I need to be reminded of that, and I hope you will too.
http://tappingsolution.s3.amazonaws.com/meditations/TappingMeditation-ReleaseWorryAndFearAroundCurrentEvents-JessicaOrtner.mp3
Right-click here to download the Audio
Right-click here to download the Transcript
The post Releasing Worry and Fear Around World Events appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
Related posts:
If part of you feels “broken”…
March 23, 2016
Spiritual Spring Cleaning (5 Simple Steps)
The start of spring is always exciting. New life is all around, and there’s that faint promise of summer in the air…
One of my favorite parts of spring? The forsythia bushes that bloom brilliantly every year, coloring the end of our driveway with sharp, vibrant yellows for a few short weeks. I can’t wait for them to pop up again soon.
Here’s a picture I took last year:
Every time I drive by them, I do my forsythia impression for my wife Brenna. Would you like to hear it? It’s better in person, but you can imagine it…
Brimming with confidence and joy, forsythia shouts…”YELLOW!!! I’m so YELLOW!!! Spring is here and I’m so YELLOW!!!!”
Lol!
With that on my mind today, I want to share 5 Simple Steps For A Spiritual Spring Cleaning.
At the start of spring we often clean our houses, garages, and yards. What if we took a little time to clean out our REAL insides—our hearts and minds?
Step 1: You have to see the “dirt” before you can clean it.
In a video interview I did with the amazing and inspiring Louise Hay a few years ago, she talked about why in tapping it’s important to focus on the negative before moving to the positive.
She likened the process to cleaning a turkey pan. Just as you have to see the dirt in the pan before you can clean it, she explained, we have to acknowledge and feel our negative emotions and limiting beliefs before we can use tapping to “clean” them out.
What spiritual “dirt” has been accumulating inside you? Pick one issue that feels most relevant right now and tap on releasing it.
(if you’re new to EFT Tapping, learn the process for free here)
Step 2: Clean out your mouth—no, not with soap, but by clearing out gossip.
Do you notice yourself saying negative things about neighbors, friends, co-workers, even family? When you catch yourself gossiping, stop and notice how you feel. Are you angry at this person? Do you feel resentful toward him/her? Be honest about how you’re feeling, and tap on it.
Step 3: Dust off your thinking.
What are the habitual patterns of thinking you want to change? Do you criticize yourself a lot? Do you have a hard time focusing when something needs to get done?
Pick one change you want to make, and tap through the points while asking yourself a relevant question like, why am I so hard on myself? Or, why is it so hard to focus when I’m doing?
See what you discover and then use tapping to release the underlying causes of any way of thinking that you want to change.
Step 4: Cleanse your heart.
Who haven’t you forgiven? You can go way back, or focus on what happened over the winter. What emotion has built up inside you that you’re ready to clear out?
Take a few minutes now to tap on it.
Step 5: Polish!
Once you’ve cleared out the “dirt” that’s accumulated, you’re ready to shine.
Take a few minutes to tap through the points while imagining a future filled with abundant possibility and positive change. If you experience resistance, take a few minutes to tap on releasing that.
For example, if you imagine a future career move, but then feel anxious that you’ll never get your dream job, do some of rounds of tapping on releasing that anxiety. Once you can envision getting your dream job without feeling anxious, continue imagining your amazing, abundant future as you tap through the points until your vision feels complete.
Even by completing one or two of these steps, you’ll feel spiritually lighter and brighter, more ready to make the most of spring and summer.
Tell me below about any spiritual spring cleaning you’re interested in doing. Do any of the “5 steps for “spiritual cleaning” resonate with you?
If the area of your life where you’re struggling is related to finances, weight loss, or physical pain, then I have 3 great resources for you to dive deeper into the topics with tapping. Pick the one most relevant for you and sign up for free right now:
Tapping for Financial Success…
“How to Create an Abundant, Stress-Free, Financial Future Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible…”
(If you’re just fed up with struggling and want to break through limiting beliefs and blocks around money, abundance, and personal fulfillment)
Tapping for Weight Loss and Body Confidence…
“The Biological Weight Loss Trap: Why Most People Struggle to Lose Weight… And How You Can Use Tapping Today to Finally Lose Weight Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible!”
(If you’re feeling Spring and Summer creep in, and the usual dread that comes with it. This is a TOTALLY different approach that has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of women around the globe)
Tapping for Physical Pain Relief…
“How to Use EFT Tapping to Greatly Reduce or Eliminate Chronic Physical Pain”
(Some of the most rapid and stunning effects I’ve seen with tapping are around pain relief. If you or someone you love is in physical pain, this is a MUST attend)
The post Spiritual Spring Cleaning (5 Simple Steps) appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
March 18, 2016
5 Signs You’re Not Listening To Your Intuition
Am I trusting my intuition… or making a HUGE mistake?
It’s the question that had been gnawing at me for some time.
It was over fifteen years ago, and I was a couple years out of college, running a successful web business. I’d moved into a great apartment in Manhattan, my very own bachelor’s pad, and had been offered a spot in a prime office in midtown Manhattan.
Things were going really well. Or were they?
Business was doing really well. Clients loved my work. Deep down, though, I felt unsettled. I wasn’t sleeping well. My health and relationships were suffering.
I spent my days, nights and weekends doing work I enjoyed. Yet I often felt like something just wasn’t right.
“It” – this success I was having – was supposed to feel great. It didn’t.
As weeks turned into months, things only got worse…
I finally admitted to myself that my success hadn’t resulted from following my intuition. Instead, I had stumbled into opportunities and took them without really asking myself if it was something I wanted to do, if I was really following my soul’s calling.
I won’t lie. That “aha!” moment was tough. It meant that I had to make big changes—changes that would be risky, maybe even stupid.
Finally, though, enough was enough.
One day I walked away from my prime office space (on Park Avenue in Manhattan), as well as my largest (and most toxic) client, and into the unknown.
It was liberating, but only briefly. Mostly, I was terrified. My whole life seemed to be falling apart.
Worst of all, part of me felt like I couldn’t trust myself. If I had gone down this wrong path before, how did I know that I was making the right decision now?
On that deeper level I hadn’t wanted to admit, I’d known that my life was out of alignment with my intuition and my heart. Instead of listening, I’d tried to pretend that my outer success was proof of my inner truth.
Now a lot happened between that choice to walk away and where I am today, a longer story for another day, but fast-forward fifteen years, my life looks very different. I’m more successful than ever, but this time around, my success is the actual result of listening to my intuition.
I now spend my days doing work that changes people’s lives. It feels incredible, and the fulfillment I feel is reflected throughout my entire life.
Looking back on those early years, I can clearly see the signs telling me that my early success was out of synch with my intuition. Given how many of us face this issue at different times in our lives, I wanted to share those telling signs.
Here they are:
1. Your gut is screaming at you.
I can no longer count the number of people I’ve worked with over the past fifteen years who experience persistent clenching and/or discomfort in their gut. All those years ago, I, too, was walking around with a clenched gut. I can see now that it was my intuition screaming at me.
Tapping tip: Tap through the points while asking yourself repeatedly, what is my gut trying to “tell” me?
(if you’re new to EFT Tapping, learn the process for free here)
2. You pretend that everything’s great.
We all know how this one goes. A friend asks how you’re doing, and you do your best fake-happy. “Things are GREAT,” you begin hesitantly. “My business is taking off. It’s a lot of work, but SO worth it,” you add, gulping down anxiety as your stomach clenches… again.
Tapping tip: Tap through the points while asking yourself, how do I REALLY feel about my life right now?
3. Your sleep and health are suffering, but you’re not motivated to make the lifestyle changes you know you need to make.
The longer I ignored my intuition, the worse my health got. I was losing sleep, gaining weight, and leaking energy. I felt awful, but also unmotivated to make the lifestyle changes I knew I needed to make.
Once I began listening to my intuition, I was finally willing to make those changes. My health and wellness then improved gradually over time.
Tapping tip: Focus on one area of your lifestyle that you know you need to change. As an example, let’s say you know you need to go to bed earlier, but rarely do. Tap through the points while asking yourself, why am I resisting going to bed earlier?
4. Your life feels wildly imbalanced.
If one part of your life is consistently taking off while the rest constantly seems to be imploding, there’s a good chance that your life is out of alignment with your intuition.
Tapping tip: Tap through the points while asking yourself, what would my most successful life FEEL like? Notice any negative emotions and limiting beliefs that arise, and tap through them.
5. Your “in” crowd makes you feel like the odd (wo)man out.
If you’re surrounded by people whose values don’t align with who you are, you’ll inevitably feel like the oddball.
Often, instead of listening to our intuition telling us we’re hanging out with the wrong crowd, we try to adapt by changing our behavior, appearance, and more. That then multiplies our dissatisfaction.
Tapping tip: Focus on a group or person you often spend time with, and tap through the points while asking yourself, how do I really feel when I’m with this group/person?
As you notice how you’re interacting with your intuition, remember to be gentle with yourself. I can say from experience that it can be really hard to notice toxic parts of your life when you’re immersed in them everyday.
While making sudden, drastic changes isn’t always possible or even wise, by using tapping, you can gain clarity and begin moving your life into closer alignment with what your intuition really is telling you.
Tell me below about a time when you listened to your intuition! Do any of the “5 Signs That You’re Not Listening To Your Intuition” resonate with you?
If the area of your life where you’re struggling is related to finances, weight loss, or physical pain, then I have 3 great resources for you to dive deeper into the topics with tapping. Pick the one most relevant for you and sign up for free right now:
Tapping for Financial Success…
“How to Create an Abundant, Stress-Free, Financial Future Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible…”
(If you’re just fed up with struggling and want to break through limiting beliefs and blocks around money, abundance, and personal fulfillment)
Tapping for Weight Loss and Body Confidence…
“The Biological Weight Loss Trap: Why Most People Struggle to Lose Weight… And How You Can Use Tapping Today to Finally Lose Weight Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible!”
(If you’re feeling Spring and Summer creep in, and the usual dread that comes with it. This is a TOTALLY different approach that has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of women around the globe)
Tapping for Physical Pain Relief…
“How to Use EFT Tapping to Greatly Reduce or Eliminate Chronic Physical Pain”
(Some of the most rapid and stunning effects I’ve seen with tapping are around pain relief. If you or someone you love is in physical pain, this is a MUST attend)
The post 5 Signs You’re Not Listening To Your Intuition appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
5 Signs You’re Not Listening To Your Intutition
Am I trusting my intuition… or making a HUGE mistake?
It’s the question that had been gnawing at me for some time.
It was over fifteen years ago, and I was a couple years out of college, running a successful web business. I’d moved into a great apartment in Manhattan, my very own bachelor’s pad, and had been offered a spot in a prime office in midtown Manhattan.
Things were going really well. Or were they?
Business was doing really well. Clients loved my work. Deep down, though, I felt unsettled. I wasn’t sleeping well. My health and relationships were suffering.
I spent my days, nights and weekends doing work I enjoyed. Yet I often felt like something just wasn’t right.
“It” – this success I was having – was supposed to feel great. It didn’t.
As weeks turned into months, things only got worse…
I finally admitted to myself that my success hadn’t resulted from following my intuition. Instead, I had stumbled into opportunities and took them without really asking myself if it was something I wanted to do, if I was really following my soul’s calling.
I won’t lie. That “aha!” moment was tough. It meant that I had to make big changes—changes that would be risky, maybe even stupid.
Finally, though, enough was enough.
One day I walked away from my prime office space (on Park Avenue in Manhattan), as well as my largest (and most toxic) client, and into the unknown.
It was liberating, but only briefly. Mostly, I was terrified. My whole life seemed to be falling apart.
Worst of all, part of me felt like I couldn’t trust myself. If I had gone down this wrong path before, how did I know that I was making the right decision now?
On that deeper level I hadn’t wanted to admit, I’d known that my life was out of alignment with my intuition and my heart. Instead of listening, I’d tried to pretend that my outer success was proof of my inner truth.
Now a lot happened between that choice to walk away and where I am today, a longer story for another day, but fast-forward fifteen years, my life looks very different. I’m more successful than ever, but this time around, my success is the actual result of listening to my intuition.
I now spend my days doing work that changes people’s lives. It feels incredible, and the fulfillment I feel is reflected throughout my entire life.
Looking back on those early years, I can clearly see the signs telling me that my early success was out of synch with my intuition. Given how many of us face this issue at different times in our lives, I wanted to share those telling signs.
Here they are:
1. Your gut is screaming at you.
I can no longer count the number of people I’ve worked with over the past fifteen years who experience persistent clenching and/or discomfort in their gut. All those years ago, I, too, was walking around with a clenched gut. I can see now that it was my intuition screaming at me.
Tapping tip: Tap through the points while asking yourself repeatedly, what is my gut trying to “tell” me?
(if you’re new to EFT Tapping, learn the process for free here)
2. You pretend that everything’s great.
We all know how this one goes. A friend asks how you’re doing, and you do your best fake-happy. “Things are GREAT,” you begin hesitantly. “My business is taking off. It’s a lot of work, but SO worth it,” you add, gulping down anxiety as your stomach clenches… again.
Tapping tip: Tap through the points while asking yourself, how do I REALLY feel about my life right now?
3. Your sleep and health are suffering, but you’re not motivated to make the lifestyle changes you know you need to make.
The longer I ignored my intuition, the worse my health got. I was losing sleep, gaining weight, and leaking energy. I felt awful, but also unmotivated to make the lifestyle changes I knew I needed to make.
Once I began listening to my intuition, I was finally willing to make those changes. My health and wellness then improved gradually over time.
Tapping tip: Focus on one area of your lifestyle that you know you need to change. As an example, let’s say you know you need to go to bed earlier, but rarely do. Tap through the points while asking yourself, why am I resisting going to bed earlier?
4. Your life feels wildly imbalanced.
If one part of your life is consistently taking off while the rest constantly seems to be imploding, there’s a good chance that your life is out of alignment with your intuition.
Tapping tip: Tap through the points while asking yourself, what would my most successful life FEEL like? Notice any negative emotions and limiting beliefs that arise, and tap through them.
5. Your “in” crowd makes you feel like the odd (wo)man out.
If you’re surrounded by people whose values don’t align with who you are, you’ll inevitably feel like the oddball.
Often, instead of listening to our intuition telling us we’re hanging out with the wrong crowd, we try to adapt by changing our behavior, appearance, and more. That then multiplies our dissatisfaction.
Tapping tip: Focus on a group or person you often spend time with, and tap through the points while asking yourself, how do I really feel when I’m with this group/person?
As you notice how you’re interacting with your intuition, remember to be gentle with yourself. I can say from experience that it can be really hard to notice toxic parts of your life when you’re immersed in them everyday.
While making sudden, drastic changes isn’t always possible or even wise, by using tapping, you can gain clarity and begin moving your life into closer alignment with what your intuition really is telling you.
Tell me below about a time when you listened to your intuition! Do any of the “5 Signs That You’re Not Listening To Your Intuition” resonate with you?
If the area of your life where you’re struggling is related to finances, weight loss, or physical pain, then I have 3 great resources for you to dive deeper into the topics with tapping. Pick the one most relevant for you and sign up for free right now:
Tapping for Financial Success…
“How to Create an Abundant, Stress-Free, Financial Future Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible…”
(If you’re just fed up with struggling and want to break through limiting beliefs and blocks around money, abundance, and personal fulfillment)
Tapping for Weight Loss and Body Confidence…
“The Biological Weight Loss Trap: Why Most People Struggle to Lose Weight… And How You Can Use Tapping Today to Finally Lose Weight Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible!”
(If you’re feeling Spring and Summer creep in, and the usual dread that comes with it. This is a TOTALLY different approach that has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of women around the globe)
Tapping for Physical Pain Relief…
“How to Use EFT Tapping to Greatly Reduce or Eliminate Chronic Physical Pain”
(Some of the most rapid and stunning effects I’ve seen with tapping are around pain relief. If you or someone you love is in physical pain, this is a MUST attend)
The post 5 Signs You’re Not Listening To Your Intutition appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
For the Teenage Girl In Your Life
I’m delighted to let you know that in just a few months, Hay House will be publishing the first Tapping Solution title not written by an Ortner!
“The Tapping Solution for Teenage Girls: How To Stop Freaking Out and Keep Being Awesome” is a ground-breaking book that I’m so happy to be a part of, and I KNOW will come in really handy for me in, oh, about 12 years when my daughter June is a teenager!
Listen to Jessica interview the wonderful author, expert EFT practitioner, Christine Wheeler below:
http://tappingsolution.s3.amazonaws.com/Christine-Wheeler.mp3
Transcript Link: Click here to download the transcript
You can pre-order the book from Amazon here.
The book teaches tapping in a friendly, passive way to teenage girls and then focuses on how to use tapping for common challenges such as:
Schoolwork, tests, grades, and planning for college
Appearance and body image
Dating, breakups, and dealing with sexual feelings
Divorce, siblings, and blended families
And much more!
Throughout the book, comments from 16-year-old Cassidy, the author’s teen consultant, keep it real, with helpful perspectives on how this tapping thing works. I love this book and I know it’s going to make a massive difference for many teenage girls! Pick up your copy today.
Early Reviews Of The Book:
“It has been said that the emotional wounds of high school have the half-life of uranium. And there’s a lot of truth to that statement. In my decades of medical practice, I’ve seen the adverse effects of these wounds years later—in the minds, spirits, and emotions of adult women.
But this doesn’t have to be the case. The Tapping Solution for Teenage Girls provides teenage girls with precisely the tools they need to regularly and effectively discharge the emotional stress of their intense lives.
As a result, girls have the opportunity to reach adulthood as whole, confident women — unencumbered by a lot of baggage from their teen years. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a teenage daughter or who cares about one.”
— Christiane Northrup, M.D., New York Times best-selling author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and Goddesses Never Age
“Oh, how I wish I had this book when I was a teenager! The angst, the stress, the confusion, so much of it is cleared up in this fantastic guide, and most importantly, the incredible resource of EFT is explained in wonderful detail. I can’t go back in time, but I will share this book with all the teenage girls I know!”
— Kris Carr, New York Times best-selling author
“I will use this book in my medical practice for every teen! Teenage anxiety is a huge cause of teen illness and disease as an adult. This is by far the most useful book I’ve come across to support teens and really call out the disturbing thoughts they haven’t been able to communicate to anyone. This book will change the lives of millions!”
— Kim D’Eramo, D.O., ABEM board-certified emergency physician and founder of the American Institute of Mind Body Medicine
The post For the Teenage Girl In Your Life appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
March 2, 2016
Quieting the Ripple Effects of Trauma
One of the central tenets of trauma relief work is understanding how quickly trauma can spread. While those at the center of a trauma may be most severely affected, the larger community typically also suffers from trauma symptoms that are more subtle and harder to detect.
Keenly aware of how this phenomenon had been playing out in Newtown, CT since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place in December 2012, The Tapping Solution Foundation offered a parents’ workshop to the larger community.
The group that came together during this workshop was comprised of eleven moms. None of these women knew each other, and none had lost children or been physically present during the shootings. Yet all of them had spent the past two years living in a hyper vigilant state, wracked by intense fear, anxiety, and survivor’s guilt.
For nearly two years all of these women had felt responsible for the lives of their children, husbands, friends and community. They expressed the incredible overwhelm they had all felt, as well as the guilt they had felt for feeling overwhelmed. They were, after all, the lucky ones, the ones whose families were still intact. Who were they to buckle under a trauma that had affected other families so much more deeply than their own?
One by one, they each expressed that they felt they couldn’t let their guards down, because if they did, they would fall apart. If that happened, who would take care of everyone they’d been caring for?
As each parent voiced how she was feeling, Dr. Lori Leyden, asked if anyone else was feeling that particular way. Each time, hands around the room shot up. After explaining that these are all common experiences in trauma survivors, the group began tapping together.
Through tapping, they began to reconnect with their bodies, and then release the incredible fear, anxiety and guilt they had been feeling for the previous two years. Finally, they could feel safe in their own bodies again, and let go of the need to try to control everything inside and around them. Instead of trying to survive alone, they could come together and support each other in healing and moving their lives and the entire community forward.
“As each person voiced their own truth,” Lori explained, “they experienced a deep sense of connection with everyone in that room, and realized they weren’t alone at all. And that in itself is another miracle.”
Trauma survivors often isolate themselves as a way of avoiding additional pain. While that isolation can serve a purpose by helping to keep ourselves and others safe, over time that isolation becomes an additional source of pain. That’s why it’s so important to join together with like-minded people and give a voice to what previously seemed unspeakable – our experience, emotions, and beliefs – to create a community that supports healthy emotional release and healing from trauma.
The post Quieting the Ripple Effects of Trauma appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
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Turning Bullies Into Enlightened Leaders
February 2, 2016
Healing the Healers
A school counselor, Julie had felt utterly powerless in her role since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Overwhelmed by the magnitude of the trauma she, her school and the entire community of Newtown, CT had survived that day, Julie felt hopeless, unable to fix the school and community she cared so much about.
As months went by, the emotional strain she was experiencing grew increasingly acute. Eventually, Julie had to be rushed to the hospital, where she was promptly diagnosed with a serious heart condition.
Struggling to recover from the trauma physically, mentally and emotionally, Julie began tapping sessions with The Tapping Solution Foundation. In spite of the severity of her diagnosis, she hadn’t been following her doctor’s advice for self-care, and it wasn’t until she began tapping that she was able to understand why.
As with many survivors that day, Julie’s traumatic experience during the shootings had awoken unresolved pain from childhood. Having grown up with a brother who was addicted to drugs, as early as 11 years old, Julie had learned two painful lessons: 1) that she couldn’t count on anyone, including adults, to help or care for her; and 2) that by trying to fix the people and circumstances around her, she could control them.
Since the shootings at Sandy Hook, however, neither of these lessons had served her. The frightened 11-year old girl inside her was screaming out for help, but had no one to rely on. As time passed, she had felt increasingly frozen, unable to move her life forward, and too traumatized to care for herself or others.
After her second serious heart incident led to another emergency hospital visit, Julie realized while tapping that her childhood experiences had taught her to stuff down her emotions. Her body was now buckling under the pressure of the emotions she’d been repressing since childhood.
During a series of four or five tapping sessions, Julie was able to see how much energy she’d put into resisting her own emotions. It was a huge Aha! moment when she realized that her heart was literally breaking open, crying out for a chance to express what she was feeling. Using tapping, Julie realized that she could let herself feel her emotions as a way of taking control over her health and wellness in a healthier way.
As healers, we sometimes forgo the opportunity to tend to our own emotional and mental well-being in order to be of greater service to others. There can also be a subtle pressure for healers to be, or at least appear, like we’ve evolved beyond everyday emotional challenges. The thinking goes, if I struggle or feel in any way overwhelmed by my own issues, how can I possibly heal others? Without realizing it, we may use these limiting beliefs about needing to be “perfect” to rob ourselves of the chance to process and release the challenging events and emotions we inevitably experience.
Ironically, these beliefs around needing to be “perfect” to be true healers then prevent us from reaching our true potential as healers. In reality it’s only when we allow ourselves the chance to heal our own wounds, as Julie did, that we can become the evolved healers we aspire to being. In other words, it’s because of our challenges and imperfections, not in spite of them, that our healing work has such an impact.
Are you, or a loved one, a healer who feels the need to be a “perfect” in order to heal others? Notice any beliefs and emotions that come up when you think about taking time to accept your imperfections and tend to your own emotional and mental well-being. How intense do those beliefs and emotions feel on a scale of 0 – 10? Give them a number.
Now take three deep breaths. We’ll begin by tapping three times on the Karate Chop point:
KC: Even though I feel the need to maintain perfect emotional and mental well-being in order to be a true healer, I deeply and complete love and accept myself.
KC: Even though I feel pressured to be perfect in order to heal others, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.
KC: Even though I feel the need to be perfect in order to be a true healer, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.
Eyebrow: I have to be perfect
Side of Eye: How can I be a healer if I’m struggling?
Under Eye: I can’t heal others if I’m not healed myself
Under Nose: All this pressure to be perfect
Under Mouth: It’s so overwhelming
Collarbone: But I have to be perfect to heal others
Under Arm: All this pressure to be perfect
Top of Head: It’s suffocating me
Eyebrow: I hate this pressure
Side of Eye: But I don’t see how I can get rid of it
Under Eye: I can’t see how to be a true healer unless I’m perfect
Under Nose: But I don’t feel perfect
Under Mouth: How can I heal others when I’m not perfect?
Collarbone: So much pressure to be perfect in order to heal others
Under Arm: I feel so overwhelmed by it
Top of Head: This pressure isn’t helping me
Eyebrow: It’s just making me feel inadequate
Side of Eye: I hate this pressure
Under Eye: Maybe I don’t need to be perfect
Under Nose: Maybe not being perfect makes me a better healer
Under Mouth: It fosters empathy and understanding
Collarbone: I don’t need to be perfect to be a true healer
Under Arm: Not being perfect makes me an even better healer
Top of Head: Releasing this need to be perfect now
Take a deep breath, and check back in with your feeling that you need to be perfect to be a true healer. How true does that belief feel now on a scale of 0 – 10? Continue tapping, if you like.
Comment on your experience below!
The post Healing the Healers appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
January 25, 2016
Need a little help? The truth about Willpower
So we’re twenty-eight days into the New Year. How’s it going so far? How are those resolutions / intentions / goals / dreams going?
Oh, oh, have they all fallen apart already?!?
If you’re like most people, you might believe that you could improve your life if you just had a little more of that mysterious magic sauce… willpower.
“If only I had more self-control, I could eat right, exercise more, make better financial decisions, stop procrastinating and turn my life around.” Sound familiar?
Here’s the challenge:
Recent research has shown that willpower is similar to a muscle, in that it gets fatigued! You can say no to the cookie once, but then the 2nd time it’s offered and the 3rd time…each of those choices requires willpower and quickly exhausts it!
“Oh, just give it to me already! Why do I even bother?!”
So… what to do? Well, it’s my experience that when you get to the ROOT beliefs, experiences, expectations, self-image and more, then change becomes EFFORTLESS. Why? Because we’re changing who we ARE, at the core, instead of trying to force ourselves to change.
When these changes happen at the level of our identity, then the resulting actions don’t require this muscle of willpower. So going to the gym isn’t a chore, it’s an exciting adventure, just part of who we are.
Making healthy food choices isn’t difficult, it’s what we want and crave from every cell of our body. Procrastination is no longer an issue, because we don’t fear the action, we embrace it with all aspects of our being.
The big question now is…
How do we get to these root beliefs, experiences, expectations, self-image and more? Whereas in the past, it was often a struggle to make changes at this level, EFT Tapping is extraordinarily effective at doing just that.
Since it works directly with the amygdala in the brain, it can rewrite these old patterns in dramatic levels. I’ve seen it in my life and in the lives of hundreds of thousands of other people who made this profound choice, to use this simple and powerful technique and change their lives.
I want to help you harness the energy of the New Year, and not face the struggle and disappointment that we often feel a month into the year, when everything seems to be back to normal, and failure is riding alongside us again.
To that end, here are three powerful webinars on different topics to help you make this change. Even if you’ve attended one of these webinars before, do it again! You’ll find new insights and awareness, and just doing the tapping can be just what you need to kickstart these changes.
Here are the three topics – pick one right now and commit to finally making these New Year’s resolutions stick. It’s time for you to shine at your brightest!
1. Financial Success and Personal Fulfillment: If you’ve struggled either to make the money you want, or to feel deeply fulfilled and passionate about what you do (or both!), then this webinar is for you:
2. Weight Loss and Body Confidence: I know January is so often about dropping those extra pounds and feeling strong and confident in your body again (or for the first time!).
I also know that most approaches simply fail because they don’t address the core issues. So beyond whatever workout or nutrition plan you’re on, explore how to use Tapping to create change at the deepest levels:
3. Reducing and Releasing Chronic Pain: If you’re in any sort of physical pain, New Year’s resolutions can seem like a little bit of a joke. “How can I do all these amazing things I want to do, when I’m hurting so much and so often?” Tapping has proven to be extraordinarily effective at releasing physical pain, and this webinar will help you do just that:
Let 2016 be YOUR year. Make that choice, to throw off the chains of your past, those old habits, those old failures, that old self-doubt, and finally embrace the greatness of YOU.
And tell me, what did this post bring up for you? What are some limiting beliefs you’re ready to get rid of? Comment below!
The post Need a little help? The truth about Willpower appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
A Mother’s Story of Overcoming Fear and Shame…
On a daily basis, I get emails with simply stunning stories of people turning their life around with Tapping. I personally have to be careful to not take them for granted since there’s so many, because each and every one of them is a miracle.
Here’s one we recently documented in a moving video, a mother’s story of overcoming fear and shame, and how the Tapping World Summit changed everything for her.
Watch this short video now:
By the way, we’re just a week away from the pre-launch of our 8th (can’t believe it’s been 8 years!) annual Tapping World Summit. Once again we have all new, cutting-edge content for you, all for free.
In our opening video series, we’re going to be revisiting the spectacular interview with my friend and mentor, Dr. Wayne Dyer, both as a way to honor him after his passing and because the content in this interview is so meaningful.
Then we’ll hear from the vibrant, soulful, inspiring Iyanla Vanzant (from the Oprah network’s, “Iyanla, Fix My Life!”.)
Following that, we’ll have some great free tapping meditations and then the actual summit itself will start.
Stay tuned!
Have you joined the Tapping World Summit in the past and had a breakthrough of your own? Tell me below!
The post A Mother’s Story of Overcoming Fear and Shame… appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
