Welcome to our introduction on integrated therapy with EFT tapping.
Now before we do a tapping demonstration,
I'm going to just do an overview of what this practice is about.
And when I say it's grounded in an integrative approach,
What it's drawing together is some mindfulness,
Self-awareness,
And cognitive understanding of the wisdom in the body.
And it's not trying to force or fix anything on ourselves,
But it's more of that connecting to the very various areas of self-energy and how that can show up.
Compassion,
Curiosity,
Courage and gaining that clarity as opposed to letting ourselves becoming overwhelmed by it.
So as we're talking about EFT and just noticing what comes up in the body,
I'm going to invite you to turn inwards.
Notice your breathing.
Notice the contact between your body and the surface supporting you.
And as you allow yourself to become aware of what's present right now,
Notice if there's this urge to change anything or to try and fill something that isn't there.
In this space,
We're not judging thoughts,
Emotions or sensations.
We're just checking in.
Nothing needs to happen that is anything other than it is.
So checking in,
What are you noticing right now?
What feels more present,
Is it an emotion,
A thought?
Of feeling or sensation.
And what part of you needs acknowledgement today.
Taking a slow scan through the body with your eyes gazed lowered or your eyes closed.
Notice any tension,
Contraction,
Heaviness.
Are you numbness?
Warmth or coolness or discomfort.
And again,
No right or wrong way of experiencing your subjective experience.
The invitation here is just to observe.
And this mindfulness aspect teaches us that awareness itself creates space.
And within space is where possibilities can emerge.
So in this Emotional Freedom Technique practice,
We honour those two truths at the same time,
The parts of us that may need acceptance for what's here and the parts of us that may also desire change,
Rather than choosing one or the other.
We allow both to exist.
And we acknowledge our current reality whilst remaining open to the possibilities of healing or growth or insight.
Or new perspectives moving forward.
At EFT,
Also known as Emotional Freedom Technique or Tapping.
Combines mindful awareness with gentle tapping on a series of acupuncture pressure points.
That have roots in the traditional Chinese medicine.
Whilst modern EFT is not the same as acupuncture,
It draws upon the understanding that emotions,
Stress and experiences can become embodied within us.
And EFT is also part of a wider international body of work these days with research that has emerged across Korea,
Australia and the United States.
There's a major clinical EFT review which has been co-authored by Dawson Church in the US and Peter Stapleton in Australia and Korea has contributed PTSD focused EFT research through the teams of the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine and the Yung-He University.
So whilst I can't confidently say there's one single joint study from the sources I've checked,
I can say this is an increasingly informative global field that's looking at the benefit that come with EFT.
And there's also an important crossover with polyvagal theory,
Where this theory helps to explain how our nervous system responds to cues of safety and danger.
And EFT can be understood as one gentle way of supporting regulation whilst we stay present with stress,
Emotions and unresolved experiences.
And together they offer a really beneficial perspective of what it is that goes on in the mind and body and stress states as we experience them.
So as we tap into themes in our sessions with the emotions,
Beliefs,
Memories or situations,
It serves us to anchor with mindfulness whilst our nervous system is reprocessing or responding to the stored stress differently.
The intention is not to suppress emotions,
But to create enough safety and regulation that we can meet them with compassion and curiosity.
So today,
I'm going to demonstrate as we move through the nine tapping points,
We'll use each point as an opportunity to acknowledge what may be present,
Release what no longer serves us,
It may have been beneficial at one point,
And create space for that greater balance,
Clarity and connection.
Now the tapping points that we do go through.
The first will be the side of the hand.
And this is associated with the small intestine.
Meridiem.
And this point.
Is tapping into it and knowledge when we may feel stuck,
Unable to move forward,
Feel burdened by grief,
Loss or unfinished experiences,
Things that have gone unacknowledged.
And as we tap here,
We recognize whatever has happened has been difficult to let go of,
Be with,
Or sit with,
Or experience.
And we honour the parts of ourselves that have been carrying that pain,
That stress,
Whilst opening up to the possibilities.
Of where it may ease move forward and what may also be available.
And it will state some of those self-compassion statements.
I deeply and completely accept myself anyway.
The second point that we tap into is the eyebrow.
Inside of the eyebrow,
Which is associated with the bladder meridian.
And this point often is connected with trauma,
Emotional hurt,
Sadness,
And experiences that may have left an imprint on our nervous system in our body.
And as we tap here,
We acknowledge the emotional wounds,
Feelings,
Sensations without judgment.
And with all the tapping points,
We allow ourselves to witness.
What that experience is,
What that feeling is.
And on the side of the eye.
It's associated with the gallbladder meridians.
And this point here relates to the anger,
Resentment,
Frustration,
And unresolved emotional tension,
A lot of those advocacy emotions.
Really acknowledging what wasn't okay.
And as we tap we notice if there's any places in the body where we may be holding on to hurt,
Disappointment or resistance.
You'll usually notice a response if any of that is there when tapping here.
So when we're tapping here,
We're not trying to force forgiveness or change us either.
It's more of that space for compassion,
Understanding and clarity of how significant that is.
That would have been for you.
When we tap under the eye,
That's associated with the stomach meridian.
So if tapping here and.
This point is often linked with fear,
Anxiety,
Worry,
Feelings of unsafety.
If that's something that's going on in your body,
You may feel the shift happening when tapping here.
More so than others because as we tap here we acknowledge the ways our minds and body have tried to protect us.
And just tapping and acknowledging is a way of showing gratitude as well for these protective parts responses.
Whilst gently acknowledging it calmly.
From a place of feeling secure and trusting that process.
When we tap under the nose here,
That's associated with the governing vessel.
And that whole body,
This point really supports that work with shame,
Self-criticism,
Powerlessness,
Feelings of inadequacy.
All of those feelings towards ourselves,
About ourselves.
And as we tap here,
It's most important to use those compassionate statements of awareness.
Parts of ourselves that we believe may be flawed,
Unworthy or not enough.
Tapping here when you notice that shift,
That may be something.
Deep in the unconscious or in the body that might be showing up as a signal,
As an opportunity to.
.
.
Lean into that a bit more.
But here we use statements which open that self-acceptance,
Empowerment and kindness towards ourselves and that flow out and overflow to others.
Under our mouth,
That's associated with the central vessel.
This point relates to confusion,
Uncertainty,
Indecision,
In a conflict.
Maybe it's something that's going on.
Maybe it's something you don't know what to believe.
But as we tap here,
We acknowledge the discomfort of not knowing,
The unknown,
As it were.
And noticing when anything shifts there.
That the nervous system responding,
Recalibrating.
Maybe acknowledging.
Getting some insight and wisdom there.
And rather than us demanding or expecting an immediate answer from tapping on these points,
Again what we're doing is we're just opening up that space for clarity.
To arrive and it's okay if it doesn't arrive on the first tapping round or even the second tapping round.
Really,
It's practicing that confidence in moving through the unknown,
If it's going to do anything,
If it's not,
But also that self-trust.
And acceptance of what needs to emerge will emerge naturally in its own time.
Now when we tap into the collarbone points here,
This is associated with the kidney meridian.
And this point is often used when we feel stuck,
Overwhelmed,
Depleted,
Or uncertain about what next,
Or our next steps.
And as we tap here,
You can stay on the same place or go up and down.
It's completely up to your comfort what you feel is most comfortable.
We acknowledge the challenges we're carrying.
Across our shoulders.
We invite.
That's renewed.
Confidence in what it is that we know,
What we're bringing to awareness.
And tapping into that,
Allowing ourselves to interrupt that stress response of holding the tension,
Of holding whatever it is that we feel we're carrying.
And that being a form of resilience and sense of movement towards what matters most to you.
And when we tap under the arm it's one hand below the armpit or on a bra strap if you're wearing a bra This acupuncture pressure point is associated with the spleen meridian.
And this point supports the release of guilt,
Excessive worry,
Overthinking,
Mental looping.
A lot of these mental formations and thoughts that are trying to resolve something.
And as we tap here,
We may notice shifts.
Or even the stories,
Concerns or repetitive thoughts that may be consuming us pop up.
And that may be a memory.
It may be a visual image or maybe an inner voice.
But popping up there is an indication of what is this old belief narrative.
Story and what is it trying to do for me and we allow ourselves to step back from those loops and reconnect with curiosity.
Seeking to get this objective perspective.
What is it?
Showing up?
When is it showing up?
Why is it showing up now?
And you're bringing it to the foreground too.
To really go deeper through the layers and notice what is going on.
Shifts or sits up for you as we tap through here.
And then the final tapping point,
The top of the head.
Is associated with multiple meridian pathways and traditionally connected with the crown chakra.
Excuse me,
Insight chakra,
And the point serves as a place of integration of all of those tapping points all together.
And as we tap.
The crown of the head,
We allow the work of the previous points to settle in the body,
Reset the nervous system or bring it towards that theta-thonia stasis,
And we acknowledge any shifts that have occurred and remain open.
To insight,
Wisdom,
Balance,
Connection,
Possibility.
And this is a moment to anchor whatever feels recognised,
Meaningful.
Or healing.
And it can show up differently for different people when we talk from the top of the head.
There's this wisdom that just comes to mind,
A statement almost.
And we'll always end that statement at the top with now.
So we bring it into the now,
We bring it back into the space,
We bring it back to closure as we wrap that up as the mind may be going to the past,
Might have travelled to the future,
But we bring it back to now.
What have we brought back with us from going through that journey?
And the transition into tapping as we move through the tapping sequence.
Is again,
Remember,
It isn't about forcing any of these things to shift,
Any of these insights to come up.
It's simply going to be noticing.
Acknowledging.
Accepting what's there.
By remaining curious.
And allowing your self-energy to stay present to whatever arises.
To breathe through it if you need to.
And in these sessions,
Together we'll explore what is here.
Honour what needs attention.
Release whatever is ready to soften.
And create space for the new possibilities to emerge.
So our first round will be acknowledging.
What comes up with the themes with each EFT tapping session.
The second round will be acknowledging the possibilities,
What else might be true.
What else might be coming up?
That this protective part is trying to do for you.
And the third round will be integrating all the insights that come up along the way.
What's been recognised,
What's been acknowledged.
And what is needed moving forward.
Whether that's acceptance or change.
Or just the contemplation of what's being brought to the foreground.
Now in between.
At the start of each session we check in most importantly with your subjective unit of distress or intensity.
What is in the foreground for you when you're bringing this?
Memory,
Feeling,
Sensation,
Emotion around the themes that we tap into.
The most intense you've ever felt it out of 10.
Or is it more towards zero,
Not feeling much around it at all?
Some people will be coming in at a nine out of 10 and others will be coming out at three out of 10.
So really it's checking with your subjective experience.
What is it that you need to tap through?
On that theme that's going to be beneficial for you.
And after each round,
We take a pause,
We take a breath,
We drop in,
We do a body scan.
Okay,
What's there?
What's coming up?
What's moved?
What's landed?
And we see where we've landed on that subjective unit of distress again and some people it can intensify.
And that's okay.
That can actually mean something is coming up to be processed.
Unconsciously in the physiology of the stress system in the body.
And you're welcome to take a sip of water at any time.
And if it gets too intense,
Just look around the room,
Use your fork.
Peripheral vision,
Again we're going to work with our nervous system.
In the body to activate that rest and digest.
In the the base nerve and even if you need to do some vagal toning you can start humming like hmm i'm not gonna hum but you get what i mean as a way to really bring yourself back into the body because it can be quite easy for the body to respond to stressful thoughts and memories,
Or if the sensation is even just too much to tap through,
It's okay just to stay here as well throughout the whole tapping sessions,
Or just tapping the back of the hand or the side of the hand.
So finding what works for you as you go.
Join these EFT sessions or find ways of moving through the sequences as well.
I'd invite you to give it a trial.
You don't have to believe in it for it to be effective,
But as a practice,
It's something I've witnessed has had some really interesting results for people in those moments and working with the nervous system as well in those moments to give it a little bit of a break from always being on,
Always being activated.
So if you have any questions,
Feel free to send them through.
Otherwise I look forward to seeing you in the EFT group anytime soon.
