Increasing your effectiveness with EFT, part 134.
Today, I’d like to talk about how to apply EFT to imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where people doubt their accomplishments and abilities, fearing they’ll be exposed as a fraud despite evidence of their success. It often involves persistent feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, even when there are clear indicators of achievement.
This phenomenon can be triggered by new roles, transitions, or unfamiliar environments, and it’s commonly seen in people who hold themselves to high standards or have perfectionistic tendencies. For example, someone may feel like an imposter after being promoted at work, despite having the skills and experience necessary for the role. They might attribute their success to luck or external factors, rather than their own competence.
Now, first of all, I’d like to acknowledge the nuanced reality that, as with any emotion, sometimes if we feel like an imposter, it can be useful to ask ourselves, with as much objectivity as possible, Am I being an imposter in some way? Is this feeling trying to tell me that I’m being inauthentic in how I present myself? Sometimes, we have no choice but to be inauthentic—for instance, when someone young is looking for a job and they’re expected to have 10 years of experience. But, if I’m promoting my business and making bold (and false) claims, then I have good reason to feel like an imposter.
It’s like the feeling of guilt—sometimes it lets us know we’ve done something wrong and might need to make amends. Similarly, anger can let us know we’re being disrespected or that something unfair is happening.
However, more often than not, our emotions have more to do with the past than the present. Some of us might know we’re actually good enough—perhaps others tell us that too—but because we’ve experienced criticism in the past, that still affects us. Those negative thoughts of self-doubt are emotionally charged, making them powerful and hard to shake.
It’s like trying to do your job with a bee buzzing around your head—those distracting thoughts impact your performance and well-being.
Somatic modalities like EFT can help diminish and release the emotional charge around those “imposter syndrome” thoughts and memories, so they don’t have such a hold on us anymore.
We can do this by tapping on how we feel when we imagine the next time these thoughts are likely to come up or when we imagine being “found out as a fraud” by someone else.
Eventually, we might also need to tap on memories that led us to believe we’re a fraud. These might include memories of receiving negative feedback from authority figures like parents, teachers, or bosses.
The more we’re able to reduce the emotional charge around those thoughts, memories, and imagined scenarios, the less intrusive these “imposter syndrome” thoughts will become.
In my case, for example, after graduating as a psychologist, I struggled with the belief that “I’m good with theory (I was an excellent student) but not with practice.” I tapped on several memories that acted as evidence of this belief, including somewhat unrelated events, like the time I passed the driving theory exam but not the practical part. And yes, besides all the tapping, I continued learning and gaining actual experience as a psychologist and EFT practitioner, but EFT played a big role in diminishing my sense of imposter syndrome.
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I’m Bruno Sade, a clinical psychologist and Certified Advanced EFT Practitioner. I help people who struggle to manage intense emotions like fear, anger, or sadness find relief from their emotional reactions, so they can feel calmer and more in control. My approach is compassionate and tailored to your unique experiences and needs.
Have you ever experienced imposter syndrome too? I’d love to hear about your experiences. If you’ve never tapped with me and would like to know more about how to implement this approach, please reach out to me directly, and I’ll be happy to gift the first 5 people who do this with a free tapping session.
