EFT Basics: Tapping For Stress Relief And Emotional Balance

In this introduction, you’ll learn the basics of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), also known as tapping.
Step by step, I’ll show you the key tapping points so that you have a good understanding about the modality and how to use it. A wonderful way to prepare for one of my themed guided EFT meditations. EFT has been shown to be effective for a variety of issues, for example it can help reduce stress and inner tension, and regulate your nervous system. It supports you in releasing emotional blocks and bringing your emotions back into flow.

Transcript

Hello and welcome! Thank you so much for being here and for being curious to learn about EFT tapping from me. In this short introduction, I'll share with you what EFT is and how we apply it, So to say all the practical details. I want to give you a first overview about the practice so you understand how it works, What a typical EFT round or meditation with me here on Insight Timer can look like and most importantly where the main tapping points are located on your body. That will make it super easy for you to follow along with my themed EFT meditations afterwards or even use EFT on your own. So let's begin. What is EFT tapping? Well, First, EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques. Now that doesn't mean that we want to get rid or free ourselves of all our emotions, We don't want to become robots or an android like Data in Star Trek, Who doesn't have any emotions. It's more about creating a healthier relationship with our emotions, Getting our emotions moving again rather than holding them in or even pushing them down. And it's also about releasing stress, Anxiety and tension. Maybe you know the feeling, When there's strong emotion and it feels like they take over, Maybe leaving you overwhelmed, Almost as if you're losing control and unable to think clearly. And that's exactly what EFT can help shift. It brings you back into the driver's seat of your life, So to say, Where you choose the direction you're going and, For example, Not your emotional waves, Your stress or anxiety. So very briefly, EFT is a gentle, Body-based method, A stress reduction method. And when we hear the word gentle, We might think, Okay, Maybe it's not strong enough to create any kind of change, It's not strong enough for my issues. And often we equate or associate strengths with flaws like breaking through our ego, Pushing harder or powering through something, Almost as if we have to destroy something first and then if we use a gentle method, Well, That doesn't seem strong enough. But that's not how EFT works. It's actually both. It's gentle but also very powerful. It goes deep without needing to force anything or overanalyze every painful experience of the past or even reliving it again and again in the long run. And that's exactly why it can be so effective and sustainable in the long run. And the way it works or the way we apply it is that in EFT, We gently tap on specific points on the upper body with our fingertips while tuning in to a feeling, An emotion or a topic we want to shift. We combine this mindful tapping with words that acknowledge what's really going on in our life, What's present and perhaps weighing us down, Something that we would like to change and really let go of. This combination of tapping and focused awareness helps release emotional tension. It allows feelings to move and thoughts to settle. It supports the regulation of our nervous system, Reduces stress, For example, By lowering our cortisol levels and it also strengthens our connection with ourselves. EFT draws from both modern psychology and traditional Chinese medicine. And by that it can address the body on multiple levels, Physical, Emotional as well as energetic. And nowadays even research backs it up, There are now many studies showing the positive effects of EFT, Especially when it comes to reducing stress, Anxiety and emotional distress or emotional pain. So how exactly does it work? How do we do it? When we practice EFT, We use a tapping process with our fingers to stimulate acupuncture points on the face and upper body. That's why EFT is sometimes called acupuncture without needles. So to do this practice, All you need are your fingertips. And you can use two or three fingers to tap gently on the left, The right or both sides, Depending on what feels good for you. For example, There are points which you can find on both sides of the body, Such as the points under the eyes. And in that case, You can choose which side you would like to tap on. Now I'll show you the tapping points you'll find in most of my EFT audios and meditations. You can either tap along right away as I describe them, Or take a moment to visualize where they are and then try to find them or tap on them later by yourself. Or you can listen to the audio again and then tap along. So the first point we'll tap on is on the side of the hand. We usually start our tapping session by tapping on that point which you find at the outer edge of your hand, Below the pinky finger, That soft, Fleshy part you'd use to tap lightly on a table. You use the fingers of one hand to tap on the point of the other hand. And you can choose whichever hand feels comfortable to tap on. For example, You can tap right on left or left on right, It doesn't matter. And while we tap here, We often say the so-called set-up statement or set-up phrase. That's a phrase that helps us tune in and gently acknowledge the issue that we would like to address in the tapping session or tapping meditation. For example, This could be something like, Even though I am so angry at my boss, I am open to accepting myself just as I am, Right here and right now. And from tapping on the side of the hand, We continue tapping on the eyebrow points. This is the point inside of the eyebrow on each side, At the start of the eyebrow, Just above your nose. Then we move on to the side of the eye. This is the temple, The area at the outside corner of your eyes. Then under the eye, On the bone, Just under your eyes, About one inch below your pupil. Then under the nose, That's the soft area between your nose and upper lip. Then we tap on the chin point, That's the small dip between your lower lip and your chin. And then we tap on the collarbone point. Actually, There are also two points, On the left and on the right side. And you can find them just below your collarbones, About two or three fingers beneath where your neck meets your chest. So slightly to the side in the soft area under the bone. And you can tap on one side or both sides at once. And then we tap on the underarm point. There are actually also two points, One on each side. And you can find them about a hand wide below your armpit on the side of your body. So you lift your arm slightly, Let's say you lift the left arm slightly to reach this point. And then you tap with your right hand or with your right fingers on this point underneath your armpit. And here you can also choose if you would like to tap on the left side or on the right side or even both sides at the same time. From the underarm point we move to the top of the head, This is the last tapping point. And it's right at the crown of your head, Roughly at the highest point of your skull. And that's it, The basic EFT tapping sequence. Usually we repeat it a few times depending on the topic and how your system responds. One last thing that I would like to mention and that I really, Really hope you will remember. You don't need to get anything right or perfect. EFT is an invitation to meet yourself with kindness and compassion. It's about being present with what's there and lovingly supporting yourself. So try to be curious and present with what you're experiencing, Your sensation and the signals of your body, As opposed to focusing on perfection of the technique too much. Now that you know the points you can jump right into a guided EFT meditation if that's something that resonates with you. What we do in those guided meditations is that we'll always focus on specific topics. So just have a look and see what resonates best with you in the moment. I'll also be uploading more topics and more audio soon. And if you're looking for a specific topic, You would like to work on a specific issue that's not there yet, That I haven't covered yet. Please feel always free to reach out and let me know so that I can integrate it into my next EFT audios. Thank you very much for listening. Thank you very much for being here. I'm looking forward to supporting you and wish you all the best. Namaste. Sinaf.