The belief is that any discomfort or disorder is a result of an energy blockage which causes an imbalance of the flow of energy in your body. This imbalance can be released through gently tapping specific acupressure points while also making statements connected to the issue. This unique combination removes blockages that cause stress on the nervous system and negative thinking programmed in the subconscious minds (e.g. limiting beliefs).
The technique of tapping on specific points originated in China. However, the combination of tapping and statements was coined in the 1980’s by Dr. Callahan and later by Gary Craig in the 1990’s with an even simpler approach. It’s a wonderful technique, because it can be done with a trained professional or on your own. I’m a big fan of tools that are easily accessible to everyone; you can go deeper with the practitioners and still be empowered to do it on your own. Most of all it is a direct way to release the past that is trapped in your body causing you to feel, act and be as you were when you experienced a trauma. This release can literally be life changing, and like other somatic techniques, this allows you to be in similar situations without having an intense reaction.
The tricky part with EFT tapping, and for that matter anything that is changing your internal homeostasis, is that the subconscious mind and body don’t want you to change. They want you to stay the same and protect you from any danger. The more you avoid changing the stronger the wall of resistance and protection you will experience. The subscious mind is the one calling the shots and that’s why the initial setup statement is so important because it addresses the resistance and helps you shift into what you do want to experience.
EFT tapping doesn’t magically solve your problems, but it does reduce the intensity of how you experience them and clear old negative associations that you have. It allows you to operate from ventral vagal, meaning you are better able to creatively problem solve, be present and stay calm. So instead of reacting from a negative place you release these blockages and your energy flows so you can respond to life with confidence and not in a state of being in a flashback.
EFT tapping is not about avoiding challenging emotions
The main focus of tapping is to release trapped emotions to restore balance in your system. There is wisdom in each emotion that is trapped and they are communicating something to you. Like the technique of focusing, the body has wisdom so it’s important to begin each tapping session with an openness and curiosity to see what lessons and wisdoms are there to be heard. This wisdom will help you move forward and engage with the same problem in a new way, just like you would experience with focusing or other somatic techniques.
Everything is energy
The emotions that you experience from a traumatic or challenging event can get trapped in your body. For example, you get into an argument as a child with someone who is very aggressive and older than you. If there was no one there to literally hold your hand, and support you through it, it’s likely you will think it was your fault and also be filled with fear of danger of being attacked again. This trapped energy from the experience creates an imbalance in your system, causes you not to be in ventral vagal and to develop negative beliefs about yourself, others and the world around you.
The body is constantly communicating to the mind, even if we are not paying attention. These messages let your brain know if you are safe or not, and if you are not, then guess what comes flooding in? Negative thoughts and beliefs.
In order to address this you can look at each problem as a theme, ie. believing that you are not safe because someone will verbally attack you. Think of a table now and that the tabletop is the problem (fear of being attacked) and the legs are all the beliefs and experiences that hold the table up. Your subscious mind holds onto all of these experiences and by tapping through each one you knock down one leg at a time and eventually the table collapses. Now this may seem very daunting after a lifetime of experiences that connected to the same problems of being attacked verbally. However, the good news is that once you knock down enough legs the table will collapse, this is called a “generalization effect.”
EFT Tapping Sequence
There are different ways to execute a tapping round. I like this version of focusing on one problem and one statement because it helps you connect to where this problem lies in your body and mind. If you are present enough you will also get a felt sense of what else is there, or what the other legs are, which allows you to continue to another round of tapping with ease. Most video’s online, including this series, use multiple statements for the problem and then shift to positive statements. This technique is great as well so play around with them to see what works for you at any given time.
- Concentrate on the problem
The first step is to literally feel the problem and choose a simple way to describe it. It is great to do this when you are feeling strong emotions or triggered by something. It helps to identify the problem as precisely as possible. This is why I love blending techniques, because if you can get the “felt sense” of it you will be more precise than just a general statement like I’m angry. This strategy will take your tapping to the next level!
- Evaluation
Now that you know the problem, are connected to it on a mind and body level, plus have come up with a way to describe it, it’s time to rate the intensity on a scale of 1 to 10. This helps gauge intensity and what next steps are needed after a full round. The idea is to get to a 0 in order to completely eliminate the problem. It also gives feedback if you need to be more specific or more work is needed to address the other legs that are holding up the table still.
- Setup phrase
This is a continuation of step 1 and as mentioned earlier a very important part of the process. The set up phrase uses both the problem and a statement of acceptance together in order to deal with the resistance of the subconscious mind and body. Here you state that you accept yourself completely in spite of these negative feelings that are coming up, in spite of any flaws, problems, or lack. “I completely accept myself, even though I … (state the problem.”) Repeat three times. This brings a halt to these beliefs for a moment. Remember to be specific. Instead of saying, “I completely accept myself even though I’m feeling anger,” say “I completely accept myself even though I’m feeling anger because my boss yelled at me.” This phrase will be said while tapping on the sore spot. See diagram below for exact points.
Reminder phrase
This phrase is a shorter version of the setup phrase focusing on a challenging belief or emotion. Using the example above you could say, anger at my boss, or anger because my boss yelled at me. Don’t be polite here, let it out and be real with how you feel.
This phrase needs to be done immediately after the setup phrase so that there isn’t time for the subconscious mind to butt in and oppose the change. This is part of redirecting the energy into the right direction, releasing the block and restoring balance in the system.
4. Tapping Sequence
First: Tapping Points
- Tap the sore spot while repeating the setup phrase three times.
- Follow this by immediately tapping the other points while saying the reminder phrase aloud and connecting with the problem.
- Eye brow
- Side of the eye
- Below the eye
- Below the nose
- Below your lips
- Collar bone
- Under the breast
- Optional: top of the head
- Thumb below the nail
- First finger below the nail
- Middle finger below the nail
- Pinky finger below the nail
- Karate chop
Second: Gamut point
This process helps balance two hemispheres of the brain and allows the system to dissolve blockages even more. You can find the point where the tendons meet between your pinky and ring finger. Use the flat part of your finger to tap on this point. While tapping do the following:
- Close your eyes
- Open them and look down to the left then the right
- Circle your eyes in one direction then the other
- Hum a song you like for three seconds
- Count to 5 fast outloud
- Hum again for three seconds
Third: Tapping Points Again
- Repeat the same process of tapping the karate chop or sore spot while repeating the setup phrase three times.
- Follow this by immediately tapping the other points while saying the reminder phrase aloud and connecting with the problem.
5. Reevaluation
Now take some time to reconnect with yourself and see how you feel when you think of this problem. Rate again on a scale of 1 to 10 the intensity of the problem. Now you can see if you need to tap more with the same statement or if you noticed another aspect of the problem that came up and you want to tap through that. Ideally when eliminating a problem’s intensity you will need to do it several times.
When it doesn’t work
If you are still feeling the same or the intensity has increase or not changed much then it could be any of the following reasons:
- Your attention was scattered so you missed the target of the problem. This is why it’s important to breath, connect with your body while thinking of the problem. Remember this will take time and practice.
- You did not describe the problem accurately enough. Writing down your thoughts and feelings first can help with this along with learning how to connect with a felt sense.
- Another aspect of the problem came up that needs to be cleared. Again, having a place to write this down is helpful so that you can do a round of what else comes up when you are focusing on a particular aspect of a problem.
- Subscious mind saw that you were letting go of something and came in to defend and protect! I find getting more general can help if you are feeling resistance.
I always try something out myself before recommending it. I’ve found that using EFT tapping to calm my nervous system when feeling an intense emotion or to remove a deep belief is very helpful! Like most things in life it takes practice in order to see lasting changes. Even if I do it once a day for one round I stay connected to practicing and making time for it. AND this also helps with resistance to change so that eventually I’ll want to do it instead of seeing it as a chore. Tap away!
