A creative case using EFT for Writer's Block

By Deborah Miller, PhD

Gary

Blogs are all the rage these days so it doesn’t surprise me that people would have blocks to creating them. I facilitated an EFT session to help a woman get past her writer’s block, which wasn’t allowing her to write the articles she needed to complete the blog. Here’s what transpired.

Namaste

Deborah Miller, Ph.D.

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I got a call from a woman with what I’ll call blogger’s block, which is just another version of writer’s block. Suzanne was attempting to write articles to acquire a job with an Internet company that has a blog about travel. She is a tourist guide but has always had an interest in writing. This was a great opportunity for her to write, use her knowledge as a tour guide and acquire some steady income.

Suzanne was feeling incredibly stressed. She had a deadline to complete her sample blog, which in this case is comparable to the job interview. How she put the blog together as well as the quality of her writing would determine if she got the job. Not only did she need to write her articles, but also had to get the whole blog up and running with all the links, etc.

She had figured out all that was necessary to create the blog, but was stuck when it came to writing material to put on it. She had many ideas but couldn’t focus on any of them, but kept moving from item to item. She was feeling overwhelmed. There was so much to do and she didn’t know where to focus her attention. The pressure was on, but she couldn’t seem to do the writing. To top it off, she only had a few more days to complete the blog.

Even though she had started two articles, her internal critic was working overtime, editing her as she went along, and criticizing everything. Her 0-10 intensity level was an 8-9. We started with the internal critic, the fear of failure and success, of wanting the job and afraid to want it because she might not get it, thus, the self-sabotage.

We started with the sore spot:

Even though I’m stuck, I just can’t write, I have writer’s block, I have writer’s fear, I still love and accept myself.

Even though my internal critic is editing me before I even write, I love myself.

Even though I’m afraid to create this site because I might succeed, or worse I might fail and I really want this. 

Eyebrow - I’m still afraid, because I’ve failed so many times before.

Side of eye - I’m terrified that I’ll get this job and then not live up to it.

Under eye - I don’t want fail, I’ve done that before.

Under nose - So I’d rather procrastinate, feel stuck, feel blocked, and not know what to do first because then I have a reason for failing.

Chin - So I do little bits of writing, collecting but never finishing, I’m afraid to finish it.

Collarbone - I think I’m ready to get rid of this habit. It’s old and now it’s getting bothersome, so I think I’ll let it go.

Under the arm - I’m tired of feeling like a failure especially since I’m not; I’ve succeeded in many things.

Gamut - Even though I feel like I haven’t always succeeded in the way I’d like, I’ve always tried and done my best and that is all I expect of myself, because I’m in process, I’m growing, I’m learning, nothing is a failure, it is a learning experience and it can be fun to step out of my box.

Eyebrow - I choose to step out and play bigger. It’s safe to play bigger.

Side of eye - I like to play bigger. It’s fun to write article and I love when it comes together easily.

Under eye - I think this is the ideal job for me. I would get to write about things I like and still stay home most of the time.

Under nose - I’d like to be successful in all areas of my life. This is just one.

Chin - I’m ready to release my blocks. I know that I can focus. Anything I focus on comes to fruition.

Collarbone - It comes together with ease because I ask for guidance. I don’t have to do it alone. So it flows because I’m open to that guidance.

Under arm - I like having this flow. It is fun to write well. It is fun to edit. It is fun to succeed. It is fun to earn money.

Top of head – I love and accept myself.

Suzanne commented that she feels like this is the ideal job for her because it is about things she’s interested in. She would become known. She could see herself as successful. Then came the tail enders.

For example: Her partner was resisting her doing this. He thought she was going to do all of this work and wondered what then if she didn’t get the job. He thought they may keep the work. Plus there was the part where he was kind of worried about her spending more time working and not paying attention to him. Most likely this included the thought that she might get better than him. He is also a tour guide (and a good one if I may add). She got into guiding because of him so she still didn’t really feel like it was “hers.” The blog would be completely “hers.”

We continued with the sore spot:

No one else is responsible for succeeding or not.

Even though I have this worry that I’m moving in a new direction and I don’t know where it's going to take me.

Even though I’m afraid to be strong and powerful and in my own power, which makes me successful.

Eyebrow - Ben’s resistance.

Side of eye - My own resistance.

Under eye - My own fears of failing and succeeding.

Under nose - My fears of stepping into new territory.

Chin - This is something of my very own so it is very important. It will show others my value and worth and how much I know.

Collarbone - I’m afraid it won’t be enough, but that’s not true, that’s just my fraidy cat, my ego. And I don’t have to listen to my ego. I can be centered and let it all flow with grace and ease.

Under the arm - The rest of my fears. I release them. I am ready to step out in my own power.

Eyebrow - I like succeeding. It is a new feeling but I like it and I want it continue.

Side of eye - I enjoy what I do. I feel good when I create my blog, when I write, when I take photos, am organized, meet a deadline.

Under eye - I choose to focus and let things come easily, they don’t have to hard. I choose to have fun doing this.

Under nose - I choose to learn from this.

Chin - I choose to be happy whether I get the job or not.

Collarbone - The preparing and doing has taught me a lot. So I will be able to do even more.

Under arm - But it would be fun to get this job. So I let things flow so that I can get the job.

Top of head - I am a success at writing, completing deadlines and having fun during the process.

Suzanne started to laugh and told me that she felt hungry. She hadn’t been hungry of late because of the stress. She recognized that she had to write a blog, a sort of profession blog, while being aware of what’s going on in the tourist world, being able tell people about it and what she is doing. We continued tapping. 

Eyebrow - I don’t want to do this blog.

Side of eye - I don’t know how to do a professional blog. What does that mean?

Under eye - So I resist even getting started.

Under nose - But in the meantime I can write my articles and get everything else together while my subconscious is determining how to create this blog. So in the end it will all come together.

Chin - I ask for inspiration and it comes.

Collarbone - So blogging will be fun, not like dragging myself through the mud. I let this sit while I get other things done and my subconscious will send me great ideas.

Under arm - Or I’ll brainstorm with my friends.

Top of head - So I recognize that there are many ways to do this and I’ll find the one that works for.

Suzanne commented that the main page is the blog. It is all about first impressions. It is about getting started. The first one has to be really good. She was competing with people she didn’t know. We continued to tap.

Eyebrow – The blog is the main page and it creates the first impression.

Side of eye - It is all about first impression. The first one has to be really good.

Under eye – I’m competing with people I don’t know. I can’t control that. I can only do the best job I can.

Under nose - Who are they? They’ve published books. Who am I to do this? How can I compete with that? They must be better than me. They just must.

Chin - Because I feel small that makes them feel big.

Collarbone - And I’m forgetting they’re looking at my bio and website and saying, damn she’s a guide so she really knows this stuff.

Under arm - So we’ll all in the same position. All we can do is be content and do our best.

Eyebrow - And it’s OK. I’m OK.

Side of eye - So I can let go of these inferiority feeling.

Under eye - I’m fine just as I am, no matter what happens.

Under nose - But I’m going to make a very good site and have fun doing so, then the results flow.

At this point I just stopped. It felt complete. Suzanne felt calm. She thought she could do some writing and wanted to get to it.

Results: She got the job. She created a great blog.

Post-hiring: She had to wait to have the blog be put on-line. During that period came some other doubts. Will they still accept it? Will they change their mind? What if I can’t do it? What if I’m a fraud? What if I can’t do it well enough? We did a little tapping and those anxieties went away. Now she is writing, maintaining the blog and even going to new places to take photos and do interviews to have more material.

I’m so happy for her. Not only did she get over her fears of doing something new, creating the blog, but also writer’s block. In addition, she got over her fears of not being good enough, what others would think, and how she compared to others. This is big!

Deborah Miller, PhD