EFT for Inner Child Healing
As you know, inner child healing is very close to my heart. When I first began working with my inner child, my life really started to change. EFT was a powerful healing practice that I used as a way to heal my inner child and learn to speak to myself kinder. Of course, EFT for inner child healing is only one branch of inner child healing, and I do have an entire page dedicated to that if you are interested: Inner Child Healing.
In our journey of personal healing, growth, and spiritual illumination, revisiting and nurturing the inner child can be a transformative practice. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Tapping, with its roots in ancient Chinese medicine and modern psychology, offers a unique path to address the wounds of the past. Here, I explore with you how EFT Tapping can serve as a gentle, yet powerful, healing tool for the inner child. Learn how EFT for inner child healing can benefit your own spiritual practices.
Understanding the Inner Child
The concept of the inner child refers to the part of our psyche that holds our childhood experiences, both joyous and painful. This aspect of ourselves can influence our behaviors, emotions, and relationships in adulthood. When the inner child is wounded through past trauma, neglect, or misunderstanding, it can manifest as emotional blockages, fear, anxiety, or self-sabotaging behaviors in our adult lives. For a more detailed understanding of the Inner Child, click my Inner Child Healing page. I love EFT for inner child healing. Its a practice that really transformed my spiritual journey from darkness to light. This shadow work practice is powerful, and I hope that everyone begins to tap. The world would become a totally differernt place.
The Role of EFT Tapping for Inner Child Healing
Understanding the Inner Child
The concept of the inner child refers to the part of our psyche that holds our childhood experiences, both joyous and painful. This aspect of ourselves can influence our behaviors, emotions, and relationships in adulthood. When the inner child is wounded through past trauma, neglect, or misunderstanding, it can manifest as emotional blockages, fear, anxiety, or self-sabotaging behaviors in our adult lives.
EFT for inner child healing combines cognitive therapy with somatic stimulation, using fingertips to tap on specific meridian points while focusing on emotional issues. This process helps to balance the body’s energy system, allowing for the release of negative emotions and the fostering of a sense of peace and well-being. But how exactly does it aid in healing the inner child?
- Acknowledgment and Validation: EFT for inner child healing begins with the acknowledgment of the pain or issue at hand. This step is crucial in inner child work as it validates the experiences and feelings that may have been ignored or suppressed. By acknowledging these feelings, we start the process of healing.
- Releasing Stored Emotions: Through tapping on meridian points while focusing on specific childhood memories or emotions, EFT helps release the energy blockages caused by these past experiences. Participants often report a significant reduction in the intensity of their emotional distress after just a few rounds of tapping.
- Reframing Negative Beliefs: Childhood experiences can lead to the formation of limiting beliefs about oneself and the world. EFT Tapping addresses these beliefs directly, allowing for the possibility of reframing them into more positive and empowering perspectives.
- Fostering Self-Compassion: The practice of EFT promotes self-compassion, a critical aspect of inner child healing. By tapping and repeating affirmations, individuals can begin to offer themselves the love, understanding, and forgiveness that the inner child may have been denied.
- Empowering the Adult Self: Healing the inner child is not only about looking back; it’s also about empowering the adult self to make healthier choices and respond to life’s challenges with resilience and clarity. EFT Tapping encourages a reconnection with one’s inner strength and wisdom.
Practical Application
Incorporating EFT Tapping into inner child work can be done individually or with the guidance of a qualified practitioner. It involves identifying specific memories or emotions related to the inner child, tapping through the EFT points while focusing on these aspects, and actively choosing to release and transform the pain into healing energy. EFT for inner child healing is like magic one tap at a time.
EFT Tapping Guide
Here’s a concise guide to performing EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Tapping. For a deeper understanding of EFT, please visit my EFT Tapping page.
Step 1: Identify the Issue
Begin by identifying a specific feeling, memory, or belief from your childhood that you feel is causing distress or negativity in your adult life. It could be a feeling of being unloved, beliefs about not being good enough, or a specific traumatic event.
Step 2: Test the Initial Intensity
Before you begin tapping, assess the intensity of your issue on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no intensity and 10 being the highest.
Step 3: The Setup
- Phrase: Construct a setup statement that acknowledges the issue and expresses self-acceptance. An example is: “Even though I have this feeling of [emotion/issue] from when [specific event or general childhood experience], I deeply and completely accept myself.”
- Action: Tap on the Side of the Hand (Karate Chop point) with the fingertips of the other hand while repeating your setup statement three times.
Step 4: The Tapping Sequence
- Top of the Head (TOH): Center of the crown of your head.
- Eyebrow (EB): Beginning of the eyebrow, near the bridge of the nose.
- Side of the Eye (SE): On the bone at the outer edge of the eye.
- Under the Eye (UE): On the bone under the eye, in line with the pupil.
- Under the Nose (UN): Between the nose and the upper lip.
- Chin (CH): Below the lower lip, in the crease of the chin.
- Collarbone (CB): Just below the hard ridge of your collarbone.
- Under the Arm (UA): About four inches below the armpit.
As you tap each point, repeat a reminder phrase related to your specific issue, such as “this feeling of being unloved.”
Step 5: Test the Intensity Again
After completing a few rounds focusing on the negative emotion or memory, you can do a round of tapping with positive affirmations that aim to instill feelings of love, acceptance, and healing towards your inner child. For example, at each tapping point, you might say, “I choose to offer love and healing to my inner child.”
Step 6: Repeat if Necessary
After the tapping rounds, pause to reassess the intensity level of your emotional discomfort. Repeat the process if necessary until the intensity level decreases significantly or goes down to 0.
Step 7: Integration and Closure
Conclude your session with a few deep breaths, and drink water to help integrate the emotional shifts and clear any released toxins.
Additional Tips:
- Be consistent with your tapping and the phrases you use.
- If the intensity of your issue increases or new aspects arise, tap on these new feelings or aspects.
- Practice regularly and be patient with the process.
Tap lightly about 7-10 times on each of the following points while repeating a reminder phrase that keeps your focus on the issue. The reminder phrase can be a short version of your setup statement, such as “this [issue]”.
EFT Tapping offers a compassionate and effective approach to healing the inner child. By addressing the emotional wounds of the past, it paves the way for a more authentic, joyful, and fulfilled adult life. Embracing this practice can lead to profound changes, not just in how we view our past, but in how we approach our future.
EFT for Inner Child Healing
For inner child healing using EFT Tapping, it’s important to tailor the prompts to address specific feelings or memories that need healing. Below is a set of example prompts that can guide you through a tapping session focused on healing the inner child. Remember to start with the setup statement while tapping on the karate chop point, then proceed through the tapping points with the subsequent prompts.
Setup Statement
- “Even though I have this deep-seated feeling of [insert feeling, e.g., unworthiness] from my childhood, I deeply and completely accept myself and choose to heal my inner child.”
Tapping Points Prompts
- Eyebrow: “This feeling of [insert feeling], it’s been with me for so long.”
- Side of Eye: “I acknowledge the pain and fear my inner child feels.”
- Under Eye: “It’s safe for me to feel these emotions and let them go.”
- Under Nose: “I send love and compassion to my inner child.”
- Chin: “I forgive those who caused me pain, and I forgive myself for holding onto it.”
- Collarbone: “I’m choosing to release these old wounds and heal.”
- Under Arm: “My inner child deserves love, safety, and kindness.”
- Top of Head: “I am healing my inner child, embracing peace and wholeness.”
Positive Affirmation Round
- Eyebrow: “I am worthy of love and happiness.”
- Side of Eye: “I embrace the strength and wisdom I’ve gained.”
- Under Eye: “I am proud of who I have become.”
- Under Nose: “My inner child is safe and loved now.”
- Chin: “I am filled with peace and compassion.”
- Collarbone: “I welcome joy, love, and peace into my life.”
- Under Arm: “Every day, I am more and more at peace with my past.”
- Top of Head: “I am whole, healed, and complete.”
As you go through these prompts, focus on the sensations and emotions that arise, allowing yourself to feel and release them. Adjust the phrases to better fit your personal experiences and feelings as needed. This process can be deeply personal and transformative, helping to mend the connection with your inner child.
