EFT Tapping To Calm Intrusive Thoughts

This gentle EFT tapping session is designed to support you if you experience intrusive or unwanted thoughts that feel distressing or out of character. Through guided tapping, you’ll be supported to calm your nervous system, reduce shame, and create a little more space between you and the thought itself.

The session includes compassionate psychoeducation to help you understand why these thoughts happen and how to respond in a more supportive way. You’ll be guided step by step to feel more grounded, safe, and steady in the presence of difficult thoughts.

No prior experience with tapping is needed.

Transcript

Intrusive or unwanted thoughts can feel frightening or confusing,

Especially when they seem completely out of character for you.

You might find yourself wondering why your mind would think something like that,

Or worrying that it means something about who you are as a person.

Intrusive thoughts are a really common experience,

Especially when the nervous system is feeling quite stressed or overwhelmed,

So this gentle tapping session today offers a really supportive space to acknowledge what's been showing up without any judgement,

And to begin creating a little more distance between you and the thought.

Move at your own pace and pause any time if needed.

Okay,

So let's begin with a nice deep grounding breath in through the nose,

And out through the mouth.

Tapping on the side of the hand,

Repeating after me either in your mind or out loud,

And please feel free to adjust the wording so it feels true for you.

As a reminder by tapping along with me,

You agree to take full responsibility for your own health and well-being.

Tapping on the side of the hand,

Even though I keep having these intrusive thoughts that feel upsetting and out of my control,

And I have this fear that they might mean something bad about me,

I'm learning to respond to myself gently,

Even though I have these unwanted thoughts popping into my mind,

And they make me feel anxious,

Ashamed or unsafe.

I acknowledge how hard this has been,

Even though I have these thoughts and images that don't feel like me at all,

And I don't know why they keep coming back.

I choose to deeply and completely love,

Honour and accept myself.

Okay,

So for these first few rounds of tapping,

We'll gently acknowledge any of the difficult thoughts or patterns that might be here,

So that we can begin to soften,

Release and move forward.

So tapping gently on the eyebrow points,

These thoughts keep showing up out of nowhere.

Side of the eye,

I don't want to be thinking this.

Under the eye,

Sometimes it feels scary or overwhelming.

Under the nose,

What if this thought means something about me?

Chin point,

What if I lose control of my thoughts?

Collarbone points,

What if I act on my thoughts?

Under the arm,

Sometimes I feel ashamed for even having these thoughts.

Top of the head,

I don't understand why my brain does this.

Back to the eyebrow points,

It's like I feel these thoughts in my body.

So just take a moment now to notice where you might be feeling this physically.

Keep tapping on the eyebrow points,

Just breathing softly.

Maybe when you have these thoughts,

You feel a tightness in your chest,

A kind of drop in the pit of your stomach.

You might experience tension in your shoulders or jaw,

A racing heart or even a freezing or numb feeling anywhere in the body.

So just notice and observe your physical experience.

We aren't trying to change or fix anything here.

We're just noticing.

Well done.

So now moving to the side of the eye points.

When these thoughts arise,

I feel frustrated.

Under the eye,

Sometimes I feel quite distressed by them.

Under the nose,

I just want the thoughts to stop.

Chin points,

But I keep replaying the thoughts over and over in my mind.

Collarbone points,

Trying to check what the thoughts mean.

Under the arm,

Trying to make sure I'm still a good person.

Top of the head.

I try not to think these thoughts,

But that just makes it worse.

So we're going to move now into what's called a flip flop round where we gently tap on both sides of what we might be believing.

And this can help us create a little bit more flexibility in our thinking and begin to loosen some of those well worn mental patterns.

So tapping on the eyebrow points.

These thoughts mean something is wrong with me.

Side of the eye.

These thoughts don't mean anything about me.

Under the eye,

This thought says something about who I am.

Under the nose,

This thought says nothing about who I really am.

Chin points,

My mind is working against me.

Collarbone points,

My mind might be trying to work for me.

Under the arm,

I can't fully trust my mind right now.

Top of the head,

My mind might be trying to keep me safe.

Well done.

Okay,

So for this next round,

You don't need to repeat anything out loud here.

Just continue tapping along as I gently talk you through each point.

You can have your eyes open or closed,

Whatever feels best for you is just perfect.

So tapping on the eyebrow points,

Listening to my words,

Breathing softly.

Sometimes our brain creates thoughts or images as a way of trying to predict or prepare for danger,

Even when there isn't any real threat right now.

It's one of the ways that our mind is really trying to protect us.

Side of the eye.

And many people experience these sudden thoughts about harming themselves or someone else losing control,

Shouting something inappropriate or doing something completely out of character.

And these thoughts can feel really shocking or upsetting,

Especially because they often go against what we care about the most.

Under the eye.

So if you notice a strong emotional reaction,

That distress is often a sign that the thought doesn't reflect your true intentions or values.

Your thoughts do not reflect who you really are.

You're a good person,

Even when difficult thoughts show up.

Under the nose.

But because we really don't want to experience these thoughts,

When we try and try really hard to kind of push it away or analyze it or make it stop,

It sometimes makes it come back even more strongly.

And it's like the harder we try,

The more the thoughts intrude,

Which can feel really upsetting and frustrating.

Moving to the chin point.

So for now,

You might like to gently allow any thoughts to come and go in the background without needing to engage with them or figure them out.

Keep tapping and breathing.

Moving to the collarbone point.

And when these thoughts come up,

There are some things that you could say to yourself.

You might like to say things like,

Oh,

There's that thought again.

I'm noticing that thought.

I don't need to engage with this thought right now.

I can let this pass.

This is my mind trying to protect me.

And finally,

I can stay with the tapping or I can stay with the breathing.

So stay with the tapping for a moment and just let the thoughts come and go just as they are.

No judgments,

No pressure.

Under the arm.

You don't need to do this perfectly.

Thoughts might come up,

They might not.

The important thing is that you are here,

Being present and trying your best.

There is no judgments.

Whatever you are thinking or not thinking or feeling or not feeling is allowed to be here.

It's allowed to be here.

This is being human.

Top of the head.

And when these thoughts or mental images show up,

Like imagining saying the wrong thing in a quiet room,

Making a mistake at work,

Or something going wrong on the way home from work or school or whatever,

You might like to gently remind yourself that your brain is trying to protect you by modelling possible danger.

Your brain is running these scenarios,

Not to harm you or hurt you or frustrate you.

But it's running the scenarios in an attempt to keep you safe.

Okay,

Well done.

So let's carry on with the tapping now.

So tapping on the eyebrow points,

Repeating what I say.

I give myself permission to stop fighting every thought.

Side of the eye.

It's safe for me to let thoughts come and go.

Under the eye.

I'm willing to soften my responses.

Under the nose.

I wonder if,

With practice,

My mind could settle.

Chin point.

It's safe for me to feel calmer.

Collarbone.

I'm willing to release this fear,

Guilt or shame.

So take a breath here to release a little nice big inhale through the nose.

And on that exhale,

You might like to just sigh out with the breath if that feels okay to you.

Sighing is actually really good for our nervous systems.

Let's repeat that phrase as well.

I'm willing to release this fear,

Guilt or shame.

Well done.

Under the arm.

I give myself permission to not always engage with my thoughts.

Maybe I can choose.

Maybe you can choose.

Top of the head.

I allow myself to feel a little calmer in my mind and body.

So sit on the top of the head.

You might think of this tapping as a really gentle act of self-care where everything is allowed to be here.

You know,

You're simply showing up for yourself just the way that you are.

And as we keep tapping,

The nervous system can begin to settle and soften.

And like any practice,

Repetition can really help here.

Each and every time you tap,

You're giving your nervous system another opportunity to learn a calmer response.

And over time,

This can really help you to create new,

More supportive patterns in the brain through neuroplasticity.

So keep tapping.

Okay,

We're going to do one final round now.

We're going to finish with some nice gentle affirmations.

So tapping on the eyebrow point.

I am not my thoughts.

Say this with heart.

Say this with your mind,

Your body,

Your heart,

Your soul.

I am not my thoughts.

Side of the eye.

I can stay calm and grounded when thoughts arise.

Under the eyes.

I remember my true values and what's important to me.

Under the nose.

I'm learning to support myself in ways that feel kind and helpful.

Chin point.

I choose to respond to my thoughts with curiosity and compassion.

Collarbone point.

My thoughts do not define me.

Under the arm.

Every day I'm learning new ways to respond.

Top of the head.

I'm learning to love and accept myself just the way I am.

Okay,

Well done.

So stop tapping there.

You might like to place your hand just on your heart centre.

Take a nice gentle breath in through the nose.

And slowly out through the mouth.

And just notice if anything feels slightly different in your body.

Maybe there's a small shift or there's a little more space between you and your thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts often feel louder when the nervous system is stressed or overwhelmed.

And when the body begins to settle,

The mind often follows.

So thank you for taking this time to support yourself today.

Take care of yourself.