You may have heard of the Emotional Freedom Technique, EFT or Tapping, and wondered, “Can this really help me?” Yes, it seems weird, woo woo, and a bit out there. And, I get it.
In this article, you’ll learn about what Tapping is, how it works, and how you can use it to help reduce stress, anxiety and overwhelm. If you’re skeptical about Tapping, I encourage you to stick with me and understand more about it and learn how it has changed my life.
What is Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique)
Tapping was started in the 1980s by Roger Callahan and gained popularity in the 1990s by Gary Craig. It blends the ancient technique of acupressure and modern talk therapy widely used in psychology.
When you Tap, you use your fingers to tap on nine areas of the body. These areas are considered energy meridians. The nine areas are the:
- Side of hand
- Top of the head
- Inside of eyebrows
- Outside of eye
- Under the eye
- Under the nose
- Chin
- Collarbone
- Under the arm
You start Tapping on the side of the hand and repeat your setup statement three times (more about this later).
As you tap each of the other points, you repeat part of the setup statement or talk about what you’re feeling. Continue tapping through the points
How does Tapping Work?
When you’re experiencing stress, anxiety, or overwhelm, the amygdala in your brain gets involved. The amygdala is the part of your brain responsible for the flight/fight/freeze response.
The thing is, your brain can’t tell the difference between real and imagined threats. That’s right! When you imagine something happening that is stressful, your brain thinks it is actually happening.
For example, you just got the invitation for your high school reunion in the mail. You start thinking, “I can’t go to that! Everyone will see how much weight I’ve gained. I’m sure they all still look the same. And that Karen? She was always such a bully. I bet if I show up she’ll still be the same. In fact, she’ll yell out to the whole party about how fat I am.”
As you’re having these thoughts, your brain thinks you are there. Your amygdala is thinking, “RED ALERT! RED ALERT! We’re in danger! Do we need to run? Do we need to fight Karen? Do we need to freeze and hope no one will notice us?”
When you start tapping and talking through what’s going on, you tell your amygdala, “It’s OK. We’re safe. We don’t need to run, fight, or freeze. We’re good. I just need to work this through.”
And, your amygdala calms down. That energy you had for your fight/flight/freeze reaction disappears. And, your mind opens up to work on what is really going on.
This is when the talking part comes into play. You talk about what you’re feeling, and how you accept and love yourself right now despite having these feelings. I know this sounds “woo woo”. Trust me on this. It is an important part of the process, and it works.
As you continue to work through the Tapping points and talking about what is going on, you usually get an epiphany about what is really happening.
Maybe you feel relief because you knew it was time for the invitation to show up. Maybe you realize that it isn’t the fear about your body at all, but it really is about how Karen treated you all through high school.
As you continue, you might find that you really don’t care about Karen. You find that it is about how you’re disappointed you didn’t stand up for yourself when she bullied you when you were a kid. Or, you’re upset that the adults present didn’t protect you. As you continue to work on it, you realize that you’re OK. You can forgive Karen, the adults, and yourself, and leave it in the past.
How cool is that?
What is Tapping Good For?
Working with my clients, I find that Tapping works great for stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.
Stress happens when you try to control something you can’t control. An example would be trying to control:
- Your children
- Your spouse/partner
- Your parents
- Co-workers
- Your pet
When you’re trying to control someone or something it causes friction which you feel.
Anxiety is when you’re thinking about and trying to control some future event that is out of your control. Like the example about the high school reunion — you’re envisioning what’s going to happen, but it’s not true. Many times we base our thoughts about what will happen on what has happened in the past. You’re creating a negative story about this future event and often times it never plays out nearly as bad as we imagined.
Finally, overwhelm happens when there is a depletion of resources. Money, time, and energy are the three biggest things I work on with clients.
You feel overwhelmed because there aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done. Or, there isn’t enough money to meet all the bills. Or, you don’t have the energy to deal with that thing that needs your attention.
Tapping through the feelings of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm gets you out of the fight/flight/freeze response so you can feel safe, relax, and move forward.
You may also be experiencing stress, anxiety, and overwhelm in your relationships with food and your body. Stress can happen because you can’t control how someone will respond to you. Anxiety happens when you think about what will happen at the next family gathering. Overwhelm happens when there are too many choices and you want to eat the “right” thing.
How to Get Started Tapping
Download my FREE Tapping Away Anxiety Guide. This 21-page guide will teach what tapping is and how to use it in 5 simple steps, and even has a Bonus POWER TAPPING section if you are short on time but need to move through some anxiety or overwhelm quickly!
