This Ultimate Guide to EFT – Emotional Freedom Tapping explores emotional freedom techniques (EFT), an alternative therapy for addressing emotional distress and physical ailments. You’ll learn how this technique, often called tapping, blends ancient Chinese acupressure with modern psychology to harmonize your body’s energy systems. We’ll uncover the mechanisms, the scientific evidence, and the many ways EFT can empower you on your path to well-being. This guide will serve as your roadmap to exploring and embracing this powerful tool.
Table of Contents:
- Understanding EFT – Emotional Freedom Tapping
- What Issues Can Emotional Freedom Techniques Help With?
- Does EFT Tapping Really Work?
- FAQs about Ultimate Guide to EFT – Emotional Freedom Tapping
- Conclusion
- Conclusion
Understanding EFT – Emotional Freedom Tapping
EFT tapping is built on this principle: while talk therapy addresses issues cognitively, unresolved emotions can get trapped within our body’s energy system. This can contribute to psychological and physical distress.
Traditional Chinese medicine recognizes this energy system as meridians. Meridians act as pathways for our vital life force, known as Qi. Disruptions or blockages in this system can manifest in many ways. Some examples are anxiety, fear, chronic pain, and even limiting beliefs. EFT aims to clear those blockages. The goal is to allow energy to flow freely and promote holistic well-being.
How does EFT work?
EFT stimulates specific meridian points with gentle tapping using your fingertips. These points are typically on the head, face, and upper body. This process is done while consciously focusing on the issue at hand. The issue can be a traumatic memory, persistent anxiety, physical pain, or a limiting belief.
As you tap through the points, you verbalize affirmations. These affirmations acknowledge and accept your feelings. EFT tapping decreases cortisol levels in the body. This blend of physical and cognitive engagement sends signals to the brain’s stress center – the amygdala.
The amygdala is essentially the fear center. It is responsible for initiating the body’s stress response. This stress response can lead to psychological and physical issues, such as therapy treatment challenges and chronic pain. People feel better when they can reduce their stress levels.
What are the Meridian Points in EFT?
Meridian points are energy channels, much like our veins and arteries that circulate blood. Traditional Chinese Medicine states that these specific energy points stimulate different organs and energy systems in your body. During an acupuncture treatment, the acupuncturist feels different pressure points on your wrists, head, ankles or back.
The practitioner would be seeking points of higher intensity or a pulse that suggests energy blockage. With EFT, we use our fingers to gently but firmly tap on the point while focusing on the problem and the feelings it evokes.
| Meridian Point | Location | EFT Correlation |
|---|---|---|
| Eyebrow (EB) | Where the eyebrow begins closest to the bridge of the nose | Often said to help stimulate bladder meridian which deals with fear, anxiety, insecurity. |
| Side of the eye (SE) | On the bone directly along the outside of either eye | Gallbladder meridian – resentment, indecision, judgmental tendencies. |
| Under the eye (UE) | On the bone directly under either eye | Stomach meridian – Overthinking, obsessive behavior, poor self-esteem |
| Under the Nose (UN) | The area directly beneath the nose above the upper lip. | Governing Vessel – Loneliness, lack of direction, withdrawal |
| Chin Point (CP) | The area below the bottom lip and above the chin right in the crease. | Central Vessel – Shame, humiliation, self-criticism |
| Collarbone Point (CB) | Starting where the collarbone meets in the center, go down an inch and out an inch on either side. | Kidney Meridian – Fear, phobias, feeling overwhelmed |
| Under the Arm (UA) | On the side, about four inches beneath the armpit | Spleen meridian – Worry, anxiety, obsessive thoughts. |
| Top of the head (TH) | Directly on the crown of the head. | Governing Vessel – spiritual connection, connection to higher purpose, releases energy blockage across all meridians |
You’ll find different versions of how many times to tap on each point. Sometimes it’s 5-7, other times as many as 10, but ultimately, follow what feels comfortable and natural to you.
What Issues Can Emotional Freedom Techniques Help With?
You can use tapping to improve numerous mental, emotional, and physical challenges. Tapping decreases cortisol, which is the stress hormone.
Tapping and Mental Health
Anything you can do to reduce emotional stress will help you feel better. This is because emotional stress contributes to weight gain and many physical ailments.
A 2013 study of veterans with PTSD showed the positive impact EFT tapping had in comparison to those receiving standard care for PTSD. EFT tapping reduced PTSD symptom severity, depression, anxiety, and improved overall psychological distress. This technique, in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy, can significantly enhance mental health.
In addition, a 2016 review found that EFT was effective at managing anxiety symptoms. These research studies demonstrate that EFT produces real and lasting results. They offer hope and potential relief for many individuals.
And these benefits extend beyond just anxiety and PTSD. Mental health can benefit in other areas as well. Studies, like this one from 2022, show that EFT can be a practical method to increase mental health and build self-esteem in those facing demanding professions.
Another study in 2023 demonstrated the benefits of EFT in reducing anxiety and stress. The study was for health care professionals facing pandemic stress during the COVID-19 outbreak. Although there’s still much research to be done to establish a direct causal relationship between EFT and its purported benefits, the research that’s emerging gives cause for optimism in this exciting area of mental health.
Managing Weight Gain With EFT Tapping
While losing weight is always on the top of most people’s lists of aspirations, the problem is that many people engage in fad diets and yo-yo dieting only to experience weight fluctuations. They do this without understanding the underlying causes that make the weight keep returning.
Emotional stress contributes to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. WebMD reveals that elevated cortisol is linked to several physiological changes in the body. These changes are weight gain, food cravings, digestive issues, and poor sleep. Cortisol levels that are too high also lead to a whole host of additional mental and emotional distress. While we certainly do need some levels of cortisol for energy and alertness, elevated and sustained cortisol has significant negative repercussions.
By clearing the body’s energy blocks, emotional stress diminishes. This improves sleep quality, allowing your system’s natural hormone balance to regulate. This all combines to make the body less receptive to weight gain.
A 2018 study showed remarkable results. A six-week online course focused on addressing emotional eating with clinical EFT. Participants lost weight throughout the course and continued shedding pounds after completing the program. The study suggests that emotional freedom techniques may be an effective tool for promoting sustained weight management.
Other Conditions Tapping Can Help Manage
The potential benefits of EFT go well beyond mental and emotional distress and weight gain. Many people are finding relief from physical ailments. These ailments include migraines, headaches, body pain, stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia. There are also applications in dealing with addiction issues.
It can also help manage insomnia and promote restful sleep, deal with phobias, procrastination and so much more. With EFT tapping, we are essentially retraining our brains to react differently to stress and anxiety. If you’ve ever seen a child suck their thumb to feel comforted, then you’ve essentially seen the same principle at play.
Children haven’t learned other methods for managing anxiety. They will create behavioral routines to make themselves feel more at ease. But while children don’t realize what they’re doing to cope, with tapping, we consciously and deliberately apply a coping mechanism. We can retrain our minds and bodies for different outcomes.
Getting Started With Emotional Freedom Technique:
Ready to try it for yourself? First, choose a problem. It can be something relatively small you’re experiencing—like feeling stressed or irritable from being stuck in traffic. Other examples are feeling angry after a fight with a friend, or struggling to focus on a work project. As you’ll learn more, you can even use EFT for Mental Health Issues. Initially, let’s keep it light.
Grab a journal or notepad to write down the intensity level of what you’re experiencing. Feel free to come back and add your thoughts after completing the process, too. Rate how strong this emotion is—with 10 being a strong reaction and 0 being nothing at all. This rating gives you a measurable method to evaluate if this method helps you achieve lower intensity levels after completing a session.
Follow these simple steps:
- Choose a negative emotion or belief.
- Measure how intense it is using a scale of 1 to 10.
- Formulate a setup statement to acknowledge the problem. This can sound something like:
- Even though I’m struggling to focus today, I deeply and completely accept myself.
- Even though my anxiety is through the roof right now, I honor and accept these feelings.
- Karate chop point: Tap the outer edge of one of your hands, on the side opposite your thumb while repeating the setup phrase out loud 3 times.
- Continue tapping about 5 – 7 times each on the eight points on your face and upper body:
- Eyebrow (EB): Use two fingers on either side and tap lightly at the same time where the eyebrow begins closest to the bridge of your nose. Repeat a simple reminder phrase while tapping. (Ex: My lack of focus, My anxiety)
- Side of the eye (SE): Using two fingers tap along the bones at the outside corner of either eye. (Reminder phrase)
- Under the eye (UE): Use two fingers to tap on the bony ridge under each eye, staying close to your nose. (Reminder phrase)
- Under the Nose (UN): Using 2 fingers, tap on the space just above your upper lip, directly beneath your nose. (Reminder phrase)
- Chin Point (CP): Using 2 fingers tap just below your lower lip in the indention between your chin and lower lip. (Reminder phrase)
- Collarbone Point (CB): Using four fingers, tap an inch below the bony part of your collarbone on each side (Reminder phrase)
- Under the Arm (UA): On your side, about four inches beneath your armpit, use 4 fingers to tap (Reminder phrase)
- Top of the Head (TH): Gently but firmly tap the very center and top of your head (Reminder phrase)
- Check your intensity level. Rate your level from 0 to 10.
Did the level go down? Great. If you feel you’d like additional reduction in intensity, continue another round or more until you get down to a 0 or 1. Many proponents of Emotional Freedom Techniques such as Nick and Jessica Ortner with thetappingsolution.com suggest ending on positive affirmation statements that resonate with your goals.
For example: “I am calm. I am centered. I choose to remain calm regardless of external circumstances.”
Another option for those who enjoy using tapping regularly for overall mental health and wellbeing is to include affirmations about physical wellbeing as you work your way through the EFT points, adding statements like, “My body is healthy. My mind is relaxed. I feel vibrant and full of life energy.”
And this doesn’t need to take much time— you can integrate the practice of EFT into your daily routine. You can do it while driving your commute, waiting in line at the bank, or even while having your morning coffee. The beauty of Emotional Freedom Techniques is that it empowers you to take control over your emotional and physical wellbeing throughout your day. So give it a try, because what’ve you got to lose—besides negativity.
Is EFT Comparable To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? A 2016 study found that EFT had similar effects to CBT in reducing food cravings. If you’re dealing with serious emotional challenges, it may be best to consider both therapy as well as EFT as a multi-faceted treatment protocol.
Does EFT Tapping Really Work?
If you’re rolling your eyes at all this “woo woo energy stuff”, you’re not alone. Despite being around since the late 1990’s, EFT tapping has often faced a certain amount of criticism and even ridicule. Critics and some scientific researchers have often rejected the practice claiming it’s merely pseudoscience and an “unsinkable rubber duck”, based on outdated research from years ago.
Yet a growing number of new studies, like the landmark 2013 study, showed statistically significant improvements. Veterans experiencing PTSD symptoms saw these results after engaging in Emotional Freedom Technique practices. These studies are helping move EFT tapping further into the mainstream. Even WebMD reports positive changes for those dealing with chronic pain, PTSD and phobias with those using EFT tapping.
Additionally, a 2019 study of 200 individuals showed dramatic results after attending a 4-day workshop on Emotional Freedom Techniques, with a 74% reduction in cravings. Tapping is safe, non-invasive, inexpensive, and readily accessible. Many individuals find it appealing because it empowers them to proactively participate in their well-being journey. There’s also the significant advantage of being able to engage in the techniques from the privacy of your home without the need to rely on a practitioner or therapist.
EFT for Skeptics
Even if you’re still skeptical about tapping into invisible meridians with your fingertips, consider the potential for placebo effects. The placebo effect is when the mere belief in a treatment’s effectiveness can produce positive results. At its core, this is the same basis for hypnotherapy.
In addition, a 2011 study indicated positive results for people dealing with addiction, irritable bowel syndrome, and pain relief with the use of hypnotherapy.
The act of consciously shifting your attention and intentionally directing thoughts toward affirmations can reframe limiting beliefs. This cognitive shift, in conjunction with rhythmic tapping, provides an avenue to calm the nervous system. While more clinical research is crucial for establishing the validity of EFT’s claimed efficacy, anecdotal evidence abounds and continues to create interest.
Millions worldwide vouch for the benefits they’ve personally experienced after adopting EFT. This practice can provide additional support alongside conventional treatments for those experiencing mental health challenges.
FAQs about Ultimate Guide to EFT – Emotional Freedom Tapping
FAQ 1: How do you tap emotional freedom?
To engage in EFT tapping, start by focusing on a specific problem you’re experiencing. Create a setup phrase like “Even though I’m stressed about work today, I completely love and accept myself. Then, start tapping on the side of your hand below your pinky (the Karate chop point) and repeat your setup statement three times.
Now start at your eyebrow, using 2 fingertips to tap about 5-7 times (or more if you prefer). Then continue moving down, point by point: eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, on your chin, below your collar bone on either side, four inches below your armpit, and the top of your head, repeating a simple reminder phrase such as “My stress.” or “Feeling Stressed”.
When you reach the last tapping point, (Top of head) reevaluate your intensity level of stress. If it’s reduced, you can stop. If you’d prefer it to go lower, go through the points and the process again until you reach the level you prefer. If you find that tapping gives you positive results, incorporate this technique for managing any problem, issue or feeling in your life. EFT can be an excellent self-soothing strategy.
FAQ 2: Can you do EFT on yourself?
The good news is that you can absolutely use EFT on yourself. Unlike acupuncture or massage where you need to have another person stimulating pressure points, tapping with Emotional Freedom Techniques is entirely accessible for self-application whenever you want. You can start with simple tapping such as when you’re in your car at a stop light or even sitting in a chair while watching television.
FAQ 3: What are the 5 steps to tapping?
The 5 steps of EFT tapping are as follows: 1. Focus on a specific negative emotion, feeling, or physical discomfort. 2. Rate the intensity level you feel from 1 to 10 (10 being highest, 1 lowest). 3. Create a setup phrase. (“Even though I’m stressed out today, I fully accept these feelings”.) 4. Perform the tapping sequence as explained above. 5. Rate your level of stress and anxiety or the feeling/issue you’re dealing with to assess whether the intensity level has diminished. If you’d like to reduce it further, complete another tapping round, and then assess your results again.
FAQ 4: What does EFT tapping do to your body?
Because unresolved emotions lodge in the body, by stimulating meridian points through EFT tapping, energy blocks begin to clear. This allows energy to move freely through those energy channels. Similar to getting a massage or acupuncture where a skilled practitioner can feel energetic blocks, tapping on the same areas stimulates your own energy system allowing your energy flow to smooth out and restore balance and well-being. As these disruptions are smoothed over, physical and mental distress dissipates, stress diminishes and overall health, vitality and energy improve.
Conclusion
Throughout history, various cultures and civilizations developed therapeutic techniques. These techniques aim to harmonize our connection to the energy systems in our bodies. This Ultimate Guide to EFT – Emotional Freedom Tapping explored a popular method with purported positive benefits in managing a wide range of ailments—both physical and emotional.
This guide explained what this powerful yet readily accessible technique offers individuals seeking improved wellbeing. While conventional methods like talk therapy remain important and shouldn’t be disregarded, alternative therapies offer adjunctive techniques. While additional studies and scientific data are necessary to support anecdotal claims, EFT tapping offers promise.
Conclusion
This Ultimate Guide to EFT – Emotional Freedom Tapping is intended as an informative starting point. It is here to empower you to achieve greater well-being by clearing the negative emotions that are hindering you from enjoying life fully. Whether you’re dealing with fear, anxiety, low energy, depression or food cravings, tapping could offer hope and relief.