The Lowdown on EFT Tapping
Lately I have been seeing EFT Tapping pop up everywhere. I’d heard of it before, but had never looked into it. As a somewhat sceptical but reasonably open-minded human, I have actually been blown away by the succuss some of my favourite influencers and friends have had with this technique. So, I decided to do some research of my own. Here’s what I found.
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique, and is an alternative form of therapy that uses your body’s meridian points to restore balance to your energy and reduce physical and emotional pain. In Chinese medicine, meridian points are seen to be the parts of the body through which energy flows. It is said that blockages or imbalances in the body’s energy flow result in poor health. By using EFT and tapping on these meridian points, you aim to restore proper flow to the body.
The technique itself is actually extremely simple, and can be learnt in a few minutes. It’s also awesome in that you can perform it on yourself (so it’s perfect for isolation)! In short, you tap on specific points on the body while focussing on a particular issue you want to change. The technique has had phenomenal results, yet is still very much seen as an alternative therapy. In the past there haven’t been many studies on EFT, but that body of literature is growing. If that is something that piques your interest, check out this article I came across.
If you’re ready to give this technique a go, here are some easy steps you can follow:
1. Determine the problem
Step 1 is quite self-explanatory. It’s important to identify the issue you have. This could be anything really - a physical ailment, an addiction, an emotional pain etc. Remember, we tell ourselves so many stories over the years that don’t serve our best interests. Perhaps choose one of these to begin with. This is what you will focus on while tapping.
2. Test the strength of the issue
Once you’ve identified the issue you want to work on, you should set a benchmark intensity level to compare to later. Use a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest level of intensity. Take down the score of how much pain you feel from your stated problem. This is an important way to monitor the progress from EFT.
3. Establish your affirmation
Whilst you perform your tapping sequence, you will repeat a phrase that addresses what you’re trying to improve. The phrase should both acknowledge the problem and accept your whole self despite the presence of the issue. For example, you could tweak the phrase: “Even though I have this [issue, pain or problem], I deeply and completely accept myself.” Another one to try could be “I acknowledge that I am struggling with [issue, pain or problem], however I give permission for this to be set free, and I deeply love and accept myself.”
4. EFT tapping sequence
The EFT tapping sequence is the process of tapping on the ends of 9 different meridian points. Whilst there are actually 12 meridians in our bodies which correspond to an internal organ, EFT focuses of just 9 of these:
Top of the Head, with fingers back-to-back down the middle of the skull.
Eyebrow, with fingers at the beginning (inside) of the eyebrow.
Side of the Eye, with fingers on the bone bordering the outside corner of the eye.
Under the Eye, with fingers on the bone under the eye about an inch below your pupil.
Under the Nose, with fingers on the small area between the bottom of your nose and the top of your lip.
Chin, with fingers on the midway between the point of your chin and the bottom of your lip.
Collar Bone, with fingers on the junction where the sternum (breastbone), collarbone and the first rib meet (i.e. not on the collarbone itself).
Under the Arm, with fingers on the side of the body, at a point even with the nipple or in the middle of the bra strap.
Wrists, with fingers on the inside of both wrists.
Whilst it doesn’t matter in which order you tap, it seems to make the most sense in the order I have written – from the top of your body to the bottom. Tap using your fingertips, firmly but not so hard it hurts. Begin the process by tapping on the top of your head whilst repeating your affirmation phrase 3-5 times. Then, tap each following point seven times, moving down the body in this descending order.
5. Test the final intensity
At the end of your EFT tapping sequence, rate the intensity level of your issue once more on a scale from 1 to 10. Compare this result with your initial intensity level. If you haven’t reached 1, repeat the process again until the intensity of the problem is sitting at this level.
If you give EFT tapping a go, I would love to hear your feedback. There are so many incredibly effective alternate therapies out there which completely fascinate me. I for one am a huge supporter of acupuncture, and have had great success with this, so I love that EFT tapping is guided by the same principles. If EFT tapping is something of interest to you and you would love to dig a little deeper into the process, a more complete guide on EFT tapping can be found by clicking here.
D x