style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">face="Times New Roman">©

2007, By Shelley Hawkins-Clark, EFT-ADV, Cadence Healing, "Helping people heal

from the soul, outward."
 

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style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Franklin Gothic Book'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">face="Times New Roman">size=3>Much has been made in recent years of the need for emotional intelligence

to be successful in all areas of life. Emotional intelligence is the ability to

perceive and honor your own and others emotions as well as take responsibility

for your emotions. Statements are often made about what women and men are, or

are not, in regard to emotions. Stereotypes aside, emotions serve a vital place

in a life truly lived. They are our teachers, helping us, for example,

understand and experience compassion for ourselves and others, telling us when

we are in danger or safety, when someone is not being truthful, what/who

enervates us and what increases our joy and energy.
 
At the same

time, we are to be in charge of our emotions so as not to be blown and tossed

with the winds of changing feelings. It is a delicate balance to traverse the

openness that inspires true compassion and vulnerability while making wise

decisions in what we share, who we share it with and what we learn from our

emotions. Children often start out better at this than adults, yet the hurts of

life can add up over the years and they find themselves shutting down, angry or

not sure how to understand or what to do with their feelings and emotions, let

alone honor them. So how can we increase their emotional intelligence and foster

more freedom, rather than less, as they grow older?
 
When I was in

high school, I remember hearing a statistic that kids receive at least 15

put-downs and criticisms per day, just at school. That's a lot of negative

input, even with a "thick skin." What is taking place today, especially when

newscasts, sibling battles and other interactions are added in? Children are

also sponges for the energy around them. They soak up the tension between

parents and others, even when they aren't consciously aware of what is taking

place. The earlier children learn to work effectively with swirling negative

energies and emotions, the more joyful, healthy and successful their lives will

be.
 
Where does all this emotion go? Some of it gets released,

slides off into the ether without another thought. Some of it also gets stuck

and takes up residence in the energy systems and cells of our bodies and the

bodies of children--even when we think we're "over it." This is important

because the "molecules of emotion," as Candace Pert puts it, that lodge in our

systems are not harmless, but the beginning of what ails us.
 
They

may take such form as "minor" hurts, fears and phobias, learning struggles, low

self-esteem, and move on to depression, confusion, rage, obsessive or

compulsiveness, behavioral problems, criminal behavior, physical ailments of

every sort, eating disorders, recurring nightmares, and relationship

difficulties, to name a few.
 
Putting EFT (Emotional Freedom

Technique) and other energy tools into the hands of children, teenagers and

parents (and teachers and anyone else who works with children) is an incredibly

transformative opportunity. EFT works quickly at the subtle levels of the energy

system, where emotions can be released, by tapping on acupuncture endpoints

while focusing on a problem.
 
These tools give children an

opportunity to listen to their emotions and take charge of them in the moment,

to release their own hurts, fears, anger and frustration instead of taking it

out on others, release the "daily stuff," test and performance anxieties, not

fitting in and free themselves from sadness and bitterness that can build up.

The progressive outcomes are innumerable, but include increased confidence,

better relationships, balanced moods, improved sleeping, improved learning

capabilities, healthier immune systems and happier children.
 
EFT

empowers parents with an effective tool to help their children AND themselves to

experience freedom from stuck anger, confusion, doubt and other feelings while

also improving their empathy and relationship with their children. Make growing

up more of a joy for both of you!