Supporting Children's Emotional Release: Why It's Essential for Their Well-Being

Children constantly navigate a world filled with new experiences, challenges, and emotions. Just like adults, they benefit greatly from having a safe and supportive space to express and release their emotions. Emotional release is crucial for children's overall well-being, promoting healthy emotional development, self-regulation, and resilience. Let's explore why children need emotional release and how it can positively impact their growth and happiness.

The Importance of Emotional Release for Children

Children experience stress and emotions just like adults, but they often haven't learned how to cope with them healthily. Providing space for children to feel their emotions and teaching them how to process them effectively has many benefits, including:

1. Stress and Anxiety Reduction

Children, like adults, experience stress and anxiety but may not always understand or know how to cope with these emotions. Providing tools to manage their emotions empowers children to navigate challenging situations with greater ease.

2. Building Emotional Resilience

Emotional release allows children to process and work through difficult emotions such as anger, sadness, or fear. By acknowledging and releasing these emotions, children learn that experiencing a range of feelings is normal and that they can bounce back from challenging situations. This builds emotional resilience, helping them navigate future obstacles with greater confidence and adaptability.

3. Enhancing Self-Awareness and Empathy

Emotional release encourages children to explore and understand their own emotions, fostering self-awareness and emotional intelligence. When children can identify and express their feelings, they become more attuned to the emotions of others, developing empathy and compassion. This emotional awareness lays the foundation for healthy relationships and effective social interactions.

4. Preventing Emotional Suppression and Behavioral Issues

When children cannot release their emotions healthily, they may resort to suppressing or acting out their feelings. This can lead to behavioral issues, difficulty concentrating, and physical symptoms. Emotional release provides an alternative outlet, helping children avoid emotional suppression and promoting emotional regulation and self-control.

5. Promoting Mental and Physical Health

Emotional well-being is closely linked to mental and physical health. By allowing children to release their emotions, you support their overall well-being. Emotional release can reduce the risk of developing anxiety or depression, improve sleep quality, boost immune function, and enhance cognitive abilities. It sets the stage for a healthier and happier childhood and adult life.

How to Support Emotional Release in Children

There are many ways to support emotional release in children, such as deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, or engaging in physical activities. Simply holding space for your child to 'let it all out' and letting them know you are there (i.e. stop talking and just be present), that they aren't too much, and that they are safe can make a significant difference. 

Emotion Release Technique (ERT) for Children

My favorite tool to support emotional release in children is Emotion Release Technique (ERT). Here are five reasons why ERT is great for kids:

1. Hands-On Involvement

Children love to engage in practical activities. ERT involves simple instructions like tapping the side of their hand, holding a body point, or repeating a sentence, making it a fun and interactive process.

2. Opportunity to Be Heard

ERT allows children to guide the process, ensuring their experiences and feelings are acknowledged. This is crucial for children who might not feel heard or struggle to communicate their emotions.

3. Empowerment in the Healing Process

Using ERT, children feel involved in their well-being. This empowerment can make them feel lighter and happier, with quick results due to their innate vitality.

4. No Need to Verbalise Trauma

ERT can address stress and emotions without the child needing to verbalise their experiences, making it ideal for children who are non-verbal or have experienced trauma. In fact the entire process can be done purely with their imagination and memory.

5. Preventing Long-Term Issues

Addressing stress early with ERT can prevent it from developing into more serious issues such as anxiety, depression, or eating disorders.

Addressing Various Children's Health Concerns with ERT

ERT can be beneficial for a wide range of children's health concerns, including:

• Bed-wetting
• Sleep issues like night terrors
• Fears and phobias
• Digestive complaints
• Mental health issues such as eating disorders, anxiety, and depression
• Autoimmune conditions
• Pain of any kind

ERT is also effective for helping children cope with significant life events such as parents divorcing, moving house, or changing schools.

Client Story

I really need to share two examples of a client who booked her daughters in to see me. They had been in a car accident with their grandfather and were still recovering emotional (and physically with one girl having a broken collar bone). They showed anxiety around being in the car at the spot the accident happened, whenever their mum was taking over another car or even slowing down (the accident happened in traffic). The younger girl would often ask her mum to slow down and be careful and tell her how worried she was. After two sessions with me, there was no more anxiety or concern at any of these normal every day occurrences. Both girls could ride calmly and happily in the car without worry! Not only that but her eldest then asked if she could see me for a school matter as she was not getting on with her teacher and it was affecting her work. Another 2 sessions later and again all issues with the teacher were gone and her daughter once again was going to school happily and completing her work to the best of her ability. The subconscious stuck emotions were affecting these lovely girls day t day lives and I am so honoured that I was able to bring about such ease and comfort in to their lives again. 

Emotional release is vital for children's emotional development and overall well-being. By providing children with a safe and supportive environment to express and release their emotions, you nurture their emotional intelligence, resilience, and self-regulation skills. Along with your parenting skills, working with me to incorporate ERT into your toolkit will allow your child to thrive. Together, we can support your child's journey to emotional wellness and resilience.