The Lowdown on EFT or 'Tapping'
I first came across tapping when I stumbled upon Gala Darling, who was a guest on a podcast I was listening to at the time. Inspired by her story and her energy, I looked her up on Instagram and was shocked to find she looked like the antithesis of the ‘wellness’ industry: forget the all white clothing and the ‘natural’ no make-up purist look. She looked banging hot in her bright pink aesthetic, coupled with tattoo sleeves, pastel wigs, and her vibrant and colourful makeup look. I was all about it.
Every Sunday morning, she streams High Vibe Honey, where she gives a pep talk for the upcoming week so motivational it makes me want to jump out of my seat there and then, followed by an EFT tapping session to clear limiting beliefs around a particular theme. From confidence, to self-love and manifestation, I always leave feeling infinitely inspired, grounded and calm, ready to take action on what I desire.
Who would have thought that something so simple could shift your energy so quickly?
What is EFT or ‘Tapping’?
EFT is short for Emotional Freedom Technique, which is also known as ‘tapping’. It was developed by Gary Craig in the 90s, based upon the concept of Thought Field Therapy which also uses tapping but focuses more on kinesiology.
Tapping involves using your fingertips to tap on the different meridian points of the body, releasing energy blockages and restoring your body back to balance. It can assist in relieving emotional problems, physical tension, anxiety, phobias and even addictions (Gala Darling claims tapping is what allowed her to overcome her eating disorder).
The technique draws upon the principles of Traditional Chinese medicine in combination with neuro-linguistic programming. In acupuncture, needles are placed into various meridian points along the body to relieve stress or pain — tapping is basically the same thing without the needles, which is great for needle-phobes like me.
By tapping on these meridian points, qi (or chi — our vital life force) is circulated and moved around the body, essentially allowing the emotional/physical pain to be moved out of the system. If the human body is composed of a mass of electrical circuits, then tapping can be imagined as repairing short-circuits within your body.
As you are tapping on these specific energy points, you are simultaneously voicing and acknowledging the problem at hand, which is then followed by a statement centred on acceptance and unconditional love. In this way, you are rewriting negative thought forms/patterns by replacing it with positive affirmations and new beliefs, without negating the reality of the problem by means of addressing it directly.
You can practice the technique by yourself, watch YouTube tutorials which have countless tapping sessions for specific issues, or you can see a professional practitioner who will guide you in accordance with the unique circumstance you want to address.
Evidence
As with all alternative therapies, there has been a fair amount of skepticism about the effectiveness of EFT. That being said, studies and clinical trials have found tapping to decrease levels of anxiety, help with managing PTSD, and reduce symptoms of depression (you can find a compiled list of research papers here).
However, many call for more research to be done to compare against the effects of more traditional approaches such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). The methodologies used in these studies has also been critiqued as weak and unable to show much evidence beyond the ‘placebo effect’.
Placebo or not, it’s important to pay attention to how you feel afterwards. As with all alternative therapies that you might find yourself experimenting with, take what works for you and discard what doesn’t (we’re all unique afterall). But you should always consult your GP before turning to any alternative therapy/healing modality — western medicine still has a very real place in society and in maintaining your health.
How to Tap
The actual process of tapping can be done in 5 simple steps as followed:
Identify the issue
Before beginning, identify the particular issue you’re working with, such as a specific emotion or fear around a situation in your life. You are going to be focusing on this issue throughout the tapping session, so tune into how it feels within your body.
Rate the initial intensity
It’s important to rate the intensity of the issue, 0 being completely stress-free to 10 being the most difficult issue you’ve ever experienced, in order to assess the effectiveness of the tapping session. This allows you to self-evaluate whether your experience of the issue has improved, even if that is just from an 8 to a 5, to demonstrate what has shifted (and it’s a helpful tool for deciding whether tapping works for you or not).
Setup your key phrase
This key phrase you will be repeating as you tap along the meridian points of the body. It must both acknowledge the discomfort/situation at hand, and then also state your acceptance of yourself regardless.
An example of a key phrase you might use:
“Even though (insert feeling/problem here), I still deeply and completely, love, accept and forgive myself.”
You could change it up to make it unique to you, but ultimately it should always include a statement on complete self-acceptance and self-love.
The tapping process
EFT focuses on 9 specific meridian points of the body, which you tap on in the following order:
The karate chop point — small intestine meridian
Top of the head — governing vessel
Above the eyebrows — bladder meridian
Temples as side of the eyes — gallbladder meridian
Under the eyes, on ocular bone — stomach meridian
Under the nose, above your lips — governing vessel
Just underneath the collarbone — kidney meridian
Under the arm (where your bra line would be) — spleen meridian
The wrists (tap both together with insides against each other) — lung and pericardium meridian
Before beginning, drink some water and get hydrated! Since you’re breaking up energetic blockages within the body, water helps to circulate it around and flush it out of the system.
When you tap with your fingers, it should be gentle but firm enough with slight pressure. I love (and laugh at) the way Gala describes it — “if you’re 5’4 at a concert and there’s some 6’ foot guy in front of you, imagine you’re just tapping them on the shoulder to move out of your way.”
Begin by tapping on the karate chop point and talk about the issue and really get into how it feels for you, how it’s causing stress or anxiety or physical pain/symptoms. You can tap here as long as you need.
Next you will move through the other points, starting with the top of the head and finishing with the tapping of the wrists together. This is one round — you will probably need to do several rounds to really work through the issue.
As you tap on each meridian point, repeat your key phrase, or conversely you may just want to voice your feelings/frustrations around the issue. But make sure after voicing your frustrations, you replace them with positive affirmations and a mantra that instates love, acceptance and forgiveness of yourself.
Common reactions whilst tapping might be excessive yawning, sighing, tears, burping and laughter. These are good signs energy is shifting and you shouldn’t try to repress them! After you finish, you should drink some more water and if you feel tired, take some rest.
Rate the final intensity
Finish off by rating the final intensity of the issue/emotion at hand from 0-10 and compare it with what you started with to gage the results. If you’re working with something deep, you may need to repeatedly tap on it over several sessions. With smaller issues, the shifts might be more instantaneous and immediate. Go with your intuition for what feels right for you.
Final thoughts
Tapping can be another amazing practice to pack into your personal toolkit for reprogramming challenging beliefs and moving through life’s difficult moments. Once learning the technique, it’s completely free, and you can do it anytime and anywhere you need.
Again, be intuitive about it, be curious, and always consult your GP about serious medical issues and pursuing alternative therapies!
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Chiara Christian is a Gemini writer with a passion for understanding others and the world around her. You can check out her website here and follow her meanderings @ageministory.