Tapping for the Gifted Child: Using the Emotional Freedom Techniques to Address the Unique Challenges of Giftedness

Your family is not supposed to be in pain because your children are gifted, but for far too many families, pain is the secret reality of gifted life. Gifted children are often bored and frustrated in school, where they may feel lonely and different from their classmates. They may be unusually sensitive to everything around them, or they may suffer from imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or crippling anxiety.

Parents suffer, too, when nothing they do helps. The parenting books don't talk about children like yours, parent-teacher conferences don't make school more tolerable, and everyone seems to think your family is high maintenance when you're only trying to protect your child from one more unintentional hurt caused by a world that doesn't understand their needs.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

The Emotional Freedom Techniques, also called EFT or tapping, are simple tools parents can use with their children to help them release painful feelings, become calmer and more confident, and find greater self-acceptance. This book teaches parents how to perform EFT, then shows them how to apply it to a variety of common experiences faced by gifted children. Each chapter discusses a common gifted experience, including how it appears to parents when their child is confronting this issue, offers a variety of strategies that may help alleviate the problem, and includes a detailed tapping script that parents can use to begin helping their children right away.

"Wendy Chamberlin opens a doorway that leads parents to an alternative path for guiding their sensitive, intense, and perfectionistic gifted children. Busy families are often in search of strategies that are portable, no-cost, and that deliver results. With careful thought and gentle persuasion, Wendy presents a practical and effective tool for returning the Self to calm and peace. The modifications described are specifically crafted to address the unique challenges found in gifted families and move well beyond traditional EFT scripts. While the book centers on assisting parents of gifted, it also belongs in the hands of any teacher, administrator, or mental health professional who interacts with gifted families looking for a new approach towards well-being. Take a chance and walk through that open door!" - Michele Kane, Ed.D., Professor of Special Education, Northeastern Illinois University

Wendy Chamberlin presents an alternative approach for parents guiding their sensitive, intense, and perfectionistic gifted children on a journey towards inner balance and peace. Her interventions move beyond traditional EFT and are specifically crafted for gifted families. Teachers, administrators, and mental health professionals would also benefit from implementing these strategies. – Michele Kane, Ed.D., Professor of Special Education, Northeastern Illinois University

A combination of ancient acupressure and positive self-talk, this easy to understand introduction to tapping is lovingly illustrated by the author’s candid telling of her personal experience with giftedness. -Lisa Hancock, Ph.D., M.B.A.