EFT Tapping: Woo-woo or life-changing? (Demystifying emotional freedom technique)
What if I told you to use your fingers to tap on certain parts of your body, while saying your feelings out loud, and told you that in doing so your perception of these thoughts & feelings will completely change? You’d think I’m crazy, right? How’s that for a woo-woo nutty idea? Turns out there’s incredible science behind this practice (yes it’s a real thing) and it’s called the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or tapping. Before I completely lose your trust, let me give you my story & experience with tapping. I’ll then delve into all the must-have details about the practice is, who it’s for and how to give it a try in your daily life.
I have an incredibly amazing life, for which I’m thankful every day, but I also have a very busy life. It can be overwhelming to try and juggle everything, and not be buried by the volume of lies in front of me. Family, marriage, two full time careers, work travel schedules, two different school schedules and raising our two young daughters, it’s the real deal. It’s hard and it’s messy and I give it my all every single day, but there are days when I don’t win, and I feel flat out defeated. It was in one of those days that I reached out to an acquaintance who I knew did “tapping.” I was completely unaware of what tapping would be like, but saw it as a last resort for trying to get past a few major road blocks in my life. Out of sheer desperation I decided I had nothing to lose; little did I know, I actually had everything to gain.
If you know me, you know I came in with an outlined piece of paper with several items I’d like to talk about jotted down by order of priority. Always prepared. I had two big items weighing on my mind that I was stuck with, I couldn’t resolve either issue and they were driving me crazy. Potty training, and was I ever going to find my dream career. No big deal, totally small things I could tackle in an hour, right? To anyone who’s had a part in raising children (either your own or by being an amazing friend, auntie, or uncle) you know first hand how hard, stressful and miserable toilet training can be. Let’s take that one step further and say that we had challenges in this area for 4 years…yes, 4 long years of active potty training. This will test the patience of a saint, and break you down to the point that you think tapping on your face can solve your issues. On top of that, personally I felt stuck in my career. I was thankful for a job and one who provides a flexible work schedule, but I wanted more, I wanted to feel lit up inside to share what I spend my days working on. I had this undeniable belief that there was something incredible waiting for me, but I was too darn stuck to figure out what that “something” was, and I was sick & tired of the rut. I wanted to break thru, and find the path I knew was out there waiting for me.
With this load of heavy burdens I stepped into Trina Lee’s office with an open mind, and hope that change could happen. What did I have to lose? It was in the first hour with Trina that I felt connected, supported and most importantly felt a shift in my perceptions of the daunting scenarios that lay before me. A minor shift was everything I needed to get out of the heaviness of those situations and feel hope for real change.
Visits for one on one tapping sessions became more regular for me, as I saw breakthroughs and small changes transpiring, which I attributed to the work I was doing with Trina. Our visits gave me hope and understanding for how to reframe my approach & perception of these major topics. Slowly I found myself confident to try tapping on my own, and today I embrace a mindfulness practice with EFT that I’m able to use as I feel sticky situations arise. On top of that, I learned the benefits of tapping with children and have been able to incorporate this beautiful practice into our nightly bedtime rituals.
Now that I’ve shared my story & experience with EFT, I’d like to share the FAQ’s:
What is EFT (tapping): EFT is an evidence based technique used to release physical pain, negative emotions, limiting beliefs, food cravings, fears, phobias, childhood traumas, anxiety, grief and stress. The technique involves self-applied tapping on meridian end points (similar to acupressure) in combination with a specific type of modern talk therapy. Thru this technique, your body is allowed to heal itself naturally, break through barriers about yourself, and move forward from your past experiences. EFT can facilitate freedom to live your most authentic life!
Why should I tap: The benefits of EFT have been shown lower cortisol levels (stress hormone), as well as reduce anxiety, depression, phobias, cravings, and addictions. It’s also been linked to improved athletic performance and pain reduction. Here’s a great EFT resource with additional data behind the practice and its effectiveness.
Who is it for: Tapping is a right fit for anyone who wants to feel differently than they do now. It takes a willing to say exactly how you feel. The more honest you can be with yourself the more transformational your change will be.
How to begin: The two main starting points would be a self-guided practice, or working with a practitioner. The self-guided practice could include reading a book, or following digital guided tapping sessions via a website or app. Explore these amazing EFT resources. Working with a practitioner will be a personalized deep dive into your own unique story. The practitioner will help guide you thru the heavy work and teach you how to incorporate EFT in your daily life.
Where to begin: Begin with whatever feels the biggest in your life at that moment. Start there and you may be shocked at where your brain will lead you. On a personal note, I was always fascinated when I’d start with my prioritized list, but spent 90% of the time being led down a completely different path based upon my thoughts, feelings & emotions that arose.
Why do I have to talk about the negative: As you begin exploring EFT you will see that the practice begins by finding an issue to discuss, and for this reason, people can often be off-put by the negative focus. Why do we have to focus on the negative if I want positive results? Won’t saying these negative feelings affirm & perpetuate their existence? Acknowledging the negative feeling is the only way to truly release it, allowing you to step into positive affirmation and truly believe in the change.
My hope is that my personal experiencer with EFT, along with the background information on the practice and its benefits, has sparked curiosity. Honestly I tried various forms of meditation for years before giving tapping a try, and for me it was a game changer. I finally found a practice that I enjoy and experience positive changes from. If you know me, when I have a recommendation of something I love I am hard pressed to keep that information to myself, and that’s what inspired this blog; I want to help promote changes that allow people to be guided to become the most incredible versions of themselves. For me this includes a mindfulness practice with EFT, and maybe that’ll be true for you too….what do you have to lose by trying?
I’ll close by sharing one of my favorite resources with you. Trina Lee whom is an incredible practitioner, and who I chose to partner with for my one on one sessions, has an incredible site where you can access a free guided tapping meditation. I hope you take advantage of her guidance, and I’m here to validate that they can be powerful instigators for change.
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