Free and Easy Stress Relief Through Tapping
What if I told you that you could:
- Relieve stress
- Decrease anxiety
- Let go of anger
- Release your fears
…just by using two fingers?
Let’s talk about tapping! Officially known as the Emotional Freedom Technique or Thought Field Therapy, this method has been around since the ‘80s, but is still not widely known.
Tapping is based on the ancient philosophy of energy meridians running through our bodies- exactly like acup
uncture or acupressure. There are specific spots on the body that correspond with our emotions. Based on which teaching you follow, you tap on these spots in a specific order to relieve unwanted emotional and mental states such as anxiety, depression, and anger.
It seems to easy to be true, right? Why are so many people (1 in 6, according to this 2016 study) taking depression and anxiety meds if the answer is, literally, in our own hands?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: knowledge is power. This is the passion that fuels my fire, the reason you’re reading this right now. We have SO much potential to be happy, healthy, safe, and loved humans. We’ve got the ability to bring more light into the world. But first, we need to care for ourselves.
You can’t take care of yourself if you don’t understand yourself.
That brings us here! As someone who lives with anxiety myself, I’m all about learning and sharing information on how to naturally treat the condition- in place of or along with medications. Although I advocate for trying drug-free methods, if you need it, you need it. I’ve been on Zoloft for 3 years and am just now trying to wean off of it. There is ZERO shame in taking meds.
Want to learn more about natural anxiety treatments? Take a look at my posts on magnesium for anxiety and staying grounded.
Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with a mental condition, tapping can be so beneficial for anyone. We all get stressed out, overwhelmed, and impatient sometimes. Take a look at how tapping works and how it can help you, right now!
How It Works
History
I have to share the story of how the founder of TFT (TFT came first, and was developed into EFT years later) discovered its potential benefits. Every time I hear it, I’m amazed.
Dr. Roger Callahan was treating a patient with a severe water phobia. Whenever she even thought about water, his patient would feel it in her stomach and become nauseous. The doctor remembered an acupressure point under the eye that corresponds with stomach issues, and asked his patient to tap on the point. As the story goes, her symptoms decreased- to the point that she no longer had a fear of water!
Dr. Callahan went on to develop a list of 9 main tapping points. He also created specific routines for which ones to use and in what order, depending on the symptoms or intended use of the therapy.
EFT was born when Gary Craig (a student of Dr. Callahan) saw a simpler way to target the TFT tapping points. Whereas TFT had different sequences of points called algorithms, Craig’s EFT used the same sequence every time, no matter the presenting issue.
Are you someone who needs some proof of the results? No problem! Check out the STUNNING results of this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23141789:
“RESULTS:
Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare the TFT and the wait-list group. The TFT group had a significantly better outcome on two measures of anxiety and one measure of function. Follow-up data for all patients taken together showed a significant decrease in all symptoms during the one to two weeks between the pretreatment and the post-treatment assessments. The significant improvement seen after treatment was maintained at the three- and 12-month assessments.
CONCLUSIONS:
The results suggest that TFT may have an enduring anxiety-reducing effect.”
That’s amazing all on its own, but check this out: TFT has officially been listed as an evidence-based practice in the SAMHSA registry (NREPP).
Here’s the acronym breakdown:
SAMHSA: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration- part of the US Department of Health and Human Services
NREPP: National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices- a system designed to provide information to the public relating to reliable treatment options for mental health and substance abuse issues.
In a nutshell, a government agency has given TFT the official “this is REAL and effective, not just woo-woo nonsense” stamp. This is a huuuge win for the journey towards this and other “alternative” therapies being more widely used and accepted. Love it!
Basic EFT Tapping Sequence
Ready to try it? All you need is YOU, so here we go!
- Identify the problem or feeling that you want to focus on. This could be an overall feeling of anxiety or sadness, or something more specific like worrying about finances or being irritated and snappy with your kids.
- Evaluate the intensity of that feeling before starting to tap. Give it a rating from 1 to 10.
- Create your “set-up statement”. This should look something like “Even though I am ________(insert emotion or concern here), I deeply and fully accept myself.”
Here are some examples:
Even though I am feeling anxious, I deeply and fully accept myself.
Even though I am feeling angry with my kids, I’m still a great parent.
Even though I’m nervous about this meeting, I have full confidence in myself.
Get the gist? Great!
4. Using 4 fingers on one hand, tap the “karate chop” point on the other hand (see the diagram below for a visual of all the tapping points!) while saying your set-up statement aloud 3 times.
5. Begin to tap on the remaining 8 points, in the following order:
Top of head (TH)
Eyebrow (EB)
Side of eye (SE)
Under eye (UE)
Under nose (UN)
Chin (CP)
Collarbone (CB)
Underarm (UA)
Finish with the top of head point again.
As you tap, repeat a short phrase to yourself to remind you of what you’re working on here, like “ my worry”, “my anger”, “the meeting”.
6. Reevaluate where your feelings fall now on that 1-10 scale. If it’s still present, go for another round of tapping. If you feel like the feeling is gone, you can move on to a round of tapping while repeating positive phrases like:
“Every moment is a fresh start.”
“I have confidence in my abilities.”
“I have so much love for myself.”
“I feel abundant peace in this moment.”
And that’s tapping, guys! Told you it was easy 🙂
Who Can Benefit From Tapping?
Tapping has been used for so many different issues. Stress, anxiety, and depression are big ones, but this therapy has also been effective for people suffering from PTSD, addiction, and physical pain.
In addition to the study referenced above, there have been many more with great results, like this one where participants experienced “significant decreases in anxiety, depression, PTSD, pain, and cravings, and a significant increase in happiness.”
Among the 3,000 testimonials on EFT founder Gary Craig’s site, you can read success stories from people who used tapping as a treatment for:
*Phobias
*Migraines
*Performance anxiety
*Quitting smoking
*Insomnia, and more.
It can be used by children, during pregnancy, it’s drug free and well, just free in general!
Are you ready to give tapping a try? Let me know how it goes!
Love and good vibes to you,
Jacki