With Endings, Comes New Beginnings

With Endings, Comes New Beginnings

By Lisa Van Groningen

This story starts just over 20 years ago with a 24 year old girl from the California Central Valley finding her prince charming after a childhood of searching for love in everyone besides herself. For the greater part of two decades I found myself doing all the “right” things, in just the way I was “supposed” to or at least what I saw in the books, sermons, friend circles, retreats and well.... you get the idea.

Strong capable husband...checkBeautiful happy children...checkComfortable home...checkChurch, Friends, Adventure, etc.

I mean seriously. In my playbook of life, SUCCESS!! I loved all of it so much!

Interestingly though, my body and gut were screaming at me. Food was not my friend, but anxiety sure was, that girl wouldn’t leave me alone. My mind alone was running the show and running the “show” well. When

my bff anxiety would try to take over, I would blame my childhood, and since I was the only broken one in this perfect show. It would be time to fix yet another part of me.

So why did life always feel like something was not right no matter what I fixed in me? At times low-key not right and other times, majorly not right! Like on my knees snot sobbing, heart wrenching, gut agonizing, excruciating pain, confusion and chaos not right.

After many years of this emotional nonsense, during one summer, my body started giving out, my hips locked up making it hard to do anything mobile and even harder to think. Doctors ran so many tests and the odd thing was, the cause of this pain and dysfunction was undetectable. My diagnosis? Stress. This did not make sense. I had a perfect life.

After much reaching for answers and grasping at straws, I was presented a reality

I couldn’t comprehend at first. With my “I can do anything” attitude strapped neatly to my back. I read one last book. This book was as if someone wrote it about my life and marriage. My first thought was how did they know so much about my home life, and quickly turned to, how many people have and are going through this, for them to write a book about it?! I reached out and received professional advice from multiple professionals. They all said the same thing, if I had tried all of the ideas in the book and things showed no improvement, it was time to go. Honestly, I thought my number was hijacked and homewreckers had called me the first time I heard this.

This, my friends, is where the magic happens in my story. Not magic wand magic, but close!

I remembered a tool. A tool I had been effectively using on simple things in my life. Could this tool actually help me with this?

Well…..it did and it still is. I use it all the time. During this life changing event I used it intensively with trauma skilled practitioners and in established groups, I went to trainings and studied hard. Tapping changed my life. Now don’t worry, I know there are other factors, but tapping, a tool that synchronizes our body, mind and spirit, is my absolute favorite.

My perfect world crumbled and my heart broke into pieces. Somehow, when it did, it broke open and exposed so many things that had been stored up inside me. Things that weren’t meant to be stored. It didn’t feel like healing at first. I was so excited to be healing, that I had hoped this part of healing would be like when

you jump in the pool, land with your feet on the bottom, bend your knees and gracefully push off and come up for air.

It wasn’t.

Instead it is a journey of unlearning and awareness, a building of a solid foundation, and an opportunity to experience divine intelligence unfolding. I am able to see truth as it comes, whether I like it or not. I recognize what is good, better and best for my life with ease, even if sometimes I still resist going for the best because I am still human.

I am now in a space of always seeking, finding and allowing truth, love and light in every aspect of my life.

Having some very special, trustworthy and safe people hold space for me during all of this has been one of the most profound experiences in my healing and renewing journey. They didn’t do the work or healing for me. They held the space so I could trust myself, and reveal who I was created to be, who I was all along. This has been my favorite beginning so far and it is with great joy, I now hold space for those ready to heal and have their very own new beginning.

Lisa Van GroningenEFT PractitionerA mother, friend, and mental health advocate.

29 Breathe Magazine

What is EFT and Tapping?

EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique is an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress. It's also reffered to as Tapping or psychological acupressure. People who use this technique believe tapping the body can create a balance in your energy system and treat pain. According to its developer, Gary Craig, a disruption in energy is the cause of all negative emotions and pain.

How Does EFT Tapping Work?

Similar to acupunture, tapping focuses on the meridian points or energy hot spots to restore balance to your body's energy. It's believed that restoring this energy balance can relive symptoms a negative experience or emotion may have caussed. (Healthline)

EFT Tapping can be divided into five steps. If you have more than one issue or fear, you can repeat this sequence to address it and reduce or eliminate the intensity of your negative feeling.

Tapping In 5 Steps

1. Identify the Issue2. Test the Initial Intensity3. The Set Up4. EFT Tapping Sequence5. Test the Final Intensity

There are Certified EFT Practitioiner who can assist you with these 5 steps. You can contact:Lisa Van Groningen for addditional information.ms.lisavg@gmail.com559-307-9929 (cell)