Increasing your effectiveness with EFT, part 202.
Whenever we experience a loss, failure, or disappointment, it can be difficult to keep that experience from affecting how we feel in the present and how we approach the future. This might involve the end of a relationship, a job or business that didn’t work out, or anything meaningful that was taken away or slipped through our hands.
Experiences like these often carry a strong emotional charge. If that charge remains unprocessed, it can quietly shape the way we move forward. It may become harder to take risks again, to trust new opportunities, or even to imagine things going well.
One way to picture this is through the metaphor of driving a car.
Imagine you are driving down a highway, but something keeps pulling your attention to the rearview mirror. You keep looking back again and again. In that situation, navigating the road ahead becomes difficult. It is harder to notice obstacles, to respond to changes in traffic, or to decide where you want to go next. You might even miss the exit you were planning to take.
Looking in the rearview mirror occasionally is part of driving safely. The problem arises when most of your attention is pulled there. When that happens, the road ahead becomes blurry and uncertain.
Emotional experiences from the past can have a similar effect. When the emotional charge attached to a loss or disappointment remains strong, the mind tends to keep returning to it. Thoughts about what happened, what should have been different, or what was lost can keep drawing our attention backward.
This is where EFT can be helpful.
Through tapping, we give space for the different thoughts and feelings connected to that experience to be expressed. Anger, sadness, regret, confusion, or even self criticism can all have their turn at the microphone. As we tap and allow those reactions to be acknowledged, the emotional charge attached to the memory often begins to soften.
Over time, this makes it easier to look ahead again. The past experience is still there, and it can still be reflected on when useful, just as we occasionally glance at the rearview mirror while driving. The difference is that it no longer dominates our attention.
With less emotional charge pulling us backward, more energy becomes available for navigating the road in front of us. Decisions become clearer, possibilities feel more accessible, and it becomes easier to move forward with a sense of direction.
That being said, it’s not always easy to do this by ourselves. If you’d like some support exploring what’s coming up for you, you can learn more about my approach at brunosade.com.
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I’m Bruno Sade, a clinical psychologist and Accredited Certified Advanced EFT Practitioner. I work online with people around the world, helping them reduce the emotional charge behind difficult thoughts, memories, and triggers.
If you’re curious about experiencing EFT in a guided session, I occasionally offer a free introductory session in exchange for a brief market research interview. You can learn more here.
