EFT Tapping for Feeling Stuck or a Sense of Resistance

Resistance is often misunderstood. We tend to label it as stuckness, laziness, self-sabotage, or lack of motivation—but the truth is far more compassionate, and far more human. Resistance is often a deep, wise protest from within. The heavy, tired and unmotivated sensations (or even perfectionistic, proctrastination, or overwhelmed feeling) is often simply your body's way of staying SAFE.

The Hidden Layers of Resistance

When we start to move toward change—whether that’s healing from trauma, setting boundaries, or even pursuing something joyful—resistance can flare up. This might look like procrastination, brain fog, fatigue, or a sudden wave of shame or fear. Why? Because change, even when it’s positive, activates the nervous system and can feel scary- putting invisible breaks on our heels & hearts.

And what comes up? Old fears, inter-generational trauma, internalised beliefs, unconscious conditioning, and/or trauma responses. We might associate success with rejection. Visibility with danger. Receiving with guilt. Our resistance is not random—it’s trying to keep us safe based on a very old rulebook.

The Inner Tug-of-War

Many people feel torn. One part of you wants healing/hope/progress. Another part wants to stay in the safety of what is known and familiar. That inner tension—the push and pull—is what resistance often is. It’s protective. It’s complex. And sometimes, it’s completely unconscious.

What makes this so hard is that the resistance can feel like a total mystery. You can feel the block, but you might have no idea what it’s about. This is a deeply vulnerable place to be—especially if you start to judge yourself for it. (You might hear the inner critic saying: I am not good enough, I am going to fail, I am lazy, I am ashamed of how much I have not done).

So What Can You Do? First: breathe.

And instead of trying to push through the resistance, get curious. Ask:

• What might this part of me be afraid of?

• What am I protecting myself from?

• How does it help me to stay in this current place I know?

• What would I need to feel safer moving forward?
  

By meeting resistance with compassion, you create the conditions for real change. You show your system: “We can do this differently now.”

In Summary Resistance isn’t the enemy of growth—it’s the voice of a part that needs reassurance. The more we listen, the more we heal. Not through force, but through understanding.

You can journal what you learn, you can challenge the unhelpful beliefs, you can talk it out with a friend/therapist, you can take small steps forward to help you build your confidence.

Additionally, somatic therapies such as EMDR and EFT/Tapping can be useful to help establish a sense of safety in your body when you get curious about the resistence/stuckness. Below is a tapping video to help guide you forward in how to deal with this feeling.