EmotionalBuzz
the resource for meridian energy therapy
When caring is caring too much
by Caroline Rolling
I remember when I first learnt EFT and the strong desire to tap on almost anything that moved, convinced that anyone and everyone should benefit from this amazing technique. It was my mission to save the world! Over the past few years, I’ve seen this same enthusiasm in many other tappers too.
Wanting to share meridian tapping techniques with others, whether as practitioners or with family and friends, demonstrates how caring most tappers are, but is it possible that we sometimes care too much?
It might be good practice to check on a client a couple of days after a difficult session, but if you find yourself constantly thinking of them, phoning or emailing with tapping tips, or lying awake at night thinking of a particular tapping client or friend then natural, empathic care may instead be ‘overcare’.
This can often be the case when working with difficult issues, especially when clients are still living with the negative effects of traumatic life experiences. There have been times when I’ve seen even experienced practitioners struggle with their own feelings around clients with big 'T's. Yet it’s important, both for yourself and your client, to find a balance of caring for their needs while maintaining a healthy distance from the issues they present and how you respond to them.
In a previous article for EmotionalBuzz, ‘Get out of the Way’, Deborah Shakespeare highlighted the importance for EFT practitioners to increase self-awareness by using EFT to reveal and unblock unconscious issues that may interfere with focusing on the needs of the client. If you are in overcare then the responding stress is a negative emotional response, or as Gary Craig would describe, a ‘zzzt’ in the energy system, which may not only have an adverse effect on your own well-being but may also prevent you from fully being fully present with your client. Furthermore, at times, well meant but overcaring actions may even take away the enabling effect for clients that MTT can so elegantly provide.
The need to regularly evaluate the success of a project or business is widely accepted but how often do you take time to consider how you respond emotionally to client sessions? Self-care is as important as client care. Setting aside regular time-slots to identify and tap away negative emotions and self-beliefs that have led to overcare can remove associated stress, improve your own sense of well-being and allows you to help your client too by being more present and focussed within sessions.
My enthusiasm for EFT and Matrix Reimprinting other meridian energy techniques hasn’t left me, though people in the street are now generally safe from an impromptu introduction to tapping! Like everyone, I’m a work in progress but regular self-evaluation and swaps with Matrix Reimprinting/EFT friends enabled me to eliminate my own overcare issues, so I am able to work with and care about clients who have lived with very troublesome memories and emotions without the stress of caring too much.
It’s all too easy at times to focus attention on helping others before ourselves but regular self-care finds the balance so your caring is always caring enough.
Caroline Rolling, EFT trainer, Matrix Reimprinting practitioner
Tel: 07868 240605
Caroline is presenting a workshop with Fiona Smith, Matrix Reimprinting for Trauma – including PTSD and War Trauma, February 19, in Studley. The workshop is open to anyone with a working knowledge of Matrix Reimprinting.
For more information visit the Matrix Reimprinting training site