Off Work With Stress And Anxiety - Modern Energy Tapping Case Story by Helen Ryle

Background

Brenda (not her real name) is in her early 40’s, married with two children 12 and 8. She works in a public services office and her husband is self-employed.

She has been put on sick leave by her GP for stress caused by work-place issues. She had been told to move jobs 3 times in the past 4 years. A previous manager was difficult and bullied her insidiously rather than overtly so she couldn’t complain about him formally. There was a confrontation at work when she was asked to move jobs yet again and it would mean working under the difficult manager again.

Brenda felt anxious and panicky and had a panic attack in a salon having a facial treatment whilst under a facemask. She reported that she considered herself to have been always a bit anxious and a worrier, but this was much worse. Thinking about going back to work made her very panicky and she just couldn’t face it.

Besides feeling anxious and panicky she also complained of low energy, procrastinating, poor sleep and gastric pains. She was also comfort eating and putting on weight and had started to drink wine every evening rather than just at the weekends.

Brenda reported her childhood as being difficult, Father an alcoholic, had unpredictable moods and shouted a lot at the children and at his wife. She’s the middle child of 3 and her sister is anorexic. She was the go-between with her parents and felt she was a people pleaser and found it difficult to say no to people, she also felt insecure in general.

Our sessions

Session 1

We made a list of the positive changes she wants to make – able to go back to work and feel happy, be able to leave work issues at work and switch off from them at home, be more easygoing, carefree and confident, more secure in her work, wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and optimistic.

I explained about the energy system, taught her the energy tapping points and the SUE scale and she rated her general level as -5. We did some general tapping rounds on “release stress”, “relax”, “calm and in control” and her SUE reading was around zero.

She felt tired at this point, so I encouraged her to do a few rounds of tapping on positives to lift and energize herself. She chose “easygoing” and “carefree” and I asked her “if carefree energy had a colour, what colour might it be?” and she said sky blue. So as we tapped for being carefree I encouraged her to have the intention of breathing in sky blue energy as she inhaled on each point. After tapping 3 rounds she was at +3 and reported she felt much better.

It was nearing the end of the session, so we devised some home work for her before next session, tapping at least 3 times a day, beginning with tapping 3 rounds on a positive first thing. She chose “relaxed and focused” or using a nature energy such as sunshine.

During the day if she felt herself becoming anxious (she recognised that her stress would feel like a tightening in her chest and she would lose interest in whatever she was doing) she would tap on “relax” or “calm and in control” or “carefree”, depending on what she felt would most help her at the time.

Last thing before bed she chose to use “release and let go” to release the stresses and worries of the day, followed by “sleep deeply and well”.

Session 2

Brenda appeared visibly brighter and more relaxed. She said that she loved the tapping as it had helped her to realise that she had the ability to relax herself whenever she needed to. She felt now that it would be possible for her to go back to work in due course feeling positive and confident.

She said she had thought a lot about the difficulties at home when she was young and her Father’s drinking. Instead of asking her to recall particular events and dig around in traumas, I asked her how old the aspect of herself was when she found things most difficult, she said around 8 or 9.

I asked Brenda to imagine being with the aspect and giving her a hug, letting her know that she wasn’t alone and asked her what does the aspect need to help her feel better?

She reported that the 9 year-old aspect felt afraid and that just by having the present day aspect being with her was helping. Also that tapping on being happy would help. We tapped rounds on being happy, being safe, knowing all will be well.

Brenda said her siblings were also afraid and she wanted to tap for them too. We did this with positives in the same manner as previously. She hugged them and said that what all the younger aspects wanted was to be a happy family. She chose to bring in both Mum and Dad, they all hugged and she tapped for “happy family”.

She said it was a lovely feeling to feel connected and understood, and that they all felt “happy in the moment”. We tapped on this and the next round was “bright future”, then “I deserve a bright future”. Brenda said she felt her energy was much stronger and she felt relaxed in her body, more calm in her mind and much more optimistic.

I asked Brenda what positive differences did she expect to find now, and she said she could see herself doing more walking, reducing the need to comfort eat and drink, and spending more quality time with her children and husband. I asked her to continue with her homework tapping every day.

Session 3

Brenda said she felt that the tapping was retraining her brain to focus on solutions and positive outcomes rather the negative expectation and outlook and worrying which had dogged her for so long.

When asked what does she need to feel better right now, she replied that she was concerned about her nightly drinking as it was affecting not only how she felt waking up in the mornings but also her relationship. Her husband was concerned about her and he said she came out with silly talk after a few glasses of wine. Brenda felt that part of her thought she should have her glasses of wine every night as she deserved it.

She also mentioned that she felt insecure in her relationship and when her husband was away for business she would worry about him being with another woman, although she had no reason to suspect that. She said she remembered her mother saying to her when she was very young that ”you can’t trust men when they’re away”. She recognised that she must have taken this in and it had become a belief.

Brenda recalled that her nightly drinking started when she was 30, her children were around 2 and 4 and she was at home on her own with them whilst her husband was away on business.

I asked the question – what does that aspect need to help her feel better? She said to feel more relaxed and rational, also more secure, trusting and independent. She imagined being with the 30 year old aspect, hugging her and giving her love and support. We tapped rounds on “relaxed and rational”, “secure”, “trusting”, “independent” and the tapping evolved into “I can stay in the now and not worry about the future”, “it’s obvious he loves me”.

She said the feeling of security felt like a warm red feeling in her heart, and that the younger aspect felt more self worth, more confident, independent and that her husband was lucky to have her.

She also said that even if her husband did have an affair that she was now strong and independent enough to manage on her own if necessary.

Current day aspect reported that the younger aspect now looked happy, cheerful and had taken the time to put on make-up and look her best. Brenda chose to tap on “beauty in myself” and “beautiful”.

When asked whether the younger aspect still needed wine to relax now, she said “absolutely not” and reported the aspect at +7 or +8 on the SUE scale.

I asked is there anything else that the aspect needs or would like to do? She said to bring Mum in and talk to her about what she had said about not trusting men when they’re away and how it had affected her. We brought Mum in and Brenda talked to her about how her negative thoughts had influenced her younger aspects. I asked what does Mum need and the answer was to be positive about life. We tapped on “positive about life”, “put the past behind you”, and “I’m positive”.

Brenda said she felt at +9 and that she was able to live in the now and not worry about the future or what might happen, but be able to enjoy and make the best of the present moment.

I took her through a visualisation of being at home in the evening and she said she no longer felt the need for the glasses of wine, she felt much better in herself and was more interested in spending quality time with her family than zoning out in front of the tv with a glass of wine. She also saw herself looking and feeling better as she would lose weight as a result of not eating and drinking for comfort.

We went a little further into the future, imagining going back to work in a month (the date suggested by her company doctor) and she said she felt good about that, positive and confident. That she was looking forward to going back to work on her own terms and she felt confident that she wouldn’t let the manager bully her, that she was well capable of standing up to him if needs be.

I asked her to continue with daily tapping on positives and will see her for a follow-up about a week before going back to work to reinforce the positive changes she’s made in the areas of comfort eating and drinking, general security and her focus on going back to work. Also to see herself continuing to make any other positive changes she want to make, ensuring a happy and fulfilling future for herself and her family.

Footnote

Brenda has really benefited from the positive focus of energy tapping and is delighted with her progress. She prefers this approach so much more than the traditional focusing on negative events and perceptions.

She’s committed to regular tapping on positives going forward and this will help to strengthen her energy system as well as train her brain into new habits of looking for positives and solutions on an ongoing basis, enabling her to feel stronger, happier and more in control of her life.

For myself, I found that working with a positive focus, asking the question “what is needed to feel better” and working with aspects, to be a much lighter, quicker and more enjoyable experience, rather than trawling through past traumatic events.

The Power of the Positives! 💖

Further Information on Modern Energy Tapping

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