How Big Is Your Beach Ball?
Written by Ange Dickson Finn
When I teach or present EFT, I can always count on one question: “Why do we emphasize the negative in the setup statement? Isn’t that just keeping us stuck in what we don’t want?”
It may seem that way, but this part of the tapping routine is really critical to success. Here’s the simple explanation to help you see why.
The Beach Ball Analogy
Imagine a fully inflated beach ball in a pool. Does it take effort to hold a beach ball under water? Yes. What happens if you let it go? It pops straight out of the water. The bigger the ball, the further you’re holding it under, the bigger the splash when it pops up.
When we are trying to deny or repress our negative thoughts, experiences and emotions, it’s like holding a beach ball under water. It takes effort and energy.
Every time we replay a memory or have a habitual negative thought, we’re adding air to that beach ball. We’re stuck—we have to keep using our energy to hold that beach ball down, because if we let go of the beach ball it will pop up into view where everyone can see it. Worst of all, we’ll have to face it. And we definitely don’t want to do that.
That energy can be better spent enjoying our life, but first we have to let that beach ball come to the surface—and let the air out.
Tapping Away Your Own “Beach Ball”
Visuals are often good when we’re working with metaphors, so I created a Beach Ball Tapping worksheet to help you use this concept. Visit my site to request a copy, or grab pen and paper to just follow the instructions below. And if you really want to have fun with this tapping tip, and you actually have a beach ball around, blow it up right now and use it as a prop.
In this exercise, you’ll name the “beach ball” (let’s use an example of the fear of making a presentation beach ball), then you’ll write several words or phrases that are the “air” in the “beach ball”. For example, if fear of public speaking were your beach ball, you might write:
- scared
- sweaty palms
- fear of being laughed at
- that report I gave in 1st grade
and any other words or phrases that come to mind. It might help to recall having this experience or imagine that you’re about to have it. You can give yourself an intensity level from 0-10 and notice where you feel it in your body.
Then, do regular tapping rounds using these phrases. Using the example above, your script might look like this, for a level 7 fear that you feel in your stomach.
Tapping on the Karate Chop point, “Even though I am so afraid to make this presentation, and I feel it in the pit of my stomach, that’s okay, I accept myself anyway. This is just how I feel.” (Repeat three times.)
Eyebrow: I’m so afraid to make this presentation
Side of eye: I feel it in the pit of my stomach
Under eye: This fear in my stomach
Under nose: Just thinking of it makes my palms sweat
Chin: Like that report I gave in 1st grade
Collarbone: Everyone laughed at me
Under arm: I can feel it in my stomach right now!
Top of head: This fear of being laughed at again
Continue with rounds until you start feeling the intensity subside. Yell if you want to! Whine if you need to! Let your inner kid have a big pout as you do this tapping.
After each round, visualize how much air is left in the beach ball, and write it down as a percentage. If you’ve chosen to do this exercise with a real beach ball, let the air out to correspond to how much the intensity is going down.
After a few rounds, stop and check your intensity. Look at the title you gave your beach ball. Look at the list of phrases you wrote down. Note what you feel.
If some of the phrases no longer apply, cross them out—this is a great way to reinforce your progress. If other aspects have come up, jot them down and add them to subsequent rounds.
Keep tapping until the intensity is as low, or your beach ball is as flat, as you can get it. Now you can go do something fun.
