EFT tapping, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, is useful for just about anything challenging in life. But could you use if for grief? If a loved one dies?
When death just happened, there are things to take into consideration. Think about the following Do’s and Don’ts when you think about using tapping therapy for grief.
Don’ts
1. Unless they ask you specifically, don’t force EFT on anyone right after a death
2. Even though we are normally advised to be specific with EFT, it’s better to tap using general phrases when grief is fresh. Instead of tapping on the raw truth, tap using general phrases, like “what just happened,” or “this sadness.”
3. Unlike typical EFT, you don’t expect the person to finish up feeling totally happy. There are stages of grieving that people transition through. It can take months or years to fully process a death.
4. Unless you’ve been asked to do formal EFT by the grieving person, I don’t suggest you try it.
Grief EFT Do’s
1. Surrogate tapping is great for grieving people. What you do is simple tap on yourself as if you are grieving.
2. If you have permission, or if you know it would be good, gently move into doing EFT with the person who’s grieving. No words are necessary when the emotion is strongly felt.
3. Even tapping without words is useful for resolving the shock or horror of the situation. With permission, you can tap on the grieving person’s fingertips while they express what they are thinking and feeling.
4. Tell them that anything they’re thinking or feeling is OK. Feelings of anger or resentment are common and normal. People feel a whole range of emotions after death.
5. Be willing to wait weeks, months or even years before the grieving person is open to your tapping help.
6. Let the person who’s grieving lead with their thoughts and emotions. Venting is the most appropriate thing to do at this stage. It’s not necessary to impose any type of choosing to be happy. That would likely bring up lots of resistance.
I hope you find these EFT techniques for grief and grieving useful to you.
