Is 2020 getting you down?
‘Grace’ was having a really bad day. She was feeling overwhelmed, sad, tired, and hopeless. Life just felt heavy. She was so grateful she had an EFT Tapping session scheduled for that day. During her session, she tapped on her thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and by the end of the session, she felt much lighter, empowered, and hopeful. She felt able to handle life again.
If the ongoing pandemic is causing you to experience feelings of overwhelm, stress, fear, or worry, then EFT Tapping just might be the answer for you. Today we’ll explore the basics of EFT Tapping and how to use this practice to help you live a more stress-free life.
What is EFT Tapping?
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), Tapping, or EFT Tapping is an alternative or complementary therapy practice based on founder Gary Craig’s idea that negative emotions are caused by ‘a disruption in your body’s energy system.’ It can be used to help in dealing with physical pain, emotional pain, stress, worry, phobias, negative beliefs, and more, and is often incorporated into treatment for people with anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD).
EFT was developed by Gary Craig in 1995 as a technique closely resembling acupuncture or acupressure, but without the needles. EFT Tapping involves applying pressure with your fingertips to different meridian endpoints on the body to release energy blockages. The tapping process on these specific points involves focusing on the issue you want to address by setting an intention and verbalizing a self-acceptance ‘setup phrase’ such as, “Even though I have this (fear) about _____, I completely accept myself anyway.” After the setup phrase, one taps around specific tapping points using a reminder phrase at each point.
(Learn more about EFT and find a printable version of the Tapping Points here)
How it works
Nick Ortner, the co-founder of The Tapping Solution and author of the book by the same name, distills what we do in Tapping down to 3 C’s: Calm, Clear, Create.
Calm: EFT Tapping literally calms the nervous system and lowers your cortisol or stress hormone. In two studies, the original conducted in 2012 and the newer one in 2020, showed that one hour of EFT Tapping significantly lowered cortisol levels in test subjects.
Clear: Once the nervous system is calmed with the stimulation of the acupressure points, you’re able to clear disruptive thoughts, uncomfortable body sensations, and negative emotions. This leads to…
Create: The ability to create what you want in your life. You are able to think more clearly and see or feel new possibilities and are often able to make better choices. You simply feel better and can create a calmer, more balanced life.
How EFT Tapping can help you
There is much research going on to prove EFT Tapping as an effective treatment in fact, there have been over 120 research studies that have shown its effects are positive in treating anxiety, depression, and physical pain.
Interested in learning the practice of EFT Tapping? Below are some how-to videos to get started! Disclaimer: EFT Tapping can be done alone to deal with everyday stress and worry; however, it is strongly recommended to work with a well-trained practitioner for deeper healing work.
How-to videos
yourtappingjourney.com/what-is-eft/
youtube.com/watch?v=j1-PPM70_fE
Ready to try EFT Tapping for yourself? Find an EFT Practitioner near you.
