Feeling anxious, stressed, unmotivated, worrying about weight or your relationships? Tapping might be able to help. It might sound strange, but it has helped many people change their mindset and dispel a lot of negative thoughts.
Although there is still some research needed into tapping, a 2013 study found it effective in treating PTSD in war veterans when compared to those receiving standard care. There is also many success stories from people who have treated anxiety using tapping, with a significant decrease shown compared to people receiving standard treatment for anxiety.
How does EFT/Tapping work?
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), usually referred to as tapping, is a relaxation technique. It’s based on the principles of acupuncture, but where acupuncture uses needles to apply pressure to energy points, tapping uses your fingers to apply pressure. The theory behind tapping is that all negative emotions are caused by a disruption in the body’s energy system and that tapping can restore balance to this system. Meridian points are thought of as areas of the body energy flows through. These pathways help balance energy flow to maintain your health. It’s believed that tapping sends signals the part of your brain that controls stress and help reduce stress and negative emotion.
EFT Tapping in 5 Easy Steps
1. Identify The Issue You Want To Address
Whether it’s a particular fear or point or stress, you first need to identify what it is so that it can become a focal point. Only focus on one at a time, and if you have more than one to deal with then repeat the sequence for each one.
2. Establish a Benchmark
Assess how intense the problem is on a scale from 0 to 10 to help establish the emotional discomfort you feel from the issue. It will help you monitor your performance over the course of the tapping and see if its working.
3. Establish A Phrase
Choose a phrase related to your focal point. The first part typically includes speaking truth about how you feel, followed by a choice about how you would like to feel. For example: “Even though I (truth about how you feel), I (choice about how you want to feel).”
So if you are feeling anxious about an upcoming presentation, you might say: ‘even though I am anxious and have a knot in my stomach about this upcoming presentation, I know I have practiced and will deliver it well”
Statements like “even though” allow you to tune into your mind and emotions, and gives the anxiety a focus and direction towards release. It’s important to also be specific about where you are feeling the stress or anxiety in your body (i.e pit of your stomach, tension in your shoulders) You will use both the full setup phrase, and a reminder phrase which will just be the truth about how you feel (e.g I am anxious and worried about this presentation)
4. EFT Sequence
The tapping sequence involves methodic the ends of nine meridian points in your body. Make good physical contact with the tapping points, but it should never hurt. Begin by reciting your setup phrase three times whilst tapping your karate chop point on your hand. Then tap each of the following points seven times, moving down the body.
- eyebrow
- side of the eye
- under the eye
- under the nose
- chin
- beginning of the collarbone
- under the arm
After tapping the underarm point, finish the sequence at the top of the head. Recite your reminder phrase whilst tapping at each point. Repeat two or three times.
5. Test the Benchmark
Test the intensity of the anxiety on a scale of 0 – 10 and compare your result with your initial intensity level. If you haven’t reached 0, try repeating the process until you do.
It might sound a bit odd, but with so many people reporting how it has helped them, it’s worth a try. It’s a simple treatment that can be done anywhere at any time. Success rates are high, and the results are immediate. Give it a go, and let us know how you get on!
Need some more help? Try this video to show you how to do it:
