A common limiting belief that many people carry is “I’m broken” or “I’m not enough.” This belief often arises from experiences of pain, rejection, or unmet needs, and it can quietly shape how we see ourselves — as flawed or unworthy of love. In Balance Psychotherapy, we don’t challenge this belief with force; instead, we bring gentle awareness to it and listen to what it’s trying to express. Through sensing and compassion, we begin to uncover the truth beneath it: “I’m not broken — I’m simply in need of care.” This realisation shifts the inner stance from shame to tenderness, allowing the body and mind to rest in a new balance where healing becomes possible.

🍃 www.balance-psychotherapy.org🍃 Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal - Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole also available on Amazon.

The Opposite Affect technique in Balance Psychotherapy invites clients to bring awareness to a difficult emotion or bodily sensation — such as fear, shame, or anger — and then to gently introduce its opposite quality as a way of restoring inner balance. Instead of trying to eliminate distress, we create space for a new, regulating experience to emerge alongside it. For example, fear may be balanced by courage, harshness by kindness, or chaos by calm. This process activates the body’s natural capacity for regulation and integration, helping the client move from overwhelm toward wholeness. The opposite affect is not forced; it is sensed — a felt quality that opens the door to healing, spaciousness, and self-compassion.

🍃 www.balance-psychotherapy.org🍃 Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal - Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole also available on Amazon.

Limiting beliefs are deeply held thoughts or assumptions we have about ourselves, others, or the world that restrict our potential and well-being. They often form early in life as a way to make sense of experiences — for example, “I’m not good enough,” “I don’t deserve love,” or “It’s not safe to express myself.” Over time, these beliefs can quietly shape how we think, feel, and behave, keeping us stuck in old emotional patterns even when our circumstances change.

EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a gentle mind-body practice that helps release the emotional charge behind these limiting beliefs. By tapping on specific acupressure points on the face and body while focusing on the belief or emotion, we calm the nervous system and create space for new, balanced perspectives. The process combines awareness, acceptance, and physical regulation, allowing both the mind and body to let go of unhelpful patterns and return to a state of clarity and self-compassion.

🍃 www.balance-psychotherapy.org🍃 Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal - Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole also available on Amazon.

Joy Is My Path. EFT for Finding Solutions. Continuation of the path to find joy with Balance Psychotherapy

🍃 www.balance-psychotherapy.org🍃 Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal - Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole also available on Amazon.

Ending the day with Balance. Everyday practice.

Music: #Uppbeat, https://uppbeat.io/t/brock-hewitt-stories-in-sound/firm-foundation

License code: 2MMS0POYGFPTY86Y

Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal - Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole also available on Amazon.

Everyday practice.

Music: #Uppbeat,

https://uppbeat.io/t/northwestern/hometown

License code: AD4A3PJ1FO3KC8EM

Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal - Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole also available on Amazon.

Balancing Critical Voices and Feelings of Guilt with Breath

Music: #Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/justin-lee/wanderlust

License code: PDBVHMA8L3I1EYCU

Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal - Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole also available on Amazon.

Feeling stuck in a cycle of unhelpful thoughts?
This guided meditation can help you break free.

Imagine yourself in a quiet, peaceful space — ready to explore the inner workings of your mind.
Begin by simply noticing the thoughts moving through your awareness.
Is there one thought that keeps returning, feeling heavy or overwhelming?

This meditation uses a technique called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as tapping.
You’ll gently tap on specific points on your face and body while acknowledging the thought that arises.

Here’s the key: as you tap, you’ll shift your focus from believing the thought to allowing it — without judgment.
Let your thoughts flow. Instead of dwelling on negativity, you’ll learn to move through it with calm acceptance.

This practice helps you recognise that your thoughts are just thoughts — they don’t define who you are.
You have the power to move through them and return to a balanced, centred state of mind.

The meditation will guide you through gentle tapping points — on the eyebrow, around the eye, under the nose, and more — while repeating affirmations such as:

“I’m open to the possibility of accepting and loving myself.”

Let these words settle within you as you breathe deeply and tap gently.

Repeat this exercise as often as you can.
Each round helps to quiet your mind, release tension, and restore inner balance.

With gratitude and appreciation to the 16th Annual World Tapping Summit (2024) for kindly sharing their resources,
and to Dr. Claire Hayes for her guidance on using tapping to work with unhelpful thought patterns.

Music: #Uppbeat – “Firm Foundation” by Brock Hewitt / Stories in Sound
License code: 9VBLGX1NORV31AQF

Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal - Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole also available on Amazon.

Tapping Your Way to Freedom from Negative Thoughts

Feeling stuck in a cycle of unhelpful thoughts?
This guided meditation will help you break free and find calm.

Imagine yourself in a quiet, comfortable space — ready to explore the inner workings of your mind.
Begin by simply noticing the thoughts moving through your awareness.
Is there one thought that keeps returning, perhaps feeling heavy or overwhelming?

This meditation uses the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) — also known as tapping.
You’ll gently tap on specific points on your face and upper body while acknowledging that thought, allowing your body and mind to process it safely.

Here’s the key:
As you tap, you’ll shift your focus from believing the thought to allowing it — without judgment.
Instead of getting caught in negativity, you’ll let the thoughts flow through, opening space for calm and clarity.

This process helps you recognise that thoughts are just thoughts.
They do not define you.
You have the power to move through them and return to a balanced, centred state of mind.

The meditation will guide you through gentle tapping points — around the eyebrow, eye, nose, chin, collarbone, and more — while repeating supportive affirmations such as:

“I’m open to the possibility of accepting and loving myself.”

Allow these words to settle into your body as you breathe deeply and tap gently.

Repeat this exercise as often as you can.
Each round helps you release tension, quiet the mind, and reconnect with your inner balance.

With gratitude and appreciation to the 16th Annual World Tapping Summit (2024) for sharing their resources,
and to Dr. Claire Hayes for her guidance on using tapping to work with unhelpful thought patterns.

Music: #Uppbeat – “Firm Foundation” by Brock Hewitt / Stories in Sound

💫Find me @ www.balance-psychotherapy.org

💫 These sessions use EFT-related tapping and opposite-affect work. If you would like to use EMDR-related techniques (such as the Butterfly Hug), please use the clinic’s journal: Emotional Regulation Therapy Journal – Balance & Clarity Series by Kasia Makuch-Cole, available on Amazon.

Inside You Is an Inner Sanctuary: A Safe Haven Within Find Your Inner Sanctuary

A Guided Meditation on Pain and Compassionate Light

Close your eyes and take a slow, deep breath.
Let the outside world fade away for a moment.
Turn your attention gently to what is here, right now.

Can you hear the quiet hum of life around you — a bird chirping, the faint whir of a fan, the subtle rhythm of your own breath?
Notice the taste lingering on your tongue, the coolness of the air on your skin, the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe deeply and fully.

Now, begin to journey inward.
Let your awareness travel down through your body — to your feet resting on the ground, your legs, your torso, your arms.
Notice any sensations of tightness, pressure, or discomfort. There’s no need to resist or push them away.
Simply acknowledge what is present with gentle curiosity.
Where is this discomfort located?
If it had a colour, what would it be?

Perhaps an image comes to mind — a shape, a texture, or a symbol.
Imagine this pain as a locked door within you.
But behind that door, there is not darkness — there is a soft, radiant light: a source of warmth, care, and compassion.

Breathe deeply.
With each inhale, feel that light expanding and glowing brighter.
It surrounds the pain — not judging, not forcing — simply offering comfort and understanding.

Now imagine yourself as a sanctuary, a safe haven within your own being.
This compassionate light is always here — the warmth of a loved one’s embrace, the cool freshness of a summer breeze, the quiet safety of home.

Stay with this feeling for as long as you need.
Let any pain or tension soften, held gently in the glow of your own compassion.

Remember — this inner sanctuary is always within you, a place of peace and renewal.
You can return to it at any time, simply by closing your eyes and taking a deep breath.

Repeat this meditation as often as you can this week.

Music: #Uppbeat, https://uppbeat.io/t/brock-hewitt-stories-in-sound/body

License code: TKY4DVSOXOCYYEF3