The Emotional Freedom Technique (a.k.a. EFT or “Tapping”) is Drug-Free — and effective.
Parents, friends, even people I meet randomly, like in line at the grocery store, seem to mention how stress, anxiety, and the blues have affected their lives and their kids’ lives since the pandemic.
The good news is that the Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as “EFT” or “Tapping”, offers drug-free, consistent, effective relief.
And Tapping easy. Kids can do it too!
EFT utilizes meridians in our bodies, electrical points that influence various organs and physical processes. The tapping points are common to acupuncture, but don’t worry, there are no needles involved.
(Woo-hoo! Right?)
It turns out, a soft touch and simple procedure can make all the difference in your day.
The basic idea behind EFT is that negative emotions and physical pain are caused by blockages in the body’s energy system. By tapping on specific points on the body, these blockages can be released, allowing the body’s energy to flow freely again.
How great will it be to empower yourself to feel better when you get stressed, nervous, frustrated, or angry? Or when you start to feel down?
And once you feel comfortable, you can give your kids this tool to help them understand and manage their own emotions.
Before we get started, I want to point out that this post won’t make you an EFT expert. You’ll learn the how-to basics for reaching a calm, peaceful place in about 90 seconds.
Steps for using the Emotional Freedom Technique:
1. First identify what’s bothering you.
Only pick one emotion to release at a time. What are you most anxious, angry, frustrated, stressed, scared, or depressed about?
2. Then ask: From 0 to 10, how stressed, angry, depressed, or whatever, do I feel about this? Give that emotion a number. This will help you see the change from one round of tapping to the next.
[Note: If you’re feeling down and you don’t know why, just give how sad you feel a number between 0 and 10.]
3. Next make a statement: “Even though I have stress right now (or whatever you’re feeling), I deeply and completely accept myself.”
If you find you are uncomfortable with the latter part of that statement, say, “Even though I have stress right now, I’m a good person.”
[Notice: You have that emotion. Stating having an emotion instead of being that emotion makes letting it go easier.]
4. Then repeat your statement at all 11 meridians, tapping about seven times at each location.
For example, let’s say you have stress about a project at work or school. You decide from 0 to 10, your stress level is at 10!
Tap the crease on the side of your hand, just below your pinky (see 1. diagram), about seven times while saying:
“Even though I have stress about this project, I deeply and completely accept myself (or say, ‘I’m a good person’).”
Then repeat tapping and saying a shorter statement at the following ten meridians (see diagram).
You can alter the words to stay focused if you want (examples below).
Repeating the negative emotion should desensitize and release the negative feeling.
After you tap the crease on the side of your hand (1) and say the full statement (above) . . .
Tap your head (2) and say: “I feel so stressed about this project.”
Tap your eyebrow (3). “I have so much anxiety about this.”
Tap the side of your eye (4). “I hate feeling stressed like this.”
Tap under your eye (5). “I have so much stress about this project.”
Tap under your nose (6). “I feel so stressed.”
Tap below your lips (7). “I have so much stress right now.”
Tap your collarbone (8). “I feel so much anxiety about this project.”
Tap your rib, just under your armpit (9). “I have so much stress right now.”
What the person who trained me does at this point, but it isn’t the norm—I’ve just found this to be helpful is:
Put your hand on your heart (10) because there are several meridians in this area and tap the back of your hand with your other hand. “I feel so stressed over this project (situation).”
And this last one is the other meridian that is optional, but it is known to help with physical pain as well as relieve mental stress.
Tap the back of your hand, between the bones that lead to your pinky and ring fingers (11).
“I feel so stressed over this thing.”
Once you go through the whole sequence, take a deep breath and ask: “From 0 to 10, where is that feeling now?”
And you’ll likely find the number is lower.
It usually takes two or three, maybe even four rounds to get from a stress level of nine or ten to a zero or one, meaning there’s either no, or almost no, negative emotion left—which takes about 90 seconds.
See, while you’re getting your electrical meridians back in synch, you’re also rebalancing the hormones in your brain. Studies show it takes about 90 seconds to replace cortisol with a more pleasant hormone like dopamine.
If you or your kids are struggling with depression, you can go through the same procedure, tapping all the same meridians, but instead of saying “I’m feel sad or depressed,” say the opposite.
Like this: “Even though I [can barely get out of bed – or – I can hardly get through the day – whatever the situation], I am a happy person because I deeply and completely accept myself.” If you can’t handle that ending. Say: “Even though I can barely get through the day, I am a happy person because I know I’m a good person.”
Then tap: “I’m a happy person.”
“I am such a happy person.”
“I am sooo happy.”
And so on.
You might feel like you’re lying, but after tapping a few rounds, most people say they start to feel like the words are true.
The theory is, when we’re depressed, the feel-good hormones in our brain need a boost to get into gear. This Tapping process seems to lift people’s moods and open the possibility for feeling better.
More studies need to be done on this, but if you or someone you love has trouble with depression, this might be worth a try, right?
Remember, no matter what feeling you want to dissipate—stress, anxiety, anger, frustration, depression—plan to do two to four rounds of tapping to restore your calm and think more clearly—usually within about 90 seconds.
If you want some support in practicing the Emotional Freedom Technique, schedule a conversation with me. 😊 The first consultation is free.
Even better, I’ll be giving a workshop on the Emotional Freedom Technique at the Embracing Wholeness Retreat in Sedona, Arizona April 26 to May 1.
You’ll learn more about EFT and practice Tapping several times throughout the workshop. By the time you get home, you’ll feel comfortable using this tool to reduce stress and restore your peace, and possibly teach other family members.
There are only a few spots left, so if you can find your way to giving yourself the gift of a real mental reset that will give you peace in a beautiful setting, snag your spot!
ONE MORE THING: If you would like a PDF with the instructions and Tapping locations to practice the Emotional Freedom Technique, click HERE
Best possible wishes for a more peaceful life,
Trish Wilkinson
Author, Parent Coach, Speaker, Workshop Facilitator
