What Is EFT Tapping?
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques, and the best known of these techniques is often referred to as “tapping”. It involves using the fingers to gently tap on the body’s meridian points (used in acupuncture) while talking about certain emotions and experiences in order to change your reactions to those experiences. EFT balances the mind-body energy system, which puts the brain into a calm state. During this state, your brain can change negative patterns that have been holding you back from the life that you want.
How Does It Work?
Today’s world is full of stressors. Unlike our ancestors, we don’t often have to worry about being eaten by a lion, but our brains react the same way to other daily difficulties such as driving in traffic, conflict with co-workers or loved ones, watching the news, etc. The part of the brain that gets stimulated in this “fight or flight” response is called the amygdala.
Think of your amygdala as a personal alarm system. When you experience trauma or fear, the amygdala is triggered and your body is flooded with cortisol, commonly known as the “stress hormone.” When you have stressful or traumatic events occur in your life, they will keep triggering this response in an unhealthy pattern. If you go through the tapping points while talking about and feeling those stressors, you can change the amygdala’s response and help create calm in the brain and body. When your body is calm and feels safe, your thinking is more efficient. You will see new solutions and options for your life, perhaps for the first time.
What are Some Ways I Can Benefit from EFT?
EFT is commonly used for anxiety, depression, trauma, food cravings, goal setting, stress and more. EFT may also improve conditions that challenge conventional medical and psychological treatment, such as severe phobias, allergies, chronic pain, PTSD, and many others.
What Does an EFT Practitioner Do?
An EFT Practitioner can:
- Provide a safe space for you to explore and release your emotions
Often, it is hard to access painful memories and traumas while we are alone. An EFT Practitioner can help you feel safe enough to explore parts of your past you may otherwise not easily get to. - Help you discover the core issue of a specific challenge
EFT Practitioners can help you “get to the bottom” of why a specific issue is holding such a charge for you. - Assist you in identifying and clearing healing blocks you may have
These blocks are often referred to by EFT Practitioners as psychological reversals. While it is quite common to have these blocks, they can keep you from overcoming your problem, no matter how much effort you put in. - Formulate effective EFT Tapping statements
One of the biggest challenges for people while tapping is to know what words to use. An EFT Practitioner will help you come up with not only a statement you resonate with, but one that will also be effective in clearing the issue. - Keep you on track
It is easy to go off on tapping tangents, which can make it difficult to clear the whole issue. By working with an EFT Practitioner, you can make sure you follow an issue through to the end.
What Can I Expect From a Session?
We can meet either virtually or in the office. If you have a specific issue you want to work on, we will start there. Otherwise I will help you explore the areas of your life that you’d like to improve. I will demonstrate the tapping points and you will be tapping your own head and body while repeating certain phrases.
