Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is an incredible way to heal.
Counselling on steroids
EFT, or Tapping as it is also known, is easy to do. It’s a technique based on ancient Chinese practices but has been proven by modern day science to work.
I liken it to ‘counselling on steroids’ because rather than just talking through a problem in the hope you can find some peace through desensitisation – EFT will release and break the circuit of emotions that you have tied up within that event. That is what is keeping you stuck inside the loop. Your fear, your shock, your shame – your emotional connection to it.
However, Emotional Freedom Technique isn’t just for emotions. You can also use it on physical pain. Migraines, headaches, back pain – you name it, EFT can help where a lot of other treatments have failed.
In the tapping world we have a saying: “Try it and see”.
How do I do it?
So lets jump into the technique of how to do it:
The Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping sequence in 4 easy steps
Step 1: Identify, as specifically as you can, what it is you’re feeling or experiencing.
So, for example, if you have pain in your left knee – perhaps it feels like a sharp stabbing pain, that is the statement you’ll use to do your tapping.
If it’s emotional, try and figure out what that emotion is to you (and it doesn’t have to be exact) but perhaps you’re frustrated or anxious. Sad, angry, annoyed, overwhelmed. Maybe you’re just not sure? Perhaps, you want to make a noise that represents what you’re feeling – a grunt or a ‘humph’ sound. Do that instead!
And to add another layer to that, if you can FEEL something going on within your body, add that into the mix as well. Perhaps your stomach is churning, or your chest is tight. Do a quick body scan to see if your body is trying to tell you something about the emotion you are feeling. (Our body knows more than what we give it credit for!)
The simple rule of thumb that I follow is to tap on what you know. That is: what you’re experiencing right now.
Step 2: Rate that pain or emotion (or both) on a scale of 0 -10. (0 = no pain/feeling good, 10 = maximum pain/emotion). Jot that number down on a piece of paper so you can monitor its intensity as you tap it through.
Step 3: Being tapping.
You start with what is known as the ‘Karate Chop point’ which is the soft fleshy part of your hand underneath your little finger. (Imagine you are doing a karate chop on a piece of wood. The part of your hand that makes contact with the wood is the Karate Chop point).
If you’re right handed, you’ll probably want to use your right hand to tap on your left karate chop point to start with. But you can swap hands at any time throughout this process if you find your arm getting tired or the skin gets sore from the repeated tapping.
Whilst tapping on the side of your hand, you’re going to say one to three versions of a set up statement.
Your set up statement will go something like this:
“Even though I feel really anxious right now, and my chest is tight, I deeply and completely love and accept myself“.
(If you’re dealing with physical pain in your knee, as I’ve mentioned above, you could say: “Even though I have this sharp stabbing pain in my left knee, I deeply and completely love and accept myself”).
Repeat this up to three times OR you can put some variations into your set up statement: E.g. “Even though I feel really anxious right now, and my chest is tight which is making it hard to breath, I deeply and completely love and accept myself”.
“Even though I feel really anxious right now because I don’t know how to handle this situation with my mum, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.
All you are doing at this first stage is stating what you know!
Step 4: Now, you’ll tap on the other more central points around the head, face and chest area and say a shortened version of the set-up statements.
In the example we’re using you could simply say “all this anxiousness in my chest” each time you tap on the following points:
- On top of the head (Use a flat hand to cover a larger area)
- Edge or beginning of the eyebrow (where your third eye is situated)
- Edge or side of the eye socket (tap on the bone)
- Underneath the eye, in the middle (again, tap on the bone)
- Underneath the nose (above the top lip)
- Crease of the chin (underneath the bottom lip)
- Chest point/collarbone (come down approx. 1 inch from the collarbones and form a lose claw shape with your hand)
- Underneath the armpit. (Use a flat hand and tap along the bra strap line).
I like to do two full rounds of tapping around these points and then I’ll stop, take a deep breath, and tune into how my pain is now feeling.
If the pain has decreased, for example, it was at an eight of intensity but it now feels like it’s a five, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing to see if I can reduce it further, zero being the target.
If, however, the intensity has gone up, that’s ok too. It doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. It simply means there was a lot more pain within your body and energy field than you realised. You’re simply about to open up a channel for it to come out of.
Think of it like a dried up toothpaste tube. There is soft, pliable toothpaste within the tube (your energy) but at the top of the tube a hard cork or blockage has formed. This blockage is keeping all the toothpaste stuck inside. As you push on the tube the soft toothpaste is trying to push the cork out so that it can escape. Your emotions work in a similar way. If you have a blockage or emotional cork keeping everything stuck, you might experience an intensity increase at first. What you’re tapping on is desperately trying to get out and push past the emotional cork.
So keep tapping on it and you’ll feel the intensity start to come down once your energy has found a small hole in which to pass through. Once that happens it’ll take the stagnant energy (blockage) with it.
At the end of the day, all your body wants is to have you recognise and acknowledge your pain. Once you do that, you’re 50% there.
Give your body thanks, whilst tapping, for letting you know that something is wrong and help it to release all the stored up pain it’s been trying to protect you from.
And if you need some added help, here is a video on the what’s, why’s and how’s of Emotional Freedom Technique!
What if I forget the sequence?
If you do ever forget the tapping sequence, you can simply tap continuously on a single point. The chest point is a very popular tapping point so go straight there if you’re struggling and need to get the energy and emotions moving.
I’ve always been a fan of the point underneath my nose and the crease of my chin. I just want to set up camp there. So I will use just those points if I’m busy or can’t do the full sequence.
Why say “I deeply and completely love and accept myself”?
If you’re doing this for the first time you might laugh or even cry when you say this. Because lets face it – how often do we say to ourselves “I love you”?
It’s rare.
But this is important because its rewiring your brain to feel love and acceptance for yourself no matter your situation. It’s a huge
problem in today’s society. We don’t love and accept ourselves for our ‘imperfections’ or mistakes. And quite often, we don’t love ourselves for the things we excel at and love to do either! So this statement will help you to find some peace within yourself. Even when it feels like you’re hanging on by a thread.
To be able to say: “Wow! I’m really not doing well right now, but you know what, that’s ok, I’m human and I can forgive myself for it”, is where you’ll find contentment within yourself.
You might find that at first, you’re just going through the motions of saying “I deeply and completely love and accept myself” even though it doesn’t feel true. That’s ok. Keep saying it, if you can, and it’ll eventually catch up with you.
If you really can’t bring yourself to say it then there are other things you can say instead:
You could try:
- “It’s ok and I’m ok”,
- “Maybe one day I’ll be able to love and accept myself”,
- “I’m a good person”
- “I accept myself and want to feel better”
- “I’m open to allowing myself to heal now”.
You can make up your own version of what you want to say BUT you must make it positive. This is what helps teach your brain that positivity is the direction you’re going.
That is what EFT is all about. Release the negativity, rewiring our thinking and emotions, to allow in the positive.
It’s the law of attraction at its most fundamental! (But more on this later…)
Please give this a try!
Emotional Freedom Technique can absolutely change your life.
If you’d like more information or you’d really like to give this a go but you aren’t sure you can do it on your own, I am only a phone call away.
Please get in touch. I’d love to go on this healing journey with you.