What Is EFT Tapping? - E3

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques or tapping) is a stress relief modality, based on acupressure and modern psychology. Studies show that tapping reduces cortisol levels (our “stress hormone”) and relieves anxiety, depression, PTSD, cravings, chronic pain and much more. In this episode, learn about EFT, its many benefits and when you should work with an EFT Practitioner. Tap along to a brief guided EFT meditation and reduce anxiety in minutes.

Transcript

Hello,

I'm Annie Moussou,

A certified EFT tapping master practitioner.

I help women build confidence,

Set boundaries,

And enjoy healthy relationships.

Welcome to my podcast,

Hush Your Mind,

Building a better relationship with yourself.

On this show,

I offer practical wisdom to help you clear fears,

Limiting beliefs,

And trauma so that you can gracefully create a life you love.

Thanks for joining me in episode number three of my podcast,

Hush Your Mind,

Building a better relationship with yourself.

I accidentally began doing emotional freedom techniques,

EFT or tapping,

In a coaching program.

First,

My coach told me,

It's emotional acupuncture without the needles.

That made me raise an eyebrow.

Then she explained that illness and pain often have an emotional component,

And that the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system.

I squinted at her,

My lips pressed together.

I couldn't wrap my mind around the concept.

But when my coach demonstrated how to do EFT,

My jaw dropped.

She smiled and kept tapping gently on different points on her face and body.

What's more,

Studies show that this absurd energy healing modality helps relieve anxiety,

Depression,

Trauma,

PTSD,

And chronic pain.

EFT has turbocharged my own healing process.

To my great surprise,

Stubborn childhood issues that constantly plagued me vanished.

No more waiting for years to see results.

I had to know more.

So what exactly is emotional freedom techniques?

In traditional Chinese medicine,

Practitioners work with meridians,

A network of energy pathways in our body.

12 main channels of energy animate our body,

Mind,

Emotions,

And spirit.

Each meridian corresponds to an organ.

Energy,

Blood,

And information regularly flow through our organs.

When energy circulates freely through our meridians and organs,

Our body stays healthy and we feel at peace with ourselves.

But when energy gets blocked due to factors like trauma,

Excess stress,

Or poor diet,

We may experience illness and pain.

Emotional issues may stagnate and transform into anxiety,

Negative thinking,

And addictions.

Our mind,

Body,

And spirit fall out of alignment,

Wreaking havoc in our lives.

That's why practitioners use acupuncture to readjust and unblock meridians.

Similarly,

In EFT,

We stimulate certain acupuncture points by tapping on them with our fingertips.

These modalities focus on the root cause of problems instead of just treating symptoms and help us realign our body,

Mind,

And spirit.

Gary Craig,

A Stanford-trained engineer who specialized in personal development,

Created EFT in the 90s.

Dr.

Roger Callahan's work called Thought Field Therapy inspired Craig's simplified method.

A growing body of scientific research attests to EFT's effectiveness.

You can check out episode number 6 to learn all about the science behind tapping.

Nowadays,

All kinds of professionals use tapping,

Including mental health practitioners,

Life coaches,

Massage therapists,

Social workers,

Chiropractors,

Teachers,

And athletes.

The list of issues that EFT can help is extraordinary.

Get ready,

This list is a bit long and it's only a sampling of what EFT can help.

ADD slash ADHD,

Addictions,

Anxiety,

Arthritis,

Autoimmune conditions,

Body image,

Business success,

Childhood trauma,

Chronic pain,

Cravings,

Depression,

Divorce,

Fear of success,

Financial blocks,

Grief,

Headaches slash migraines,

Insomnia,

Limiting beliefs,

Low self-esteem,

Panic attacks,

Peak performance,

Perfectionism,

Phobias,

Procrastination,

PTSD,

Public speaking,

Relationships,

Resentment,

Self-sabotage,

Sexual abuse,

Sexual trauma,

Smoking,

Traumatic memories,

And weight loss,

Etc.

Can you see why I felt excited to learn more about EFT?

I love it so much that I became a certified EFT practitioner.

So how do you do basic EFT tapping?

The karate chop point cracks me up.

It's the fleshy side of your hand between your pinky finger and your wrist.

Just imagine if you were to shatter a pile of bricks with a karate chop.

When we start tapping,

We use three or four fingers of one hand to stimulate the karate chop point on the other hand.

It doesn't matter if we use the left or right hand.

Then when we tap on the other acupuncture points,

We use two fingers to accommodate the smaller spaces.

The goal is to tap 5-10 times on each point.

We want to tap just firmly enough so that we can feel it.

Different EFT techniques and additional tapping points may be necessary to heal specific issues,

But the basic structure of tapping looks like this.

The first step is choose the issue.

It can be physical,

Mental,

Emotional,

Or spiritual.

If you're doing EFT on yourself,

It's best to work on minor issues like a headache or a small upset.

Step number two is determine the level of intensity.

On a scale of 0-10,

10 being the highest,

How intense is this issue for you?

Step number three,

Create a setup statement.

The basic phrase is,

Even though I have,

Then fill in the blank with your issue,

I deeply and completely accept myself.

So if you have a headache,

You'd say,

Even though I have this headache,

I deeply and completely accept myself.

Step number four,

Tap on the karate chop point while saying or thinking the setup statement three times.

You can follow along with me right now.

Tap on the side of your hand while saying or thinking,

Even though I have this headache,

Or whatever issue you have,

I deeply and completely accept myself.

Even though I have this headache,

I deeply and completely accept myself.

And then one more time,

Even though I have this headache,

I deeply and completely accept myself.

Step number five,

Tap on the rest of the acupuncture points while saying or thinking a reminder phrase at each point.

For example,

This headache,

Or this disappointment.

I'm going to guide you through the rest of the points right now.

So first tap on the top of your head right in the center and say,

This headache,

Or whatever you're going through.

Move to the beginning of your eyebrow above your nose,

Using just two fingers for the smaller spaces,

Tap while you say,

This headache.

Tap on the side of your eye,

It's on the bone,

Bordering the outside of your eye,

This headache.

Then tap under your eye on the bone,

Directly under your eye,

This headache.

Under your nose,

Between your nose and upper lip,

This headache.

Then the chin point,

Which is under your bottom lip,

Tap while you say,

This headache.

Collarbone point,

Right under your collarbone,

About three inches from the center,

This headache.

And then finally tap under your arm on the side of the body,

About four inches below your armpit,

This headache.

Okay,

You just did one round of EFT.

Step number six,

Now reevaluate the level of intensity.

Compare with your previous number to measure your progress.

And step number seven,

Pause and tune in.

What thoughts,

Emotions,

Or physical sensations arise?

Tap on whatever comes up.

So maybe the level of intensity of your headache decreased,

But you still feel some tension in your head.

You could then do another round of tapping with the phrase,

Even though I still have a headache,

I deeply and completely accept myself.

Repeat steps three to seven until you get a three or less.

Okay,

So when should you work with an EFT practitioner?

You'll notice that EFT helps you quickly relax and hush your mind.

Some people even feel sleepy or repeatedly yawn.

Strong emotions,

Laughter,

And tears can arise too.

You might actually experience more distress before feeling better.

Did you know some people burp during EFT?

It's all part of the process.

These are positive signs that the energy has been unclogged.

For complex or chronic issues,

It can take several sessions of EFT to resolve.

One issue may have lots of different parts that need to be addressed.

Working with trauma without appropriate training and experience can cause re-traumatizations and worsen symptoms.

A skilled EFT practitioner helps you find the core issue,

Which is often hidden in the most unsuspecting places.

Our unconscious mind is like an endless jungle with many confusing paths.

Personally,

I resisted doing EFT on myself for a long time.

I knew how to do it,

But acknowledging heavy emotions alone daunted me.

Years of self-inquiry and meditation helped me arrive at a cozy bed and breakfast on my spiritual journey.

I generally felt peaceful,

Enjoyed good health,

And thrived in my relationships.

But certain self-worth issues and financial blocks stayed as uninvited guests.

Accepting these problems in my mindfulness practice didn't seem to make a difference.

I couldn't take a step back to see the bigger picture.

That's when I reached out for help.

My EFT practitioner gently guided me to my blind spots and helped me release stifled emotions.

I learned how to more fully heal from past wounds.

Sometimes tapping revealed long-forgotten memories,

Trauma that I didn't even know I had,

And repressed grief.

As I like to say,

Shadow integration isn't for the faint of heart.

But on the other side,

I found my true nature,

And am now embodying it with joy.

In conclusion,

It's like tuning a piano.

Our body has a brilliant energy system that orchestrates our well-being.

But excess stress,

Negative experiences,

And emotional wounds can sabotage our potential.

Ignoring these issues doesn't make them go away.

Our subconscious mind still remembers them.

Left unhealed,

They can cause cravings,

Illness,

And pain.

We must shine a light on the traumatic memory or limiting belief.

Once we unblock the stagnant energy,

We return to our natural state.

Health,

Abundance,

And bliss.

Thank you so much for joining me in this episode of Hush Your Mind.

If you enjoyed it,

Please feel free to write a review.

Visit my profile and follow me to get notifications about new content and live group tapping sessions.

If you have any questions,

Comments,

Or suggestions,

Just send me a DM.

I'd love to hear from you.

May you have the courage to love and accept yourself.

Be well and take care.

Reviews

So informative . Looking forward to exploring this! Thank you 🙏🏻

I believe in EFT, it makes so much sense. I can feel the layers falling. I can feel myself unfolding and rising out of the self doubt. I can see myself becoming 100% independent. It allows me believe in myself and Re- center my being.