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Are you struggling with the emotional impact of having a chronic illness?
Living with a chronic illness can be an incredibly challenging experience. In addition to the physical symptoms and limitations, individuals with chronic illness often struggle with the emotional impact of their condition. It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed, anxious, sad, or angry when dealing with a chronic illness diagnosis.
The emotional impact of chronic illness can be particularly difficult to manage because it can feel like a constant battle. Unlike physical symptoms, which may come and go, the emotional toll of chronic illness can persist even during periods of relative stability.
That’s where EFT Tapping comes in. This technique, also known as Emotional Freedom Technique, is a powerful tool for managing the emotional impact of chronic illness. Keep reading to learn how to use EFT Tapping to help you cope with chronic illness.
Disclaimer: While I talk about how EFT Tapping can benefit those with chronic illness, I’m not a licensed medical physician, psychotherapist, or psychologist, and I’m not offering medical advice.
For my full disclaimer policy, go here.
(Psst…here at The Thriving Spoonie, I use the term chronic illness to refer to not only chronic and rare diseases, but also chronic conditions that are not considered “diseases”, chronic pain, and any other life-changing medical condition. If you can at all relate to this post – it’s for you! And if you have ideas on how I can make my writing more inclusive of this community, leave a comment and let me know!)
What is EFT Tapping?
EFT Tapping is a form of energy psychology that involves tapping on specific points on the body while focusing on a particular emotion or issue. The idea is that by tapping on these points, you can balance the body’s energy system and reduce the intensity of negative emotions.
EFT Tapping was developed by Gary Craig in the 1990s and is based on the principles of acupuncture and cognitive-behavioral therapy. It’s a simple technique that can be learned quickly and easily, and it’s been shown to be effective for a variety of issues, including anxiety, depression, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
How Can EFT Tapping Help With Chronic Illness?
First and foremost, EFT Tapping can help individuals process and release difficult emotions related to their condition. Chronic illness can evoke a range of emotions, from fear and anger to sadness and frustration. These emotions can be overwhelming, and they can interfere with daily life. By tapping on specific points while focusing on these emotions, individuals can release the emotional charge associated with them and find relief.
EFT Tapping can also be helpful for managing stress, which is a common issue for individuals with chronic illness. Stress can exacerbate physical symptoms and make it more difficult to manage emotional responses. By tapping on specific points, individuals can activate the body’s relaxation response and reduce the physiological symptoms of stress.
In addition to reducing emotional distress and stress, EFT Tapping can also be helpful for managing physical symptoms related to chronic illness. While EFT Tapping is not a substitute for medical treatment, it can be a useful complementary therapy. For example, individuals with chronic pain may find that EFT Tapping helps them manage their pain more effectively. By reducing emotional distress and stress, EFT Tapping can help individuals feel more in control of their physical symptoms.rder.
How to Use EFT Tapping for Chronic Illness
If you’re interested in using EFT Tapping to manage the emotional impact of your chronic illness, there are a few key steps to follow:
- Identify the Emotion or Issue: Before you start tapping, it’s important to identify the specific emotion or issue you want to address. For example, you might tap on the emotion of fear related to your chronic illness, or on the stress you feel related to managing your symptoms.
- Rate the Intensity: Once you’ve identified the emotion or issue, rate its intensity on a scale of 0 to 10. This will help you track your progress as you tap.
- Follow the Tapping Sequence: EFT Tapping involves tapping on specific points on the body while focusing on the identified emotion or issue. The tapping sequence typically involves tapping on specific points in a certain order. You can learn more about getting started with EFT by downloading this free guide!
- Repeat and Check-In: After tapping on each point, repeat a phrase or statement related to the identified emotion or issue. After completing one round of tapping, rate the intensity again and check-in with how you feel.
- Continue Tapping: Continue tapping and repeating the identified emotion or issue until the intensity rating drops to a 0 or 1.
- Practice Regularly: To get the most benefit from EFT Tapping, it’s important to practice regularly. You can tap as often as you like, but many people find it helpful to tap for a few minutes each day or as needed when feeling intense emotions related to their chronic illness.
It’s important to note that EFT Tapping is not a substitute for medical treatment or professional therapy. It can be used as a complementary tool to support emotional well-being and stress management in addition to other medical interventions. As always, consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or therapy.
What Situations Can EFT Help With?
At this point, you’re probably wondering if you can use EFT Tapping as a sort of “grab & go” self-care technique to help you deal with stressful chronic illness-related situations in the moment.
And the good news is, you absolutely can!
Here are some scenarios where doing some EFT could be of great benefit to you:
- Any time you’re looking to balance your nervous system and emotions
- As you are able when dealing with a flare-up
- Before or after doctor’s appointments to help process stress & anxiety
- When you wake up to help reset your mind and feel more present and alert as you tackle your day, which can in itself be a stressful thing when living with chronic illness
- Practice EFT before bed to encourage a peaceful mind, even if you aren’t able to get much sleep
As you can see, EFT can help ease the discomfort and stress in every area of your life!
Now, let’s wrap all this info up.
Here are the biggest takeaways from this post that I hope help you manage your chronic illness with a little more ease:
- EFT Tapping helps stop the fight or flight response, which can be overly active in people with chronic illness due to the intense amount of pain and discomfort they deal with
- It can also help with pain since it increases endorphins, much like acupressure & acupuncture
- As emotions fluctuate in response to everything chronic illness brings to your life, EFT Tapping can help ease the struggle in both your body and mind, and help you regain a sense of balance, groundedness, and control.
How Can I Get Started With EFT Tapping?
If you’re struggling with the emotional impact of chronic illness, EFT Tapping could be a powerful tool to help you manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. To help you get started, I created a free guide to EFT Tapping for Chronic Illness. In this guide, you’ll learn the basics of EFT Tapping, how it works, and how to use it to manage the emotional impact of your chronic illness. You’ll also get access to a step-by-step tapping sequence that you can use anytime, anywhere. So if you’re ready to take control of your emotional health and improve your well-being, fill out the form below to get your free guide!
May your flares be few and your spoons be plenty,
