Written by: Andrea Lewis, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique. It’s a method where you tap with your fingers on the meridian energy points on your upper body, face, and head. Think of it as a combination of acupressure and talk therapy. The meridian energy system is one of nine energy systems in your body. The meridian energy system is known in Chinese medicine as acupuncture points. These energy dots or hot spots can be stimulated with needles or physical pressure to release or redistribute energy, which is what EFT Tapping does. The meridians are considered the energy transportation system, and EFT Tapping helps restore balance to your disrupted energy pathways.
The method was developed in the late 1990s by Gary Craig. It combines acupuncture, neuro-linguistic programming, energy medicine, and thought field therapy (TFT). Although considered an alternative therapy and energy medicine, EFT Tapping is becoming more mainstream and used by some mental health professionals. In 2017 the Veteran’s Administration approved EFT Tapping as an accepted treatment for veterans with PTSD. The Veteran Tapping Project features videos of veterans using this amazingly quick and efficient technique with great success. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) states that approximately 85-90% of all illnesses and diseases have an emotional component behind them. When we remove the emotional issue, the illness or dis-ease or pain will often lessen or disappear.
I discovered EFT Tapping in 2014, and it was an answer to a prayer. It helped me release worries, stress, and fears that kept me anxious, and at one point, afraid to go outside. It helped me to feel the fear and do it anyway and introduced me to the world of energy medicine. EFT Tapping can help individuals release limiting beliefs, move into their power, and live a better life.
EFT Tapping is so deceptively easy that most people think that once they’ve had one session, they can do it on their own. Often, they’re correct. However, if they need to work on a big or small trauma or a reoccurring issue, it is best to work with a certified practitioner. Think of it this way. Anyone can work out on their own at home or in a gym, but it’s the personal trainer who will push you when you want to slack off or quit. It’s the personal trainer who knows how deep to go and when to let up. Most people don’t want to go deep, myself included sometimes, but when you go deep, real transformation happens. By EFT Tapping with a practitioner, you go deep to get to the root of an issue, thereby resolving its symptoms.
I mentioned earlier that EFT Tapping affects the meridian energy system. The Chinese have known about the meridians for approximately three thousand years. Through the meridians travel qi (pronounced chi), the body’s vital energy. Qi means “breath” or “air” and is often translated as “energy flow,” “life force,” or “matter-energy.” In the West, we have understood since the 1800s that the human body makes its own electricity. EEG and EKG machines have been diagnosing electrical irregularities in the heart and brain since the 1920s.
Some people ask if EFT Tapping is evidence-based. EFT Tapping meets the criteria to be considered evidence based. Still, because it is not listed in the national registry of evidence-based programs and practices, it is not considered evidence-based. However, a growing body of research is being conducted, and a global push for it to be listed as an evidence-based modality. Due to an excess of fifty peer-reviewed studies on the efficacy of EFT Tapping, we can say with confidence that EFT is scientifically valid.
In approximately twenty countries, in peer-reviewed journals, EFT Tapping has been shown to work on phobias, anxiety, depression, PTSD, pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, athletic performance, academic performance (I was a subject in of one of these studies in 2017), trauma, cravings, weight loss, addictions, stress, learning disorders, sleep & insomnia, traumatic brain injury, psoriasis, and epigenetic expression (which means genes, which were formerly believed to be fixed and unchangeable, can be altered).
EFT Tapping affects the amygdala, the seat of the fight, flight, or freeze response. This part of the ancient brain developed to help us stay safe and out of danger -- for example, cavemen needed to be on the lookout for lions and tigers. Even though today’s dangers are more related to stresses like preparing for a major presentation or being bullied on the school playground, the amygdala still seeks to protect us.
When the amygdala is activated, blood drains from the frontal cortex, the forehead area, so that one can be ready to fight or run. Maybe you’ve noticed that when you are anxious, stressed, or angry. You can’t think straight. That’s because blood has drained from the front of your brain. That’s why it is said that important decisions should not be made after a major life-altering event. Fortunately, you can use EFT Tapping to relax the amygdala so that you can think clearly. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a trauma specialist, and neuroscientist discovered this phenomenon in his post-traumatic stress research.
To be clear: EFT Tapping doesn’t do the healing, but it removes the stress or the emotion from the memory of an event so that the body can do what it was naturally created to do, which is to heal itself. After EFT Tapping, you can remember an incident without experiencing any attached emotional energy charge. You will also no longer become triggered by incidents or events that could evoke a similar response to the past traumatic event. Overcoming emotional wounds helps you achieve mental clarity and stay in the present moment so that you can finally stop reliving past traumas. Studies show that in less than an hour of EFT Tapping, cortisol, the stress hormone, levels are reduced. EFT can also improve gene expression.
If I have your attention, it’s time to learn how to tap!
An EFT Tapping round begins with a setup statement followed by tapping on each of ten Tapping points on your upper body, face, and head. The setup statement involves repeating a reminder phrase three times as you tap on the fleshy part of the side of your hand with the fingers of your opposite hand. Tapping the side of the hand affects the small intestine and heart and helps your memory.
As for the individual Tapping, points don’t matter if you tap on the left side or the right side, or both sides. Whatever feels comfortable works. Tap five to seven times on each point as light or as hard as you like. (Usually, if there is some intensity in the feelings, you may find yourself Tapping a little harder).
The setup statement goes something like this. Even though I feel worried because I wear my mask and social distance and others don’t seem to care and don’t do so, I deeply approve and accept myself. Even though I feel worried because there is a resurgence of the virus, I deeply love and accept myself. Even though I feel this worry in my chest, I accept myself anyway.
We always acknowledge any emotion we feel and accept ourselves for feeling it. If we don’t acknowledge and accept our emotions, we may cause them to erupt at inappropriate times. Long-held unresolved emotional issues may also cause illnesses to develop.
After completing the setup statement, we tap the other points. Because we are in a pandemic and some people may be worried about spreading germs on their faces, I suggest handwashing (or using hand sanitizer with a calming scent) prior to tapping.
The first point is located on the top of the head, where all the meridian energy points meet. Tapping on the crown of the head wakes up the energy system.
The second point is the eyebrow point, located at the inner corner of your eyebrows. This point affects the bladder and kidneys. It also helps with willpower and determination.
The third point at the outer side of the eye affects the gallbladder and liver. Tapping here can improve good decision-making.
The fifth point is located under the eye, directly below the pupil, which affects the stomach, spleen, and pancreas. Tapping here can help with confidence and building a sense of trust.
The sixth point is located underneath the nose, above the upper lip. This point affects the brain and helps with self-acceptance.
The seventh point is lodged between the chin and the bottom lip and can benefit the brain and help with clarity and confidence.
The eighth point, or the collar bone or heart point, is located by sliding the fingers to the v-shape in the middle of your neck and moving down one inch and then out approximately two inches to the soft spot below the collar bone. This point affects the kidney and helps with the ability to concentrate.
The tenth point is located underneath the arms, about 2 to 3 inches below your armpit. This point affects the spleen and stomach and helps with clear thought processes and memory.
After you’ve tapped on each of these points, you’ve completed a round of Tapping.
Note: Before Tapping begins, your practitioner will ask you what your subjective units of distress (SUDs) level are on the event or emotion you are feeling, on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being high and 0 being non-existent. There is no right or wrong answer. It’s a subjective number, a guidepost.
The practitioner will guide you through each point while reciting the reminder phrase. You will repeat the phrase as you are Tapping.
Are you ready to try it?
Start by tapping the side of your hand. Even though I feel this worry about going outside because I may become exposed to the virus…I deeply approve and accept myself.
Side of the hand. Even though I feel this worry about going to this upcoming event and being around others who may not socially distance themselves…I deeply approve and accept myself
Side of the hand. Even though I feel this worry in my solar plexus… I deeply approve and accept myself.
Top of the head. This worry
Eyebrow. This worry that I feel in my solar plexus
Side of the eye. This worry
Under the eye. This worry that I feel in my solar plexus
Under the nose. This worry about being around others and possibly being exposed to the virus
Under the lip. This worry
Collar bone. This worry about me possibly catching Covid 19
Under the arm. This worry
Take a deep breath.
Now how do you feel? What came up for you? Did another emotion appear? Do you have the same emotion but now feel it somewhere else in your body? What is the intensity level now? Did another seemingly unrelated event come to mind?
These are the probing detective-like questions the EFT Tapping practitioner will ask you. Then you continue Tapping until the SUDS level is 0.
That is a traditional EFT Tapping round.
Are you beginning to see how EFT Tapping can help you and be a valuable addition to your self-care toolbox?
Each month from now on, this magazine will feature a new EFT Tapping round or two from Andrea for you to follow along.
Find out more about how Andrea can guide you to embrace change and boldly and joyfully live beyond the expectations of family, society, and culture to live life on your terms at her website, EFT Tapping | Online EFT Classes | Solace4me.
Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and on her 30-minute online radio program, The Power of EFT Tapping, on Sundays, 12PM EDT, on Live365 Radio Stream - WNJR-Radio.Com | WNJR-Radio.Com (wnjradio.com).
Andrea Lewis, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Andrea D. Lewis is an Accredited Certified Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner (EFT Tapping) and often states that, "EFT Tapping is an answer to a prayer." She started using EFT Tapping in 2014 when she searched for a way to relieve her fears and worries that often left her feeling reluctant to leave her home to go to work or do other outside activities. She was so encouraged by the results she received from 50 days of 10-15 minutes of daily tapping that she wanted to share this newfound knowledge with others and became certified. EFT Tapping does not do the healing. It just releases the stuck emotional charge of past events to help the body do what it was created to do, which is to heal itself and to enable the person to move forward confidently in life. You can listen to her weekly internet radio program, The Power of EFT Tapping, on Sundays at 12PM EST on wnjr-radio.com. Her mission: To help clients thrive by being emotionally healthy and happily engaged in their life.
