Tapping to Wellness with EFT

WHAT IS IT?

Photo by Gabriela Fechet on Unsplash.

Emotional Freedom Technique, often known as EFT Tapping or psychological acupressure, is a treatment for physical pain and emotional distress. It’s based in Chinese medicine and the idea of meridian points on our body. Meridian points are where energy flows and when there is an imbalance, we react negatively. These negative effects may impact our mental health – that’s when EFT Tapping can help. People who use this technique believe tapping the body can create a balance in your energy system and treat different types of pain.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

EFT is very similar to acupuncture in the way that it focuses on the meridian points (energy hot spots on your body) to restore balance in energy. It’s believed that balancing out this energy can relieve symptoms that a negative experience or emotion may have caused. However instead of needles as used in acupuncture, EFT uses finger tapping to apply pressure on the body. The tapping itself helps access your body’s energy and sends signals to the part of the brain that controls stress. Not only does the physical tapping promote healing, but it can also work in a similar way to mindfulness. The process can draw a person’s attention to their body and breathing. It may serve as a mental distraction from the issues that are causing anxiety or stress.

HOW DO I KNOW I NEED IT?

Emotional Freedom Technique can be useful if you struggle with:

• PTSD

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Physical pain

• Insomnia

As with every other therapy, individuals should find what works best for them, and being open minded about different forms of treatment is a great step in the right direction of the recovery process.

the process

EFT can be utilized in a five-step process. If there are multiple issues present, the sequence may be repeated until the negativity is reduced.

1. Identifying the issue. It is suggested to focus on one particular issue in order to enhance your outcome.

2. Test the initial intensity. Rate your issue on a scale of 1-10 based on the emotional/physical pain and discomfort you feel.

3. Setting up a phrase. A good phrase acknowledges the issue and that you accept yourself despite the problem. The wording can be changed, but a common template is, “Even though I have this [fear or problem], I deeply and completely accept myself.”

4. Tapping sequence. There are 12 major meridians that mirror each side of our bodies and correspond to an internal organ. In EFT, you mainly focus on these 9 points:

   a. Karate chop (KC): small intestine meridian

   b. Top of head (TH): governing vessel

   c. Eyebrow (EB): bladder meridian

   d. Side of the eye (SE): gallbladder meridian

   e. Under the eye (UE): stomach meridian

   f. Under the nose (UN): governing vessel

   g. Chin (Ch): central vessel

   h. Beginning of collarbone (CB): kidney meridian

   i. Under the arm (UA): spleen meridian

   Begin by tapping the KC point while reciting your set up phrase 3 times. Then tap each following point seven times, moving down the body in this ascending order:

   a. Eyebrow

   b. Side of the eye

   c. Under the eye

   d. Under the nose

   e. Chin

   f. Beginning of the collarbone

   g. Under the arm

Finish the sequence at the top of the head point. At each of the points, you will recite a reminder phrase. For example, if your set up phrase is “Even though I’m sad that my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself.” Your reminder phrase would be, “The sadness I feel that my mother is sick.”

5) Testing the final intensity. Rate your issue on a scale of 0-10 and compare the results with your initial intensity level. If you haven’t reached 0, repeat the sequence until you do.

some reminders

• Research to date is limited and some of the studies are very small. More research is necessary before researchers can draw definitive and causational conclusions on the effectiveness of EFT.

• Some points have twin points on each side of the body. You only need to tap one of them. You can also switch sides to make the process more convenient.

• Tapping is done with 2 or more fingers so that you can cover a larger area and be more accurate with the location.

• You can tap with either hand, but most people use their dominant hand.

• It can be done on yourself, but professional supervision maximizes the benefits.