If you’ve ever tried an EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) session, you know it’s all about tapping and paying attention to your feelings. But what if I told you to think about it like a conversation between your conscious and subconscious mind? Sounds intriguing, right? Let’s dive deeper.
Your conscious mind initiates the conversation. It decides what to focus on and when to start tapping. Think of it as reaching out to your subconscious mind. And how does the subconscious respond? Well, it reciprocates with thoughts, images, sensations, or feelings that emerge when you place your attention on the issue you were just tapping on.
For example, you might shift from feeling sad about something to feeling angry, or realize that a problem isn’t as big as you initially thought. Sometimes, these ‘responses’ from your subconscious mind come up while we are tapping – like unexpected thoughts or memories that emerge out of the blue.
So, after ‘hearing’ the reply from your subconscious mind, your conscious mind gets back into the conversation by deciding what to focus on next. This back-and-forth keeps going. It’s like shining a flashlight into different corners of your mind, uncovering thoughts, memories, or ideas, and seeing what your mind comes back with.
Once you’ve shone the light and gotten a reply, your conscious mind decides to tap again. And then your subconscious mind shows you the effect: how are you feeling now? Any new memories come up? Did your view of the situation change in any way? (By the way, that change of view is what we call a ‘cognitive shift’. It’s like getting a more accurate and positive perspective after the emotional intensity has cooled down.)
So, instead of thinking about EFT as just reducing how intense your feelings are, think of it as having a meaningful dialogue with yourself. This approach can help you uncover deeper insights and may even bring up less pressure. After all, we all know how good a nice, open conversation can feel, right?
Remember, even though we’re describing this as a dialogue, if the emotional intensity feels too high or overwhelming, we still recommend that you don’t do this alone. An EFT practitioner can help guide this conversation, lending their perspective to the process.