What Is EFT Tapping?

The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a method that can help you release and heal trauma, move forward in your life, and achieve greater happiness. EFT uses simple tapping techniques to stimulate acupuncture points on the body while addressing specific emotions or situations.

The emotional liberation method is a technique for releasing tension in the body and reducing anxiety in the mind.

According to the EFT basic premise, all emotions and ideas are types of energy. Power has substantial physical manifestations that impact all bodily systems, whether good or negative.

While the human body can heal itself, stress and mental issues may get in the way. This is where the practice of emotional liberation comes in.

People who benefit from tapping methods report that it helps them clear their minds, concentrate their attention on the present moment (similar to meditation), and enhance their mood.

One of the nicest things about EFT is that it can be done anywhere, at any time, in a short amount of time, and without the need for any special equipment, prescriptions, or supplements.

What Is EFT Tapping?

The emotional liberation technique is a self-help method that includes tapping near the endpoints of “energy meridians” that run throughout the body. The tapping technique relieves physical stress and strengthens the mind-body connection.

The emotional freedom method, EFT tapping treatment, and just tapping are all names for the same procedure.

“EFT has been investigated in more than 10 countries, by more than 60 investigators, whose findings have been published in more than 20 different peer-reviewed publications,” according to the EFT Universe website. These include the American Psychological Association publications Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, and Review of General Psychology, as well as the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Who is the inventor of EFT?

Gary Craig, who thought his method to be an efficient blend of mind-body medicine and acupressure techniques, originally presented EFT tapping treatment in the 1990s. It was developed using a mind-body technique known as thought field treatment (TFT).

Dr. Roger Callahan, a clinical psychologist, invented TFT in the 1980s after discovering that it helped patients naturally manage negative emotions, such as anxiety and sadness are two conditions that affect people. Fear/phobias, and physical stress symptoms.

Craig was one of Dr. Callahan’s pupils who further explored and improved TFT methods to build his unique approach. As a result, Craig is one of the leading founders of the emotional freedom technique. Since 1995, the public has had access to several EFT courses to educate individuals on how to employ tapping methods to overcome physiological hurdles and common diseases.

What is the purpose of EFT?

It may be utilized to deal with both psychological and physical issues. Tapping, for example, is used to assisting people in managing problems like:

• persistent discomfort
• anxiety and depression
• PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a kind of anxiety illness that
• Public speaking phobia and other social anxieties/fears
• Stress may be either short-term or long-term.
• joint ache and muscle tightness
• reducing tiredness and increasing energy levels
• headaches caused by tension
• Emotional eating and food desires
• Low self-esteem is linked to emotional issues.
• problems with athletic performance, concentration, and coordination
• sleeping problems

How Does It Work?

What is EFT, and how does it work? Emotional freedom approaches are described as “combining parts of cognitive restructuring and exposure techniques with acupoint stimulation” in a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases in 2018.

Because it focuses on the body’s “energy system,” which is made up of circuits that run throughout the body, the emotional liberation method has some similarities to Traditional Chinese Medicine procedures like acupressure or acupuncture.

Known as meridians, these energy circuits can’t be seen or measured, yet many think they exist and have significant impacts.

• Mind-body healing practices are thought to assist in directing the flow of energy in the body to promote health and decrease disturbances.
• To promote physical and emotional healing, you tap at particular spots of certain energy meridians (similar to acupressure sites) in your body using EFT.
• EFT differs from acupressure and other Eastern techniques in that it addresses more than just physical problems and energy systems. It also emphasizes mental processes that lead to stress and emotional issues.
• The EFT method combines energy meridian tapping with positive affirmation speaking. EFT tapping integrates Eastern medicine with more typical Western psychotherapies in this manner. Taping therapy proponents believe that they may significantly influence emotional wellness when these methods are used together.

How to Tap Using the Basic EFT

According to Gary Craig’s EFT “recipe,” there are seven main phases in the EFT tapping procedure that some EFT practitioners teach. Others break the procedure down into five phases.

The following are the fundamental EFT tapping steps:

1. Detecting the problem — Begin by stating the exact issue or emotion you wish to address with EFT before you begin tapping. The idea is to concentrate on just one problem to maximize the impact.
2. Creating a reminder phrase — By giving the issue or memory a label, you may construct a brief phrase that helps you refer to it in a certain manner. This aids you in remaining concentrated on the memory or present difficulty for the remainder of the procedure.
3. Determine the importance of the situation to you on an “intensity scale” ranging from 1 to 10. (1 the least significant and 10 the most).
4. Creating your affirmation – Create a self-affirming statement that makes you feel strong in the face of the problem. “Even though I feel X (fill in the issue or emotion you’re dealing with), I truly and embrace myself” is the fundamental framework of positive affirmations. Begin by tapping on your hand, especially on the fleshy region on the outer side of your palm beneath your pinky finger, while you repeat your affirmation.
5. Performing the tapping sequence — You tap your finger over eight important meridian points during a tapping sequence. Then, apply steady, soft, but forceful taps with two fingers, generally the middle and index fingers. While tapping, keep speaking aloud and repeating encouraging words to keep your attention focused. The top of the brows, side of the eyes, under the eyes, under the nose, under the chin, under the collarbone, under the arm, and top of the head are all tapping areas to include (in this sequence).
6. Re-rating — Pay attention to how you’re feeling about the tapping session and rate the issue again on a scale of 1–10.
7. Finding a new positive affirmation and repeating the procedure— If you’re still stuck, locate a new positive affirmation and repeat the process.

6 Advantages

1. Stress, depression, and anxiety may be reduced

EFT has been demonstrated to aid in treating stress and associated symptoms such as insomnia, tiredness, and panic attacks. EFT has also been shown to treat depression in scientific investigations effectively.

Participants in the above research had “substantial decreases in anxiety (40 percent), sadness (35 percent), post-traumatic stress disorder (32 percent), pain (57 percent), and cravings” after a four-day training in the emotional tapping method. Resting hIn addition, resting, cortisol, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure all improved significantly.”

Much research has been undertaken over the last few decades to verify the relevance of EFT tapping and comparative treatments and identify how they could function. For example, emotional freedom approach therapy resulted in a substantial drop in anxiety levels among people suffering psychological distress, according to a 2016 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.

There’s some evidence that EFT works by lowering cortisol levels, one of the key “stress hormones” that may lead to various disorders if kept up for long periods.

“Clinical EFT has been found to modulate stress hormones and limbic function, as well as to enhance different neurologic indices of overall health,” according to a 2014 study published in Medical Acupuncture. UpregulatIn addition, upregulation genes and downregulation of inflammatory genes are among the epigenetic effects of EFT.”

Researchers determined that EFT performs differently than placebo in at least six well-controlled experiments.

2. Lowering cortisol levels may help to improve “stress biochemistry”

Another study published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease in 2012 found that when subjects were randomly assigned to either an emotional freedom technique group, a psychotherapy group, or a no-treatment group, the EFT group showed lower cortisol levels and improvements in several psychological distress markers.

The EFT session lasted 30 minutes, and salivary cortisol levels were tested before and after the treatment. ACCORDING TO THE FINDINGS, the EFT group had substantial reductions in cortisol levels, as well as anxiety, sadness, and overall intensity of symptoms.

3. May Aid in the Treatment of Psychological Trauma 

EFT has been found in trials to effectively treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its symptoms. EFT may function like conventional “talk therapy” since it involves positive affirmations. Still, it may be more successful for certain individuals because it engages both the mind and the body.

According to a 2018 paper published in the journal Healthcare titled “Guidelines for the Treatment of PTSD Using Clinical EFT,”

Its effectiveness for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been studied in various demographic groups, including war veterans, victims of sexual abuse, PTSD sufferers’ spouses, motor accident survivors, convicts, hospital patients, teenagers, and catastrophe survivors.

In a 2013 longitudinal study evaluating the benefits of EFT training on veterans with PTSD, it was discovered that after three therapy sessions, 60% of the subjects no longer satisfied the PTSD clinical criteria, and this percentage rose to 86 percent after six treatment sessions. The bulk of these changes lasted three to six months.

According to recommendations published in the Permanente Journal in 2017 for treating PTSD,

According to most practitioners, even complicated PTSD may be remediated in ten or fewer EFT sessions (63 percent). In addition, therefore, ingroup therapy, online self-help tools, and social support, we advocate a tiered care paradigm with 5 EFT treatment sessions for subclinical PTSD and 10 sessions for symptomatic PTSD.

4. Can aid in the relief of chronic joint and muscle pains

EFT has been shown in several studies to assist patients with tension headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic injuries, and various other pain conditions in managing their symptoms.

EFT training was proven to help decrease the frequency and intensity of headaches while also improving other lifestyle indicators in a randomized controlled experiment published in 2013.

A study of 86 women with fibromyalgia revealed that after completing an eight-week EFT training program, the group allocated to EFT training improved statistically significantly more than the group assigned to a waiting list.

Pain, anxiety, sadness, vitality, social function, mental health, performance difficulties with work or other tasks, and psychological processes such as repeated rumination, amplification, and helplessness have been linked to EFT. However, significant increases in activity were also seen in the EFT group.

5. Can Help Athletes Perform Better

EFT therapy helped increase athletic performance, according to a 2009 research published in Open Sports Sciences that looked at the impact of emotional freedom methods as part of a psychophysiological intervention for male and female basketball players. The athletes who underwent 15 minutes of EFT therapy were compared to a performance-matched control group who received a placebo intervention.

The success of free throws and the heights of vertical jumps were used to gauge performance. They discovered a statistically significant difference in free throw performance between the two groups after therapy.

In terms of jump height, there was no difference between treatment groups. However, EFT was said to assist with focus and performance anxiety/stress, which explained the difference between groups.

Another research revealed comparable benefits in soccer players, who improved their goal-scoring powers significantly after using EFT. In addition, EFT tapping has also been demonstrated to enhance mental conditioning associated with sports performance, such as improving confidence and lowering performance anxiety.

6. May help you maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle

Is EFT effective for weight loss? It may help manage your appetite by lowering stress hormones like cortisol, and it also seems to aid boost coping skills when it comes to preventing emotional eating.

Stress, boredom, depression, and loneliness may create cravings, and tapping is one way to cope with them. In addition, tapping may help you manage your physical and emotional desires to binge eat, significantly influencing your food choices and weight.

Side Effects and Risks

Even while the favorable results of EFT are encouraging, experts warn that it should not be considered “standard therapy” for persons with mental illnesses. Instead, it’s regarded as a complementary treatment that shouldn’t be used instead of more traditional methods like cognitive behavioral therapy.

The emotional freedom approach is best seen as a supplement to other treatments, such as a healthy lifestyle (eating nutrient-dense food and exercising regularly), conventional therapy, stress-relieving techniques like meditation or prayer, and maybe pharmaceuticals.

Last Thoughts

• What is eft tapping, and how does it work? Emotional Liberation Method (EFT) is an acronym for “emotional freedom technique.”
• It’s a self-help practice that includes tapping at the endpoints of the body’s “energy meridians.”
• EFT tapping is used to relieve tension, establish a stronger mind-body connection, and treat anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms.
• Tapping focuses on healing physical illnesses by affecting the body’s energy systems. It also emphasizes cognitive processes that lead to psychological stress and emotional issues.
• What is the mechanism behind it? EFT may help by reducing cortisol levels and the stress response in the body.
• It decreases negative emotions and physical symptoms by using muscular relaxation, affirmations, and other relaxation methods.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of EFT tapping?

A: The tapping is to release energy from the body. As a result, it relaxes and calms you down. It can also help make space for new things in your life and set boundaries for yourself or others if needed.

How do you do EFT tapping?

A: While tapping your fingertips to the point between your eyebrows, you intend to create an electrical current for it to release endorphins and natural painkillers.

How do you explain EFT tapping to clients?

A: EFT tapping is a great way to help your clients relieve the pain of past experiences, such as anger or fear. It can also be used in healing and self-improvement. All you need are some tap points on your client’s body (neck, arm, hand) and then set the goal they want to work towards – let them know what it will feel like when they have achieved their goal!

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