#76 The Power of Facing What Hurts: Emotional Freedom Through EFT

In the manifesting world, there’s a common belief that you must always stay positive and always be happy; otherwise, you might attract negativity into your life. But this idea couldn’t be further from the truth, especially if you’re on a journey of emotional healing.

Healing isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about facing the pain, acknowledging it, and allowing yourself to work through it.

Imagine trying to clean your home without first recognizing the mess. You have to see the dirt before you can clean it up. The same goes for emotional healing, you have to acknowledge what’s there before you can release it.

Or think about a wound: If you cover it up without first cleaning it, you risk infection. True healing happens when you cleanse the wound, remove what no longer serves you, and then allow the healing process to begin.

That’s why today, I’m addressing the focus on negativity in The Emotional Freedom Technique - EFT or more casually known as Tapping!

Facing the Negative is the Key to Rewiring Your Brain

When you focus on a negative emotion, your brain lights up specific neural pathways related to that experience. If you try to ignore or suppress those emotions, they don’t just disappear; they linger in your subconscious, influencing your thoughts and actions in ways you may not even realize, and disrupt your nervous system.

But here’s where the power of tapping comes in.

By tapping on the negative emotions while pairing them with the calming signals of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), you retrain your nervous system. Over time, this practice helps your body and mind respond to triggers in a more neutral, peaceful way.

So, the next time you encounter a situation that might typically cause stress, anger, or grief, or any dysregulation, your nervous system is already prepared to handle it with calmness rather than intensity.

Stop Avoiding the Negative. See It as a Path to Healing.

Instead of fearing negative emotions, start viewing them as stepping stones to healing. The discomfort you feel is not a sign of failure, it’s a sign of transformation.

Healing means honoring what upsets you, what you grieve, and what has been weighing on your heart. It means giving yourself permission to feel, process, and release so you can move forward with a sense of peace.

To support you on this journey, I’ve created a PDF tapping guide that outlines the points I work with and the energies they release and promote. You can access it here.

You don’t have to fear the negative. You have to embrace it, work with it, and use it as a tool for your growth. That’s where true healing begins. 💛

This perspective, embracing the negative instead of fearing it, is essential. Many people approach EFT (or other healing modalities) with the mindset that they should only focus on positive affirmations. But true transformation happens when you acknowledge, process, and neutralize negative emotions first.

Here’s what this looks like when practicing EFT:

1. You Have to Tap on the Negative Before You Can Release It

EFT works by tapping on specific meridian points while verbally acknowledging your emotions. If you skip over the negative and jump straight to positivity, you're not allowing yourself to process what’s actually bothering you.

For example, if you’re feeling anxious, rather than forcing yourself to repeat, “I am calm and confident” (which might feel untrue in the moment), you start by stating the real emotion:
👉 “Even though I feel anxious right now, I have compassion for the way I feel.”

By doing this, you bring the negative emotion into conscious awareness and signal to your nervous system that it’s safe to process it.

2. Tapping on the Negative Calms Your Nervous System

When you focus on a negative emotion, it activates certain neural pathways. In EFT, pairing that emotional focus with tapping sends a calming signal to your nervous system, essentially rewiring your brain’s response to stress. Over time, this reduces the emotional charge tied to those triggers, making them less intense in the future.

This is why avoiding the negative doesn't work. You have to face it in order to change how your body and mind react to it.

3. The Goal is Neutrality, Not Forced Positivity. Not to Force. Not to Fix.

Many people think healing means they should never feel negative emotions again. That’s not realistic. The goal of EFT isn’t to eliminate all negativity, it’s to neutralize its intensity so that when difficult emotions arise, you can handle them with more ease and balance.

After tapping on the negative, you can introduce positive statements from a grounded place, like:
✨ “I am open to feeling more at peace.”
✨ “I choose to release this stress.”
✨ “I wonder if I can move forward feeling safe.”

Final Thought: Negative Emotions Are Not the Enemy

Instead of resisting negative emotions, see them as an invitation for healing. EFT helps you acknowledge, process, and rewire your responses so that negativity no longer controls you.

That’s the real power of EFT. It doesn’t ignore the negative; it transforms it. 💛

I’d love to hear how you have faced any negative bits in your life! Drop a comment or DM me on Instagram @jenncaputo 

Remember, it’s not about being perfect; it’s about being easy with the practice.